Red ants in the apartment: reasons for their appearance and how to get rid of them

Red ants are real invaders. As soon as they appear in the apartment and realize that there is something to profit from here, they immediately begin to feel at home. There is probably no place in the house where they do not scurry around, but the favorite place for red ants is in the kitchen. This is where there is food for them: crumbs that were not removed in time, leftover food on the table, food waste in the trash can.

Having taken a liking to an apartment, insects begin to build nests, and their numbers grow very quickly, which forces people to throw all their strength into fighting red house ants.

What kind of red ants are they?

Back in the 16th century, these insects were brought to Europe from India, hence their popular name “Indian ants”. They migrated to Russia in the 19th century, and since then they have settled next to the person who unwittingly provides them with food.

These are quite small insects (worker ants are no more than 2-3 mm), only the fertilized queen has an impressive size, she looks 1.5 - 2 times larger than her “servant”. The queen is constantly in the nest and never crawls out of there. Its main task is laying eggs, which it constantly does year-round. Layed eggs develop up to 40 days.

Working ants are exclusively engaged in “menial” work: they get food, feed the young and the queen with it, take care of it in every possible way, drag eggs in case of migration, etc. It is this detachment that scurries around the apartment; other members of the colony do not catch the human eye .

Ways to enter the house

Particularly surprising is the invasion of ants into apartments on the upper floors of high-rise buildings. The owners are perplexed where these insects even come from at such a height and what to do to get them out. But there is nothing strange about this. The reasons for the appearance of red-haired occupiers can be quite understandable and even banal:

accidental introduction of queens into an apartment by the same person (with things, on shoes, etc.);
dirt in the house (rarely cleaning, constantly leaving food on the table, rarely taking out the trash);
through ventilation openings, open doors and windows, cracks in walls and floors;
from basements;
from neighbors (if they have a lot of insects or have recently been fighting them).

Red ants don't need a special invitation. They use any possible way of penetration into a human home with great pleasure, because it is there that people themselves sometimes create comfortable conditions for their existence. And if ants have already appeared in apartments suitable for their existence, they will not leave so easily.

Types of ants and why they are dangerous

Small ants slowly moving along the baseboards do not cause concern at first glance. And completely in vain. If uninvited guests appear in your apartment, this is a signal to action.

Pharaoh ants pose the greatest danger. Have you noticed several little red “guests” in the kitchen or bathroom? It's time to sound the alarm - you have been visited by pharaoh (or sugar) ants. A small number of them are scouts, finding out whether the colony will like your apartment.

Pharaoh ants are light or brownish-yellow in color, they are smaller than their forest counterparts, about 2 mm long. These insects live in colonies, the number of which can reach a million individuals.

Pharaoh ants love sweets

Unlike in a garden or vegetable garden, in a house or apartment ants only cause harm. Without distinguishing between waste from the garbage disposal and crumbs on the table, insects become carriers of various diseases.

Did you know that these ants were called “pharaonic” by the biologist Car Linnaeus in the 18th century. He believed these insects came from Egypt. In fact, the tiny red ants were carried on ships carrying spices from India.

Damage caused

Naturally, the presence of the ubiquitous ants leads to discomfort, irritation, and for many it causes outright disgust. No one will like to constantly find these insolent creatures in their own chest of drawers among the linen, and especially on the table, among the dishes, and in food products.

But that's not the worst thing. The main danger is the transfer of infections and microbes on the legs of insects, because before appearing in the house, these small red insects crawled everywhere - in the dirt of basements, through sewage, etc. For this reason, food that ants have run through must be thrown away.

In addition, these small ants “steal” pieces of food from the table or trash can and drag them into the nest, but do not always bring back everything they took in its entirety. Small pieces end up remaining in corners, behind furniture, and begin to deteriorate there. Therein lies another danger: food scattered everywhere (especially rotting) can attract other insects into the apartment.

Another nuisance is accumulations of ant excrement in the corners. This leads to the creation of unsanitary conditions by insects.

Considering all the negative things that are associated with the appearance of these insects in the house, removing red ants from the apartment becomes task number one.

An important condition for fighting red ants is finding the nest. It is pointless to crush or pour boiling water (they do this too!) on worker ants alone, since they are not responsible for reproduction. The main thing is to destroy the queen, since she is the only one responsible for replenishing the colony. If it dies, reproduction will stop and the entire ant family will die.

But this does not mean that by moving the sofa aside you will immediately be able to find the nest. Most often it is securely hidden, as if the insects understand that this is the heart of their family. Sometimes their home is located in completely inaccessible places:

in interfloor ceilings;

deep behind the baseboards;

in wall cavities, etc.

