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How To Kill Ants Nest Under Patio

Start By Inspecting Your House

How to Kill Patio Ants

The first step is always to check how severe the damage is. If you have found ants within your home, it can be challenging to eliminate them without using strong chemicals. In this case, you should consider investing in professional pest control services.

If the ants are only on your desk and you have just noticed them, make sure you understand why they are there. For example, there might be a nearby leak that works as a source of freshwater for ants. Inspect the deck and check whether some maintenance issues might have been attracting the ants there.

How To Get Rid Of Small Black Ants

When small black ants begin to march into your home, you need a plan and fast! Many ant species look similar to the untrained eye, most ants that invade homes and businesses are small and black. These small black ants that occasionally come into your house are in search of food and moisture. Most species of ants are looking for sweet liquids or carbohydrates. If you are dealing with occasional sightings of small black ants, here are a few basic tips to get rid of these pesky invaders for good.

  • Clean up food spills right away
  • Keep food contained to the kitchen and dining room
  • Store food in sealed containers
  • Promptly fix any water leaks or moisture issues inside and outside your home
  • Trim tree branches and shrubs so that they do not touch the structure
  • Seal all windows and doors and any entrances to your home
  • Follow the ant trails to find and treat the nest
  • Apply ant bait near the trails reapply as needed to supply a steady supply of fresh bait
  • Apply a non-repellent perimeter spray around the structure
  • Actively monitor the ant infestation

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Weather Can Fuel An Infestation

Some recent studies have confirmed that the weather and climate can fuel or prevent ant infestations. Like other types of pests, ant infestations are more common in spring and summer. However, their incidence is much higher during seasons that have been particularly hot, humid, or rainy.

During these situations, ants will be looking for a reliable and safe food source that they can access regardless of weather conditions, without the risk of drowning or dying from desiccation. While their ability to always find the shortest route might help them avoid some of these issues, it is more convenient for them to start a colony near a reliable food and moisture source.

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How To Treat House Ants

To solve this problem entirely you shouldnt spray the bugs you see. They are just workers, and if killed, new ones will be send out to take their place. Therefore, you must kill the queen to eliminate the whole colony. And for that you dont necessarily need to use pesticides.

There are lots of natural pest solutions. Some of the most simple and effective ones are:


  • Boiling water. Boil one gallon of water and then pour it directly into the mounds. Repeat the procedure one time a day until all the pests are exterminated.
  • Baiting.

    Make your own pavement ant traps and place them wherever the pests are frequent. Be sure to remove other food sources.

    Here are several products that can be used as bait:

  • A 50/50 solution of sugar mixed with Borax. The insects are attracted by sweet things, and Borax is known to be fatal for them.WARNING! Though Borax is natural, take precautions when handling it. It is harmful when inhaled or ingested, and unprotected contact with it can lead to allergic reactions.Keep the substance out of pets and childrens reach.
  • Corn meal. These unwanted visitors are unable to digest it properly, and will eventually die.
  • Raw cream of wheat . When they eat it, the product will expand in their stomachs and kill them.

Baiting is sure to solve the problem with the queen, as your bait will be brought by the workers to their nest and fed to her. Be patient, it may take several days or even a few weeks to get rid of the colony.

IMPORTANT TIP

Are Ants In The Garden A Problem

Ants On Patio

So you have an ants nest in your garden.

Before you go ballistic and take out the heavy artillery, lets take a minute or two to evaluate whether the ants are an actual problem and need to be taken care of, and, if so, choose a solution that fits the scale of the problem and will do no or minimum collateral damage.

Ants in the yard are, well, normal. That doesnt mean you have to have them in your garden if you dont want to, its just to get across that theres nothing particularly unusual about having ants in your garden.


You may be concerned because you know about an ants nest in your garden. But many, many homeowners have ants nests in their respective gardens but they dont even know about the problem and so the problem is not a problem.

So where an ants nest is concerned, perhaps ignorance is bliss. If you know you have an ants nest in your garden, get rid of it if you also know that the ants are damaging your garden.

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Prevent Pavement Ant Problems

Create an Ant-Blocking BarrierStop pavement ants from coming inside in the first place by treating your homes perimeter indoor and out with Ortho® Home Defense® Insect Killer for Indoor and Perimeter2 with Comfort Wand®, making sure to follow all label directions. This creates an invisible bug barrier to help keep ants and other listed insects out of your home. When applied on non-porous indoor surfaces, it protects for up to 12 months. Seal Entry PointsSeal up cracks and gaps where ants can enter, such as windows, doors, and openings near hot water heaters and air conditioners. As an extra precaution, spot-treat sealed up cracks and crevices with Ortho® Home Defense® Insect Killer for Indoor and Perimeter2 with Comfort Wand®. Prevent Excess Moisture around Your HomeReduce the moisture that attracts pavement ants in the first place. Inspect your homes exterior and make sure to unclog gutters, redirect water from downspouts, and rake soil away from foundation walls.

