Nuisance Ants
Formicidae
General Information
Nuisance ants come inside looking for a tasty treat to bring back to their friends in the colony. Not only can these tiny ants in the house be embarrassing, they can also contaminate your family’s food. Learn more about ants in the home and find ways to help get rid of these uninvited guests.
- There are many species of nuisance ants that invade our homes. They come in all different sizes and colors.
- Some species names are pharaoh, Argentine, pavement, and odorous house ant.
- When one ant finds food or water, they will lay down a chemical trail that guides other worker ants to the source. You will see trails of ants going back and forth from the food or water.
Size
Color
Bite or Sting
Wings
Commonly mistaken for
Additional details
- Nuisance ants in the home may build their colonies in wall voids or under flooring.
- Outdoor ant colonies are often built close to the home and are hidden in the soil or under objects on the ground.
- If you see tiny ants in the house, especially the kitchen, they are likely searching for food to bring back to the colony.
- Nuisance ants are known to eat many different types of food and they can even change their food preferences during the year.
- Tiny ants in the kitchen can infest and contaminate your food, which can be a hassle and expensive to replace.
Cleanliness is critical
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Remove food spills and exposed food.
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Store food in sealed containers.
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Rinse glass, metal, plastic, and paper food containers before recycling/throwing them out.
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Clean all kitchen surfaces and vacuum spilled dried food often.
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Avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink.
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Clean up any pet food that may have spilled from your pet's dish.
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Dry out bathtubs and sinks after each use.
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Keep food out of bedrooms and living rooms.
Seal up entryways to help keep house ants out
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Caulk any cracks or crevices where tiny ants can enter your home from outside or neighboring units.
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Make sure your windows and doors are closed tightly.
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Avoid putting organic mulch next to your foundation, which provides an ideal place for outdoor ants to build their colony and then invade your home.
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Do not store items like firewood near the home, which provides a convenient outdoor area for ants to live and make a colony.
Avoid common mistakes
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Continue to treat problem areas even after all ants in the home are gone as others can re-invade.
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When using ant baits, do not place them on areas that have been sprayed with an aerosol or liquid insecticide. Ants traveling over sprayed areas will die before they have a chance to bring the bait back to the colony
Solutions for Nuisance Ants
Easy-to-use and effective for up to 6 months, this ant and roach spray kills problem insects on contact** with no greasy residue. Spray two ways for those hard to reach places and larger areas.
**kills under 1 minute.
Highlights:
- Keeps killing for up to 6 months.
- Use this product to kill roaches and listed bugs on contact.
- Spray 2 ways. Spray with the wand for precise applications in tight spots, including cracks, crevices, and under appliances. Spray with the wand folded down for larger areas.
- Won't stain carpets & floors
- Clean fresh scent
Easy-to-use and effective for up to 13 weeks*, this ant and roach spray kills problem insects on contact with no lingering chemical odor.
Highlights:
Raid® Ant Killer kills ants on contact and keeps killing with residual action for up to 13 weeks* with a Pine Forest Fresh® scent.
- It leaves no lingering chemical odor.
- This easy-to-use spray can be applied to surfaces where ants, roaches, and other listed bugs may be infesting.
- Available in Pine Forest Fresh® scent.
- Available in 17.5 oz. size.
*on Cockroaches and Ants on non-porous surfaces such as ceramic and laminate. (Carpenter Ants for up to 12 weeks. Kills by contact.)
Ants can hide but they can’t escape this powerful ant bait that kills entire colonies, including the queen. Simply place indoors and enjoy up to three months of protection.
Highlights:
Raid® Ant Baits kills ants where they hide for up to three months. After ants feed on the bait, they return to the colony and transfer the bait to the queen and the others, thereby killing the entire colony.
- Raid® Ant Baits are child resistant.
- Available in 4-count and 8-count.
Raid® Essentials Multi-Insect Killer is safe* to use around people and pets. Made with essential oils and other ingredients, it quickly kills ants and other crawling and flying insects, including house flies and mosquitoes and provides a refreshing scent of Lemongrass. (*when used as directed)
Highlights:
- Raid® Essentials Multi-Insect Killer is safe* to use around people and pets (*when used as directed)
- Provides a refreshing scent of Lemongrass
- At Raid®, we are proud to be America’s most trusted insect control brand* (*Voted most trusted insect control brand by American shoppers, 2024 BrandSpark® American Trust Study)
- Comes with a money-back guarantee*
(*click here for details) - Convenient trigger spray that is easy to use, making it easy to target the bugs, taking care of your bug problem quickly* and safely**
(*ants and house flies through contact; **when used as directed)
Raid® Essentials Ant, Spider & Roach Killer is safe* to use around people and pets. Made with essential oils and other ingredients, it quickly kills crawling insects, including Argentine ants and German roaches, and provides a refreshing scent of Rosemary Mint.
