If ants coming from AC (Air condition) in your house what are you going to do? In this article we are going to cover the nontoxic methods of controlling the ants and on how to use the baits to overcome them. That will allow you to keep the ants away from the ac vents. If you are unsure on how to fix this problem, it would be worth reading this article. So, let’s find out !
Can ants come through AC vents?
Ants can occupy the AC vents. AC vents are something which many people have these days at their homes. Many people used to have these luxury items to comfort themselves. Unless it would be difficult for the people to stay in comfort specially during hot summer days.
Why are ants attracted to my air conditioner?
As per experts, ants prefer to invade the AC vents due to the magnetic fields, warmth. Further some state that ants are attracted to ac vents as they assume there are food sources available there. Moreover, they presume that they can do their nesting there.
If we take tawny ants into consideration, they are quite attractive towards the electrical circuits and once they get into these AC vents, they will get electrocuted and end up perishing. Once the dead bodies of these ants pile up, it will badly affect the functioning of the AC vent and will end up making the ac vent malfunction.
You could commonly come across this situation during summer. Despite the ants are small creatures, they can cause for excessive damage in these ac vents. Once the weather gets warmer, they would come in search of shelter and invade your home especially in the Ac vents.
You could commonly spot this after it rains. Ants are quite attractive for electric circuits in the ac vent, and they would get stuck in those electrical contract points of the ac vent. Consequently, it will result in the malfunction of the ac vents. Moreover, it would cause permanent damage to the ac units if you do not remove them.
Ants can cause malfunction in your ac vent . Once an ant is electrocuted, they can release an alarm pheromone when dying. Then, that will attract the other ants. When the number of ants increases, it would cause further repercussions. They would in fact result in overheating, corrosion and in mechanical failures.
How do I get rid of ants in my air conditioner?
First and foremost , refrain from keeping mulch or leaf piles near your ac vents. Those would be perfect habitats for ants. If there are any decaying organic materials, any decaying mulch or leaves , you could commonly find the ants there as this is where the ants prefer to reproduce and live.
So, if there are ac vents closer to these, you may find the ants occupying the ac vents as well. Next you need to ensure that you keep the cleanliness of the gutters right at the beginning of spring to summer. If there is any dirt and debris of the leaves around the ac vents, ants will feel welcome there.
On the other hand, if there are leaves around your yard, ensure that you rake them all off. Ensure that you remove any water or food sources available near the ac vents as they would also be quite attractive towards, he ants and for other critters as well. For example, if you find any breadcrumb bird food closer to your ac vents, make sure that you remove them then and there.
If you come across any ants near the ants already , immediately clean them away with a damp paper towel and throw them away to the garbage can. Ensure that you rinse the outside of the AC vent and the surrounding area of it along with soap and water. Having said that, refrain from pouring soapy water into your ac vent.
If you are not sure whether you could do it properly, the best recommendation is to use a spray bottle and do that. Moreover, you may also place peppermint or spearmint essential oil around the Ac vents so that it would repel the ants naturally.
In addition to that, it is vital that you identify the ant’s species before you try to get rid of them and if you wish to stop its recurring. It will allow you to gather information on their eating habits which would be helpful for you to apply the baiting properly.
If we elaborate further on this, there are ant types such as carpenter ants, Argentine ants, odorous house ants, pharaoh ants, pavement ants, acrobat ants which are quite fond of feeding on sweets. Out of this carpenter ants, grease ants and pharaoh ants prefer to feed on greasy food as well. Hence if you wish to bait them, you can consider using something oily.
You can use vegetable oil or peanut butter as bait for them. If you are unsure on how to differentiate these ant species, you can use their size, coloration, and body type. So, to sum up you need to ensure that you know the ant’s species properly before you try to deal with them.
If you wish to set out a liquid bait to repel the ants, you can make a liquid bait by mixing one teaspoon of boric acid, 3 tablespoons of white sugar and ¾ cups of distilled water. You need to stir all these ingredients until they dissolve. Next place the specimen in a bowl and place it in closer proximity to the ac vent.
You may also place a paper towel in the liquid so that it would attract the ants to reach the bait. You need to ideally hang it over the side of the bowl.
If you are dealing with ants which are attractive for oily elements, you need to make a solution which would suit them. To make it, you can mix 2 tablespoons each from peanut butter and honey and then add it to ½ teaspoon of boric acid powder and then use.
However, keep in mind to not to add too much boric acid and instead you need to always add a low concentration of boric acid. Ideally it should be about 5 % of boric acid. Then the ants will take the bait to the nest and consume it in the colony.
Ultimately, they would die in the colony. If you could spot swarms of ants, it literally means the bait is working properly. That will decrease the ant’s population daily. In addition to that, you can remove the vent cover and clean it properly to get rid of the ants.
Chances are that the inside of the ac vent could be damp and dirty and as you may already know this is what makes the ac vents more susceptible for ants’ infestations. Hence as explained in the above, you need to clean them well. If you wish to get rid of the ants effectively , the best way would be to use baiting. However, it would consume some time.
If you wish to immediately get rid of them, you may spray them with orange oil. You can find this in stores. What is good about this method is that they will not create any harmful effect for your pets and for kids as well. However, they would be fatal for both ants and for other insects. You may spray it around the vent cover as well as on the floor.
Conclusion
Ants occupying the ac vents is something which many homeowners may suffer from. As such if you wish to get rid of them, you can consider using nontoxic steps to control the ants. That will avoid any accidental ingesting of the insecticides. If you practice the aforesaid steps properly, it will help you to keep these nasty creatures away from your ac vents as well as from your home.
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