How to Stop Ants Coming Into Your House: Ant and Bull Ant Guide
To stop ants coming into your house, remove the food and water that draw them, wipe their trail with soapy water, close the gaps they use and have the nest treated. Spraying the trail alone kills only the ants it touches and leaves the nest. Bull ants are a different problem, because they sting hard. Marks Pest Control identifies the ant, treats the nest and shows you what let them in. Call 0482074889 or send a photo for a clear price.
Why do ants come into the house?
Ants come inside for food, water and shelter, and they find them faster in certain weather. Crumbs, sticky benches, jars with residue, animal food bowls and open bins give them food. Leaking taps, damp bathrooms and wet laundries give them water. Heavy rain floods their outdoor nests and sends them looking for dry ground, and hot, dry spells send them looking for water. Gaps around windows, doors, pipes, cables and skirting boards give them a path. Once one scout finds food, it lays a scent trail that the rest follow, which is why a single ant often becomes a line within a few hours and a trail across the bench by the evening. If ants appear in the same place each year, the nest is almost always close by, and treating the nest is more lasting than wiping the trail.
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How do I stop ants coming into my house?
- Wipe the trail with soapy water to remove the scent, rather than spraying it.
- Seal food in containers, especially sugary, sticky and fatty food, and rinse jars before they go in the bin.
- Clear animal food bowls overnight and wash them daily.
- Fix moisture drips, leaks and damp spots draw ants as strongly as food.
- Find where they enter by watching the trail, and close the gap once you know where it is.
- Trim plants and branches that touch the walls or roof.
- Keep mulch and soil a short distance from the wall.
- Call for nest treatment if ants keep returning after a week.
Why should I not spray ants myself?
A spray from the supermarket kills the ants it touches, and it leaves the nest, the queens and the thousands of workers that are not on the trail. The colony sends more workers, and some species respond to disturbance by splitting into several nests, which makes the problem larger, wider and harder to follow back to the source. Spraying also destroys the scent trail that a technician would otherwise follow back to the source. DPIRD Western Australia notes that control methods for one species may not work on another, and that the species should be confirmed before treating. A better approach is to wipe the trail, seal the food and take a photo of the ants, the trail and where they enter, then call. Treating the nest at the source is what ends the problem.
Which ants are common in Melbourne homes?
| Ant | How it looks | Where it nests |
| Black house ant | Small, dark brown to black | Cracks in walls, under paving, roof voids |
| Argentine ant | Small, light to dark brown, in big numbers | Soil, mulch, under pavers, in connected colonies |
| Coastal brown ant | Ginger brown. Two sizes, 2 to 3 millimetres and 3.5 to 4.5 millimetres with a much larger head | Outdoor soil, lawns and under paving, with many queens |
| Bull ant | Large, up to 40 millimetres, big jaws | Mounds or burrows in soil and lawns |
| Jack jumper ant | Black body, orange legs | Soil nests in dry, open ground |
Are bull ants dangerous?
Bull ants are large ants, up to 40 millimetres, and they are aggressive near their nest and give painful stings that can occasionally cause a severe allergic reaction. They are most often a problem in gardens and lawns, around paving and at the edge of bushland, where young people and anyone mowing or gardening disturb a nest. Do not poke or flood a nest, and keep people and animals away from it. If someone is stung, scrape out any stinger, wash the area with soap and water and hold a wrapped ice pack on it for 15 minutes. Call 0482074889 for noisy breathing, swelling of the tongue or throat, wheeze, dizziness or collapse, and use an adrenaline autoinjector first if the person has one. Jack jumper ants, which have a black body and orange legs, can cause severe reactions in some people.
What should I do if I find a mound or nest in the lawn?
Keep people and animals away from it and take a photo. Do not dig into it or pour liquids down it, since the ants can swarm. Call us to identify the ant and plan treatment. If the ants are small and reddish brown and the nest is a mound of loose soil with no obvious entry holes, contact the fire ant authorities first. In Queensland call 0482074889, and in New South Wales call NSW DPI on 0482074889.
How does Marks Pest Control treat ants?
- 1. Call or send a photo with your suburb and where you see them.
- 2. The technician identifies the ant.
- 3. An inspection follows the trail to the nest and entry points.
- 4. You get a clear price before any treatment begins.
- 5. The nest is treated at the source, inside and outside.
- 6. You are shown what drew the ants in.
- 7. If ants are still active after a week or two, we check again.
Ant frequently asked questions
Ques: Why do ants keep coming back after I spray?
Ans: Because the spray killed only the workers it touched. The nest and queens remain, and new workers follow.
Ques: What do ants hate or what keeps them away?
Ans: Clean benches, sealed food and fixed leaks. Home deterrents such as vinegar or cinnamon may move a trail for a day and do not reach the nest.
Ques: Why are there ants after rain?
Ans: Rain floods outdoor nests and sends ants looking for dry shelter, often inside walls and roof voids.
Ques: Are flying ants a problem?
Ans: Winged insects coming out of timber, walls or soil could be termites or ants. Do not spray them. Take a photo and call.
Ques: How long does ant treatment take to work?
Ans: Ants often keep moving for a week or two while the colony is affected. We explain what to expect when we quote.
Ques: How much does ant control cost?
Ans: It depends on the ant, the number of nests and where they are. See our Pest Control Cost Melbourne guide. We give a clear price after an inspection or a look at your photos.
Book ant control with Marks Pest Control
Ants coming into your home or garden? Call Marks Pest Control on 0482074889 or send a photo for a clear price.
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