The ant infestation is a pesky trouble that pesters a lot. Since they are tiny and numerous, ants are quite fiddly to get rid of. However, what about trying some efficient ways? Can you try vacuuming ants out of your house?
Here we are to help you with the ant problem!
Contents
Saying goodbye to ants in your home
Ant invasion is not a disaster but still a pesky issue. Unlike termites, ants can’t make harm to your wooden furniture. However, the ant mess is definitely not what you want to have at home. What is more, ants can carry some harmful bacteria from outside your home.
Sometimes ant disposal is not a simple task. While you have any sweet and flavored food crumbs left on the carpet, they can easily attract ants into your home. A few tiny guests can quickly turn into an ant invasion!
Some ways to stop ant infestations can make the situation even worse. A dead ant in the house can attract even more of them!
Since the body of the dead ant releases the oleic acid, the pheromones work as a way of ant communication. Recognizing the dead body, the colony comes to the place for carrying it to the midden.
That is why your best decision is to opt for vacuuming. This is an efficient way to remove any amount of uninvited guests in your house: you can either vacuum a few ants or deal with a whole ant colony!
Can vacuuming kill ants?
You have already tried lots of ways to solve the ant problem, but the live ants are still here… So, you finally come across the simplest question: does vacuuming kill ants?
The good news is that your vacuum cleaner is an incredibly convenient appliance that can help you to remove ants from your home. Depending on some features and the extra tips, you can either capture the live ants or kill them while vacuuming.
Since ants are tiny and lightweight, there is no problem vacuuming them out of your carpet. However, their light bodies and tiny size help them to survive the vacuuming process.
Depending on the vac you have, you can equip it with some extra features and make the ants die while the vacuuming process. Using specific sprays, gels, and other insecticides can significantly help in your ant-killing expeditions.
Vacuuming is an efficient way to deal with a wide range of smaller pests such as ants and other insects:
- Carpenter ants:
- Giant yellow ants;
- Pesky ants;
- Smaller bugs;
- Spiders;
- Termites.
So, it is high time to start a vacuuming battle with ant hordes!
5 smart tips on efficient vacuuming ants
Before you start, keep in mind the main thing: the vacuuming process itself doesn’t hurt ant bodies much! When trapped in the vac bag, they are still alive and eager to find the way out. So, if you hope just to suck the pests in a trap, it doesn’t work this way.
For effective results, you need to know some hacks that help you to avoid a useless job. Generally, vacuuming is an easy and efficient way to dispose of ants without any special equipment or harmful chemicals. For those who are looking for eco-friendly ways to defeat ant hordes, vacuuming is a great and handy solution.
After finishing the vacuuming procedure, empty the vacuum canister or discard the bag with captured pests into the trash bag. Since you took the extra measures, you shouldn’t worry that ant hordes can escape after vacuuming them.
We are going to share several extra helpful tips on how to vacuum ants effectively.
Tip #1: Choose the best vacuum cleaner
The right vacuum cleaner is your key to fast ant disposal. Using the right device, you can work much more efficiently! Here are some points to keep in mind when choosing the right vacuum cleaner for collecting ant colonies.
Your best bet is a bagless vacuum cleaner. This is a handheld vacuum cleaner that is equipped with a trash can instead of a vacuum bag.
Since ants can easily escape from the vacuum bag, a bagless vacuum is your best bet. As soon as you vacuum ants inside its trash canister, you can empty it immediately into the sealed trash can.
Opt for a powerful shop vacuum cleaner to make your anti-ant operation more efficient!
One more great option is a vacuum equipped with a HEPA filter. Instead of blowing ant captives out of the vac from the back side, it just keeps them in the trash can. In addition, it is the best vacuum for those who suffer from allergic reactions to dust or insects.
The next point to keep in mind is the suction power. As you need to suck ants out of the hard-to-reach corners, the powerful device is what you really need. The high suction power allows you to collect a maximum of pesky ants all over your house.
Tip #2: Extra features in your vacuum cleaner
As you already know, neither the vacuum cleaner itself nor the vacuuming process can’t make ants die. Coming through the vacuuming variables doesn’t hurt most of them. So, if you are not planning to capture live ants, then you have to equip your vac with a few extra features that can defeat ants.
Opt for a vacuum cleaner that has crevice tools and a flexible plastic corrugated hose. These extra features can hurt the ant’s body while the suction process and simplify your task a lot.
