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House Ant Control
- How to safely control indoor ant pests -
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Summary: Certain ants commonly invade homes looking for food and moisture. These ants are generally small and can be a nuisance but cause little damage. Use sanitation and insecticidal baits to keep them under control. Don't use aerosol ("spray can") insecticides.
Jack DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext. Entomologist (ret.)
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Which ants invade homes?
 There are a few species of small brown ants that commonly invade homes. These house-infesting ants include odorous house ant [image], Argentine ant [image], and pharaoh ant and a few others. These small ants are difficult for homeowners to tell apart but fortunately exact identification is probably not necessary for effective control. The good news is household nuisance ants generally do not cause damage and pose no particular health risk.
All ants live in colonies dominated by an egg-laying queen. Worker ants (females) forage outside the colony for food. Typically, ants are attracted to a variety of food types including carbohydrates (sugars), proteins (meats), fats and oils. Colonies, or "nests", are located in protected places in walls, under floors, under cabinets, and such and indivdual colonies can be quite large with thousands of ants.
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A few drops of homemade bait (see Related Articles below) on a piece of waxed paper. Ants quickly locate the poison bait and take it back to their nest where it disrupts the colony.
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House ant control
Your first step toward ant control should be sanitation. Clean up crumbs, cooking oil, and all sources of water. This alone will go a long way toward reducing ant problems by depriving foraging ants of food and water. Also, patch holes around pipes and wires that pass into the living space. Ants use these "highways" to gain entry from colonies located in walls, the crawlspace, and so forth.
Next, use poison ant baits (see Making and Using Homemade Ant Baits) to eliminate, or at least surpress, ant colonies. Do not use conventional aerosol insecticides as these can be messy and not very effective. Insecticidal sprays can actually make matters worse by causing colonies to disperse and by blocking access to bait stations.
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Effective ant baits are available commercially or can be homemade. Place bait stations near where you find ant trails and if the ants seem to be ignoring the bait you may need to change where baits are placed or add a little vegetable oil.
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Mission: To provide accurate, up-to-date and unbiased information for solving common insect and mite problems around your home, business and landscape using least-toxic methods.
Jack DeAngelis, Ph.D.
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