It's not exactly pleasant when there are ants crawling on the floor. If an ant trail has already formed, worries increase. It is important that the landlord is informed early and that initial relief measures are carried out. Careless actions can make the situation worse.
What to do against ants in the apartment?
Proven home remedies such as cinnamon, vinegar or lemon peel can help with ants in your home. You can use a special ant oil to drive away ants with scents. However, you should not spread baking soda and baking powder to combat ants.
Duties: Act instead of waiting
If you discover a few ants in your home, they could be lost insects or ones that are specifically looking for new sources of food and nesting opportunities. In any case, you should catch the ants with a glass and see what species they are. Take precautionary measures so that the people do not follow suit.
Tricking scout ants
Ants that move around the kitchen individually or in small groups can be so-called scouts. They are looking for food and nesting opportunities. Once the insects have found leftover food and crumbs, they eat it and make their way back. This is marked by releasing pheromones so that they can find the location again. Once in the colony, the ants regurgitate some of the food to stimulate the other insects. They set off on their journey and follow the scent trail.
First preventive measures:
- Collect ants so that they cannot leave a scent trail
- Clean the kitchen, seal food airtight and clean food bowls
- fill open food in the refrigerator into sealable containers with rubber seals
- Seal joints and gaps on the facade with silicone
- Attach adhesive strips to possible entry points on windows and doors
What helps against ants in the apartment?
Poisonous feeding traps are a good option for killing an ant colony - if absolutely necessary
If an ant trail has already formed, you can disturb the activities with odorous, oily or dusty substances. Natural home remedies are gentle when fighting ants and have a comparatively short effect. Therefore, they need to be renewed regularly. Since not all species of ants are equally deterred by such means, you should combine several methods if necessary. If you have discovered a nest in the apartment, an effective means of killing the queen and brood is recommended.
Fragrance barriers
Strongly scented herbs, oils and liquids confuse the ants, so they look for other routes. These methods can be helpful if an ant route has formed from the outside nest into your apartment. You cannot get rid of entire colonies that live in nests in the partition walls in this way.
Help against ant trails:
- lay out fresh leaves and stems of lavender, juniper and tansy
- Place lemon peels and cloves in front of the entrances
- Dust thickly with cinnamon powder
- Fill bowls with vinegar and distribute on the streets
Excursus
Not all ant oil is the same
Jasna Klacar writes in her thesis “Ants as Medicines” about an Arab doctor who recommended ant eggs to combat hair growth centuries ago. This method is now experiencing a new boom. Numerous products are advertised in stores as ant oil, the effectiveness and production of which raise questions. However, this product should not be confused with ant oil, which is used to scare away insects. Such remedies do not consist of ant eggs but of various essential oils such as lavandin and neem.
Barriers
Ants avoid dusty surfaces. On the one hand, the smallest particles can get into the tracheas and block them. On the other hand, grains of dust contaminated the antennae with which the insects smell, hear and communicate. These functions can no longer be guaranteed if the sensors are wetted with dust. Therefore, ants clean themselves regularly, which you can use to combat them.
Baking powder
Baking soda must be sprinkled directly on the ants to have the desired effect
The raising agent has certain properties that can lead to the death of the ants. However, the insects do not burst after eating the dusty particles. Baking soda is very alkaline and causes the pH value in the organism to change. Certain enzymes are no longer able to survive and the ant dies. In order for the baking powder to have this effect, precise application is necessary:
- Sprinkle baking soda directly on the ants
- pollinate as thickly as possible
- repeat daily and treat new ants that appear
The insects groom themselves to remove dust from their antennae. In doing so, they absorb the particles. Their breathing can be severely affected and they die after a short time.
Diatomaceous earth or diatomaceous earth
The powdery substance is obtained from the shells of fossil diatoms, the so-called diatoms. The powder has a slight repelling effect on ants. They avoid crawling over a barrier made of diatomaceous earth powder. If the insects are directly pollinated with the agent, mechanical abrasion causes the outer wax layer to be destroyed. Diatomaceous earth has a high absorbency and removes additional fluid from the insect body, causing it to dry out.
Use diatomaceous earth:
- Sprinkle powder into all entry points, cracks and crevices
- insert into inaccessible cracks with a brush
- sprinkle behind footers and kitchen moldings
When you mop the floor and clean niches with a damp cloth, the powder soaks up water. As soon as it dries, it forms a solid crust and permanently closes the gaps. The actual effect is lost, but ants can no longer find access to the apartment.