And if, when searching for a nest, it becomes clear that there is none nearby and it is unlikely to be found, you should not rush to dismantle the floors. The queen can be killed by the workers crawling out. Without realizing it, it is the “royal servants” who, together with the food they obtain, will bring a kind of death to the successor.

Difficulties of struggle

Before getting rid of domestic red pests, it is worth understanding how these very active pests penetrate into houses and apartments.

Adult individuals live in colonies, headed by queens - females with the ability to fertilize. The remaining insects are usually sterile and are workers.

They are the ones who go out every day to get food, and if in your house, be it an apartment building or your own cottage, there are traces of the presence of ants, you can say with confidence: there is a “nest” nearby, where they will drag their prey.

Sanitary and Epidemiological Station service specialists advise:

There is no point in fighting pests if their nest is out of your reach. In this case, the maximum that can be achieved is to reduce the number of pests entering an apartment or house.

But the problem itself will not become any less acute. Moreover, it will generally be difficult to talk about finding adequate solutions. In this case, it will not be possible to destroy insects on your own.

Chemicals

This is a radical method, and it is best to use it when small red ants are literally swarming in the apartment. There are now many means for chemically killing goosebumps, which sometimes makes it difficult to choose. To make the task easier, you can consult with friends who are experienced in this matter, read reviews on the Internet, or carefully study the instructions on the package.

The most effective insecticides against ants are:

Powders. These products must be diluted in water; the ratios must be indicated in the instructions. Having received the liquid insecticide, you need to spray the apartment (especially in the expected areas of accumulation and proximity to the nest). Executioner, Tetrix, Regent are considered effective powders.

Dusts. Pyrethrum, created on the basis of pyrethrins contained in ordinary chamomile, will help to destroy red goosebumps. The plant is harmless and even healing for humans, but deadly for many insects. In ants, Pyrethrum causes general paralysis, followed by death.

Gels. These products are applied around the perimeter of the room and always on the paths that the ants have created for themselves. Working individuals will definitely bring particles of poison on their bodies and legs to the nest. You can buy Fas, Sturm, Dohlox or Globol.

Chalk Mashenka. It has long been no surprise to anyone that this bar works well not only against cockroaches, as was previously believed, but also against other insects. It is especially good from the red brothers of red ants. The principle of application is also no different from using chalk when fighting cockroaches.

Aerosols. “Heavy artillery”, the choice of which is most often chosen by already completely desperate owners of apartments filled with ants. Aerosol insecticides will act quickly: within 20-30 hours the insects will die. Almost any of them is an effective remedy, but there is one important subtlety: you need to spray such products into the detected nest or, at least, near it. That is, the approximate location of the ant house should already be known at the time of disinfestation. Raptor, Dichlorvos, Frontline, Combat, Raid, Get are considered strong sprays.

The use of chemicals is aimed at introducing poison into the nest on the legs of working individuals and subsequent poisoning of all other members of the colony (the principle of a chain reaction). But a person must also protect himself, since many insecticides can be dangerous to the health of people and animals:

all utensils, food, personal hygiene items must be hermetically sealed or taken out of the house;

children and pets should be absent from the apartment during treatment and ventilation;

Disinsection should be carried out exclusively in protective clothing (a respirator or gauze bandage is required).

If there is no effect after a chemical “attack” on the ants, only SES can provide salvation. Specialists called to your home will quickly understand where the ants are hiding their nest and will use highly professional means to combat insects.

Wintering

Central or stove heating eliminates the need for house ants to prepare for the coming winter by going deep underground and hibernating.

Some wild ants are also not averse to settling during cold weather near a year-round source of heat and food, for example, in the entrance or in the floor of a wooden house.

At the same time, there is a high probability that the insects will not want to leave the nest they have inhabited over the winter, but will try to expand their habitat indoors.

Traditional methods

Folk methods of dealing with red ants are more gentle, but often no less effective, especially when there are a small number of uninvited guests. Sometimes it is “improvised” products and cheap pharmaceutical drugs that turn out to be the best means in the fight against red-haired occupiers.

A good technique against ants at home is to confuse them. These insects, having once outlined paths for themselves, seem to program themselves to walk exclusively along them. And if an obstacle is placed on such ant routes, the insects become disoriented in space; as a result, they do not find their way to food and return to the nest without prey. The result is that the queen is deprived of the nutrition so necessary for her strength and ability to constantly produce offspring. And since such a hunger strike can drag on for some time (until a “reboot” occurs in the workers’ brains and they find new ways), this can have a very negative impact on the health and life of the uterus. The smartest thing that ants can do in such a situation is to leave the apartment and migrate away, as they usually do.

