Ants can strike at any time. And while it might be a little distressing to find ants crawling around your kitchen, it’s a total nightmare to find the swarming in your dishwasher. If you can see ants coming out of your dishwasher, there is no doubt that you have an ant infestation. While it might seem unconventional to find ants in your dishwasher, there might be a couple of reasons why they found it suitable.
Your dishwasher offers ants a steady supply of food. Anytime you use your dishwasher without full rinse; ants get a meal. You might not use your dishwasher daily either, meaning the mess stays in the appliance for much longer.
The dishwasher is not fully sealed. If you fail to clean your dishwasher regularly, nearby ants will soon pick up the scent. There are several ways into a dishwasher, making it an easy target for ants to get into your house.
How do I get rid of ants in my dishwasher?
Most property owners believe that using hot rinse terminates any pests that might be living in your dishwasher. It doesn’t! Ants have no problem hiding in holes and cracks during your wash cycle. Also using pesticide sprays won’t solve the problem entirely. The anti-ant spray will only kill the ants in your dishwasher for the moment, but new ants from the colony will keep visiting.
Inspect your home
Inspecting your property is the first and most important step to carry out at this stage. Thoroughly checking your home will help you find the location on the nest. With this information, you could easily stop the ant problem by dealing with it at the source (nest) eliminating the infestation quicker. An inspection of the home could also tell the extent of the damage caused by the ants. Knowing the magnitude of the infestation will help determine the best way to get rid of them.
Finding the nest
Tracking ants aren’t the easiest task to undertake; ants can hide inside small cracks and holes we can’t access. You can find the location of the nest by following the tracks ants use. Most times, ants will have the parent colony outside your home, but it’s not uncommon to find the nest inside the home.
Use ant traps/baits
Using baits is perhaps the most proved method of getting rid of ants anywhere in your property. You could lay the trap outside your dishwasher with the laced bait. Ants are very social creatures; they will carry the bait back with them into the colony to share, poisoning the rest as a result.
Using non-repellent ant sprays
Non-repellent pesticides work best for termites and ants. This works perfectly because the ants will not be able to detect it and will not escape. Ants are not able to taste or detect non-repellent insecticides. Meaning they could also work double as baits. While repellent sprays don’t work well with ants, non-repellent sprays will not deter the ants from the lure.
Ant proof your dishwasher
The easiest way to avoid an ant infestation if to discourage them from coming into your home in the first place. Ants are attracted by food, and moisture something your dishwasher will readily provide. Ensure that you practice clean habits. Regularly clean your dishwasher and ensure all the surfaces around stay clean and tidy. Check for holes and crack in your equipment and seal them where necessary. If there are holes and cracks close to the wall or anywhere the ants can get access, they will use it to get into your dishwasher.
Ants have a strong sense of smell, using strongly scented substances across their entry points will prevent them from getting into your dishwasher. Essential oils such as peppermint oils, orange peels, baking soda work perfectly at keeping ants away. Make it a habit of using these substances after clean up sessions.
Contact a professional
If you have ants in your dishwasher, there’s a high chance you have ants elsewhere in your property. While getting rid of them can be as easy as running to your hardware store and zapping them dead, an extensive infestation might require experience and skill. A professional ant control Toronto official will not only help you get rid of ants in your property but will also ensure they don’t come back.