Ants are social insects, so when one ant gains entry into your home, others are bound to follow. Once ants enter your home, it’s doubtful that they are going to leave on their own.
So you will need to find a way to get rid of ants in your home yourself, and there are different ways to do so. One way people do this is by using a vacuum cleaner which is a straightforward and quick process.
Back to the question running through our mind. Can you vacuum ants? If you have a line of ants, and you are wondering if you can vacuum ants? The answer is yes, you can vacuum ants and vacuuming will eventually kill the ants, although not all. Let’s find out more on how this happens.
Does Vacuuming Kill Ants
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Yes, vacuuming does kill ants, but not effectively. Once sucked into the vacuum cleaner, some of the pesky ants might die, but a good majority will survive.
This is due to their extremely lightweight body, which protects them from getting hurt. Even the large ants are exceptionally strong and fast both structurally and physically.
How to Eliminate Ants With a Vacuum Cleaner
When using a vacuum cleaner to eliminate ants in your house, you can suck a large chunk of ants at once, and this makes the exterminating process simple and quick. Here’s the step by step process
- Step 1
First, locate the major ant trail in your house. This will help you to have a clear plan on where to start and the direction to follow with the vacuum cleaner so that no area is left un-untended.
- Step 2
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth or borax over the areas inhabited by the ants. The diatomaceous earth or borax will suffocate the ants once they are sucked up inside the vacuum.
You can also pour a teaspoon of any of the powered products into your dirt canister or dirtbag before you begin to vacuum.
Diatomaceous earth or borax is harmful to ants but are at the same time non-hazardous to humans or pets.
- Step 3
Use a corrugated tube, a crevice tool, and high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters in order to achieve an effective result in vacuuming the ants.
If your vacuum does not have HEPA filters, then do not sprinkle borax or diatomaceous earth on the floor or inside the vacuum; this is to avoid contaminating the air in your house.
- Step 4
Turn on your vacuum cleaner and suck up the ants. You need to make several quick slides over the area before they become scattered and enter a less infested area for refuge.
- Step 5
Remove the dirt canister or bag and empty it outside in a trash can after vacuuming the ants. If you did not make use of diatomaceous earth on the floor or inside the vacuum before vacuuming, then sprinkle some on the trash or inside the dirt bag before dumping it.
- Step 6
Clean the dirt canister thoroughly before using it to vacuum again. You also need to clean the area of the ant’s infestation with soapy water or vinegar to get rid of any possible trails.
Bonus: when vacuuming up ants, do not sprinkle any killer chemical powder in the process as vacuuming chemicals can contaminate the air in the room you are cleaning, which might be hazardous to you or your family. Using killer chemicals can also damage your vacuum cleaner in the process, so they should be avoided at all costs!
Benefits Of Using A Vacuum Cleaner To Eliminate Ants
Quick and Efficient
If you own a great vacuum cleaner with powerful suction, eliminating ants in your home is very easy and fast, so you can eliminate those little buggers even before they get a chance to form a colony.
Requires No Special Attachments
When eliminating ants with your vacuum cleaner, you do not necessarily need any special attachment. So there is no need of purchasing any special tools.
All you need is a vacuum cleaner with a powerful suction that will pull the ants off your carpet or hardwood floor, but if you want to kill the ants, then you would need a crevice tool attached to your vacuum.
Very Affordable
Using your vacuum cleaner to remove ants from your home will save you the cost of having to hire an ant exterminator.
If you want to get rid of ants in your home, it can be easily managed with your shop or regular vacuum, and you do not need to hire a professional to do the job.
However, if you have a substantial influx of ants in your home, a vacuum cleaner might not be the ideal option for their total elimination.
Eco-friendly
Using a vacuum cleaner to eliminate ants is one of the most efficient but non-toxic processes. You do not need to make use of any killer chemicals while vacuuming, making the procedure a super eco-friendly ant remedy that anyone can carry out.
How To Prevent Ants From Infesting Your Home
There are ways to keep ants away from your home; here are a few preventative steps:
- Do not leave food or food particles out for too long.
- Securely close up all boxes and containers in your pantry. Clean up food and drink spills as soon as they occur.
- If you have leaking garbage cans or outdoor receptacles, fix and seal those leaks immediately. You should also place oregano oil and diatomaceous earth on the inside, the lid, as well as on the outside of the receptacle or garage can to keep the ants at bay.
- Inspect your home’s baseboards, windows, and doorways for any small cracks or holes that may be an entryway to ants. If you find any of such areas, seal them immediately.
- Any area with water damage in your walls or framing should be fixed as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Now you know you can vacuum ants, vacuuming kills them in the process too, so go pick up your vacuum and suck em up.
Ants are a common household and yard pest which can pose health and financial risks. This is why it is important that you know how to get rid of ants both inside and outside of your home to prevent the damage they can cause.
There are different ways to do so, but with vacuuming being one of the safest ways to do so, it no surprise that many people opt to use a vacuum cleaner to eliminate ants.
