How to Get Rid of Ants in Your House

A few ants on the counter usually means a colony is nearby, sending scouts out to find food and water. Wiping up the ants you see helps, but it won’t stop the colony from sending more. The most effective way to get rid of ants in your house is to reach the colony with bait first. Once activity slows, spray the places ants hide and enter, then treat around the outside of your home to keep new ants from moving in. Here’s how to do it, plus how to keep your family and pets in mind along the way.

Key Takeaways

The ants you see are foragers from a colony nearby; getting rid of them for good means reaching the queen and the colony.
Ortho Orthene Ant Killer Ant Bait stations kill the queen and the colony, and you’ll see fewer ants in 3 to 7 days.
Once ant activity slows, spray hiding spots and entry points with Ortho Orthene Ant & Roach Killer Aerosol, keeping the spray away from bait stations.
Treat around the outside of your home with Ortho Orthene Ant & Roach Killer dust to stop new ants before they get inside.
Place bait where kids and pets can’t play with it, and keep them out of sprayed areas until the spray has dried.

In this article

What Kinds of Ants Get Into Houses?
Where Do Ants in the House Come From?
What Are the Signs of an Ant Infestation?
How Do You Get Rid of Ants in Your House?
Is It Safe to Use Ant Bait, Spray, and Dust Around Kids and Pets?
How Do You Keep Ants From Coming Back?
Frequently Asked Questions

What Kinds of Ants Get Into Houses?

Hundreds of ant species live in the US, but only a handful regularly come indoors. Most house ants are small foragers looking for sweets, grease, or water. Knowing which ant you have matters, because some, like carpenter ants and fire ants, need a different approach.

You can tell an ant from other insects by its three-part body (head, thorax, and abdomen), narrow waist, and elbowed antennae. Winged ants are sometimes mistaken for termites; ants have a pinched waist and bent antennae, while termites have a thick waist and straight antennae.

A comparison table of the different species of ants commonly found indoors.
Ant species	What it looks like	Where you'll usually see it	Controlled by Ortho Orthene Ant Killer Ant Bait?
Odorous house ant	Small, brown to black; smells like rotten coconut when crushed	Kitchens, near sweets and moisture	Yes
Pavement ant	Small, dark brown to black	Ground floors and basements, coming up through slab cracks	Yes
Pharaoh ant	Tiny, yellowish to light brown	Warm spots near food and water, often inside walls	Yes
Little black ant	Tiny, shiny black	Kitchens, along baseboards and windowsills	Yes
Carpenter ant	Large, black or reddish black	Near damp or damaged wood; may leave sawdust-like debris	No, see FAQ
Fire Ant	Small to medium, reddish brown	Outdoor mounds, mostly in the South; painful sting	No, see FAQ

For more help identifying ants, see How to Identify & Control Different Types of Ants.

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Where Do Ants in the House Come From?

Ants in the house come from a colony nesting nearby: in the soil outside, under a cement slab or sidewalk, or sometimes inside walls or behind baseboards. A colony can range from a few hundred to many thousands of ants, with one or more queens laying eggs and workers that forage for food.

The first ants you notice are usually scouts. When they find food or water, they leave a scent trail, and others follow it. That’s why one ant often turns into a line of them. Ants are most likely to come inside in spring, when they become active again after winter and look for food, and in fall, when they look for shelter.

Swarms of winged ants outside your house are usually mating flights. But winged ants indoors can mean a colony is nesting inside, so look for where they’re coming from.

What Are the Signs of an Ant Infestation?

The most obvious sign of an ant infestation is a trail of ants on counters, floors, or walls, usually leading to food or water. You’ll most often find them in kitchens and pantries, but bathrooms and laundry rooms attract them too because of the moisture.

Other signs to watch for:

Ants gathering around crumbs, trash cans, or a pet’s food bowl
Small piles of sawdust-like debris near wood, a common sign of carpenter ants
Ant mounds in soil or pavement cracks right outside your home
Winged ants coming out of walls, floors, or windowsills indoors

Treat ants as soon as you notice them. Colonies grow over time, ants can contaminate food, carpenter ants can damage wood, and fire ants can stings.

How Do You Get Rid of Ants in Your House?

The most effective way to get rid of ants in your house is to reach the colony, not just the ants you see. Start with bait stations to kill the queen and the colony. Once activity slows, spray indoor hiding spots and entry points. Then treat your home’s outdoor perimeter to keep new ants from coming in.

Library of Terms

Ant bait station: an enclosed station holding food mixed with a slow-acting insecticide. Worker ants carry the bait back to the nest and share it, so it reaches the queen and the rest of the colony.

Step 1: Set Out Ant Bait Stations

Ortho Orthene Ant Killer Ant Bait kills the queen and the colony. Ants begin feeding within 30 minutes, carry the bait back to the nest, and share it. You’ll see fewer ants in 3 to 7 days.

Break the stations apart and place them label side down where you’ve seen ants or ant trails.
Good spots include along baseboards, in corners of rooms and cabinets, under sinks, around pipes, in the pantry, on windowsills, around doorways, and near trash cans.
Remove other food sources like crumbs, sugar, and grease so ants go for the bait.
Don’t place stations on food-prep surfaces while you’re preparing food.

Seeing more ants around the stations at first is a good sign: they’re taking the bait back to the colony. Let them.

Step 2: Spray Hiding Spots and Entry Points Once Activity Slows

Give the bait time to work before you spray. Once you’re seeing fewer ants, usually 3 to 7 days after setting out stations, treat the places ants hide and come in with Ortho Orthene Ant & Roach Killer Aerosol. It kills ants on contact and keeps killing for up to 6 weeks. The formula is odorless and doesn’t leave a sticky mess.

