Diatomaceous Earth Indoor Ant Removal – Chemical Free Solution?

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Poorly sealed food, spills and unhygienic environments can all cause a home to be invaded by ants. Persistent, pervasive and annoying, common house ant infestations can be minor or extensive depending on the local climate and weather. Treating your home for ants usually involves the application of highly toxic insecticide chemicals and poisons, presenting a risk to your family and pets.

Diatomaceous earth, or DE, offers a highly effective, organic and chemical free way to treat your home for ants without relying on potent insecticides. The molecular composition of diatomaceous earth consists of a fine powdery particulate containing over 85% silica.

This powder binds to the exoskeleton of pesky ants and absorbs the lipid oils and moisture from their bodies, fatally dehydrating them quickly and effectively.

Unlike traditional pesticides designed for removing ants, diatomaceous earth doesn’t lose its effectiveness over time and will remain potent. Ants are unable to develop a resistance to the effects of diatomaceous earth, and it doesn’t ever lose efficacy over time, making it both an excellent solution and deterrent.

Treating your home for ants with diatomaceous earth is simple and requires only pest control grade diatomaceous earth and a diatomaceous earth applicator. To begin treatment, you’ll need to decide whether you’re going to apply DE with a wet or dry method.

Dry Diatomaceous Earth Application

Dry diatomaceous earth application is best used for interior spaces. Dry diatomaceous earth is easy to apply and clean up after eliminating a pest menace. Dry application methods are excellent for treating floor spaces and furniture, but if you’ve observed ants on the interior walls of your home you may want to consider a dual dry/wet application method to coat vertical surfaces.

Although diatomaceous earth is non toxic and chemical free, the fine particles that make up the powder have a propensity to irritate the respiratory system if inhaled and can also irritate dry skin or unprotected eyes. Be sure to gear up with safety goggles, gloves and a dust mask when handling DE.

Step 1: Identify Infestation Hot Spots

The first step in removing ants from your home with dry diatomaceous earth is to identify the areas in which ants are infesting your home. Clean your entire home, paying special attention to areas behind furniture and appliances, vacuuming and sweeping as you go. Mark the areas you observe ants in with a post-it note or similar for reference later.

Step 2: Apply Diatomaceous Earth

Once you’ve identified the key regions in which ants have infested your home, apply dry diatomaceous earth liberally. Dust horizontal surfaces with a light coating of DE and pay special attention to cracks, crevices and behind furniture. It’s possible to disperse diatomaceous earth by hand or with a flour sifter, but the easiest method will usually be utilizing a specially designed diatomaceous earth applicator. After distributing diatomaceous earth around the problem areas, add additional coatings of diatomaceous earth around the entrance points to your home and around windows.

Step 3: Observe, Clean and Repeat

After you’ve applied diatomaceous earth around your home, any ants making an incursion into your living space will be coated with fine powder and subsequently expire. Observe the movements of the ants and the distribution of their lifeless corpses in order to determine if their routes have changed. If you notice ants entering your home through a different route, be sure to apply DE to this area.

After one month the diatomaceous earth will have ceased entering your home and pheromone trails will have faded, leaving your home ant free. At this point it’s possible to clean up the diatomaceous earth. You may want to consider hiring an industrial or shop vacuum for this purpose as standard home vacuum motors can sometimes be inefficient at gathering fine diatomaceous earth powder.

If you notice an ant presence after completing these steps, repeat steps 1-3 until the ants have been thoroughly eliminated. After cleansing your home, place a preventative layer of DE around the entrances and foundation of your home to prevent re-infestation.

Wet Diatomaceous Earth Application:

Wet diatomaceous earth application is suitable for dispersing diatomaceous earth around the exterior of your home to prevent incursion and to treat vertical surfaces inside the home. Detailed instructions on creating a wet diatomaceous earth application mix are available in our article on diatomaceous earth application methods.

Dispersing diatomaceous earth via a wet application method involves creating a mix of DE and water and applying it with a spray bottle. The diatomaceous earth suspended in the water sprayed on vertical surfaces will remain after the water evaporates, providing an even coating. You may want to consider using a specially designed wet diatomaceous earth applicator.

Step 1: Identify & Isolate

Identify the regions inside and out your home that ants have colonized. Clear away any items or vegetation that is resting against the exterior of your home to prevent further incursion.

Step 2: Apply Diatomaceous Earth

After creating a diatomaceous earth wet application mix as per our application method instruction article, spray the mix liberally over any areas in which you have observed ant presence. Note that while wet DE application will save time and effort, it won’t adequately coat small cracks and crevices. These areas are best treated with dry diatomaceous earth.

Step 3: Observe, Clean & Repeat

As with dry diatomaceous earth application, observe the behavior of the ants infesting your home and apply DE to any alternate routes they may create. After waiting one month, clean away any remaining diatomaceous earth and create a secure perimeter with dry diatomaceous earth.

Diatomaceous Earth Information Guide:

We have a wide variety of food grade diatomaceous earth resources for you look through to make your life a little easier and chemical-free. Please check out the other valuable resources and versatile application uses for silica-rich diatomaceous earth below:

Please reach out regarding any information above. In the future, more share-worthy useful enhancements, experiences and effects of diatomaceous earth will be added as the benefits continue to pile up. Always welcome for more insight and awareness, click the button to see the most recommended beautifully blended product that combines both high quality food grade diatomaceous earth powder and pure organic silica together in one formula.

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