Coming through the flexible plastic corrugated hose and crevice tools leads ants to complete death. Thus, you can eliminate ants that can escape from your vacuum cleaner after you switch it off.
If your vac doesn’t have corrugated flexible tubes and a crevice tool, you have to dispose of live ants immediately unless they find their way out of the trap.
Tip #3: Watch out for the escaping ways
As you already know, not all types of vacuum cleaners are really efficient in killing ants. Using such devices as a Dyson vacuum cleaner is not quite an efficient way to get rid of ants. You can suck ants inside the garbage bag, but after you open it, you will find them still alive. Moreover, nothing can stop them from crawling out of this vacuum cleaner!
If you use such a vacuum cleaner, take some extra measures to dispose of the ants inside it. After vacuuming ants out of your room, open the vacuum cleaner immediately and throw the insects in the sealed garbage bag.
For those who prefer to remove ants with no harm to them, it is one of the best ways to save their lives.
If you want to kill ants, then you should previously spray the inside of your sealed trash with pesticides. As the sealed plastic bag doesn’t suffocate ants, and neither does a bulk of dust and debris inside it, use ant sprays that can kill them inside the bag.
If you are looking for a more eco-friendly way to prevent ants from escaping, add some cornstarch inside the bag. It doesn’t cause any allergic reactions to people and pets in your house.
Tip #4: Add the diatomaceous earth or gel insecticide
Ants are super-tenacious in life. If you hope to suffocate ants in a vacuum bag that is full of dust and debris, you can be sure to find them alive. These creatures are equipped with tiny air bubbles on their bodies that allow them to breathe even in the water!
So, if your goal is to end up with dead ants, you need an extra measure to take. Diatomaceous earth (also known as silicon dioxide) is an insecticide that damages the protective coating on the ant’s body. Adding some of this white substance to the suction bag is a sure way to kill ants inside it.
Place some diatomaceous earth in your vacuum bag. After you vacuum ants, you shouldn’t worry about their escaping as they simply die from contact with the poisonous substance.
One more way to prevent ant from escaping is using such chemicals as Advion Ant Gel Insecticide. Add some of this gel inside the vacuum bag. After you vacuum ants, they will get stuck into the gel and won’t leave the shop vac bag.
Tip #5: Opt for the humane ways to solve the ant problem
For those who prefer to get rid of ants without killing them, there are some more humane ways to solve the problem. It is always important to remember that innocent ants are never necessary to kill! As a crucial part of an ecosystem, they deserved to be released alive somewhere far away from your house.
Choose specifically designed or less powerful vacuum cleaners:
- Bug Catcher Vacuum;
- Dyson vacuum cleaner;
- Sokos Humane Insects;
- Pest Control.
Does vacuuming ants kill them? The specific design and lighter suction power can vacuum live ants inside these devices with no harm. As soon as you collect the ants, you can carry them away from your house and then release them outside.
FAQ
Can you vacuum ants out of the carpet?
Vacuuming is a good way to eliminate ants, but this step is still not enough when talking about carpets. After you get rid of most ants on the carpet, spray it with a homemade vinegar remedy.
Mix water and vinegar (you can use white or apple cider vinegar) in a ratio of 1:1. Pour the mixture into the spraying bottle and spray it all over your carpet. This solution has no drawbacks such as specific smells or stains on the carpet, and is absolutely safe for kids and pets. However, it is an efficient way to get rid of ants!
Will ants leave if you kill enough?
There is never any guarantee to get rid of all the ants when there are a few left. Even if you dispose of the majority, the rest of the ants can still show up here and there. The best way to fully defeat ants in your house is to find the ant nest or the gap where ants come out.
Can you kill ants with baking soda?
Yes, you can. The ants have acidic bodies, so consuming the baking soda will cause a slowly-killing chemical reaction.
If you have kids and pets in your house, baking soda is a great eco-friendly alternative to ant sprays and other substances that can be hazardous. Just mix it with some sugar and scatter it over the carpet where the ant hordes are prone to gather.
Final thoughts
So, does vacuuming ants kill them? As you can see, vacuuming ants is a fantastic way to get rid of them. Follow all the tips above and enjoy life without any unwanted guests in your home.
If you have any extra hacks, share them in the comments below!
