How To Prevent Ants In Kitchen [Step By Step Guide]

When you spot an ant nearby, there is a possibility that thousands of them are lurking nearby. 

This may not be a tricky thing. However, In case there is an ant infestation inside your home. You would want to take care of that before it gets out of hand. 

We have already discussed cockroach infestations in the home and how to get rid of them. So today, we will be looking at how to prevent ants from infesting your kitchen. 

Remember that the kitchen is where you cook almost all the food you eat, so the kitchen has to be a spotless place without any forms of dangerous animals or insects lurking around. 

Let us now get on with our topic for today.

Are Ants Harmful To Humans?

According to the National Wildlife Federation, there are over 12,000 species of ants in the world. The majority of these ants are not harmful to humans. 

However, ants can carry bacteria, turning them into dangerous transmitters of diseases and infections. 

A study conducted in 2019 revealed that the Monomorium species of ants could carry around pathogenic bacteria, which is dangerous to human beings. 

Another study in 2005 also revealed that the pharaoh ants could be a possible cause of bronchial asthma and other respiratory allergies. The pharaoh ant is a type of Monomorium ant family. 

So we now know that although most ants are not harmful to humans on their own, they can still be dangerous because they carry bacteria, which is detrimental to humans, therefore making the ants harmful. After all, they carry diseases and infections. 

How To Stop Ants In The Kitchen

The kitchen is the place where you can see ants the most because the kitchen is the place where ample food supply can be found in the home.

This means that it is the place that attracts ants and other insects and bugs the most in your home. 

There are some ways and methods that you can use to prevent ants from coming into your kitchen. The following are some of the ways to prevent ants from infesting your kitchen.

1. You should make sure to clean all surfaces and floors in your kitchen daily.
2. It would help if you washed all dishes immediately after being used. Do not leave any behind for later. This causes ants to come into your kitchen.
3. You should also make sure to rinse the bowl of your pets after they have finished eating.
4. You can use natural repellents to prevent the ants from coming into your kitchen (We will talk about some of these repellents below). These repellents can kill and prevent the ants from coming into your home or kitchen.
5. Store in the home should be appropriately stored in sealed containers and bags that can be locked.

Let us now look at how you can kill and prevent insects such as ants and other bugs from coming into your home.

How To Prevent And Kill Ants In Your Home In General

We will now look at how one can kill and repel ants from their homes. There are several ways through which you can eliminate the ants in your home along with their colonies. 

However, there are some cases in which you may require the services of professional exterminators. Still, one can always use some natural solutions to get rid of the ants from your home and prevent them from making a comeback. 

With these methods, you can get rid of these ants without getting any chemicals in your kitchen or environment. 

Here are the methods below. There are many of them, but we are showing the most popular and effective ones today. 

You can also purchase the things needed from the local shops.

Using Silicone Dioxide (Diatomaceous earth)

This type of silica is made from the fossilized remains of aquatic organisms known as diatoms. 

Diatoms are a type of plankton. Although diatomaceous earth is not a poison, it can kill insects like ants and bugs by adsorbing oils in their skeletons. 

This eventually causes the ants and insects to dry and die. However, you want to avoid using diatomaceous earth because it can be irritating. 

So when using it, you should make sure to avoid getting it on your skin. This means that wearing some protective clothing before using it is highly recommended. 

For food grade, you can buy diatomaceous earth online, and you can use the product by carefully following the instructions on the package that it comes in. 

Liquid Detergent And Glass Cleaner

When ants walk around, they leave behind a scented pheromone trail. This can be used as a map. 

You can use this method to remove the smell they leave behind while preventing them from returning to that place again. Here is how to use this method below.

1. Mix the glass cleaning spray with the liquid detergent such as dish soap inside a spray bottle
2. Now, spray the mixture in the bottle on the areas where the ants may have entered or passed
3. After you have sprayed the mix there, wipe the room while leaving a light residue
4. You should repeat the steps above as many times as you can in the places that the ants seem to have passed

If you do not have any glass cleaner available in your home at that moment, you can make use of any soapy water such as hand soap and dish detergent that can remove the scent left by the ant pheromone.

