Tiny ants are fairly common in kitchens and tend to appear out of the blue. They may not be that harmful, but they certainly appear gross and unhealthy. They tend to like the kitchen area where there’s plenty of food and beverages around. Tiny ants also have a high affinity for dirty counters with food crumbs, especially sugary foods.
However, you don’t have to panic whenever you see ants in your kitchen. If you find yourself asking how to get rid of tiny ants in the kitchen, we have you covered. There are plenty of ways to get rid of the tiny insects, including using products already available in your kitchen. Read on to find out more. Make sure to check out our articles for more kitchen tips and hacks.
Cleaning Kitchen Counters
Cleaning your kitchen counters is the most straightforward way of getting rid of tiny ants. As mentioned before, tiny ants have a high affinity for food and beverages. Therefore, if your kitchen counters are covered with food crumbs and spilled beverages, ants treat it as an invitation.
Regular cleaning of food sources can also help prevent the ants from appearing in the first place. Apart from cleaning appliances and the entire kitchen, ensure that all the food is securely stored in tightly sealed containers.
Sealing of Entry Points
Tiny ants don’t live in your kitchen but rather move in and out in search of food items. You can take care of ant infestation by sealing crevices, cracks in walls, and holes in walls and kitchen floors. This will prevent them from accessing your house and the kitchen.
You may fail in sealing every nook and cranny in your first attempt but don’t give up just yet. You can follow ant trails to identify all their entry points. If you live in your own compound house, you should also inspect outside your house for where they’re coming from. You would still need to follow the trail to exterminate them once and for all.
Examine Your Houseplants
If you have any houseplants, you should examine them for tiny ants. They may create ant nests under the plants and then come out once in a while to ravage your food. You could also protect your plants by throwing lemon or orange peels on them to prevent ants from shielding themselves beneath them.
Throw out any severely infested plants to be safe.
Diatomaceous Earth
Also called silicon oxide, diatomaceous earth is non-poisonous silica made of fossilized remains of aquatic organisms known as diatoms. It gets rid of tiny ants by drying them out by absorbing oils off their skeletons. You will simply sprinkle the powder on ant trails and kitchen surfaces infested by ants or follow the instructions on its package.
You can buy the powder online or in a convenience store near you. Be careful when applying the powder on surfaces because it is an irritant, and you shouldn’t inhale or touch it.
Pepper
Pepper is a natural ant deterrent, and you can apply it to their trail areas to irritate them. You can use either red or black pepper.
Apply it generously around appliances and counter corners to discourage ants and other bugs from moving into your kitchen.
A Mixture of Liquid Detergent and Glass Cleaner
When ants move around in trails, they mark their map using pheromone trails which helps guide them. Liquid detergent/glass cleaner eliminates the scent left behind by pheromones, thus misleading them and preventing them from moving back into your kitchen.
Create the mixture by adding equal parts of soapy water or glass clean and liquid detergent in a spray bottle and mixing well. Spray the solution on ants’ entry points, kitchen countertops, and trails, then wipe the area with a damp cloth without eliminating the entire residue. Repeat till your kitchen is ant-free.
White Vinegar
White vinegar is a natural cleaning agent commonly found in the kitchen. It is also an effective way of eliminating and repelling ants and other bugs.
Mix white vinegar and water in equal parts, then use the mixture to clean hard surfaces. You can also spray the solution on ants’ entry points and trails to scare them away. Spray it on visible ants and wipe the surface clean using a damp cloth.
Hot Water
Hot water is one of the most effective ways of killing ants in large masses. Examine the exterior of your house in search of anthills and expose their colonies. Boil a generous amount of water and run it down the anthill to eliminate the entire ant colonies beneath.
The hot water method is most effective when combined with other methods. Boiling water cannot singlehandedly take care of the issue, and you would have to treat the ant camps using other products like silicon oxide to avoid future infestation.
Peppermint Oil and Tea Tree Oil
Peppermint and tea tree oils are effective natural solutions for ant and other bug deterring. You can use them separately or combined. Mix a few drops of the essential oils with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Spray the solution around your kitchen or soak cotton balls in the solution and scatter them in ant-infested areas.
Keep the essential oils out of pets’ reach, as these solutions can harm them gravely. The solution has a strong scent, but you can always dilute it to avoid irritating pets and humans.
Lemon Eucalyptus oil
Lemon eucalyptus oil is an example of another natural insect and bug repellant you can use to eliminate ants in your kitchen. Soak cotton balls in undiluted lemon eucalyptus oil, then place the cotton balls around ants-infested areas in your kitchen. Replace the cotton balls weekly or biweekly.
Keep the soaked cotton balls away from children and pets.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch eliminates ants by smothering them. Generously pour cornstarch on live ants and add water atop. The ants will suffocate then you can clean up later with a damp cloth.
Alternatively, you can pour cornstarch on the ants and vacuum the area. Ensure you seal the vacuum bag tightly, then dispose of it outside in a secure trash bin.
Lemon
Lemons work in a similar way as liquid detergent and glass cleaner by eliminating the scent trail left by pheromones. Lemons also mask the smell of foodstuff and beverages and divert ants from ravaging your food.
You can spray lemon juice on surfaces or place lemons inside food storages like kitchen cabinets or refrigerators.
Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds can also keep ants at bay. Apply generous amounts on surfaces like windowsills and entry points to keep the ants away and keep the kitchen clean. Ensure you swap out dry coffee grounds since they are only effective when fresh.
Boric acid
Boric acid eliminates ants and other bugs by dissolving their shells and stomachs. Once exposed to boric acid, ants survive for no more than three weeks. Dissolve a teaspoonful of boric acid, eight teaspoons of sugar, and a cup of warm water. Once the solution is ready, soak cotton balls in it, then place them in the areas infested by ants.
Alternatively, you can DIY ant bait using boric acid powder. Mix the powder with foodstuff, preferably the sweet stuff like powdered sugar, then put the mixture on disposable surfaces to trap ants moving in and out of your kitchen.
Be careful when handling boric acid and dispose of containers after use. Be sure to use gloves always when handling boric acid and keep it out of reach of children and pets.
How to Get Rid of Tiny Ants in Kitchen – Wrapping Up
Ants can be your worst nightmare but, lucky for you, we have given you plenty of practical methods for how to get rid of tiny ants in kitchen spaces. Now go kick those uninvited guests out of your kitchen.
Make sure to check out our articles for more kitchen tips and hacks!
