Four Myths About Ant Control

• DIY ant control methods are often misunderstood and may kill visible ants, but rarely solve the problem long term.

• Common home remedies like boiling water, cinnamon, grits, and vinegar don’t eliminate colonies or reach the queen ant.

• Effective ant control targets the entire colony, using baits and non-repellent treatments applied by professionals to eliminate ants at the source.

One of the things we hear frequently in the pest control business is that ant infestations are easy to handle on your own. While there are some methods that a homeowner can use to rid their home of ants temporarily, long-term ant control is necessary to keep ants out of the home. To destroy the colony, the queen ant in a colony must be destroyed. At Blue Sky Pest, we’re experts in ant control in Arizona. Here are the top four myths we hear frequently about do-it-yourself ant control in Phoenix.

Myth #1: Boiling Water Gets Rid of Ants

Though boiling water will kill ants on impact, it only works while the water is still at a boiling temperature. Furthermore, this only handles the ants present at the time of the boiling water treatment, since the water doesn’t prevent the rest of the colony from moving towards your home.

Myth #2: Cinnamon Will Control My Ant Problem

Cinnamon won’t kill or repel ants. It’s true that ants don’t like cinnamon, but if you have an ant infestation in your home, cinnamon won’t solve the problem.

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Myth #3: Grits and Oatmeal Kills Ant Populations

This is inaccurate. Ants don’t eat solid food, so while they may take the grits back to their colony, ants will not explode by eating the grits.

Myth #4: Vinegar kills ants

Vinegar doesn’t kill ants. It can remove the trace of ants to confuse ants about where to go to find the rest of their colony, but it won’t rid your home of ants.

Successful ant control involves effectively identifying the colony entrances and putting a treatment plan into place. We find the colony entrances and then target ants in two key ways – using bait and non-repellent sprays. The key to this process is effectively identifying colony entrances and implementing a treatment plan. Our customers often assist us in finding colony entrances by simply telling us where they see the activity.

The active ingredient in baits works very slowly, so ants take the baits back to their colonies, including the queen ant, and eventually, the colony is destroyed. Non-repellent sprays are also used to help destroy ant colonies. Ants bring the liquid back to the colonies on their bodies and eventually the liquid makes its way to the queen ant, destroying the colony. These two methods can be used individually or they can work together. If you’re having an ant problem, give us a call and we’ll help determine the best plan of action for your home. We serve the entire Phoenix area, including Gilbert, Peoria, Mesa, and Glendale. Click here to get a free estimate on ant removal extermination at your home or business. We also serve the entire Tucson area, including Oro Valley and Marana.