There are many kinds of ants such as sugar ants, pharaoh ants, argentine ants, fire ants, carpenter ants or flying ants. Each one of us have battled against one or the other kind of ant, some time in life using various methods of pest control. At times, getting rid of flying ants in the house can be a mountainous task. Before we try to find an answer to how to get rid of flying ants, let us know learn more about flying ants.
Flying Ants and Flying Termites
It is very common to get confused between flying ants and flying termites. To find out the difference between flying ants and termites, you will have to closely examine the body of the insect. There is a clear differentiation between the body parts, namely; the head, thorax, and abdomen (tail) of an ant. The legs of an ant are attached, just behind the head, to the thorax and not to the abdomen. On the other hand the body of a termite is divided into two parts, namely; the head and the body. The legs of a termite are attached to its body. There is also a difference in their antennae. The antennae of a termite sweep forward, whereas the antennae of ants have a right angled bend. With this differentiation it will be easier to identify flying ants from termites. Read more on types of ants.
How to Get Rid of Flying Ants
It is the weather, that causes flying ants to invade your home. Hence, we see them only on some days through the year and not all throughout. These flying ants swarm only on particular days, because they mate to form new colonies. Although, the mating does not last for too long, it is important to exterminate flying ants, to avoid flying ant infestation. Before you start using the tips mentioned below, it is important that you are thorough with flying ants identification. Here are the measures you can undertake for getting rid of flying ants in your house.
1. Make soapy water and spray it on the ants. This will help you to get rid of flying ants. Get rid of flying ants by using an insect killer spray handy. If you do not have it handy, I have already told you, to make use of soapy water.
2. To avoid flying black ants revisiting your home, it is important to get rid of their colonies itself. To do that you will have to answer a question "what attracts flying ants?". The answer is, anything sweet. So now you will have to make use of it to get rid of flying ants. Make a mixture of honey, borax and any artificial sweetener. Sprinkle it on the mounds all around your home. Sprinkling this mixture on the mounds makes sure that the ants carry the ‘poison’ to their home and kill all the residents of their colony.
3. The other solution, which you can make is of water, sugar and boric acid. Make a solution by mixing all these three ingredients. Dip a cotton ball in the solution and leave it along the ant trail.
4. Diatomaceous earth is a powder, which is made from the skeletons of a class of algae. Sprinkling this powder on the ants will dry them and eventually kill them. This powder is safe if you have pets, so you will not have to worry about your pet ingesting it.
5. Turmeric is a natural antiseptic agent. Turmeric powder can be sprinkled in the area, where you find any flying ant infestation.
6. Glue boards can also be used to deal with flying ant infestation. These boards act like ant traps and trap the ants. However, you will have to make sure, you keep these glue boards out of reach from children and pets as these boards are very sticky.
7. Baking soda is poison for the ants. You can use it to get rid of these monsters.
8. You can also make a spray by mixing vinegar and water in the ratio 1:1. Spray this mixture on the ants. The acid present in vinegar kills the ants.
9. Ground cinnamon powder can be used to get rid of flying ants. Rub the cinnamon along the ant trail.
10. An organic method of getting rid of flying ants from your home is to sprinkle catnip on the trail.
11. Another method not very commonly used is the electric trap. Insects are attracted towards light, this trap consists of an incandescent bulb that attracts insects and electrocutes them once they come in contact with the wire mesh that encases the bulb.
After you do get rid of flying ants, remember to mop the floors of your house by using a water and bleach solution. This will prevent any further infestation of flying ants. A simple way of eliminating the flying ant problem is to smash the ants using a newspaper or any other object. This trick works if the number of ants is less. If you notice that there is a cluster of ants at the window or door, shut the door or window well. Make sure you smash and kill the ones which have entered your house.
A frequently asked question is, can there be infestation of flying ants in winter? Flying ants can infest in winter if they are nesting under warm concrete slabs. You will have to apply the same techniques for getting rid of flying ants, even during winter. I hope this article on how to get rid of flying ants, is helpful to you.
