Red ants that appear in the kitchen can cause not only disgust in households, but also cause serious harm. In addition, their appearance in the house is also dangerous for pets.
In order to feed the colony, worker ants take care of finding a food source every day. Having found it, they leave a trail imperceptible to the human eye, along which the rest of the inhabitants of the anthill return later for food. Sometimes this road is so long that it can stretch for several floors of a tall building. And often ants create a nest very close to the human kitchen - right in the house.
Resettlement history
Red ants belong to the pharaonic species. This name was given to them by the Swedish scientist Karl Linnaeus, who mistakenly believed that the birthplace of ants was Egypt.
In fact, their settlement began in India in the 16th century. Sailing with merchants on sailing ships to other countries and continents, ants invaded the whole world. In Europe, ants appeared at the end of the 19th century and finally conquered the whole earth in the 40s.
Why are red ants dangerous?
So, the ant becomes a frequent guest in the kitchen and eats with pleasure the remnants of food and the remains of other insects found. At the same time, the nest can be safely located both under the nearest baseboard, and far outside the building.
Migrating between the trash can and the sugar bowl, the red ant becomes a carrier of germs, worm eggs and pathogens of dangerous infectious diseases.
Fighting red ants
You should get rid of ants as early as possible, until dozens and hundreds of their fellows came running into the house on the trail of the first scouts.
It is advisable to find and destroy the nest if it is hidden within the house. Getting rid of old things, maintaining order, and frequent redecoration or inspection increases the chances of not having dangerous red ants in your neighbors.
The main way to kill insects is to use special chemicals: traps, baits, pencils and pastes. Such products are safe for humans and pets, but do not leave ants a chance to survive.
Also, do not forget about the effectiveness of boric acid: this poison acts slowly, and usually insects have time to bring it to their nest.
Ants also do not like the pungent smells of vegetable oil, elderberry, mint, wormwood and garlic.
Dangers, in addition to red ants, can be expected from six more species of these insects. Their black winged females penetrate the house, for example, through windows or basements and can carry salmonellosis, dysentery, typhoid and worm eggs.