Spot-treat along door and window frames and baseboards, around plumbing, and behind and beneath sinks, appliances, and cabinets.
Keep the spray away from any bait stations still in place and the trails leading to them. Ants may avoid bait where insecticide has recently been sprayed.
Spray surfaces until wet, but not to the point of runoff, and keep spray off food and food-handling surfaces.

Step 3: Dust Around Your Home’s Outdoor Perimeter

Many house ants nest outside and come in through small gaps. To stop them before they reach the door, apply Ortho Orthene Ant & Roach Killer dust around the outside of your home. It kills listed insects, including ants, for up to 8 months. It’s odorless and doesn’t need to be watered in.

Apply around windows, doors, porches, patios, garages, and under stairways where ants are active.

Apply thoroughly and evenly along the foundation and crawl space openings where ants may find a way in.

Is It Safe to Use Ant Bait, Spray, and Dust Around Kids and Pets?

Ortho Orthene ant control products can be used in homes with kids and pets when you follow the label directions. Bait stations rely on placement: put them where kids and pets can’t get to them. Sprays rely on timing: keep kids and pets out until the spray has dried. Outdoor dust relies on timing, too: keep kids and pets away while you apply it and until it has settled.

For the products needed to control ants in the house, this table provides a breakdown of kid and pet safety, things to know before you use it, and where to place or apply it.
Product	Kids and Pets	Before you use it	Where to place or apply it
Ortho Orthene Ant Killer Ant Bait	Stations can stay in place while your family uses the room, but don’t let kids or pets play with them	Break stations apart. Don’t place on food-prep surfaces while preparing food.	Where ants travel but kids and pets can’t reach, such as behind appliances, under sinks, inside cabinets, and along baseboards behind furniture
Ortho Orthene Ant & Roach Killer Aerosol	Keep them out until the spray has completely dried	Move kids, pets, and birds out of the room, and cover fish tanks. Remove or cover exposed food, drinking water, pet bowls, dishes, and utensils.	Indoors as a spot treatment in hiding spots and entry points, away from bait stations
Ortho Orthene Ant & Roach Killer (dust)	Keep them away while you apply, and let the dust settle before they return to the area	Apply in calm weather when rain isn’t expected for 24 hours. Don’t use kitchen spoons or measuring cups to apply it.	Outdoors around doors, windows, porches, patios, and garages, and along the foundation. Keep it out of storm drains, gutters, and drainage ditches.

A few additional good habits help:

Keep products out of drains. Don’t spray, dust, or place bait where product can wash into indoor drains, storm drains, or gutters.
Wash food-prep surfaces and utensils with soap and water after treating and before you use them.
Store products in their original containers, tightly closed, in a cool, dry, locked place out of reach of children and pets, away from food, pet food, heat, and open flame. Keep unused bait stations sealed.

Every Ortho label lists its active ingredients so you know what you’re using: abamectin B1 in Orthene Ant Killer Ant Bait; prallethrin and esfenvalerate in Orthene Ant & Roach Killer Aerosol; and deltamethrin in Orthene Ant & Roach Killer dust.

How Do You Keep Ants From Coming Back?

The best way to keep ants out is to take away the food, water, and openings that drew them in, and to replace bait stations as soon as the bait runs out.

Wipe up crumbs, spills, and sticky spots right away, and store sweets and pantry foods in sealed containers.
Pick up pet food bowls between meals, and keep pet food sealed.
Empty kitchen trash often and keep the lid closed.
Fix leaky faucets and pipes, and dry out damp spots under sinks.
Seal cracks around windows, doors, and where pipes and wires enter your home.
Trim plants and branches so they don’t touch your house, since ants use them as bridges.
Replace bait stations every 3 months during the seasons when ants are active.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does ant bait take to work?

Ants begin feeding on Ortho Orthene Ant Killer Ant Bait within 30 minutes, and you should see fewer ants in 3 to 7 days as the bait is spread through the colony. Leave the stations in place and replace them once most of the bait is gone, or every 3 months.

Can you spray ants if you’re using ant bait?

Yes, but time it and keep them apart. Give the bait 3 to 7 days to reach the colony first, since ants killed on the trail can’t carry bait back to the nest. Once activity slows, spray hiding spots and entry points, keeping the spray away from any stations still in place; ants may avoid bait stations if they’re place where insecticide has recently been sprayed.

Do home remedies like vinegar get rid of ants?

Home remedies like vinegar, cinnamon, or citrus peels may disrupt ant scent trails or keep ants away from a spot for a while, but they don’t kill the colony, so ants usually return. They can also steer ants away from bait stations. For lasting results, use bait to reach the colony, and use soapy water to clean up trails in areas where you haven’t placed bait.

What should you do about carpenter ants or fire ants?

Carpenter ants and fire ants aren’t controlled by Ortho Orthene Ant Killer Ant Bait. For carpenter ants, Ortho Orthene Ant & Roach Killer dust can be applied into voids and channels in damaged wood. Because carpenter ants nest in damp or damaged wood, it’s also a good idea to have a professional inspect for structural damage. For fire ants outdoors, evenly sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the dust over the top of each mound when temperatures are between 65 and 80°F, without watering it in or disturbing the mound. Allow 3 to 4 days for maximum control, then repeat as needed.

Why do ants keep coming back?

Ants usually come back because the colony is still alive, or because food, water, or an easy way in is still available. Spraying only kills the ants you see, while the colony keeps sending more. Bait stations reach the queen and the colony, an outdoor perimeter treatment stops new ants before they get inside, and sealing entry points, cleaning up food sources, and replacing bait every 3 months help keep them from moving back in. For other indoor pests, see How to Get Rid of Bugs Indoors.