How To Get Rid Of Sugar Ants

by Heather Robbins

Published: January 2nd, 2023

It happens to the best of us; we’re cooking, we look over and happen to notice one little sugar ant making its way across the counter. The closer we look, the more we see!

Your home being attacked by sugar ants can be extremely frustrating, since there are usually tons of them. So, what do you do?

Sprinkle coffee grounds, bay leaves, or cloves on the baseboards and on your counter to deter sugar ants. You can also create your own DIY ant trap and sprinkle some diatomaceous earth around your home.

all else fails, never hesitate to call a professional.

Below, we will talk about some of the best methods to get rid of sugar ants. We will also explain what they look like and the signs to watch for in case you suspect an infestation.

Let’s get to it!

Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Sugar Ants In Your Home

Not everyone wants to spray chemicals around the inside of their home. Therefore, we’re starting with a list of natural methods you can use to get rid of sugar ants.

Coffee Grounds

Place used ground coffee throughout your home since ants are irritated by the acidity and scent of coffee.

Make sure you place them around pet bowls and other areas where you want to deter ants. Coffee grounds can also be scattered around the outside of your house to keep ants out.

Garlic

Garlic should be hung in the pantry because, like bay leaves and cloves, it has a potent aroma that confuses ants and alters their course of travel. Garlic cloves can be hung from the door knobs and shelves of your pantry by strings.

Water And Vinegar Mixture

To get rid of the sugar ant trail, mix vinegar with water. Fill a spray bottle with a mixture of one part water and one part vinegar.

Acetic acid, a component of vinegar, masks ant trail odor and serves as a repellent for these pests.

Spray along baseboards and all potential entrance pathways and trails once you’ve located the ants’ access point to keep them from using these paths.

After being sprayed, wipe up the dead ants with a paper towel and throw them away. Mist in the early or late afternoon when ants are most busy to get the most out of this natural cure.

Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth, a fine white powder formed from the crushed remains of marine phytoplankton, should be scattered around your home. It is food-grade.

Diatomaceous earth used in food is absolutely non-toxic to people and animals, yet it is lethal to insects. Diatomaceous earth kills ants from the inside out by entering their digestive tracts.

Spread the powder along the ant tracks, then remove it after a month.

DIY Ant Trap

Create an ant trap at home by placing honey or corn syrup on a plate. Ants will be drawn to the bait and become frozen by the sticky material.

Throw away the dish and take the rubbish out of your house once the ants have died.

Cloves Or Bay Leaves

Place whole cloves or bay leaves on the ground. Both of these items have strong odors that are quite effective at keeping sugar ants away.

To keep ants away, scatter whole cloves along baseboards and put bay leaves under countertops.

Organic Products

Use commercial organic goods. Organic products that are helpful at killing sugar ants include Orange Guard and EcoSMART Organic Ant & Roach Killer.

The EcoSMART Organic Ant & Roach Killer is an organic, non-toxic liquid manufactured with plant extract that kills ants and discourages their re-entry, while Orange Guard is an all-natural spray that contains orange peel extract to kill ants.

DIY Repellent

Create your own natural bug repellent by combining one part water with a few drops of peppermint or lavender essential oil.

The mixture should be put in a spray bottle. To prevent ants from appearing on your kitchen island and pantry shelves, spray the solution on those surfaces.

What Chemicals To Use To Get Rid Of Sugar Ants

Try the following chemical solutions for further ant control strategies. Make sure you read the instructions and take the appropriate safety steps to protect yourself from dangerous chemicals before utilizing these procedures.

Also, keep children and pets away from chemical solutions.

The theory behind utilizing ant baits to get rid of a sugar ant invasion is that the black ants will take it back to their ant colonies as food.

Place an ant bait; the other ants will start to slowly perish after consuming the deadly bait. The majority of ant baits (sweet baits) contain boric acid or borax, a pesticide that kills ants slowly.

Consider using Terro liquid ant baits; they work well against regular house ants.

Every night, wipe down countertops with an all-purpose cleaner to help sterilize your kitchen and break down the pheromones which ants use to communicate with one another.

Hire A Professional

Sugar ants are a developing kind of ant; therefore, if chemical treatment is required, it’s crucial to hire a qualified expert.

A specialist will not only be able to positively identify the ants you are dealing with, but they will also be aware of the particular items to employ (or not to use).

Make sure to set reasonable goals. It can require more than one treatment to get rid of sugar ants if you sprayed an over-the-counter repellent without

Where Do Sugar Ants Nest?

