Having ant hills in your yard or home? Worry no more. You are in the right place. In this guide, expect to learn how to get rid of ant hills, what ant hills are and how they work. You will also learn how to find ant hill in your yard and home relatively quick and the best methods of ant hill removal.
They say where there is smoke, there is fire. This means whenever you see mounds in your yard, chances are that are ants around your home and ready to invade your home. Be ready for invasion of ants in your home. This is where you need to act fast otherwise dealing with ant problem can be annoying.
Ant hill are an unpleasant sight in your yard. The mounds do not just disrupt the natural growth of the plants and grass in your garden they also make the lawn look uneven. With ant hills in your yard, you are deprived to enjoy the relaxation your garden should provide. You don’t want to end up being stung by some aggressive ants. Read to know the best and effective methods on getting rid of these ant hills.
What are Ant Hills?
What is an ant hill? The mound of soil that can be seen in your yard or garden basically makes up the ant hill. An ant hill will comprise of things such as dirt, tiny rocks, sand, clay and several types of decomposed organic materials.
Ant hill is a result of the worker ants and queen trying to make a safe home for the whole colony. The mound exist because of the ants carrying underground dirt back out into the entrance. They continuously dig carrying underground dirt resulting to the dome- like shape of nest. Below the mounds, worker ants continue to dig lines of tunnels to accommodate the ever increasing ants from hundreds to thousands or millions of ants. (See picture of ant hill below).
Underneath the mounds, worker ants in some cases are able to mix sand and mud in order to harden the mound. This is to make the nest get better protection against extreme weather such as strong winds and heavy rainfall.
How do Ant Hills Work?
Now you know what ant hills are. Good. But do you know ant hills are not as simple as they seem to be? Well, underneath is bee hive of activities with a network of tunnels and chambers being carefully crafted. The worker ants work effortlessly for various special purpose. For instance, they have compartments that set up their food, one for resting and the other for eggs of their queen.
Every morning the worker ants carry queens’ egg to the surface near the ground. This helps to provide the warmth needed by the eggs. In the evening, the workers ants move the eggs back in the earth to protect the eggs from extreme temperature and harsh weather.
The ants hills you see in your garden can grow from small shapeless mounds to towering three feet high. If you’ve ever noticed, the mounds or the piles of dirt have a hole in the middle that act as access point into the nest. Down there, the networks of tunnel and chambers can run up to three feet deep and four feet wide.
Are Ant Hills Bad?
Ant hills are not bad or harmful so as to speak. They sight of it in your yard can be displeasing and a nuisance. The more ant hills you have, the high chance of heavy ant infestation which can be an overwhelming task in getting rid of the ants.
Ant hills structure is usually reinforced when building in order to prevent it from collapsing when the heavy rains come. It means the ant hills and colonies are structurally sound. In most cases, ants do not attack unless they are provoked.
How to Locate your Ant Hill?
Ant hills can be found anywhere in your garden. They can be seen anywhere in your yard, this where an ant colony decides to stay. Before deciding on the ways to remove ant hills, the best tactic is finding the hill. It is a simple move yet very effective that will require you to place ant baits where you’ve notice ant invasion.
The ant bait is to help you know or find where the ants are coming from. You have to be patient and wait one of the ants to bring some of the bait back to the mound. Better still, you can follow the ants’ trail to locate the nest. Ants generally tend to follow a certain path based on their pheromones to help other ants to follow them safely back to the mound. If you follow this path, it could get you to the hill.
How to get rid of Ant Hills in Yard
Getting rid of ant hills in your yard can be simple if you follow the following recommended methods. To effectively remove ant hills, use a pesticide which has a long – lasting effect. First attempt is to spray insecticide directly into the mound through the openings.
Although liquid insecticides are effective, they are not environmental friendly. So it is not highly recommended to entirely rely on insecticides. You can apply a granulated or powdered pesticides. It is not only effective but also has a long – lasting effect. Most insecticides kill the ants upon contact, this means you have to apply more to get rid of the entire colony including their queen.
How to get rid of Large Ant Hills
A large ant hill is bothersome and unpleasant to see in your yard. It means, there are thousands or millions of ants in your yard. If all these ants invade your home, it would be difficult to get rid of them all at once. To prevent this from happening, get rid of large or even small ant hills in your yard. Follow these steps:
1. Cut down the Grass
This is a simple but basic step to undertake whenever you are dealing with large ant hills. It goes without saying, mow done the grass around the large ant hill. This helps to expose the hills.
2. Insecticides
Apply as much insecticide as you can. It helps to kill the ants including the queen. This is to get rid of the ant colony entirely. When the colony is disrupted or removed, the worker ants ceases to dig more tunnels deeper and wider. Thereafter, you can manually remove the hill.
3. Flatten the Ant Hill
This is the most important and probably the last stage when dealing with large ant hill in your yard. The size of the ant hill could determine how long the process would take. To flatten the hill completely, use an ant bait directly meant to reach the queen. If you cannot use an ant bait or probably wait for the bait to effectively work, how about you flatten the ant hill mechanically.
How to Get Rid of Ant Hills Naturally Without Killing Grass – Home remedies
When you intend to get rid of ant hill, you have to do it carefully. The goal is to reach the queen and destroy the entire colony. The natural methods are helpful in that it will get rid of ant hills without killing grass.
Other than the methods discussed above, you may opt for natural home remedies. They are helpful. Here are some of the home remedies to use:
4. DIY Ant Baits
An effective natural remedy or ant bait would be a mixture of either sugar, honey or peanut butter mixed with borax. As soon as the ant carry the bait back to the queen and eat it, it will kill the whole colony. Just make sure you place enough baits around the compound.
5. Hot Boiling Water
This is a simple trick but it works best when dealing with ant hills. Pour boiling water into the colony. This remedy is effective in killing a large population of the ants. Some ant hills have networks of tunnels that tend to spread underneath, the hot water will flow through the tunnels however deep and wide the hills are. Make sure you use steaming hot water to pour directly over the nest’ point of entry.
6. Use Boric acid
If the boiling water is not good enough for you, how about you use borax. Boric acid is one of the most popular ant killer ever used. It can be used in powder form. Just sprinkle enough boric acid directly on the hills point of entry and around it. Alternatively, you can use it in paste form by adding mixing it with water and sugar.
7. Diatomaceous Earth
This is another surest way to kill the ants and remove the hill. Diatomaceous earth kills the ants by drying their skeleton up. The ants end up dying of dehydration. Sprinkle enough dust over the ant hill then wait. This is enough to kill as many as possible including the queen.
8. Vinegar
Vinegar is another effective natural home remedy to get rid of ant hills. Ants generally don’t like the scent of vinegar. It is therefore a good ant repellent. Mix vinegar with water and use the solution to flood the tunnels.
9. Dish Soapy Water
This is another excellent natural home remedy to get rid of ants and ant hills. Pour dish soap water into the tunnels to kill all the ants.
10. Mechanically removing the ant hill.
This should be easies part when getting rid of ant hills in your yard. As soon as all the ants are dead including the queen, it is time to level the ground in your yard. You can even plant some flowers on it but just make sure all the entry point are sealed to avoid another colony from emerging there.
List of Sources:
- https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/mound_ants
- https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/1993/5-12-1993/antlawn.html
- https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2009/5-6/AntMound.html
- https://www.peststrategies.com/pest-guides/ant-guides/ant-hill-removal/
