When you discover that ants are invading your Kitchener home, you may turn to the internet to look for solutions. However, those that recommend using boiling water or methods that drown ants usually fail because those offering the advice may not understand ant behaviour. Our pest technicians here at Truly Nolen invite you to learn about why water treatment methods fail, as well as to offer you effective solutions for ant removal in Kitchener. 

1. Ants Can Survive Floods 

One common solution often offered for ant control is to drown anthills with a mixture of bleach and water or to pour boiling water on the nest. While this may kill some of the ants, there are likely millions more underground that the water does not reach. This means the colony will simply rebuild elsewhere nearby, as they might during a natural flood, relocating the queen and their larvae. 

Ants are also adept at surviving floods because of their advanced communication ability. When water floods a nest, ants will cling to each other and make a raft out of the nests’ workers, who then carry the queen and any developing larvae to float to higher ground, where they will build new homes. 

2. Ants Do Not Have Lungs 

You may believe that drowning ants is effective when it comes to ant removal in Kitchener, but these insects do not have the same types of bodies as mammals do. Instead, they have a series of small holes in their exoskeleton that allow them to breathe. When you pour water down an anthill or onto a group of ants, it is unlikely that any will drown because they can access oxygen in more than one way. 

3. Ants Can Survive in Water 

The species of ants you encounter in Kitchener are quite hardy and most can swim or float. This is why pouring water on anthills or any colonies you find indoors is usually ineffective. While you may drown some of the inhabitants, others can survive for weeks on the water’s surface and eventually swim to drier land. 

You may believe that adding cleansers or oils to water can erase chemical trails left by ants that make their way into your home, but this is only a short-term solution because the rest of the ants in the colony are likely making new tunnels and trails in the meantime and searching out cracks and crevices that are not affected by the treatment. 

4. Soapy Spray Only Kills Ants You See 

Using a homemade soapy spray to drown ants may kill the ones you see around your kitchen sink or counter, but there are usually dozens or hundreds more hiding out of sight. Consistent spraying does not destroy the ants you cannot see and may contribute to mould growth if you spray inside sink cabinets or other places that are dark and moist. Some ant species are attracted to and thrive on certain types of fungi, and this can make your issue twice as troublesome. 

Calling our pest technicians for ant control in Kitchener can destroy all the colonies in and around your home by identifying what species is invading and using their know-how and specialized treatments, such as pressure misting, to reach the ants hiding out of sight. Depending on the size of the colonies, more than one treatment may be necessary. Our technicians will also seek out and seal any entrances ants use to enter your home, ensuring that none return. 

Treating an ant problem in your Kitchener home with water-based solutions is likely to fail or only work for a few days, but you do not have to face this issue alone. Contact us at Truly Nolen today to hear about our ant treatments and let us help you make your property ant-free for the future.