Ants avoid walking on diatomaceous earth
Means of destruction
If it has been determined that there is an ant nest in your apartment, it should be removed as quickly as possible. It doesn't help to just fight the visible workers. The queens live on and can maintain the people. It is therefore important that you use toxic feeding poisons. These are picked up by the foraging ants and fed to the queen and brood in the nest.
Fighting Tips:
- Attracting workers with sugary bait
- Mix bait with feeding poison
- Use feeding poison with a long latency period such as Fipronil
Where do ants in the apartment come from?
If you suddenly have ants in your apartment, you should examine the surrounding area more closely. When ants are driven out of their nest, they look for an alternative nesting option. Neighbors' scaring methods, felled trees or demolished barns can be the reasons why ants find their way into your home.
The problem of building materials
If you receive a visit from an entire colony, it is likely that the roof beams, partition walls and facade insulation will be damaged. The ants colonize structures that offer them optimal living conditions. These can be eaten wooden beams, damp insulation material or partition walls near a source of moisture. The building material is often similar to natural nesting sites. Aromas of different foods make the environment even more attractive.
Dense vegetation or near forest
Ants are everywhere. They not only inhabit forests but also open landscapes. Favorable connections between the home and the vegetation in gardens and beds increase the risk of ants getting lost in the kitchen and bathroom. If the house is located in the middle of a natural garden, it is likely that there will be a few ants in the apartment. The insects live in different habitats above and below ground. Ants nest under stones and paving slabs or in densely planted beds right next to the house.
Ants live everywhere and cannot be eradicated. They are an important part of a functioning ecosystem.
Flower pot on the balcony
Ants can enter the house via flower pots
Earth-dwelling ants can settle in flower pots that are on balconies and terraces. In this way, the insects get into the house unnoticed when the bucket is moved to its winter quarters in the fall. You don't have to worry about these ants settling in your home. The species need soil because they prefer to build underground nests in the substrate. You can get rid of the ants by giving them an extensive outdoor soak or changing the substrate.
What types of ants are there?
There are different types of ants that enjoy the structures in the home. While large species such as wood ants only get into human homes and do no harm, there are tiny ants that have a major damaging effect. Identifying these species requires some practice. Important characteristics are coloring and size. But the location where they were found also provides information about the respective species. Most ants are active in summer, but can appear in the apartment all year round when temperatures are warm.
| scientific name | possible occurrence | populated | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown ant | Lasius brunneus | Attic, partition walls, half-timbered structure | Lumber, plasterboard and thermal insulation panels | widespread |
| ‘Notch-lipped carpenter ant’ | Camponotus fallax | Attic | existing wooden spaces in beams or fillers | rather rare and scattered |
| Pharaoh ant | Monomorium pharaonis | heated rooms | existing cavities | introduced from Asia |
| Black carpenter ant | Camponotus herculeanus | damp partition walls | Wood with direct earth contact | more common in mountainous areas |
| Shiny Black Carpenter Ant | Lasius fuliginosus | Wooden beams | old timber | regionally common |
| Two-colored garden ant | Lasius emarginatus | Beams, house walls, wall gaps | warm cavities | common in southern Germany |
| Brown Black Carpenter Ant | Camponotus ligniperdus | Wooden houses, sheds | dry and warm lumber | widespread |
Mini ants
Very small ants with an amber yellow color indicate the pharaoh ant. While the workers grow to between 1.5 and 2.5 millimeters in size, the queens reach a maximum body length of 4.5 millimeters. These are slightly darker than the workers. Only the males appear black. Two humps on the connecting stalk between the abdomen and the chest are noticeable. This introduced species cannot survive the freezing temperatures in winter, which is why it hibernates indoors.
Tip
Freshly cooked pork liver seems to be an attractive bait for pharaoh ants.
Brown and red ants
The line between red and brown colored species is often narrow. The colors can also blend into one another or have different degrees of intensity. The brown garden ant has a distinctive two-coloring. While the head and abdomen are colored dark brown, the chest with stalks stand out with reddish tones. The workers are between two and four millimeters long.
The species can easily be confused with the two-toned garden ant, as it also has a reddish breast and a dark brown body. Their workers reach sizes similar to those of the brown garden ant, but they are slimmer.
Black Ants
At first glance, many ants appear black. But a closer look reveals subtle color nuances and stitches. Some species can be easily identified by their hair, while other ants are strikingly shiny. Often the sizes of the workers that can be observed most often overlap.