Why Ants Invade Your Home

The main reason why pests intrude into houses is search of food. Because they are so little, they can gain access to buildings through the smallest cracks and crevices around doors and windows, or gaps in the foundation.


In winter, when the food and water supply stored in their nest is exhausted, some of the ants called workers are sent to find new sources and replenish the colonys supplies. The pests feed on:

  • pet food,
  • and almost anything that people eat.

They are also known as sugar ants because theyre attracted by sweet substances.

Once theyve found forage, the workers return to the nest, leaving scent trails behind them. These trails help other fellow workers to find that source and assist in food gathering.

But what is the sense of fetching fare to the bugs remaining in the nest? you ask. Isnt it easier to go all together than to march back and forth with food? The matter is that there are not only workers but also queens winged ants responsible for reproduction. The queen breeds and populates the colony, and never leaves the nest. Thats why she and her young must be fed by the workers.

Indoors, these invaders will nest near heat sources, under flooring, inside insulation, within walls, in masonry and woodwork.


Though they have a sting, theyre not aggressive unless disturbed. And in this case they can bite, but their venom can cause allergic reaction only in sensitive people.

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How To Control Ants Indoors

If you see a few ants in your home, it’s a safe bet that there are actually many more present. Of the 25 ant types that typically invade homes, house ants are the most common. Theyre usually less than 1/8 of an inch long and are really just a nuisance pest, not causing damage or carrying diseases. To control ants indoors, try these techniques.

Keep Your Home Spotless

Ants infest paver bricks in Manalapan, NJ

Ants will leave your home if there is no food for them to eat, and in the case of pavement ants, eliminating meat and grease scraps from floors, countertops, and garbage collection areas will usually remove their reason for being in your home. Even a single splatter of bacon grease on a kitchen floor provides pavement ants with a feast, so daily cleaning of all surfaces is the best way to chase pavement ants out of your home.

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How To Identify Fire Ants

The red imported fire ant or RIFA, is a species of ant that is native to South America. They are known for their large mounds and fiery sting. Fire ants are typically found in the southern, southwestern or western United States. They thrive in warm, dry environments.

Fire ants are not uniform in size. They range in length anywhere from 1/8 inches to 1/4 inches. They are reddish brown to reddish black and sport two nodes and 10 segmented antennae. Like carpenter ants and other ant species, fire ants live in colonies. They have a distinct social structure consisting of a queen, drones, worker ants and alates, or reproductives.

Terro Ant Killer 3 Lb Shaker Bag

Kill Ants, Fire Ants, Fleas, Cockroaches and More Before They Get Inside

Use these granules as a perimeter treatment around the foundation of your house to keep ants, fire ants, cockroaches, fleas and other insects from entering your home. The powerful ant killer granules kill pests within 24 hours and provide long-lasting residual repellency.

TERRO Outdoor Ant Killer is packaged in a convenient, resealable shaker bag, which allows the granules to be easily distributed around the perimeter of your house.


  • Kills ants, fire ants, cockroaches, fleas and other insects
  • Fast-acting granules kill insects in 24 hours
  • Keep insects out â use as band treatment around house foundations and on lawns, or as a spot treatment on ant hills
  • Convenient, resealable shaker bag â no spreader required
  • For outdoor use only

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How To Get Rid Of Argentine Ants

Argentine ants are an ant invasive species, from, you guessed it, Argentina, and the surrounding areas of South America. Argentine ants are now found in many areas of the world. They are widespread throughout the southern United States, California, and Hawaii. They are especially prevalent during hot, dry summers. Argentine ants are small ants, but they accumulate in large colonies. A mature Argentine ant colony may have a million or more workers and hundreds of queens. With this reproductive capacity, it is no wonder the colonies become so large!

Another reason argentine ant colonies become so large is they do not fight amongst themselves, they actually team up with neighboring colonies. However, Argentine ants are highly aggressive with other native insect and animal species. With their massive numbers, Argentine ants will attack other ant species, wasp nests, carpenter bees, and have even been known to invade bird nests. Argentine ants are partially to blame for the decline in numbers of the endangered coast horned lizard. This lizard primarily eats native harvester ants. However, harvester ants are declining due in part to the aggressive behavior of the Argentine ant. A mob of Argentine ants have also been known to attack the coast horned lizard itself.

How To Get Rid Of Ants In Driveway Cracks For Good

Pavement Ants Around Buildings

The first time you realise you have a problem with ants is when you discover a trail of them running across your kitchen floor. All of a sudden they make themselves known by emerging from the tiniest of holes or gaps, and ferreting out any food source inside your home.

Most ant infestations dont originate inside your home they come from outside, and very often, they like to live in the cracks in your pavement or driveway.