Disorientation

For this method, you don’t need to buy anything special; everything you need is usually already in the house:

Loose slides. For this purpose, washing powder, baby powder, ground coffee or pepper, cinnamon (any of your choice) will do. A barrier is poured onto the pre-calculated paths - a pile or strip about 3 cm in height. Ants cannot overcome such an obstacle, and they will not (the obstacle is not part of their “program”; they are already accustomed to a clear path).
Impregnated cotton wool. Swabs or cotton wool discs are taken, moistened in a strong-smelling substance (kerosene, turpentine, garlic juice, essential oils, camphor, etc.) and placed on the paths. Ants not only will not try to overcome the obstacle, but will not crawl close to it: these pungent odors are unbearable for them. Here you can also use spoiled lemons - the insolent redheads also do not tolerate their amber.
Vegetable oil, Vaseline. If you lubricate the paths with them, insects will not crawl along them. A sticky or greasy surface is disgusting and unbearable for them.
Dry herbs. Ants are afraid of the aroma of some plants. If you dry, grind the dead wood and sprinkle it on the trails, the effect will be the same as in the methods described above. Tansy, lavender, acacia, elderberry, mint or common garlic are useful for repelling (the latter can be used both dry and fresh).

Just don’t assume that disorientation will occur after the first collision with the barrier. The persistence of insects will force them to crawl along familiar paths again and again, and only after several unsuccessful attempts will they begin to understand that it is time to leave here forever. It may take more than one day to remove red ants using these methods.

Lures

The baits are prepared based on the ants' favorite delicacies with the addition of poison. Here it is very important to take into account the taste preferences of insects, because they must want to try the proposed treat, which has suddenly become so accessible. Since ants have a known sweet tooth, they are unlikely to crawl past, but at the same time they will poison themselves and bring poisonous prey to the nest.

Bowls with sweet contents mixed with boric acid are placed on ant paths. To do this, you can take honey, jam, or prepare regular sugar syrup or solution. Most of the ants will drown in the sticky liquid, and those who are lucky enough to get out will carry the poison to their brothers.

Yeast is often used instead of boric acid. They also have a detrimental effect on ants. If desired, you can make a mix of both ingredients, combining them with sweets.

Another way to force ants to eat poison, but without drowning, is boron balls. Here you can simply mix poisonous powder with yolk, sweet semolina, thick syrup and place them along the paths of insects. The ants will definitely bring particles of this treat into the nest and feed it to the queen and the growing generation.

Insects need to be poisoned with 2% boric acid (not stronger) so that the poisoned ants have time to convey the poison to their relatives without dying along the way. Therefore, it is better to place baits close to the expected location of the nest, so that the insects’ journey to their home is shorter (accordingly, less time will be required for delivery).

It is necessary to ensure that any poisonous agent left in an open place for ants does not accidentally reach pets or children.

How to repel insects

Ants are socially active insects with a clear hierarchy. Each family can number from hundreds to several thousand individuals. In this case, each insect plays a certain role and strictly follows its purpose. Before choosing your apartment as their permanent place of residence, scout ants will come to the territory. They will literally “scout the situation” and if they find a sufficient amount of food and water, they will bring their brothers. If you find insects at this stage, getting rid of them will be much easier.

Many people simply try to kill the scout ants, but there is a chance that others will come instead. The fact is that insects leave traces along their route using pheromones. This is how their paths are formed. And from a humane point of view, remembering that ants are an important component of the biological chain, it is better to simply scare them away from your home.

You can do this as follows:

Using regular oil . People report that they have repelled insects by simply following ant paths and making small puddles of oil along their path. You can use a pipette to make oil paths across or along the ant path. The smell of oil, which we practically do not feel, is unbearable for insects;
Ground pepper, dry mustard or can be used to repel insects . Due to the fact that the aroma can quickly disappear, the selected substance must be renewed periodically, approximately once every 3-5 days and done regularly. Only in this case will the method work;
Some housewives share that in the case of fighting single insects, they were helped by coffee grounds, which they used as indicated in the paragraph above;
A proven method is to apply water to the ant paths with the addition of ammonia. In 1 liter of water you need to dilute 4 tbsp. ammonia. This method is suitable if it is possible to leave the room for a while until the pungent smell disappears. This method also works if ants have accumulated in hard-to-reach places. Simply spray the composition using a spray bottle. Be sure to use eye and smell protection. Even after the odor dissipates, insects will still smell it;
Instead of ammonia, you can use natural essential oils of mint, rosemary, thyme, cloves, lavender, lemon, orange. Add 2-4 drops of oil to a glass of water, soak a cotton pad and wipe the baseboards around the perimeter of the room with it. It is important not to overdo it, otherwise it will be unrealistic to be in the room;

The method of fighting ants using an ultrasonic repeller, which is usually used to fight moles and other rodents, has received a lot of positive reviews. It’s just important to choose a model that states that its effect also applies to insects.

