The Simplest Solution For Eliminating Pesky Anthills In Your Yard

If your yard is overrun by ants and mounds of not-so-pretty anthills, then you may want to take action to evict these tenacious pests. But what is the best way to get rid of ants in the garden? It's pretty simple: Bait might be your best way to eliminate anthills.

Ant bait is an insecticide mixed with sugar or some other food that the ants will find attractive. It works so well because ants will find it and then recruit others to come back for more of the bait. They'll work as a team to take it back to the nest, where it's passed from ant to ant, and eventually to the queen, wiping out the entire colony. The bait poison needs to be slow-acting, so that it allows time for the ants to take several trips back and forth.

Bait stations can be safer to use around kids and pets than sprays, and it works on killing the entire colony, rather than just a few ants. Also, bait can work better when the anthill itself is harder to access, or when you don't know exactly where the anthill is. The most common kinds of poisons in ant bait are typically borate or avermectin. Before buying some, it's a good idea to try to identify the kind of ants you're trying to kill. Different insecticides might be more or less effective on different kinds of ants. Borate works best on Argentinian ants, for example, while avermectins might be your insecticide of choice for fire ants. Either way, you should completely follow the directions on the label of whatever products you use.

After you figure out what type of ants you have and buy the best kind of bait for them, you'll next want to figure out where to put the bait stations. Focus on areas with the most ant activity. Some anthills are obvious, but others are mostly hidden underground and harder to spot. Ants are sometimes attracted to certain kinds of trees or plants. Birch trees and ants, for instance, go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Bait stations can be placed around the yard, and some can even be installed permanently in the ground. Don't make the mistake of putting out bait and never checking it again. Check it daily and replenish as necessary, or you might not give the ants enough bait to kill the colony. Don't use sprays or other insecticides with your bait, either, or you could wind up repelling ants instead of attracting them.

Bait is slow-acting, so it could take weeks to kill the colony. Remember, patience is key. You may see ants coming back again and again for more bait. This is a good thing. It means they're spreading the bait throughout the anthill. Of course, if you don't like insecticides, there are organic ways to treat your yard for pests, like using a shovel or rake to flatten an anthill, which might be the easiest way to eliminate ant hills from your yard without using chemicals.