How to Get Rid of Red Ants? | Effective Control and Prevention

If you notice a single ant inside your house, know that there might be a thousand more nearby. These small invasive colonies in our homes can be aggravating, and it is best to take measures early to eliminate them.

How to get rid of red ants? To get rid of red ants, you can use natural ingredients such as cornstarch, boiling water, essential oils, and vinegar. Alternatively, you can also use chemicals like borax or boric acid. Lastly, one should maintain a clean environment to prevent their return.

This article will go over the many varieties of red ants that may be found inside and outside the house, what they look like, and how to control and prevent red ant infestation.

What Are Red Ants?

Red ants, also known as “Fire Ants”, are an aggressive type of ants. They are commonly seen around and are known for the burning sensation of their bite. Red Imported Fire Ants (RIFA) are also well-known red ants that are commonly found around the United States. As the name suggests, they are called imported because they originated in South America.

What Do Red Ants Look Like?

Red ants have a dull red body coloring, which ranges from reddish-brown to reddish black. Same with other ants, red ants have 6 legs on their body, with stingers and antennae on their head. Their bodies have a strong carapace or armor to protect them.

Are All Red Ants Fire Ants?

The most common red ants that can be seen frequently are fire ants. However, not all red ants are fire ants. There are also other types of ants that are color red, similar looking to fire ants. The examples are:

• Pharaoh Ants, which are smaller types of ants.

• Leafcutter Ants are also a common red ant that has become somewhat renowned as a result of their appearance on television or in documentaries. They are mainly found outside and eat leaves. Agricultural areas are where they are most commonly found, and they rarely penetrate residences. However, there’s a chance you might find them in your garden.

Where Do Red Ants Live?

Red ants, same with other types of ants, often live under soil and other moist habitats. Irrigated lawns, edges of riverbanks, and ponds areas are also common places for them to lay their eggs. These ants that migrate to households usually live in moist places of the house, surrounded by dirt or soil.

How Long Do Red Ants Live?

Ants, in general, have a relatively brief life cycle. Queen fire ant colonies can live up to seven years; however, studies show they typically live for only three or four years. On the other hand, worker ants are commonly seen in groups and have a considerably shorter lifespan. The temperature influences their life expectancy; higher temperatures indicate a shorter life expectancy. Furthermore, the average fire ant worker survives for four to six weeks.

Do Red Ants Fly?

Just like other types of ants, red ants can also develop wings. Every ant colony will have ants with wings. The colony’s winged ants are known as “alates.” Their primary duty is to reproduce and form new colonies. If you’re seeing red ants flying, it could be a male red ant searching for an ant queen to breed. After mating, ants will lose their wings. Ants grow wings primarily for the purpose of reproduction.

Are Red Ants Dangerous to Pets?

Red ants can be dangerous to pets. They bite and cling onto their victims with their powerful fangs, then sting and inject acid. Fire ants are aggressive and have a tendency for swarming in big groups. Small animals can be killed by several stings.

Are Red Ants Harmful to Humans?

When it comes to ants, red ants are among the most feared. These ants may be small, but their bite is extremely painful. They carry a venom that causes a burning sensation on the bitten area when injected through their bite. There have been reports where a huge number of fire ants have bitten a single individual, resulting in severe anaphylactic shock resulting in death.

Related: How Strong Are Ants? | Incredible Strength Explained

What Causes Red Ants in the House?

Red ants are most likely entering the house because they’ve discovered food. Even a single amount of food can attract ants. They may also be looking for water, which is why they are commonly found in bathrooms and toilets. Another reason red ants might be inside the house is they are hunting for a new shelter, particularly during the winter or on wet days.

Get Rid of Red Ants in Particular Areas

How to Deal With Red Ants in the House?

The following are multiple ways on how to deal with red ants in your home:

• First off, make sure red ants don’t have access to food. If there’s a pet in the household, make sure that no pet food is accessible to red ants.

• If the red ants are already inside the house, natural ingredients are the best way to kill them. Pouring boiling water or spraying them with vinegar is very effective in killing red ants. Ants can also be repelled by using odors that ants despise, such as tea tree and peppermint oil, cinnamon, and pepper.

How to Get Rid of Red Ants Outside?

