A few weeks ago I opened the passenger side door of my car and discovered something positively horrific: approximately 8 billion* ants were in my car, in a line, going after who knows what (ok, I do know…it’s food. I’ve got little kids, what can I say?). It felt like a scene out of a low budget horror movie and I started to feel my skin crawl pretty much immediately.

UGH! Seemingly out of nowhere, we had ants!!!

You might be in a similar situation (though more likely the location is your house) and you are trying to figure out how you can get rid of ants right this very second. I hope I can help you out!

The first thing you have to realize is that in the United States alone, there are more than 700 different types of ants, and each type responds differently to things, so your very best course of action is to bring in a professional who can determine the type of ant you have in your home and the type of treatment you need to kick them out immediately to ensure that you don’t find yourself with a full-blown infestation. I partner with Arrow Exterminators because I have found their staff to be extremely knowledgeable about bugs (which is important!) and they have specific plans for how to treat different types of ants so you aren’t looking at a “spray and pray” type of pest treatment. I trust them with all of our pest control needs inside and outside of our home.

There’s a saying that the best defense is a good offense, and it definitely applies to keeping ants out of your home. If you want the ants to go away, you need to get the right treatment for them with a professional, and you also need to prevent them from wanting to enter your house (or car, in my case) in the first place. Basically, your space needs to become very unappealing to them, and fast. And if you don’t have ants at the moment, take heed of these steps so that you won’t get them! They really love to come inside during the hot months, so now’s the time to make sure they skip right past your place when hunting for a cooler spot to hang out.

1. Always store food and liquids in sealed, airtight container. Not everything you buy at the store comes in a package that is easy to keep closed (flour and sugar both come to mind). So for us, we put many of our pantry items in larger mason jars and then label them. The pantry looks nicer and the food smells are kept to a minimum.

2. Pay attention to your pet feeding bowls. If you have a messy eater who spills bits of water or food onto the floor, you might want to change their feeding station or just be vigilant about keeping the area clean, as the food and water on the floor will attract ants. We had a very messy eater and it was a game changer for us to switch to this food and water dish.

3. Go on a hunt for cracks in the foundation. This is a prime way that ants (and other pests) can enter your home, so seal up all cracks in and around the foundation of the home with caulk. Be extra vigilant around all areas where utilities and pipes enter the home.

4. Chimney care. If you have a chimney in your home, you need to make sure that you have screened the vents and openings. Might seem like overkill for ants, but it isn’t! It will also help you avoid larger pest problems (hello, rodents!).

5. Check all screens. If you ever open your windows or doors and make use of screens, now is the time to check them for holes or gaps. This is yet another way that pests find their way into your home.

6. No dirty dishes! This one is the hardest for me, honestly, but the truth of the matter is that if you have food debris on the floor or anywhere on the counters, ants can pick up on the scent and will work very hard to get to that food. So you need to take care of the dishes daily, wipe down the counters daily, and sweep the floor daily (and don’t forget your kitchen table and/or dining room!).

7. Bathroom care. Ants are also attracted to water, so it’s important to pay attention to if you have stagnant water in your bathroom (beyond the toilet, obviously). If you have kiddos who take baths and do some splashing, for example, you’ll want to make sure that all the drops of water on the floor get removed and not left.

8. Check for leaky pipes. Check under your sinks and around your toilets to make sure you don’t have any leaks. Even very small amounts of water are enough to draw attention. And bonus: those leaks need to be fixed, anyway, so good thing you found them!

9. Keep plants off your house. If you have tree branches or shrubs that are touching your home, that’s a bridge for the ants to come over on, so take it away by keeping those plants, trees and shrubs trimmed.

10. Firewood check. If you have firewood piled up for the winter, make sure it is at least 20 feet away from the home and on an elevated surface. It is an ant magnet!

I hope these tips help you keep the ants from wanting to hang out with you this summer. Remember, there’s always more than meets the eye, so if you see ants in your home, there’s a good chance that there are more very close by (like in your walls), so do your due diligence to make sure they leave!

*Ok probably not 8 billion. But it was A LOT, y’all!