There are more than 12,000 species of ants in the world, including around 200 in France.
These
small, harmless colony eusocial insects
have decided to settle in or near your kitchen.
Despite many efforts to dislodge them, they seem determined to want to stay.
There are solutions to make them go away.
Why am I invaded by ants?
Like all other animals, they search for food.
This is why, after crossing the garden, they invite themselves into houses to
find food
for the colony they form.
Read the filePests, insects: all our advice to protect your garden
Direction therefore the kitchen, the pantry and the floor of the latter, with any crumbs or other sweets that will have escaped your vigilance during your cleaning.
How do you know where ants come from?
Where do they go?
Through all possible nooks and crannies, from windows and door frames to cracks, skirting boards or water pipes.
At first, the group sends what are called "
scouts
", workers who leave to locate places to find food.
If you come across them, pick them up and then drop them outside.
Because in a second time, the number multiplies and they move in small groups on a single line.
Read alsoHow to identify the most common insects in the house?
In this case, go against the current of their direction to find their starting point, the nest and therefore the queen, condemning the source (if it is a crack, repair it with filler or if the place is a plant, move it outside, for example).
Without a queen no more colonies, therefore no more ants.
How to stop having ants in the house?
First of all, store the exposed food on the counter, in the fruit basket, empty the trash can and wash its container, vacuum and also clean the inside of the cupboards so that unwanted guests do not find any food satisfactory.
To keep them away, you can drop on the ground:
baking soda
coffee grounds
powdered eggshells
cinnamon
lemon
diatomaceous earth
basil leaves
bay leaves
of flour
salt
peppermint or lavender essential oil
black soap diluted in boiling water
draw a line with chalk so that the material stops them
a ramekin of white vinegar.
If, despite your interventions, the ants continue on their way, you can call on a specialist, a pest control specialist.