Despite how cute ants look in animated movies, warm and fuzzy feelings are the last things on your mind when you find an army of ants crawling all over. There is little more annoying than waking up to find that they were your bedfellows with these critters all night. The idea that the ants may have had a chance to crawl into your ears is terrifying enough for you to want to get rid of ants right away.
While there are over 12,000 species of ants, only a few like carpenter ants, odorous house ants, black ants, and fire ants are home pests. Of these, the carpenter ants can be the most challenging to deal with since their nests are often in your home.
Dealing with ants involves more than just targeting the places they frequent in your home. It is important to follow the ants to their nest or colony and get rid of it as well as their trails. Understanding what is bringing ants in your house is necessary to get rid of them from your bedroom.
There are several reasons why your bed could be crawling with ants. Firstly, poor hygiene could invite these ants to wander into your bedroom. Spilling food on the mattress or not regularly washing the sheets are some of the reasons you may locate ants on your bed. A stale and dirty sleeping area might even encourage ants to build nests in your mattress.
Another important reason causing the ant infestation is fungal infection or accumulation of moisture content in the wood. Weakened wood is a very hospitable location for ants such as carpenter ants and fire ants to nest and thrive.
If your bedroom is well maintained and bed clean, and you still face ant intrusions, it could be due to the presence of an ant-nest in the vicinity. These critters could be crawling into your bedroom and mattress through a crevice or crack in the walls.
Your best chance of dealing with ant infestation by yourself is only when the infestation is in its nascent stage. Try to identify the ants frequenting your bedroom. Whether they are sugar ants or black ants or carpenter ants will impact your choice of bait and trap.
The first and foremost thing to do is to pull out the sheets and wash them thoroughly. Also, do not forget to clean your bed thoroughly. Look for any food residues in and around the bed. Clean up the area by vacuuming and sipe the area with a vinegar solution to wipe away traces of ants’ trails.
Additionally, look for the nests in your room or try to locate the crevice through which they are sneaking in. Finding the ant nest is very important to stop the infestation, or else the onslaught will keep persisting.
Since the infested area is your bed, it is crucial to use safe methods to repel the ants. Using strong chemicals on your bed could lead to severe health issues; hence it is recommended to use natural practices or leave it to the experts to use the right type and dose of these chemicals. Here are some DIY options that you can try out:
The vinegar spray or swiping solution is quite useful in wiping away the scent trails but has no utility once it has evaporated away. The spray can be prepared at home easily by following the procedure mentioned below:
You will need:
Procedure
Mix one part of vinegar to an equal proportion of water. Pour it into a spray bottle and spray directly on the insects, under your mattress, and the windows near your bed. Cover all the conceivable places from where these critters could crawl in. Or wipe down the ant-infested area by putting the solution onto a cloth.
If you cannot tolerate the strong smell of vinegar in your bedroom, you could also use this lemon juice spray to get rid of ants. It has the same limitations as the vinegar spray.
You will need:
Procedure
Mix one portion of lemon juice with three portions of water. Pour it into a spray bottle and spray directly on the insects, under your mattress, and the windows near your bed. Cover all the conceivable places from where these critters could crawl in. Or wipe down the ant-infested area by putting the solution onto a cloth.
Borax-based ant baits are quite popular in combating ants. The ant bait is made by mixing borax with frozen sugar candy, fruit jam, or honey. The sweet material will draw the ants towards it, and boric acid is a natural pesticide that acts slowly but effectively. The ants carry back the food to their colony, which then gradually kills out the entire nest. As boric acid could be mildly toxic for humans, don’t place the bait too close to your mattress bed. Make sure that you handle boric acid with caution.
The use of diatomaceous earth for ant control is a cost-effective and non-toxic alternative. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth along the paths walked by the ants and all their entry points. It desiccates the exoskeleton of the ants, killing them.
Ants have a notorious reputation for being adamant against most repellent techniques. Since the ants function as a colony, it is tough to get rid of them entirely due to the sheer number of ants. Once these ants nest in a place, they keep resurfacing after every attempt to get rid of them.
Unlike an outdoor situation, where you can liberally use chemicals to get rid of the pests, handling infestation on your bed is a different ball-game. Finding the right professional help will fight pests effectively without jeopardizing the health of you or your loved ones.
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