Are you looking for ways to get rid of ghost ants? This is the right guide for you? In this guide you’ll understand what ghost ants are and what they look like. Are ghost ants dangerous? Learn more on the steps to get rid of them and some prevention tips as well.
Also find the best ghost ant killer that can help you get rid of the ghost ants effectively.
Although the benefits of ants cannot be overlooked in the ecosystem, they become a problem when they invade your home. Ants can be resilient and can be quite hard to get rid of. This article will provide methods and steps to help you eliminate an infestation of ghost ants.
What are Ghost Ants?
Ghost ants get their name from the dark brown head and pale yellowish color in their abdomen and legs. It can be hard to track these ants individually or in small groups while on the move, this is because of their small size.
Ghost ants are common in the tropical and sub-tropical areas such as Africa and Central America. They can also be found in warm climates throughout the U.S with many infestation cases reported in Florida. One ant colony of ghost ants consists of a number of queens with tens of thousands of worker ants. With several multiple of queens, one colony can effectively break out to a number of nests through budding.
In comparison to other species of ants, ghost ants don’t make their nests or mounds underground by way of ant hills. Instead, they make their nests in places such as unattended piles of dead leaves, logs and other decomposing organic materials.
Owing to their small size, it is easy for ghost ants to infiltrate homes. They gain access into your homes though the smallest holes and crevices. You are likely to see them indoors nesting behind walls, underneath flower pots, sinks and other corners in your house where there is enough moisture and source of water. Did you know ghost ants love sugar? They have been recorded eating cookies, cakes and apples.
What do Ghost Ants Look Like?
We’ve mentioned earlier that ghost ants have a darkish brown head and white milkfish color that runs throughout their body and legs. In terms of size, they measure 1.3 to 1.5 mm long. Ghost ants are generally attracted to sweet foods. It is the reason they invade home in search of such food. See pictures below.
Are Ghost Ants Dangerous?
Are ghost ants dangerous? Do they bite or sting? No, ghost ants aren’t known to be a dangerous species of ants. Neither do they bite or sting. The only is when they invade your home. They can easily spread and increase their colonies in just a matter of days if left untreated. They have the ability to conveniently adapt all corners of your house and are a nuisance.
The overwhelming numbers and continuous search of food and water can pose a great risk in contaminating stored food. Do not attempt to crush them. They couldn’t be smelly as the odorous house ants but give off a weird coconut like smell when crushed.
How to Get Rid of Ghost Ants?
Getting rid of ghost ants is quite easy but it depends on the approach you are going to take. Some people would prefer to call exterminator to have the job done. While others may want to try DIY methods. It is important to try doing it yourself since the steps provided here are simple, simple and proven. Here are the steps:
1. Knowing the Ghost Ant diet
While you attempt to get rid of ghost ants, it is best to understand the reason why they are in your house. Ghost ants as mentioned earlier, they are sweet lover naturally. They are at time called sugar ants. Their favorite food is honeydew: which is sugary sticky liquid made by aphids. At homes, they are interested in those sweet foods. That’s why they are constantly in search for protein from dead insects and other decaying organic materials.
To eliminate these ants effectively from you home, it would be good if you start by securing all your sweets at home such as honey, sugar and maple syrup. Cleaning is also important. If you clean your cupboards, cabinet drawers, tables and sinks often, you’ll have reduce the risk of invasion from these insects.
2. Identify the entry points
How to ghost ants enter your home? This step is easy and simple to follow. All you need is to identify where these ants are entering your home from. Just follow the ant trail inside your home. This is how you are going to find out how these ants infiltrate your home.
Small holes, gaps and crevices in your home are the entry points for ghost ants. As soon as you identify these holes, seal them off using caulk. Easy! Right?
3. Look for Indoor and outdoor nesting spots
To effectively get rid of ghost ants, you must locate their nesting spots around your home either indoor or outdoor. Start by following the ant trail from the inside of your home to where they are coming from outdoor. The ant trail will lead you to either the garden, patio, porch back or front year or the lawn.
We mentioned before, ghost ants usually build their colonies underneath moist and decomposing organic materials such as leaves, branches and logs. Look for areas such as under stones or along the walkways. If you cannot find the nest outside, probably the ghost ants have already secured a nesting spots inside your home.
Search the nests underneath the kitchen sinks, in between cabinets, under plant pots and inside drawers and cupboards. Don’t tire looking even behind the walls, underneath the floor and other areas you consider hard to reach in your home.