Please note that all of these methods actually work if the ants are just visiting you in search of food. If they have established an anthill in your apartment, more radical measures will be required.

Difficulties in fighting ants

Fighting ants is difficult not only because there can be a lot of them in an apartment. The main problem is the amazing vitality and natural sense of these insects:

having realized on an instinctive level that a threat is looming, the ants can move the nest to another place, and then the homeowners will again have to search for it, and this is difficult;

the many insects that crawl out are only a tenth of their total number;

weak agents that can kill several dozen individuals are not an option (for a large colony this is not a loss);

ants develop resistance to most drugs, which forces them to change means and methods of control or combine them from time to time;

and the greatest difficulty is to determine the location of the nest, which, as already said, is never in sight;

at the end of the struggle, it often seems that victory has been achieved, but this is a false joy (the treatment of the room needs to continue for a couple of weeks, because the next clutches are coming, remaining and surviving in the nest after the death of the adults).

However, these difficulties can be completely avoided if you do not ignore the prevention of the appearance of red ants in the house.

Instructions

To combat ants, you can use the same means as to kill cockroaches. Buy chalk or anti-cockroach gel and apply it in thick, closed stripes to areas where ants move. Systematically update the preparations by applying new stripes. To ensure that the chalk always works, repeat application every 7 days, and renew the gel monthly.
Buy a spray against crawling insects. Treat all walls, baseboards and other surfaces with it. After 1 hour, ventilate the room and dry clean with a vacuum cleaner. Carry out wet cleaning no earlier than every 4 days. All this time, the drug will be active and will destroy those insects that were absent at the time of the gas attack.
A gardening store sells chemicals in ampoules designed to kill ants and garden pests. The products have different trade names, but act almost identically. To use, dissolve the ampoule in 4 liters of water, pour the solution into a spray bottle, you can use a garden sprayer, which you use to treat vegetable and garden crops against pests. Spray the product onto the floor, baseboards and walls. Close the room tightly. After 2 hours, carry out wet cleaning and ventilate the rooms with a through air flow.
You can also use a folk recipe and prepare the poison yourself. To do this, mix 100 g of minced meat with 1 teaspoon of boric acid, roll into small balls and place them throughout the room. Another option for dry bait is to mix granulated sugar, boric acid and borax in equal parts.
Liquid bait with glycerin: Mix 2 tablespoons sugar, 3 teaspoons honey, 1 teaspoon boric acid or borax, 2 tablespoons glycerin and 2 tablespoons water. Heat the resulting mixture over low heat, stirring continuously. Make sure all components are completely dissolved. Please note that it is not recommended to increase the amount of borax or boric acid in these recipes because The recipe is designed in such a way that the worker ants have time to bring the poisoned food to their nest.
The ants die from boric acid and manage to carry it on their paws to the nest, where they poison the queen ant. Therefore, you can use acid not only in the form of mixing it into products, but also scatter the powder in its pure form in places where insects are moving massively.
Ants cannot tolerate the smell of wormwood, tomato tops, cinnamon and snuff, so to combat them, spread one of these products or use the products in combination throughout the house.

Source: rus.delfi.lv/domsad/kvartira-dom/kak-izbavitsya-ot-ryzhih-domashnih-muravev

Prevention

There is usually no particular difficulty in carrying out preventive actions. If they are carried out correctly, they will not allow ants to appear in the apartment (including again), take root and reproduce:

keep the house clean at all times;

take out the trash more often;

lay laurel leaves on jars with bulk products (this will repel insects and prevent them from getting inside);

find and patch all cracks, holes in walls, floors, pipe-wall joints, etc.;

wash the floors at least once a week with a solution of ammonia and laundry soap in water (ammonia can be replaced with vinegar);

When single individuals (scouts) appear, immediately track where they are walking and solve the problem at the root.

No matter how simple the fight, prevention is always even simpler. Getting rid of red ants in an apartment is a difficult task that requires a lot of effort and time, so it would be wiser to do everything to prevent them from settling in human habitation.

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