An ant hill in your yard can be an unwelcoming sight. These mounds of dirt are a sign that an ant army has invaded your yard. If these bugs have infested your outdoor space, it won’t be long before they decide to head indoors in search of something to eat. Check out a few tips to help get rid of ant hills in your yard and the ants living in them.
What Are Ant Hills?
Ant hills are the mounds of soil that act as the entrance and exit to an ant nest. The actual ant nest is deeper underground. The mounds range in size with most being smaller, but some can grow quite large. Ant hills are made from the soil or sand that is removed when worker ants are creating the tunnels of the nest. Debris, such as pieces of leaves, can be mixed in with the dirt. Some ant hills will have a distinct entrance hole. Others will have no visible entrance. The ant hill protects the nest from potential threats and regulates the temperature of the nest, helping to keep the ants warm.
Why You Have Ants in Your Yard
Knowing what has attracted ants will make it easier to prevent them from nesting in your yard in the future. Several things can make your yard attractive to these pests.
- Access to Food Sources: One of the main reasons you’ll find ants in your yard is because they have found a good food source. These bugs will eat small insects, plant matter, honeydew from aphids, and any crumbs or spills you leave behind after enjoying a meal outside.
- Moisture Build-Up: Moisture is also an ant attractant because they need water to survive. An accumulation of water in your yard can cause ants to stick around. Leaky spigots, puddles, fountains, and your pet’s water bowl can provide them with water.
- Sources of Shelter: Ants have plenty of access to soil in yards to construct their nest. They can also find other items that can provide nesting material or shelter. Tall grass, overgrown vegetation, grass clippings, leaves, rocks, and logs can act as a source of shelter.
How to Get Rid of Ant Hills
There are things you can do to get rid of an ant hill, but removing the ant hill won’t take care of the underlying problem—the ant colony. You will need to kill the ants in the nest to eliminate an infestation.
- Use a Rake or Shovel: Ant hills can be flattened with a rake or a shovel. You’ll want to be cautious if you’re dealing with fire ants as these bugs can sting you. Flattening the mound can help to deter ants from returning to the nest, but this won’t kill the ants in the nest.
- Treat the Ant Nest: To effectively kill the ants on top of, surrounding the nest, or near the entrance of the nest, you can treat the nest with an insecticide dust or spray. Our plant-based Spider & Insect Dust provides long-lasting protection against ants and other pests. To treat the nest, cover the mound with dust and gently puff the dust into the nest entrance. You can also use either our Home Bug Spray or Yard Bug Spray products and apply an ample amount of the product to the nest and nest entrance. Be sure to also apply to ants you see in the surrounding area. You can buy an insecticide concentrate labeled for ants as well. Dilute it with water in a bucket before pouring on the ant nest. Just be sure to follow label directions.
- Target the Ant Colony: Ant baits can also help to eliminate an ant colony. Our No Spill Ant Kill bait stations and our Ant Killer Bait attract and kill ants. The ants will eat the bait and return to the nest, where they will share the bait with other members of the colony. As the bait spreads, the ant population will decline until there are no longer any ants. You will want to place the stations near ant trails or ant activity. There are also ant killer granules available that work the same way in eliminating an ant colony.
After taking care of the ant problem, you can flatten the mounds. Eliminating potential attractants from your yard can help to keep a new colony of ants from settling down in your outdoor space.
It can be hard to enjoy your backyard if it’s overrun by ants. Though the ant hills are unsightly, you’ll need to first focus on eliminating the colony before removing the mounds. If you’re dealing with ants or other pesky bugs, we want to help! Check out our Maggie’s Farm Simply Effective™ Pest Control products.