Baiting Ants 101

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Ants are among the most invasive type of insect that you will come across in your home; eating your food, making a mess, and occupying the space that you desperately wish to call your own. Worse yet, some of the best ways to get rid of ants are, in fact, toxic. Did you know that there is an effective, non-toxic method of ridding yourself of ants once and for all? It's true. In this brief article, you'll learn about this method, known as ant baiting. Throughout the course of the article, you will learn how to adequately define ant baiting, how to determine which ants require which bait, about the baiting procedure and, finally, what options you have if the problem persists.

What Is Ant Baiting?

Ant baiting is a process that involves the use of a very small dosage of boric acid, which, in such a small dose, is non-toxic to humans and pets. Essentially, boric acid is placed within the bait, and the ants take the bait and bring it back to their home; it is distributed among the denizens of the ant colony, and they essentially kill each other off.

Without an ant queen, for example, the ants will be lost and without direction; they tend to easily die off once their queen has been eliminated. The trick with ant baiting is to use a dosage strong enough to kill them eventually, but not strong enough to kill them immediately. Remember, you want the ants to distribute the dosage of boric acid among the colony. Generally speaking, a small pinch of boric acid placed on the bait tends to do the trick.

Different Ants Require Different Bait

It is important to note that not all baits will work effectively with different kinds of ants. You will have to diversify what kind of bait you use in order to attract the ants that have infested your home. There are, generally speaking, three types of ant baits that you can use: sweet bait, protein-based bait and Carpenter Ant bait.

Sweet bait usually consists of jelly or a sweet paste, with a pinch of boric acid placed on top. Argentine ants, honey ants, little black ants, and odorous house ants rank among the type of ants that enjoy this type of bait. Protein-based bait, or "grease" bait is usually desired by pavement ants, pharaoh ants and big-headed ants. Use peanut butter with a pinch of boric in order to attract such ants. Finally, Carpenter ants usually feast on larger insects. It is best to purchase a few crickets from a bait store, kill them, and place the boric acid on top of them.

Baiting Procedures

As mentioned earlier, you simply put a pinch of boric acid on top of the bait of your choice, be it sweet, protein-based, or Carpenter ant bait. It is best to place this bait near where you have seen ants in your home; that way, they can easily track the bait and then take it back to their colony for quick dispersal. Ants usually work throughout the day and night, so the time of day that you place the bait down does not really matter. However, it may be slightly more effective during the night time hours. Although ants are generally fearless beings, there are occasions where they experience some trepidation about working in front of humans.

If The Problem Persists

If ant baiting does not solve your ant problem, there are a variety of solutions you can attempt. However, the best thing to do during an infestation is to consult a professional pest control agency. You can visit http://cavanaughspest.com to learn more. 


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