Using Black Or Red Pepper

The black and red pepper is a natural ant deterrent because the ants hate the smell of the black or red pepper. 

Here is how to use this method below to drive ants away from your kitchen.

Just sprinkle the pepper around the baseboards and the backs of appliances in the kitchen. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this is one of the best methods to keep ants at bay.

Using Peppermint

Peppermint is also a natural repellent of insects, and you can use it in deterring ants, mosquitos, and several other bugs. Here is how to use the peppermint method below.

1. You will mix 10 to 20 drops of peppermint essential oil with 2 cups of water inside a clean plastic spray bottle
2. Now, spray the mixture around the baseboards and the windows in your kitchen and around the home
3. Leave the mixture to dry and then repeat the process again

Just like most essential oils, you should make sure to keep the peppermint out of the reach of your children and pets, mostly cats, as they can become ill when exposed to the peppermint. 

You can get peppermint essential oil to purchase at most grocery stores in your local area and the health food stores in your area.

Using Tea Tree Oil

This is also an effective repellent of insects, just like peppermint essential oils. Let us now look at the method for using tea tree oil to repel the ants in your home.

1. Mix 5 to 10 drops of the tea tree essential oil worth 2 cups of water inside a clean plastic spray bottle
2. Now, spray the mixture around the house at the places where you have been seeing the ants walking around. You can also saturate them in separate cotton balls and place them around your home at places where the ants are typically seen.

If you see that the scent is too strong for you, you can add peppermint oil to the mixture. Just like we said about the peppermint essential oil, you should keep it away from your children and your pets.

If None Of These Is Working:

If you see that none of the methods above is working, you can resort to using pesticides and commercially prepared products to kill the ants and prevent them from coming into your home. 

However, this should be a last-minute option because I am sure that you do not want to have pesticides in your kitchen.

Using Bait Traps

You can also use bait traps with pesticides in an area or form that is enclosed. Most people prefer this method over the spray method. 

The bait trap will attract the ants, and the ants will then eat the bait and take the rest back to their nest. This will then eventually kill all the ants. 

Some of these bait traps can contain boric acid or borax, while others may contain hydramethylnon, which is a hazardous chemical compound should your children or pets come into contact with it.

You can purchase bait traps in hardware shops and gardening shops in your local areas.

Commercial Repellents

You can also use nontoxic commercial repellent sprays to keep the ants out of your kitchen. 

Raid is a commercial chemical spray that is very effective on ants. It is a long-lasting spray, and it contains imiprothrin and cypermethrin. 

These compounds, which are chemicals, should not be inhaled or ingested by anyone.

Calling Exterminators

If you see that all your DIY efforts have not yielded any results, you can hire an exterminator to get the job done correctly for you.

If possible, you should look for an exterminator who believes in using less toxic products for their work.

They should be aware that you have children and pets living in the house with you and have other concerns, such as respiratory health problems.

Some professional exterminators use green, organic, and eco-friendly words in the title name of their businesses. You can also ask the exterminator about the kind of chemicals that they use for you are concerned about them.

What To Do If None Of These Is Working?

If you see that none of the methods above is working, you can resort to using pesticides and commercially prepared products to kill the ants and prevent them from coming into your home. 

However, this should be a last-minute option because I am sure that you do not want to have pesticides in your kitchen.

Conclusion

Ants have always been known to be one of the most common invaders of people’s homes, and they are mostly harmless to human beings. 

However, since they can carry bacteria around, they become transmitters of diseases and infections, which means they have to be repelled. 

So in this article, I have shown you some of the ways you can repel ants. Note that some of the methods used here can be effective on other bugs.

So this article today was all about repelling and getting rid of ants in our kitchen and home. I hope that article has been immensely helpful in solving a problem you have been worrying about.