How to Get Rid of Ants in the Kitchen

Ants in the kitchen almost always arrive for a reason. Somewhere there is food, sugar or moisture, and a gap that lets them in. Find those and the trail often makes sense.

Here is a sensible way to deal with it, including what to do tonight, what tends to fail, and when to bring someone in.

Follow the trail before you do anything else

Resist the urge to wipe out the line straight away. Watch where the ants enter the room and where they head. The entry point might be a crack under a patio door, a gap around a pipe, a loose skirting board or a drain cover.

Their destination is usually food: a sticky jar, crumbs behind the toaster, pet food bowls, a bin or a bag of sugar. Knowing both ends of the trail tells you more than any product will.

Check the less obvious places too: behind the dishwasher, under the sink, around the cat flap and along the back of the worktop. Ants use hidden routes along pipes and cables and may only appear where the route comes out.

Remove what is drawing them in

Wipe the trail and surrounding surfaces with warm soapy water, because ants follow scent trails left by their workers. Washing breaks the path, though they often find another.

Store sugar, cereal, honey and pet food in sealed containers, and do not leave dirty plates or open bins overnight. Fix dripping taps and wipe up wet patches.

Take particular care with sweet drinks, fruit bowls and the area around the kettle and coffee machine. A single sticky ring on the worktop can be enough to keep a trail going night after night.

Any food that ants have crawled over should be thrown away, and fresh food should be stored properly.

• Seal sugary and dry foods in containers
• Clear crumbs and wipe sticky spills daily
• Empty bins often and keep lids shut
• Lift pet bowls between meals
• Fix leaks and wipe damp areas

Close the doors they are using

Once you know where they come in, seal gaps around pipes, window frames and door thresholds. Brush the doorstep and keep the area outside clear of sweet spills or fallen fruit.

If the ants are coming from a nest in the patio or wall, the colony will still be there. Blocking one entrance often just sends them to another.

Outside, look at where soil, paving or planters meet the house wall. A nest right next to the building will keep sending workers inside until it is dealt with, and that is a job for a professional rather than a tub of anything from the shelf.

What shop-bought products can and cannot do

Sprays kill the ants you see, but the colony behind them, including the queens, carries on. Some baits and gels are on sale, and used according to the label they can help with small, simple problems, but they are not suitable everywhere, particularly around children, pets and food preparation areas, so read the instructions carefully.

The warning sign that DIY is not enough is persistence: ants return after a few days, they are in more than one room, or the nest seems to be inside the building. Tiny pale ants in a heated home may also be a species that needs a specific plan.

A technician can find the nest or the route, choose a method that is safe for a kitchen and advise on proofing. Essex Pest Solutions offers ant control for homes and businesses, and the first step is always an inspection.

Frequently asked questions