It only looks like it might seem that the "domestic" ants are quite small. In reality, real insects from the tropics are found in our apartments. And they are called rather mysteriously - "Pharaoh ants", as if we are talking about the countless host of some ancient ruler of Egypt. Where did they come from and why did they leave their homes?
get rid of house antsIt turns out that everything is simple. They were mistakenly called "Pharaoh ants" by the Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus, who considered Egypt the birthplace of this species. A more correct name would be "Indian" or, if we stick to the original, "Raja ants." Since it was from India that from about the middle of the 16th century, thanks to the development of navigation, they began to settle around the planet. Ships that went to India for spices, ivory, sandalwood, and rubies in gold also carried small yellowish insects home.
In our country, pharaoh ants were noticed already at the end of the 19th century, but they received serious attention as pests only in the 1940s, when the entire European part of the USSR was already "occupied" by them. And now you can move from history to practice. The discomfort that the presence of pharaoh ants in the apartment creates is undoubted, but can they do any tangible harm? And how to get rid of one and the other problems?
The ant is omnivorous, a garbage bin is as attractive to him as a bread basket or sugar bowl. Crawling back and forth, he becomes an involuntary carrier of germs, just like a cockroach or a fly. How great the danger is depends on the condition of the bucket (by the way, not only yours, but also the garbage bins of all neighbors, because ants, unlike humans, can move from one dwelling to another with impunity!), The apartment in general, and the number of ants. That's all.
Wrestling is a different matter. It is difficult to defeat ants, but it is possible. It is important here - to take into account certain features of the life of these insects. The heart of an ant colony of this species is the nest, which contains females (or queens) who produce workers. Ant queens do not leave their nests, they are not able to get their own food on their own, they are fed by working sterile ants.
Finding a nest of ants in an apartment is extremely difficult. It is usually safely hidden in some small cavity in the floor or wall. Even if you are lucky enough to find an ant hole, do not rush to remove the parquet or chip off the tile: the corridor leading to the nest can be quite long, and you will not be forced to ruin the tiles.
But due to the fact that the worker ants carry food to the entire colony, you can try with them to "treat" the queens and larvae with something poisonous. This is feasible if the concentration of a poisonous potion or, even better, boric acid, which corrodes chitin (the ant's body consists of it), is low (does not exceed 2%). The ant will not die instantly, but will have time to bring the poison to the colony.
A few practical tips
Dissolve about 1/4 tsp in a glass of water. boric acid, 3 tsp. sugar and 1-2 tsp. honey. The bait in a shallow container must be exposed not once, but throughout the month, and where insects can reach, but your pets cannot. Make sure that the poison does not become a dangerous toy for your children and pets.
If you fill a jar with water, add sugar or honey, they will climb into it and drown.
Pharaoh ants are frightened by the smell of elderberry leaves, sunflower oil, wormwood and wild mint. Try lubricating their paths with garlic about once every two weeks.
If you understand the laws of ant colony life, you can not only find an effective way to fight, but also get rid of unnecessary fears. For example, if you even return from guests with a piece of grandma's pie, bringing in it several sterile worker ants, they still won't be able to establish a colony and give offspring. Only females are in charge of settling. If the situation were different, the pharaoh ants would take much less time to settle around the world.
Good luck in ridding your home of intruders.