Typical wood-dwelling species:
- Shiny black carpenter ant: deep black and shiny, workers 4-6 mm
- Black carpenter ant: black with dark red legs, workers usually 9-12 mm
- 'Notch-lipped carpenter ant': shiny black and slightly hairy, workers 6-8 mm
- Brown-black carpenter ant: black-reddish brown, workers 6-14 mm
Ants with wings
Flying ants are not a separate species. Almost every species has winged ants that have to increase their range for evolutionary reasons. Male insects usually develop wings so that they can reach suitable mating partners from other colonies. This avoids inbreeding. Occasionally queens also have wings so that they can found new colonies in more distant habitats.
Tenancy Law
If you find a few live or dead ants in your home, in most cases there is no reason to worry. In any case, the tenant must be informed immediately, regardless of whether it is harmful or harmless. This is the only way you can benefit from your tenant rights.
Basics
The ant species native to Germany are not dangerous, but can be annoying. Since they occur in a wide variety of habitats, courts view their occurrence as normal. Isolated ants in the home are considered an inconvenience and are classified as a minor nuisance. No distinction is made between the individual species. It is therefore important to examine each individual case carefully. If it is the pharaoh ant that has been introduced, it will quickly cause a disruption in the home.
Special case of pharaoh ant:
- prefer animal protein and are attracted to blood and pus
- survival in rooms with 18 degrees Celsius
- transmit dangerous diseases
Payment of costs
The landlord usually pays the costs for the fight
Since it is not normally assumed that the tenant will bring in ants, the landlord must cover the costs of one-off control measures. In the event of an acute infestation, it is important that you do not resort to poison yourself, but rather inform the landlord. Careless actions can worsen the situation or result in a greater he alth risk than expected from the ants.
If the apartment is contaminated by the private use of insecticides, the person responsible must pay for it. If measures to combat vermin have to be carried out at regular intervals, the landlord can pass on the costs incurred to the tenant as additional costs.
Rent reduction
A rent reduction can be considered if normal living is no longer possible due to the ant infestation. This is the case when there are ant nests in the apartment and numerous ants are crawling and flying. An impairment can also occur if there is an infestation by the dangerous pharaoh ant.
Before you can request a rent reduction, the landlord must be informed. He must be given the opportunity to eliminate the ant infestation. Only if these measures are unsuccessful can further steps be taken. How high the rent reduction is depends on the individual case.
Tip
If you notice an ant infestation, you should pay the rent expressly subject to a rent reduction. This allows you to later reduce the rent for the past.
Frequently asked questions
What do you do against ants in your apartment?
You must first find out whether the ants are lost or resident. Individual insects can be captured with a glass and released outside. If you observe an ant trail, you should close the entrances to the apartment tightly and protect them with deterrent scents. If the ants have settled in the wall or attic, only feeding poisons usually help. However, it is important that you find out about the respective type beforehand. Not all of them are harmful and must be combated.
Why do flying ants crawl out of the walls?
Flying ants indicate a nest, which can be located in cavities behind ledges and in the wall. When the insects come out and fly around the apartment, they are looking for a partner. However, mating does not occur in the same colony. Ants avoid inbreeding and go on nuptial flights outside to find mates from other colonies.
What do ants smell like?
The insects perceive scents with their antennae. These have hair-like sensory organs called sensilla. They are easily permeable for fragrance molecules, so that they can penetrate to the olfactory sensory cells inside. These cells are highly specialized. Some only react to certain substances such as alarm substances. If the antennae are covered in dust, ants can no longer smell. Therefore, they clean themselves regularly and dusty substances such as baking soda are absorbed in this way.
Does the landlord have to pay for the control of ants?
This depends on the individual case. If you find one or more stray ants in your home, there is no need to combat them. However, you should inform your landlord about this observation in order to be able to assert possible claims later. If you have put the insects outside and the infestation becomes acute after a few days, the landlord is obliged to combat them. However, it may be that the rental agreement lists regular vermin treatments among the additional costs.
Which species occur in the apartment?
There are different ants that settle in houses. The pharaoh ant is an introduced species that can only survive in human habitations. Native species that settle in wooden beams, insulation material or cavities often belong to the genus of ants. Occasionally carpenter ants can also be observed building nests near humans.
Why do ants come into the apartment?
The insects are either looking for food and are attracted by sweet smells, or are scouting out new nesting opportunities. If there are beds right at the base of the house, many earth-dwelling ants accidentally get into the living area. Entire colonies can be introduced via flower pots. However, these do not move into the apartment as they prefer earth nests in the substrate.
