What to Do If You Have Ants in Your Walls

Ants have caused over $50 billion worth of damage to the United States’ economy since 1930. This pest problem can have a huge impact on both your health and happiness, leading to even bigger problems down the road. So, if you discover an ant infestation in your walls, what should you do about it?

Whether you want to take action into your own hands or look for outside help, the following should have everything you need to know to get started. Ensure your home is free from these ravenous insects today.

Look for Where They Come In

An ant problem can start anywhere in your home. It might be only a tiny crack in a wall or a set of floorboards that have developed a hole. Wherever the ants can come in, they will do so.

Ants then take action based on smells, especially those of food or other ants’ pheromones. Once one ant has started to guide the rest of the colony to a food source, it will begin a line of insects going straight from their hive into your home. For this reason, you must sort the problem out as soon as you can, and why a hive in your wall spells trouble.

When you discover where they are coming through, inspect both the interior and exterior of that wall or floor. You should then be able to work out where they are in the wall.

Start by sealing up any places they are coming through. This will create a short-term solution to your issue, so you can focus on permanent removal.

DIY Methods of Ant Removal

There are many natural remedies to prevent ants from coming into your home. One that can work through the year is having strong smells coming from the areas the ants are most likely to look for. This can overwhelm their smell receptors, preventing them from guiding other ants into your home.

Examples of strong smells you might want to consider include cinnamon, coffee, or even tobacco. 

Another method of getting rid of the ants is by setting a trap. You can mix a homemade combination of sugar, water, and insecticides like borax into small balls. The ants will then take this back to their nest as food, where they will eat the borax and subsequently die off.

Another way to get rid of ants is to use an ant-repellant spray. Although, this will only get rid of the immediate pests, rather than remove them from your wall outright.

Consider Calling Pest Control

Sometimes, dealing with the ants can be a bit much for you to handle on your own. For example, you may discover the ant nest extends beyond the one wall, or that you have several colonies spread through the home. In such a situation, you might want to bring in someone else to help.

In some cases, it may be that the ants are not a small colony of carpenter ants, like many infestations. You might need to deal with a colony of Maricopa harvester ants, for example, whose toxins are among the most dangerous in the world. Such a situation would not only mean you would need experience but also safety equipment and protective gear.

Another circumstance you might want to bring someone else in is if you turn out to have allergies to specific insects, or a phobia. A qualified pest control expert will respect these situations. They understand that you cannot always deal with such an infestation yourself.

By bringing in a trained professional, you can have the assurance they know what they are doing. They will help you identify the specific variety of any you are dealing with and then tailor their methods to match.

If they need to use them, an expert will have access to safe and powerful pesticides they can spray within the home. They will also have the ability to inform you of how long such a process will take and what you can expect from the results. In general, though, bringing in a person who does this every day is much more likely to offer a long-term solution to any DIY methods you might take.

Preventing Future Ant Issues

Once you get rid of the infestation in your walls, though, it is often sensible to take extra steps to stop it from recurring.

For example, now that you know what to look for, make sure to inspect the walls of your property now and then to locate potential new nests. You should also check to see if any entry points open as your home settles between seasons and seal them to prevent access.

In general, though, you should try to maintain good hygiene within your home. Having clean rooms that are free from potential food sources can help. At the same time, make sure to store any food in sealed containers, cutting off access to not only ants but any other insects that may enter your home.

If necessary, you can also talk to pest control experts about what to do long-term. They should have enough experience to inform you of the best products you can pick up to drive off potential invasions. They may even have the ability to offer you such equipment themselves.

Prevention is a much easier solution than handling the issue after it appears. So, make sure you do everything you can to keep ants away from your home before you need to call someone in.

Get Rid of an Ant Infestation in Your Walls for Good

Dealing with an ant infestation in your walls can be a tricky situation. You want to remove the pests without causing damage to your home, as well as without bringing harm to pets or children you might have. Lucky for you, our experts can focus on this issue to get you the results you want without the dangers.

We have several years of pest control in the Northern California area under our belt and can work with you to ensure your home is ant-free. So, book a free home inspection and find out more about what we offer today.