Getting rid of ants in your driveway cracks can be tricky and despite a few fast fixes being available, there is only one true long term solution to eliminate cracks for good. Heres how to achieve it

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How To Get Rid Of Ants In Your Pavers

When ants start digging up soil between pavers, it can quickly ruin the look of your patio, paths and driveway. Left long enough, their excavations will start to undermine your pavers, causing pavers to sink and wobble potentially unsafe and definitely more expensive to fix!

At the first sign of ants digging around your pavers, its best to nip the problem in the bud by carrying out a pest treatment. But which techniques and products should you employ to get the best results?

There are two techniques that can be used:

  • Excluding ants from the area

  • Nest elimination

  • Although each technique could be used on their own, using the techniques in combination will provide the best results.

    Killing Ants With Natural Substitutes

  • 1Pour soapy water into the anthill for a safe solution. Mix 1 to 2 teaspoons of mild liquid dish soap with 1 gallon of warm water. Slowly pour the water into each ant nest in your yard. The heat along with the soap will kill the ants and prevent them from escaping their nests.XResearch source
  • Pour the solution into a spray bottle for a more controlled method of dispersing the water.
  • Pour the water into the nest in the early morning or late at night when most of the ants are inside.
  • Boiling or hot water could damage nearby plants, so use caution when pouring around plants you want to keep.
  • 2Spray boric acid onto the nests to kill them within a few days. Use either diluted liquid boric acid or a powdered boric acid mixed with warm water. Use 3 tablespoons of boric acid with 1 cup of sugar mixed with 3 cups of warm water to create a sweet mixture that attracts the ants. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray the nests along with any ant trails you notice in your yard or around your home. Within the next couple days, youll notice results.XResearch source
  • Boric acid is toxic to humans and animals if ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin. Never use it in an area where you prepare food, and wear gloves and a face mask to protect yourself while using it.
  • Rinse away any excess boric acid to clean it from the area.
  • Diatomaceous earth dries the liquids inside the ants and will kill them within a few days or weeks.
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    How To Control Pavement Ants

    Once all known colonies are exterminated, there is a wide range of natural solutions of keeping the bugs out. To discourage them from coming inside your home, you can use the following methods:

    Want to know how to get rid of ants in the kitchen and live in a safer house? Then, you have come to the right place for measures that will allow you to eliminate ants from your property.

    Want to find the way on how to deal with disgusting palmetto bugs? Look this and make your home inhospitable to those awful cockroaches.

    Are you in search of the safest methods on how to get rid of roaches forever ? Read this and remove these disgusting creatures away from your residence.

    Eliminating pavement ants is a completely feasible goal, and you ought not tolerate their living under the same roof with you and helping themselves to your foodstuffs.

    Dont let these pests bug you: proof your home with the help of those easy, non-chemical methods.

    You can find further details of Ants Control here.

    Homemade Diy Ant Killer

    Carpenter ant colony under patio door

    When searching for DIY or homemade ant killers you will find people that recommend everything from peppermint oil sprays, to sprinkling cinnamon on their counters. Other people swear by coffee grounds, grits, and cornmeal. Many people believe that wiping counters down with vinegar will disrupt the pheromone trails. Despite many people pouring aspartame onto ant mounds and sprinkling it onto their counters, the idea that aspartame is toxic to ants started with a satirical article on The Spoof. There is no evidence that aspartame kills ants.

    The one household ant killer that has the greatest chance of permanent success is an ant bait made with borax. Boric acid is a natural product that is mined out of the ground. Boric acid is used in contact lens solution and as a cleaning agent, often added to laundry. Boric acid effectively kills insects by disrupting their stomach functions and nervous systems. It also damages their exoskeleton. By mixing boric acid, a sugary sweet attractant, and water, you can create a homemade ant bait. The ants will carry the boric acid bait back to the nest and feed it to the other ants in the colony. Many commercially available ant baits utilize boric acid as the active ingredient.

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    Why Do Ants Like Driveway Cracks

    Ants love soils that are soft, dry, and well aerated, and that is what we most often have under typical concrete driveways, or those with paving slabs. Ants also appreciate the warmth that passes through the concrete, and deep down into the earth.

    For so-called flying ants, this warmth can trigger their emergence creating an even larger challenge to contend with.

    The cracks in typical driveway types make the perfect escape holes for the colony to search for food. In some cases, large colonies of ants will even break away from the original nest and look for a new area to form a new one.

    Before too long, all of the cracks in your driveway can be swarming with ants, all looking for sources of food .

    In each colony, you can expect there to be as many as 5,000 ants, and in some cases, it could be up to 30,000 if there is more than one queen. This means that the search for food will almost certainly move beyond the immediate area, and the ants will make their way into your home.

    Ants are often known as sugar ants, because this is their favourite food. In fact, they will eat any food that is left out, including: crumbs, food spillages, pet food and even dead rodents and insects


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