How to Get Rid of Ants in the Bathroom

Ants On A Sink

How to Get Rid of Ants in the Bathroom

Why are ants in your bathroom? Perhaps not a question you thought you’d be asking yourself, however you can take some comfort in knowing it’s not as uncommon as you may think. Attracted to moist areas in general such as drains and the stagnant water or the human hair regularly found in there, unbeknownst to most, bathrooms are havens for ants.

Of course the array of sweet smelling, toothpaste, perfumes and lotions don’t help matters either, if you have ants in another area of your home its likely they will migrate towards the bathroom. Like many other types of pests though the issue with ants is that they are rarely alone, more than likely you will see a group of them and if you do see a group it almost guaranteed that nearby are hundreds, if not thousands of the creatures.

What Are Ants and How to Identify Them?

There are many different kinds of ants, some are harmless and some pack a nasty bite or sting. Generally speaking they are roughly 0.6 – 0.9cm in length with three to four abdominal segments and six legs. The key to establishing what species of ant you are dealing with is to study their color, size and shape, once you’ve collected this information a quick search on the web should allow you to make a positive identification.

Is Having Ants a Big Deal?

Ants are a common site in homes particularly in areas like the kitchen where there’s plentiful food supplies. If you see a lone ant crawling around then don’t panic there no need to be alarmed, however it’s certainly worth investigating further to see if there’s anymore. If you see any in areas such as the bathroom, particularly if it’s at an elevated level (i.e. upstairs), then it’s time to start taking the issue little more seriously.

Like all infestations you can expect some damage, the severity of that said damage depends on the level of infestation. The damage can also come in many forms this time dependent on the type of ants, some of which can cause structural or cosmetic damage or damage to food stores. As is the case in bathrooms the water can make any wood paneling or moist material susceptible to destruction as the ants invade your home.

How to Tell When You Have an Ant Infestation

Even if you only suspect you have an infestation its essential to take positive action (see How to get rid of Ants in your bathroom, below) There are a few tell-tale signs to look out for though:

• Although it may seem like stating the obvious, seeing large numbers of live ants is one of the best indicators of an infestation, as they don’t tend to stray too far from their nest.
• Look for an ant nest or failing that an ant path. A nest can be difficult to find as it can literally be anywhere, the path on the other hand should be easier to spot and possibly enable to you to track the ants back to the hidden nest. A pheromone trail is laid down by ants so others can make their way to the same food source, in severe cases a line of ants can be seen using the path.
• Signs of damage such as holes in either wood or food packets are a clear indicator you have an ant infestation.

How To Get Rid of Ants In Your Bathroom

Although there are numerous ways and means of dealing with ants in the bathroom, they all fall into two categories: Self-treatment and Expert Pest Control.

Self-treatment is essentially any pesticide you buy from the hardware for use at home, the majority of these are effective at killing the visible ants and if the colony is entering your home from outdoors, it can also work well as a preventative measure. There are very few products available on the open market that will actually kill a colony of ants, your local exterminators however will.

If left alone an ant colony WILL grow in size. If you see any of the signs listed above its crucial to take steps to prevent ants from entering your home. If you have tried treating the ants yourself and they keep coming back it’s always best to call the in the experts, although you may have blocked their path into the bathroom there’s no guarantee that they will not come back, and in force! The most effective means of removing an ant colony is destroying the nest, easier said than done.