Little Black Ants are a common sight in the summer. They often come out of their nests to forage and hunt for food, which can be a nuisance if they plan an outdoor meal. There is nothing more frustrating than finding ants crawling across your plate or working their way into your cupcake before you even get to take a bite. Fortunately, there are many ways to keep these pesky insects at bay without resorting to chemicals that could harm children or pets. In this blog post, we will discuss some natural alternatives that work great!
Facts About Little Black Ants During Summer
During the summer, little black ants are a usual sight. You can easily spot them around your home or garden. They are so small that they are very difficult to wipe out. Nonetheless, these nocturnal insects are known for their destructive tendencies. They can both cause harm inside your home and outside your property walls. Here is what you need to know about little black ants during summer:
1. Are they poisonous?
It is possible that the little black ants roaming around your home and garden are not dangerous at all. However, if the colony of these insects living inside your walls is massive, you might want to consult experts just in case they can cause harm to human health. Remember that a big infestation of ants is not only annoying and horrifying: it is also extremely dangerous for your health.
First of all, you might want to remember that black ants bite and sting. Their bites and stings are not lethal for human beings but can be highly irritating and may cause nasty infections. Secondly, black ant colonies (and their living environment) grow mold and bacteria, and this compost pile of dirt contains pathogens that can make humans sick. These two facts are just enough to ask for help from ant control specialists.
2. What do black ants eat?
There are many types of ants in the world, and they all have different tastes when it comes to food. Many people believe that these insects love sweets, but this is not the case (at least regarding little black ants). These nocturnal insects eat anything they can find. They can feed on meats, seeds, bread products, and even fruits. This is a great reason to make sure your pet food is always covered, and you don’t leave any sweet stuff out in the open – this might attract ants instantly.
You should also avoid leaving crumbs on the floor because these insects can easily find them and invade your home. If you keep your kitchen clean and tidy, all the little black ants will disappear by themselves.
3. Where do they live?
The best place to look for these insects is in and around your home. These insects cannot fly, so if there is a trail leading from outside to inside, some entry point exists. The entry point should be sealed and ants exterminated. If the colony is large, you need to call a pest control service as soon as possible.
Little black ants are nocturnal insects. They come out only at night and roam the territory in search of food. The good thing is that even if you spot one or two active little black ants during the day, this doesn’t mean you have an ant infestation already.
It might be just a scout ant that was looking for food. No matter how annoying black ants are, they can’t survive winter outdoors, so their population will decrease over time if there is no food.
4. How do they look like?
Little black ants are so small that you will probably not even notice them crawling around your floor or kitchen countertops until their major infestations start taking place. These little insects have a dark, glossy body, and it is easy to see their long antennas. These insects usually move in a straight line and stay close together when they cross your floor or go inside and out of your house.
5. Do they like hot weather?
In warmer climates, little black ants can multiply extremely fast during the summertime because they are perfect for them to breed quickly. That is why you should do your best to prevent these insects from entering your home. Keep the doors and windows closed as much as possible because if there is one hole in your wall or window casings, there are more where those came from.
How to Get Rid of Little Black Ants During Summer
There are many ways that you can use to get rid of these little pests. Let’s go through some of these methods.
One thing you could do is grab some sugar and mix it with water in a jar. Let this mixture sit out until it becomes thick like syrup, then pour the mixture around your house or where the ants are coming from. You will eventually see most of them crawl into the syrup and die.
Another idea would be to spray cinnamon oil over their path (you could also buy one with an insecticide mixed in). This will poison them when they walk through it. You can also spray the ants directly with the cinnamon oil, but make sure you wear protective gloves and don’t inhale any yourself.
Another thing that works is putting salt over their path. They will eat the salt and die. You could also mix sugar or honey with borax powder to put out for them. The ants will eat the borax and die after ingesting it.
Cayenne pepper powder also works. If you sprinkle it over the path that they are using, they will ingest it and die. You can also use a cayenne pepper spray if you have a hose attachment. This will work well.
Lastly, you can ask a professional pest control company like Pestcom to help you get rid of the ants. They will be able to help you stop the infestation. In addition, they can help get rid of them for you. Not only that, but they will teach how to not get them back again if possible.