How to Get Rid of Ants in Hotel Room | A Complete Guide

Ant infestation is a common problem in households, buildings, departmental stores, and even hotels. If you are traveling or plan to stay in a hotel, be prepared for this creepy pest. Larger ant colonies can cause hygienic problems and carry diseases into the hotel room.

How to get rid of ants in the hotel room? Ant bait is the most effective method, but an ant killer spray will also work if you are looking for a fast solution.

Read the step-by-step guide for eradicating ant infestations in your hotel room. In addition, we have also given you some of the easy-to-apply natural solutions you can use to get rid of ants. Let’s begin!

Ants in Hotel Room | Information

Ants in hotel rooms are a common problem, especially during the spring or summer. If you plan a trip and decide to stay in a hotel, beware of this common pest. They may be hiding in dark corners of the bathroom, bedroom, or other areas where they can easily approach the food source.

The small number of ants can lead to larger colonies in a short period. Whether you live in a local hotel or a five-star resort doesn’t matter. There is a high chance that you will find these creepy crawlers in your residence.

Why Are There Ants in My Hotel Room?

Ants are attracted to your hotel room due to poor hygienic conditions and for food or water sources. Ants prefer to live in an environment where they can find warm shelters, water, and food. They enter hotel rooms mostly by following the food trails. Ants love to eat sweet and greasy food such as cakes, juices, meat, dead insects, jams, snacks, crumbs, etc.

There are thousands of species of ants. They can be categorized into sugar, grease, or protein ants. Sugar ants are attracted to sugar-based foods, and grease ants love greasy protein-based food. If wrappers or spilled food crumbs are in your room, ants can be drawn into your room by following the food trails.

Another factor that can draw ants into your room is extreme weather or rain. Ants can be attracted to safe and warmer shelters with a good water supply (in the bathroom, under the sink, or bathtub).

Ants in Hotel Room Compensation

If you have checked into a hotel room infested with ants, you can call the front desk to resolve your problem. Having a small number of ants is harmless, but it’s better to ask the hotel management for a solution or compensation, as in most cases, you will have a hard time determining the scale of the infestation.

They will surely compensate you for any damage and help you deal with the issue. If they don’t, you can file a complaint or threaten them with a bad review in most cases. Some people will even take the case to court, but you will need to document every part of the experience.

Most Common Ants in Hotels

There are a variety of ant species that you can see in hotel rooms. What type of ant you will see depends on the climate and country. The most common groups of ants in hotel rooms are sugar ants or grease ants.

Carpenter ants can make colonies in wooden work or ceilings inside hotel buildings. They like wood, but they don’t eat it. Instead, they just dig through it. The other common species of ants seen in hotel rooms are pavement ants, odorous house ants, Pharaoh ants, thief ants, etc.

Related: How Many Types of Ants Are There: Ant Identification Chart

What Attracts Ants in Hotel Rooms?

A small infestation of ants is not a problem, but a mishandled ant colony can be quite dangerous. Ants are usually attracted to hotel rooms because of the different food sources, such as spilled juice, sweets, or food crumbs. Especially if your hotel room has a kitchenette, you should pay more attention to its cleanliness and not leave dirty dishes on the counter to avoid pest infestation.

Ants are also easily drawn to hotel rooms due to extreme weather, rain, or poor sanitary conditions. Take preventive measures, keep your room and bathroom clean and dry, and eliminate the factors that can attract or establish ant colonies in your room.

How to Get Rid of Ants in Hotel Room – Step-by-Step Instructions

First, you should ask the hotel front desk to deal with the ant infestation in your hotel room. Otherwise, if you want to control the ant infestation, you can use several pest control methods. It is recommended to call the hotel management if there is a larger number of ants.

If you are a hotel manager searching for a way to eliminate the ants, please continue reading the article. Still, if you notice a few ant colonies, the best course of action would be to call a professional pest exterminator.

