If ants have appeared in your kitchen, you are likely only seeing a small portion of them that came out of the colony where there are many more ants living. The number of ants in the colony could be in the thousands, which means your home can quickly be overrun by these insects. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to control the ants, three of which are listed below. 

Find the Source

The most important part of getting rid of the ants in your kitchen is finding where they are coming from. You can determine this by watching the ants that you are seeing. They will likely be walking in a line, so follow them to see where they are going if you can. They will likely head outside your home where the nest may be. This may be difficult for you to find, but you should still try.

As you are looking, look for any kind of gaps, cracks, or holes and seal them up as these are entry points where the ants can come in. If you happen to find the nest outside, this is where you need to start. You can boil a large pot of water and pour the boiling water into the nest to kill them. You can also spray an insecticide in the nest. 

Make Changes Outside Your Home

The main thing ants are drawn to is moisture outside your home. Go outside and see if you have any leaky spigots or hoses that are dripping. If you have downspouts, make sure there is no standing water around them. If your gutters are full, you need to clean them out as water can get trapped in the debris.  

Make Changes Inside Your Home

Inside your home, ants are drawn to both moisture and food. Look for food sources that may be attracting the ants. They can easily get into just about anything because they are so tiny. Look in cabinets for open food, such as cereals, sugar, etc. Place all food that ants can get access to in sealed containers. Wipe down your kitchen counters at night and sweep the floor to remove food crumbs. 

Once you make all the above changes, you should see a reduction in ants. If you continue to see a lot of ants, it is time to hire a pest control company. They can find the source, as well as use ant baits and other techniques to kill the ants inside your home.

To learn more, contact a company that provides pest control in your area.