Ant control / All pest control
Ants in the kitchen: what actually helps
I've seen huge ant infestations in some of the cleanest kitchens I've ever been to. You can have huge ant issues without having a dirty house. That's something we see on our True Clean jobs in Port Elizabeth, also known as Gqeberha.
Written by Diederik Visser
Operations, marketing and pest control at True Clean. Seven years in pest control.
First-hand information recorded .
Does having ants mean my kitchen is dirty?
That is definitely not true. A kitchen can be very clean and still have a big ant problem. If there is more food left around, you're feeding the colonies more as well. But a dirty house isn't a requirement for an infestation. It's just unfortunate at the end of the day.
What can I do to avoid feeding the ants?
Keep your food in closed containers, sweep up and clean. Little crumbs are all they need, including something sweet tucked into a gap. You can clean the obvious surfaces and still have ants reaching food you haven't noticed.
Check for leaks under the kitchen sink as well. At the fridge, the little drip tray at the back collects water that is meant to evaporate. The tray and an actual leak are different things, but both are reasons I look at moisture as well as food. A leak needs attention.
These changes help reduce what the ants are finding, but they don't necessarily sort out an established infestation on their own.
What about ants getting into pet food?
Keep stored pet food sealed. If food is left available all the time, it gives the ants something to keep coming back to.
You get anti-ant bowls for cats and dogs. Some have very slippy sides that make it harder for the ants to get into the food. Others have a space where you put water in.
I've found ants making a little bridge and crossing the water to get to the food. Those bowls don't always work, but I've found they help most of the time. If your pet's food needs to stay available, a bowl like that is an option to try.
When does it need treatment?
If you've done the cleaning and kept the food sealed, but the ants keep getting in, the colony may still be there. That's exactly why people call us out: they can't put food down without ants finding it.
We check where they're coming from and treat the problem. The ant-control page explains the process, follow-ups and prices.