Get Rid of Ants in Bathrooms
If you have ants in your bathroom, you are not alone. Ants are an extremely common problem among various types of homes. Fortunately, plenty of experts have studied this issue to give recommendations on how to solve it. So how do you get rid of ants in the bathroom?
Equip Yourself With Knowledge
The first step to get rid of ants in bathroom areas is identifying why they are there. Ants enter homes for three reasons: they are looking for food, they are seeking water, or they require shelter. Bathrooms have water and a drain that has fallen into disuse will likely contain human hair that has fermented, serving as a food source.
According to Stanford, the weather has a big role in ant intrusion as well; cold and damp weather or its extreme opposite may push the pests into houses.
Identify the Type of Ant
Different ants call for different techniques to eliminate their presence. A few telltales will distinguish most. Carpenter ants, for example, are large and black, nearing an inch in length. For housing, they prefer wood that is damp or rotting. Their presence may indicate a problem that is larger than a simple ant infestation.
Their bite is harmless, as opposed to the fire ant, whose sting has been compared to molten lead sitting on the skin. These are red or black in color and quite small at just three to five millimeters in length. Their colonies can number over 200,000 individuals.
Another potential intruder is the pavement ant; you see them swarming on sidewalks on summer days. They are black and twice the size of fire ants at a length of eight to ten millimeters.
Pharaoh ants are another contender for the culprit species; they favor warm locations for nesting. Also known as sugar ants for their predilection of feeding on sweets, these tiny, 2mm ants are reddish-brown to golden yellow in color with a trio of clubs on their antennae.
According to the spruce, this ant species lives throughout the United States; in the northern portion, it often nests inside structures because it cannot survive cold winters outside.
Getting Rid of the Problem
First, identify whatever is attracting the particular ant that is invading your bathroom. Then cut off that source of attraction. Next, look at the trail to see where the ants are originating. Cracks and crevices may be a culprit.
Finally, eliminate the colony. Borax is one option, but beware as it can also harm humans and pets. Use a bait that is protein-based; a mixture of three parts peanut butter to one part borax works.
Another bait option is liquid sugar using honey or syrup in a four to one ratio with the borax, or use solid sugar with three parts powdered sugar to one part borax. Use these baits on the trails.
Ants can be tough to get out of bathrooms. An important part of getting rid of them is knowing what attracts ants to your bathroom in the first place. Then, you can identify the type of ant and eliminate its sources of attraction.
