As a property manager, it’s never pleasant to get a call from your tenant that there is an ant infestation in your rental property. Ant infestations can happen suddenly and grow fast.
They are irritating for your tenants and also can cause problems for you. Ants are known to contaminate food; they can even damage wiring and electronics.
What Types of ants Commonly Affect Houses?
According to the University of California, there are various common types of ants that can invade a house. Here are a few of the common types:
While some varieties live outdoors, they will come inside the house for food and take it back to their ant colony. As you can see, the most common types of food you need to store away securely are Sweets, Fats, Greasy Foods, and Proteins.
Why Do You Have Ants in Your House?
Ants need food and water just like us.. The most likely cause is that your rental property has water they need or the food they’re attracted to is too accessible to them. Here are five things to watch out for:
- You have sugary foods accessible to them. A great way to take care of this is to keep the kitchen clean and use sealed containers they can not access.
- Make sure greasy surfaces are cleaned up in the kitchen counter, stove top, and garbage container.
- Ants need water. So you should clean up water spills and fix leaky faucets and pipes.
- Decaying wood is the perfect hideout for ants. Whether it’s a wood pile next to your house and dry wood siding, this is something to watch out for.
- Finally, look at how they can enter your house from outside and seal them. Window, Door, or cracks in your foundation.
What Can I Do to Prevent an Ant Infestation?
Now that you know what attracts ants to your property, there are simple strategies you can implement with your tenants to prevent an infestation:
- Get rid of their food supply – make sure you clean up your kitchen regularly, so there is nothing sweet available and all grease has been wiped down.
- Get rid of their water supply – promptly pick up any water spills, fix leaky pipes and faucets, and do not leave water accessible to them.
- Close of entry points – check the exterior of your property for cracks and holes and seal them.
There are also natural repellents that discourage ants that you can use to discourage ants:
Borax is used as a cleaning product and insect repellent. You should be careful and follow safety instructions. It can be harmful to children and pets.
- Diatomaceous Earth dries out the oils in an ants body. But it can be an irritant, so do wear gloves and a mask when handling it.
- Glass cleaner has an odor that removes the scent that ants use to get to food sources.
- Red or black pepper is a natural deterrent since ants find the smell irritating.
- Peppermint oil helps repel red ants. But be careful around cats.
- Citrus fruit or Citrus Oils also helps repel and kill ants.
- Vinegar mixed with water as a cleaning solution is effective. Ants do not like the smell of vinegar, so it acts as a deterrent.
How Do I Get Rid of Ants? Are Ant Sprays Effective? How do Ant Traps Work?
You can always go to your retail store for chemical spray and Bait Trap. There are popular sprays such as from Raid that are effective. But be careful because some of the chemicals can be harmful if you inhale or eat. So carefully monitor your children and pets.
If you have a carpenter ant infestation, you are probably looking for the best carpenter ant bait, to get off them. Bait traps work by attracting them, and the ants then take harmful chemicals back to the ant colony, which gets rid of the ants.
You can always use a professional pest control firm. According to Angie’s list, that can cost anywhere between $80 to $500 based on infestation size.
Conclusion
Ants can disturb your tenants’ experience with your rental property. Both you as the property manager and your tenant have a role to play in preventing an issue. The best way is to know what attracts ants and keep them away from your house.
Frequently Asked Questions on Ant Infestation
- What Smells Do Ants Hate?
Ants typically don’t like the smell of citrus fruits, peppermint oil, lavender, black or red pepper. A great way to prevent an infestation, which could require using harsh chemicals, is to create a repellent for ants by making sure these fragrances are in your home.
- Does Vinegar Kill Ants?
Vinegar does not kill ants. But by having vinegar, it neutralizes the smells ants use to get back to their colonies and lessens the infestation.
- Does Cornmeal Kill Ants?
Cornmeal does not kill ants, but is helpful. Cornmeal if eaten by ants is not digestible. So they can starve to death if they eat no other food. But only if that is most of their food. If they eat other things, this is less effective.
Sources:
https://www.orkin.com/pests/ants
https://ipm.ucanr.edu/m/pn7411-3.html
https://www.angi.com/articles/how-much-does-it-cost-get-rid-ants.htm
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/04/how-many-american-homes-have-pests.html
