Having ants in your house is a common phenomenon. It is not surprising to hear or see ants in wall voids or cracks in building or houses. Ants are likely to build their nest near warm and moist surrounding such as holes and crevices. In your kitchen, ants are likely to be found in cabinets or plumbing inside wooden beams.
This post will cover the most common types of ants that are likely to be seen in your walls and the methods to use to get rid of the ants. We will also show you some of the natural home remedies that will help you effectively get rid of the ants.
There are numerous species of ants in the world. Each ant species shows distinct features and behaviors. Ants would hide in walls to look for safe shelters. A large infestation of ants hiding in walls have the potential of damaging your walls, wooden structures and in some case can cause a serious health risk.
How effectively can you get rid of ants in walls? To get rid of ants in walls, you can either use baits, insecticides or ant spray. The most perfect combination to get rid of ants in walls, insecticides and ant baits. Ant baits are used to lure the ants out of their nests and to get rid of the whole colony, while ant dust works as a barrier.
You cannot assume the effectiveness of ant baits especially when you cannot reach the ant colony. Before treating an infestation of ants in the wall, first identify they type of ants you are dealing with then apply the insecticide.
How to Get Rid of Ants in Walls – Instructions and Methods
This section will attempt to give the ways to get rid of ants in walls with different methods and instructions. A small colony of ants can be hard to notice but a larger colony is quite difficult to assume and leave it untreated.
Here are the instructions and methods to get rid of ants in walls:
1. Reduce the Ants by Slowing them down
Ants are likely to be found where the place is untidy and in poor hygienic conditions. Such condition is the number one attract to ants in your home. How do you slow down the ants? You shouldn’t leave left leftover foods. Keep your kitchen clean and tidy. Your home and if possible the places where the ants are likely to build their nest should be kept dry and clean.
Fix all the broken pipes that would provide nesting points for the ants. Also, seal all the cracks and holes in the walls. These measures would reduce the ants and prevent infestation of ants in walls.
Ants tend to increase so far if left untreated and can lead to multiple colonies within days.
2. Inspect the area infested by the Ants
This is a key step to get rid of the ants effectively. Inspection including identifying the types of ants that have invaded in your wall. There are a number of ants species in the world and each have a distinct pattern and behavior and may require different pest control methods.
3. Ant Killer Control Methods
There are various methods to control ants’ infestation in your home. This section will cover all the types of pest control and killer methods to get rid of the ants in your home and walls. Let’s begin.
a) Liquid Ant Sprays
This is one of the most common method to get rid of ants at home and in walls. Liquid insecticide spray is the most effective and by far the most efficient method to get rid of ants.
The market has a number of ant killer sprays you can buy to eliminate ants. There are two types of liquid sprays; the contact killer and the non-repellent insecticide sprays.
The contact insecticide sprays kill the ants on contact. This only works on the ants present in the infested area while leaving the rest. So, it may not kill all the ants or get rid of the entire colony.
Non-repellent ant killers or residual ant killers do not repel the ants. It doesn’t kill the ants on contact but allow them to move back and spread the insecticide in the colony.
Here are some of the liquid ant sprays we’ve recommended for you:
I) Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer
II) Hot Shot HG-4480 Ant Killer Plus Aerosol
III) Raid Ant & Roach Barrier Spray
b) Insecticide Killer Dust/Powder
Insecticide dust or powders are among the most commonly used ant killer for ant infestation in walls. There are effective just like the sprays but can be used where the sprays are considered to damage or stain the walls.
Insecticide dust are commonly to access inside the walls deep and get rid of the ants effectively.
Here are some of our top pick dust or powder to get rid of ants in walls.
IV) Delta Dust Multi Use Pest Control Insecticide Dust
V) Rockwell Labs CXID032 Cimexa Dust Insecticide
VI) Advance 375a Select Granular Ant Bait
C) Ant Baits /Ant Traps
Although ant baits or traps are slow-acting, they too give best results. In fact compared to other pest and ant control methods, they are effective to get rid of the entire colony.
There are quite a number of ant baits available in the market ranging from both liquid, gel and granular ant baits. They vary while some are protein based, others are sugar-based but you can use them depending on the type of ant species invading your walls.
Here are some of the best ant baits we have recommended for you:
VI) Syngenta – Optigard Ant Bait Gel Box
VII) Advance Select Granular Ant Bait
VIII) Homeplus Ant Killer Metal Bait Stations
How to Get Rid of Ants in the Walls Naturally –Home Remedies
Other than commercially available products and methods discussed above, there are natural ways to get rid of ants in walls with homemade recipes.
Here is how to get rid of ants in walls naturally
a) Vinegar Spray
Vinegar is effective in getting rid of ants in walls. The strong smell of vinegar is enough to drive ants out of the wall and keep them away. Here is how you can prepare vinegar spray.
- Mix vinegar and water in equal volume.
- Put the solution in a spray bottle.
- Spray directly on the ants in walls, including holes and all other access points
- Repeat this procedure thrice a day for effective results
b) Dish soap Water Spray
Soap and water is another natural home remedy to get rid of ants in walls. Add 1 part of dishwashing liquid soap in 3 parts of water. Mix the two. Apply directly on the walls and all other infested areas.
c) Sugar and Borax Bait
Sugar and borax bait is another natural home remedy to get rid of ants at home and in walls. Mix the two and add water to make a fine paste. Put the bait on a lid and place it near the infested area. Make sure you place the bait near and on the ant trails to eradicate ant colonies.
You can also add honey or peanut butter in borax to make another perfect borax homemade ant bait.
d) Peppermint Spray
Buy on Amazon Peppermint is also another effective natural home remedy that can help you get rid of ants in walls. Just add a few drops of peppermint essential oil in water to make the insecticide spray. Directly apply on the ants and in walls void, holes and other nesting points of the ants to get rid of them.
Peppermint has a strong smell that deters that ants from infesting your homes and in walls.
Why Are There Ants Coming Out of the Wall?
When you see ants coming out of the walls in your house, it means that your wall has cracks or voids. Ants generally, find voids and cracks as easy place to hide as they seek for food and water. The walls could be in your kitchen, bedroom or any other place especially if it is warm and moist. This could be near the sinks, water pipes and damp woods.
If you see the ants or ant trails in your house in walls, look for the access points and holes and seal to prevent a large infestation of the ants.
Is it Possible for Ants to Live in Walls?
Ants are known to build their nest any place where they find it conducive. When they invade your house, they do so when the weather outside is harsh or they are attracted to food.
Once they get access to you house, ants will look for a place to build their nests. In most cases, they look for holes, wall voids etc. The wall cracks provides the best warmth to build their shelter. Seal the cracks to prevent infestation.
Is it Possible to Hear Ants in the Walls?
It is not possible to hear ants making any sound in the wall while moving. But, the soft rustling sound of walls excavating ants can be heard. Carpenter ants are known for their ability to damage and excavate wood.
Carpenter ants are usually attracted to wood mostly the damp wooden structures, furniture, shavings, frames etc. if you hear the soft sound from the walls, especially the wooden walls, the most likely ants to be in there are the carpenter ants.