First, locate their shelter and inspect the degree of the ant infestation. Track the ant trail and find their entry points. Remove the source which is attracting the ants into your room. See if there are spilled foods, garbage, cracks, or damp areas in your hotel room. Get rid of all the potential sources that can attract ants.

To eradicate the ants in a hotel room, you must also identify the ant type. To have effective pest control, see the accurate details and features of that exact ant type, such as the traits, preferences, and characteristics of their nests (use our site to see detailed instructions for common ant types). The most common ants in hotel rooms are the sugar ants.

After identification, apply the best pest control method according to the location and degree of infestation. Professionals use the integrated pest management strategy to eliminate ant infestations which involves several preventive measures, control methods, regular inspection, etc. Some commonly used pest control methods are given below, but they have been adapted to the average person.

Insecticide Spray

One more practical and convenient method for getting rid of ants in hotel rooms is insecticide spray. Several ant killer sprays are commercially available online or in local stores.

To treat the infested hotel room, locate the ant nest, trails, and entry points and directly treat them with insecticide spray. Most commercially available sprays come with the instructions manual on the bottle. Follow the instructions to eliminate the ant colonies. Some of the best ant-killer insecticide sprays are the following:

Related: Best Natural Ant Sprays | Kids and Pet-Friendly Sprays

Ant Traps | Ant Baits

Ant bait is the most effective method for controlling ants, but the only downside is that baits need a certain period to eradicate ants. You can place poisonous solid gel, liquid ant traps, or baits in your hotel room and effectively eliminate the ant infestation. For best results, locate the trails and nests of ants and place the baits near them.

The ants will take the bait inside their nest, and after the queen consumes the bait, the whole process with causing the death of the entire colony. Different baits are available commercially, such as sugar-based and grease-based ant baits.

You can select the perfect ant trap or bait for your hotel room according to the type of ants. The following are the recommended ant baits for hotel rooms:

Insecticide Dust

Applying insecticide dust is also an effective method to treat ant infestations. You can easily purchase them online or from a store near your house or a hotel. Dust is sprinkled around the nests and at the entry point of ants. It can also act as a barrier.

For efficient outcomes, read the guidelines given in the instructions manual. The recommended insecticide dust-based products for hotels are the following:  

Home Remedy for Ants in Hotel Rooms

In the following section, we will share some quick and efficient DIY natural remedies that you can apply to treat an ant infestation in your hotel room.

Vinegar Spray

You can prepare insecticide spray with vinegar and water (1:3 ratio). Pour the solution into a bottle and spray it at the entry points and near the ant nests to eradicate the ant colonies. The spray does not kill the ants but acts as an ant repellent.

Pepper

You can also place black or red pepper at the ants’ entry point. The aroma of pepper will help you to keep the ants away. You can also prepare pepper spray to treat the ant nests as well.

Lemon and Orange

A citrus fruit and water mixture can be helpful when dealing with an ant infestation. The aroma of lemon and orange will deter the colonization of ants in your room. You can also place orange or lemon peels at the entry point of ants to create a barrier, but essential oils will work best.

Salt

Table salt is one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to deal with an ant infestation. Sprinkle salt near the trails and nests of ants. You can also prepare saltwater spray. Spray this solution on the nests and trail of ants to eliminate them.

Ground Coffee

Ground coffee is also an effective home remedy to keep the ants away. Follow the ant trails and sprinkle coffee near the entry points. It will act as an ant deterrent and help you keep them away.

Related: How to Get Rid of Ants | Safe and Effective Methods

List of Sources

Alder P., Waldvogel M., Tips for Effective Ant Baiting, N.C. Cooperative Extension

Ants, University of California

Vail K., Barnwell P., Managing Structure-Invading Ants, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture

Simothy, L., Mahomoodally, F., & Neetoo, H. (2018). A study on the potential of ants to act as vectors of foodborne pathogens. AIMS Microbiology