Using items with a strong smell and chemical component that red ants hate is the most convenient way of getting rid of them. You can use the following:

• Peppermint oil or tea tree oil.

• Ethanol and isopropyl alcohol, or even hand sanitizer.

How to Get Rid of Red Ants in Yard?

Getting rid of red ants in the yard may be easier since you can use extra measures like chemicals or products that have strong ingredients that can instantly kill red ants. To get rid of them:

• You can use products with insect killer chemicals. One of the most effective ways to get rid of ants is to pour borax or boric acid into holes or regions where red ants are swarming.

• Red ants can also be easily killed by pouring boiling water on them. This is a very effective and inexpensive method.

How to Get Rid of Red Ants in the Garden?

Though using boric acid can be effective in getting rid of red ants, it may cause harm to your land and plants. Instead, you can use natural ingredients such as:

• Vinegar, tea tree, peppermint, and cinnamon leaf oil.

• You can also kill red ants by sprinkling cornstarch on them and pouring water after.

• Boiling water can also instantly kill red ants; just make sure garden plants are safe before doing so. 

On the other side, using baits will require some patience from your side, but worker ants will distribute the insecticide among the colony, and eventually, it will get to the queen. That is the safest and the most efficient option if you want to resolve your fire ant problem forever.

Orthene Fire Ant Killer

Amdro Fire Ant Killer

Hot Shot Ant Killer Plus Aerosol

Related: How to Get Rid of Ants in Vegetable Garden: A Complete Guide

How to Get Rid of Red Ants Naturally?

Getting rid of ants naturally is the best way. Below are some ways in getting rid of them:

• Boiling hot water is at the top of the list. It is just water, without any poisonous chemicals. You just have to be careful and make sure the boiling water harms only the red ants.

• Vinegar is also one of the best ways to get rid of red ants naturally. It kills red ants and prevents them from returning. However, some people may perceive the strong scent of vinegar within their home to be a downside of the process.

• Natural essential oils can also be effective in getting rid of red ants. Tea tree, cinnamon, and peppermint oils are most effective since ants can’t stand the scent, and they will not be able to return if the smell is still present.

What Are Tiny Red Ants Called?

There are multiple types of tiny red ants that are often seen. They are smaller than fire ants. The most common tiny red ants that are usually seen in your house are called “Pharaoh Ants.” They are light yellow to red in color, with black lines on their abdomen.

Though they have a wide range of food, their top favorites are sweets, protein, and fats. That’s why they are prone to be seen lurking in your kitchen. Tiny red ants are always present when a sugar packet or container is not sealed properly. They are mostly the ones that will be feasting on your unsealed chocolates and bags of chips.

How to Get Rid of Tiny Red Ants?

Usually, tiny red ants can be seen in the kitchen or bathroom. You may also notice that these red ants are smaller versions than the typically called red ants or fire ants. Even though they are smaller in size, they can still be annoying. To get rid of tiny red ants, you can do the following:

• In the same way, to get rid of red ants, you can get rid of smaller red ants in your kitchen by pouring hot water or spraying vinegar to kill them, and it’s a safer approach.

• You can also use essential oils like peppermint, tea tree, and cinnamon oil.

• Boric acid is especially useful in situations where these small red ants are already overwhelming.

• You can also use commercial bait for ants. These baits are sweets to tiny red ants and will poison them to death. Just make sure these baits are out of the reach of your children and pets.

Related: How to Get Rid of Fire Ants: A Complete Guide

How to Prevent Red Ants at Home?

Start off by maintaining a clean environment in and around your home. To prevent red ants at home, you may do the following:

• Clean up dirty dishes, making sure no leftover food is accessible to red ants.

• Wipe down all surfaces that are exposed to food, especially sweets.

• Make sure all food containers, especially sweets and sugar containers, are properly sealed.

• You can place natural things with odors that red ants despise throughout your home, particularly in locations and areas that you think red ants are active. The items that you may use are peppermint oil, cinnamon, pepper, and tea tree oil. 

Related: How to Get Rid of Ants | Ultimate Guide

List of Sources

Winged Carpenter Ants. Michigan State University.

Loftin, K., Hopkins, J. (1914). Fire Ant Control in Two Easy Steps. University of Arkansas.

Red Imported Fire Ant. U.S. Department of Agriculture.