4. Extermination
This is the last stage when getting rid of ghost ants. But it depends entirely on whether you’ve found them. Ant trails and nests that are easily accessible can be dealt with insecticide sprays. The chemical sprays can be found in your local stores. Always use non-repellent sprays so that the ants don’t scurry away when using it on them.
Insecticide spray kill the ants on spot. Ghost ants that build their nests along wall voids and other areas hard to reach can be killed using ant killer bait. Just place the ant baits alongside the trails closest to their colony.
The Best Ghost Ant Killers
From research and experience, here are some of the effective ghost ant killers available in the market.
1. Syngenta Optigard Ant Gel Bait
To effectively get rid of ghost ants, you should consider Syngenta Optigard. It is a transparent ant bait made for both indoors and outdoors use. This ant bait attracts ants and when they feed on it, especially the worker ants. They will carry some of it to the colony feeding the rest including the queen. This is how the entire colony will be eliminated.
This ant bait is packed in a syringe making it easy to apply especially places where it is hard to reach such as holes, crevices and cracks etc.
Other than ghost ants, the bait also kills fire ants, carpenter ants and pharaoh ants.
Pros:
- Easy to apply
- Ideal for both indoor and outdoor use
- Doesn’t leave stains
- Remains active up to two weeks
- Multipurpose
Cons:
- since the syringe is small, you may be forced to buy multiple baits to deal a large infestation,
To control infestation of ghost ants in your home, buy this ant block from AMDRO. With just a single bottle, you can eliminate a large infestation of the ants.
This ant bait designed for outdoor use only. It is used to bar ants from invading your house by creating a barrier to prevent the ants from coming into your home.
Pros:
- Creates a barrier for ants to invade your home
- A single bottle is enough to protect a large infestation
- It kills most species of ants
Cons:
- For outdoor use only
- Has a slightly unpleasant smell
You can also get rid of ghost ants at home with TERRO liquid ant bait. A single pack has 16 stakes of baits that can be place around your home to prevent ants coming into your house. It is suitable for outdoor use, meaning most ants will be dead thus no ant will make it alive in your house.
It is also effective in getting rid of the entire colony. Worker ants will carry some of the poison into their colony thus eliminating the whole colony.
Pros:
- A single pack is enough to protect a large infestation of ants
- Simple in application
- It can kill multiple species of ants
Cons:
- Outdoor use only
How to Prevent Ghost Ants – Tips
To prevent ghost ants from invading your home, following this simple tips.
- Reduce the amount of food, aphids that make honeydew, sources in or around your home. The scarce the food is around your home, the less the risk of having ghost colony near your home.
- Maintain your garden. Keep your trees and shrubs well-trimmed all the time. Throw or burn all dead leaves and branches scattered on the ground near your home
- Make an effort to check for some cracks, holes and crevices throughout the structure of the house. Do this periodically at least once a month.
- Maintaining good sanitation is key. This should be done for both inside and outdoor of your home. This will help get rid of all possible nesting ground for ghost ants.
How do you Get Rid of Ghost Ants Naturally – Home Remedies
Other than the commercial methods to get rid of ghost ants, we have some few natural home remedies that can effectively kill ghost ants fast. Here they are:
- Vinegar and water solution is good when dealing with ants generally. This mixture is a natural repellent that can deter ghost ants from invading your home. Mix vinegar and warm water in a ratio of 1 to 3 to make a spray.
- Mint leaves – dried and crushed mint leaves is another useful home remedy to kill and deter ghost ants from coming into you home. Crush the leaves into powder and place it where the ants are seen often.
- Cucumber is also good in deterring ghost ants from coming in your home. Use a bitter cucumber to deter the ants. Slice it into tiny pieces and place it where the ghost ants are seen. Keep on replacing dried cucumber with fresh ones.
- Dish soap and water is also good to get rid of ghost ants. Mix equal parts of dish soap and water to make a spray. You can then spray on the ants directly and areas where you see the ants moving around.
- Turmeric Powder is also effective in dealing with ghost ants. Just locate their nest and directly apply on it. Wait for the results.
- Boric acid is another effective natural home remedy to get rid of ghost ants. Mix 2 tablespoon of boric acid with jam or sugar. Place it where the ghost ants are seen moving. The ants will pull the bait and take it to the colony killing the other ants including the queen. You have to place the bait in several places to kill large numbers of ghost ants.
Summary
Ghost ants are very much controllable whenever they invade your home. Just find the right treatment plan that works for you. You can keep aphid population low around your home, clean up crumbs and other foods within your kitchen. Whatever works for you, go for it.
