How to Get Rid of Ants on Your Patio

We are quickly approaching ant season and homeowners often face the struggle of ant nests and infestations in the garden. Depending on the location of your house, you could end up with a sizeable ant problem if not dealt with properly which can mean ants are visible throughout your garden, particularly on the patio. It is important to understand and execute the following steps correctly to get rid of ants in the garden and prevent them from travelling onto your patio – or worse, into your home!

It is important to first identify where the nest is because this what you need to target. If high quantities of ants can be found wandering around your patio, then the nest should be somewhere nearby. Ants tend to form hills when building their nest so this should be relatively straightforward to find. For the next step, you can choose from any of the following options to eliminate your patio ants:

1. Boiling Water

The most common way to eliminate ants in the garden is to use boiling water. Simply pour boiling water inside the nest and all of its entrances to kill the ants. This process may need to be repeated a number of times to ensure all of the ants are dead. You can also add washing up liquid or soap to the water to make this method even more effective. The only downside to this strategy is that the temperature of the water may be harmful to surrounding areas of lawn or plants.

2. Vinegar

Pouring vinegar directly into the ant’s nest is also effective. Similar to the boiling water method, you run the risk of damaging nearby plants, but it will kill ants instantly on contact. Alternatively, you could use vinegar to create a barrier between your patio and the rest of the garden which removes the need to wipe out the ants completely but prevents them from accessing your patio and becoming visible.

3. Chemicals

There are a number of ant-killing chemicals available and can kill all types of ants quickly and efficiently. Available in a number of shops and to order online, these chemicals include easy to follow instructions and typically come in the form of a spray or powder.

4. Nematodes

Nematodes are a type of microscopic worm that naturally hunt ants. The worms will look for and destroy any ants that they cross paths with and the remaining ants flee the area in search of a new nest elsewhere.

5. Exterminators

If all else fails, you could call your local pest exterminators and let the professionals deal with the ant problem. While this option may be slightly more expensive than using at-home methods, you can be sure that the job will be completed more thoroughly.

While the decision of which method you use to get rid of ants in your garden is entirely up to you, if you require further advice then get in touch with us today and see how we can help you eliminate an ant infestation and keep your patio looking its best.