In general, sugar ants choose hotter, more humid climates. This is why they frequently occur in any home around the start of the late spring and summer seasons.

When outdoors, they prefer to nest in woodpiles; once inside your house, they will be drawn to moist spots.

How To Remove Sugar Ant Nests

If you see sugar ant nests outside your house, take action immediately to eliminate them to keep them from getting inside.

A sugar ant nest looks like a miniature volcano: it is a small mound with a hole in the top. Use these recommendations to get rid of one of these nests:

Flood the nest. For five to ten minutes, flood the nest with flowing water from a garden hose, or cover it with boiling water.
Pour bleach in the hole. To eliminate the ant colony, pour a cup of bleach down the nest hole.
Top off with baking soda. Sprinkle baking soda all around the nest and into the hole.

How Did I Get A Sugar Ant Infestation?

Most sugar ants enter your house through cracks in the foundation and follow scent trails from outside. A single ant leaves a scent trail within your home that other ants can follow.

How Do I Keep Sugar Ants Out Of The Kitchen?

Make sure to clean up any sugary spills right away, empty the trash as soon as it’s full, clean your sink frequently, and scatter cloves or bay leaves around the kitchen to deter sugar ants.

Will Sugar Ants Go Away On Their Own?

No. Sugar ants won’t disappear by themselves.

You will generally need to follow a series of actions in order to get rid of them once they have located a primary food source and left a pheromone trail to it. Always start by getting rid of the pheromone trail within your house.

What Is The Fastest Way To Get Rid Of Sugar Ants?

The majority of sugar ant problems can be resolved without consulting a specialist. When sugar ants leave scent trails on their way to a food source, you can remove the fragrance trails by mixing equal parts water and white vinegar in a solution.

The damaged region can be treated by either spraying it with the solution or wiping it there. Simple ant killers ought to handle the remainder of the problem once you’ve blocked the ants’ entry point. Using Terro liquid ant bait is what we advise.

Can Sugar Ants Damage My Home?

Even while these black ants aren’t dangerous, once they get into your house, they can be a pain.

To reach their supply of food, they can chew through paper, cardboard, and thin plastic. This will also draw additional bugs into your house.

How To Keep Sugar Ants Away From Your Home

There are many quick, low-risk fixes that can help stop indoor ant problems. First, plug up any cracks and crevices around your property, particularly in places where you’ve noticed trailing sugar ants.

Reduce potential food sources, such as crumbs from sugary foods. To keep ants out of busy places, conceal bait stations in discrete locations.

Find a reputable local pest control provider if you feel that long-term ant management is necessary around your property. They will create a strategy tailored to your property’s requirements and treat it according to the biology of any pests that may be there.

What Are The Signs You Have Sugar Ants?

Active trailing is the most glaring indication of sugar ants inside the house. Even when the nest is close by or even within the house, sugar ant problems can be overlooked unless active trails are seen.

Sugar ants, often known as smelly house ants, are frequently observed nesting outside:

Under stones
Around walkways
Beneath boards

When evaluating the issue’s seriousness, take into account the season. Is it harsh and frequent? Are there merely a few ants here and there?

It is rather alarming if you are experiencing a sugar ant problem inside throughout the winter. This indicates that an ant nest is within your home during winter.

Sugar ants nest in places like:

Sugar ants prefer heat when they’re indoors
Under flooring
Near water heaters
Around copper pipes

What Attracts Sugar Ants To Your Home?

There are numerous causes for sugar ants to invade your home.

These might consist of:

An onset of warm weather
A neighboring nest (outside or inside)
An enticer (food source)
Recent rain or irrigation of the garden

Be patient and allow a day or two to watch what happens if sugar ants appear inside all of a sudden. Use ant baits to attract the ants from busy places if they are troubling you, and then watch to see if the activity decreases naturally.

What Do Sugar Ants Look Like?

Ants can be quite difficult to identify, and there are many different kinds that could appear inside your house (or car). A microscope and a skilled eye are sometimes the sole reliable tools for identification.

Even if you see ants scavenging for sweets, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have a sugar ant infestation.

The following features apply to sugar ants:

Little, measuring 2.5 to 3 mm
Black or brown
Twelve different antennal segments

Remember that it’s quite simple to identify ants incorrectly. Despite having these traits, sugar ants (also known as odorous house ants, or OHAs), are frequently mistaken for other species.

It might be preferable to get in touch with a local Integrated Pest Management pest treatment business if you want a firm identification (IPM). They can offer guidance on the most effective course of action and assist in identifying the problem.