How Do I Keep Sugar Ants Out Of My Oahu Home?

In Oahu, Hawaii, sugar ants are a common term that refers to many species of tiny ants. They don't cause severe damage, but just coming across them in your home makes them a nuisance. Sugar ants are light caramel-colored insects with heavy waists and long legs. They are from one to three millimeters long. They like to nest in the ground and feed on plants, fruit, honeydew, dead insects, or even grasshopper eggs. Sugar ants love sweet foods and are attracted to anything that contains sugar.

How & Why Sugar Ants Come Inside

Sugar ants come from outside. There are many reasons that they will find their way into your house. When in the home, they make their nests inside walls, baseboards, between cabinets, and inside potted plants. With a preference for sweet things, they are usually found in kitchens and bathrooms, seeking moisture. Once they have found a food source, they will take it back to their colony.

Sugar Ant Hazards

Most sugar ant species are not dangerous. Sugar ants can be a problem in Oahu because they nest in the ground and invade homes when you have a lot of food containing sugar like honey, jam, and syrup.

The Pharaoh ant, however, is tiny and brown, yellow, or red. They create big colonies in the dozens and can be hard to eradicate from your home. Pharaoh ants are one of the most common species of sugar ant. They can carry and transmit various bacteria and pathogens, such as salmonella, staphylococcus, streptococcus, and clostridium bacteria. They wreak havoc in your home, but Pharaoh ants commonly plague hospitals too and will invade the IVs and wounds of patients.

Prevention Tips To Avoid Ants From Coming Into Your Oahu Home

If you don't want to use any sprays or chemicals, a quick look at how sugar ants get in and out of Oahu homes can help you avoid their invasion. Here are some simple tips you can follow to keep sugar ants out of your home:

• Do not leave food that contains sugar outside of your home. The absence of food will deter sugar ants from coming close and finding a way inside.
• It is also vital to seal up cracks and openings around your house so they cannot get in from the outside. You can use materials like a waterproof sealant or caulk.
• Inspect high-moisture areas, such as sinks and bathtubs for leakage or drips.
• Keep your home crumb-free with regular cleaning and vacuuming.
• Wipe down all surfaces in the kitchen at night, removing any spillages, leftover food residue, and scent trails left by ants.
• Regularly remove trash from inside the home.
• Ensure trash can lids are secured tightly.
• Remove uneaten pet food from inside or outside the home.
• Place bait stations in high-traffic ant areas, such as around a sink or under kitchen cabinets. They may also be placed by counters or near the pantry door.

Sugar ants can enter through a hole as small as 0.2mm. It doesn't matter whether these holes are in walls, floors, or ceilings. If you've tried everything and still find ants in your Oahu home, the most effective, quickest, and safest way to get rid of a sugar ant infestation is with professional home pest control from Pest Tech Hawaii.