Ants swarm the backyard BBQ, the family picnic, and whatever food they can get their little legs on. That's because they thrive on proteins and sugars. When dealing with an ant infestation, diatomaceous earth is the natural ant killer and repellent you want to have around. It's family-friendly, and won't contaminate your food. DE disrupts the initial ant trail and helps prevent future ant problems.
Simply follow these steps to clear away the ant trails around your home and property.
Step 1:
Remove anything that may attract ants, such as food left out in the open. Cleaning up what is bringing them into your house or yard is half the battle. But don't let that stop you from your barbequing or picnicking; just be sure to clean up thoroughly when you're done.
Step 2:
Look for ant trails and places where ants are grouping together. Apply a good layer of Crawling Insect Control DE across each ant trail with an applicator like this one. It doesn't have to be really thick, just like a nice layer of dust on a bookshelf. If you find areas where there are a lot of ants grouped together, dust over them and create a perimeter around them with Crawling Insect Control DE.
Step 3:
Give the DE 24-48 hours to work and then check the areas where you applied DE. Reapply if the DE has been removed by sprinklers, rain, or wind. If the ants are still following the same trails or grouping together in the same spots, apply DE in a thicker layer. You should also look around to see if the ants have formed new trails.
Step 4:
To permanently end an ant infestation, you will ultimately need to target the anthills the ants are coming from. For more info on this, please take a look at our anthill treatment article.