*when used as directed
Highlights:
Raid® Essentials Ant, Spider & Roach Killer that is safe* to use around people and pets (*when used as directed)
- Provides a refreshing scent of Rosemary Mint
- Deals with ants, spiders, roaches and other crawling insects
- At Raid®, we are proud to be America’s most trusted insect control brand* (*Voted most trusted insect control brand by American shoppers 2024 BrandSpark® American Trust Study)
- Comes with a money-back guarantee*
(*click here for details) - Convenient and continuous aerosol ant spray and spider spray that is easy to use, taking care of your bug problem quickly* and safely†
(*kills ants and German roaches through contact; †when used as directed)
Before you hire an expensive exterminator, turn to our bug barrier. This easy-to-use solution creates a barrier from roaches, ants, ticks, and more — both indoors and outside — with a powerful formula that lasts up to 18 months.*
*American cockroaches and Argentine ants, and applied on non-porous surfaces
Highlights:
Raid Max® Perimeter Protection kills a wide range of bugs and creates a consistent barrier thanks to its effective and reliable formula.
- Large 1 Gallon container provides a long-lasting solution that keeps killing for up to 18 months* (*American cockroaches and Argentine ants, and applied on non-porous surfaces)
- Also available in 1 Gallon Refill, 30 oz Trigger Starter and 30 oz Trigger Refill
- For both indoor and outdoor use – it's a roach killer, ant killer, mosquito killer, tick killer and spider killer that is also kills many other bugs, all in one spray
- Clear formula leaves no stain** or lingering odor (**Test in an inconspicuous area before applying)
- Convenient, precise and easy to use spray
- Save money and reduce plastic waste by keeping the reusable auto trigger, hose, dip tube and holster for use on compatible refills
- Perimeter Protection kills 10x more roaches than the leading competitor* (*Based on 48 hour mortality rates of German and American cockroaches in laboratory testing after five-minute exposure to a one-day aged deposit of product on hardwood plywood panels)
Raid® Max Perimeter Protection helps keep listed bugs out and leaves no odor or oily residue (see label for details).
Highlights:
- Kills ants, fleas, flies, gnats, roaches, spiders, centipedes, stink bugs and more (See label for full list)
- Leaves no odor oily residue
- For indoor and outdoor use
- Spray outdoors, around doors, windows, and along your home's foundations
- Spray indoors along floor boards, door and window frames
- Use in hard-to-reach places where long-term control is needed
- Perimeter Protection kills 10x more roaches than the leading competitor* (*Based on 48 hour mortality rates of German and American cockroaches in laboratory testing after five-minute exposure to a one-day aged deposit of product on hardwood plywood panels)
From scurrying insects on the ground to buzzing insects in the air, Raid® Multi Insect Killer spray controls the most common bug problems — both inside and outdoors.
Highlights:
Raid® Multi Insect Killer is specially formulated to kill both crawling and flying insects.
- Kills common listed household insects.
- Also available in Orange Breeze scent.
- Available in 15 oz. size.
Home pests entrenched in hard-to-reach spaces? Our fogger for bugs reaches deep into crevices and cracks to kills ants, spiders, and more. Even better, this bug bomb keeps working for up to two months from application.
Highlights:
Raid® Concentrated Deep Reach Fogger kills bugs where they hide without a wet, messy residue.
- One 1.5 oz can treat a room up to 25' X 25' with an 8' ceiling, up to 5000 cu. ft.
- Available in 3-pack and 4-pack.
Kill fleas and other pests at the source with this powerful water-based formula. And rest assured, our Raid® Flea Killer Plus Fogger kills fleas and hatching egg s for up to four months.
Highlights:
Raid® Flea Killer Plus Fogger allows you to treat an entire room with a water-based formula that kills fleas and hatching eggs for up to four months.
- Available in 15 oz. size.
Hidden pests causing problems? Put our concentrated fogger to work! This heavy-duty solution penetrates hard-to-reach areas, cracks, and crevices to kill ants, fleas, and plenty more with no wet or messy residue.
Highlights:
Our penetrating, bug-killing fog reaches deep into cracks, crevices, and other pest-preferred hideouts with no messy or wet residue for you to clean up.
- One 2.1 oz can treats up to 7000 cu. ft.
- Available in 3-pack.
Kills on contact
Highlights:
Raid Max® Spider & Scorpion Killer kills spiders, black widow spiders, and scorpions on contact and can be used both indoors and outdoors.
- Available in 12 oz. size.
Easy-to-use and effective for up to 13 weeks*, this ant and roach spray kills problem insects on contact with no lingering chemical odor.
*on Cockroaches and Ants on non-porous surfaces such as ceramic and laminate. (Carpenter Ants for up to 12 weeks. Kills by contact.)
Highlights:
Raid® Ant & Roach Killer 26 kills on contact and keeps killing with residual action for up to 13 weeks*.
- It leaves no lingering chemical odor.
- This easy-to-use spray can be applied to surfaces where ants, roaches and other listed bugs may be infesting.
- Available in 12 oz., 17.5 oz. and 20 oz. sizes.
- Available in Lemon, Lavender, and Outdoor Fresh scents. Also, available in Fragrance Free.
*on Cockroaches and Ants on non-porous surfaces such as ceramic and laminate. (Carpenter Ants for up to 12 weeks. Kills by contact.)
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