Having any kind of creepy crawlies crawl up your feet as you’re trying to sleep worry-free can be intimidating and maybe even painful in the process. Those being ants can make the whole sleeping experience even more annoying and painful. Ants are known as the most annoying and persistent pests, especially in the spring and summer when everything is thriving.
Ants are considered the most hardworking insects. They work patiently and persistently to prepare the ingredients for the winter. However, that often comes at great costs for us who have to deal with the damage they leave behind. Oftentimes, they end up uninvited to our apartment, and if they get to our bedroom, they are practically almost impossible to kick out. Almost.
They say that if you see one ant in your place, there is a chance that thousands of more ants are hiding around behind your furniture, under the floors, and behind the walls. That’s why it becomes so difficult to kick them out of your apartment, especially if you consume products that are naturally attracting them in their room.
In this article, we’ll discuss why ants go-to foods in our bedrooms and infest our beds, causing us stings and bites that burn and itch extremely. We’ll also take a look at how to get rid of ants in your bedroom. Continue reading with us through this article to read more.
Ants will rarely first invade your bedroom. That’s why, if you have ants in your bedroom, that’s a clear indicator that they’ve infested pretty much all areas in your house. That’s why searching for them in the kitchen, pantry room, basement, and living room should be among the first steps to take.
If you manage to get rid of ants in other areas in your house, there’s less chance that they’ll end up in your bedroom. Ants can be found anywhere, from cracks in the wall, floor, and woods, to your furniture, they can be found anywhere as they’re on the lookout for the perfect location to nest at.
The most important things for ants are appropriate temperature for nesting and surviving the winter, and finding a food source that they can rely on and survive long enough to mate. That being said, if you find them in your bathroom or bedroom, there are way more of them across the entire house.
There are different ant species and some may be more or less dangerous for humans. Some have extremely irritating and painful bites and stings and as such, they can ruin your sleep cycle. They can easily climb up your bed if they sense crumbles they will quickly climb up your bed and bite or sting you in the process of gathering ingredients.
Because some ants release formic acid when biting or stinging their victims, they signal danger so other ants in the colony may sense it which could result in more bites on your side. When killed, ants also release this acid, which can attract more ants to the same place, which is exactly why it’s so hard to get rid of them.
According to researchers, there are ant species that can carry bacteria that can easily transmit and is harmful to humans. Given we sleep in our bedroom it’d be dangerous to be exposed to such bacteria especially if it’s airborne and we can inhale it.
With all that in mind, it’s important to determine the causes of ant infesting in your apartment or house and act fast to remove them before they mate and spread their colony across your house. There are many ways in which you can remove ants from your house, but let’s first discover where they are.
Causes of Ants Infesting Your Bedroom
There are many reasons behind which the ants infested your bedroom. Let’s take a look at the most common reasons so we can learn why it occurs.
There’s food in Your Bed
Leaving dirty plates and dishes, as well as food leftovers and snacks in your bedroom is truly a bad habit. While we won’t meddle into whether you’re eating in bed or not, keep in mind that the food crumbles you leave behind in your bed dictate whether or not the ants will be attracted to your bed.
This also applies to snacking before the bed or drinking your favorite soda or juice and then leaving it next to your bed if you don’t have a nightstand. There are a lot of foods that can attract ants. Ants will eat just about anything, but some foods are especially attractive to them Some of them will be mentioned below.
Editor’s notes: Food in your bedroom that can attract ants:
- Sugary food and drinks (juices, soda, sweet coffee, cookies, chocolate, cookie dough, cakes, and others)
- Whole-grain foods
- Crumbles of just about anything because they’ll have an easier time carrying it to their hideout.
Kitchen & Pantry Room
Sometimes the reason the ants came to your bedroom is that they infested pretty much every other area of your house and are now exploring your bedroom as if they’re paying their rent. The reason is simple, you have to explore places where the most of food sources reside.
Some of those areas are the kitchen and pantry room. Starting from the kitchen, you’ll have to check on and behind the kitchen counter, as well as jars with sweet ingredients such as peanut butter, jelly, or some other cream, cookie or some other ingredients, cocoa, and similar. If the ants are hiding in them, they’re likely spread out in the entire kitchen.
You can check other foods such as rice, whole grains foods, and others, but you should primarily focus on sweet foods.
Editor’s notes: You have to thoroughly check every corner because they could also be hiding in the trash can and under the sink, anywhere where they can potentially find a food source.
- Seal jars tightly and use metal or glass-made jars
- Use rubber bands to close bags with rice, cereal, and other foods that you keep in bags.
- Make sure that the fridge is tightly closed
- Keep the ant glue or a trap under or behind the kitchen sink to attract them
- If you spilled some sweet food or drink, be sure to clean it
The Right Temperature
Heat is usually not a concern for ants, according to researchers. However, cold weather is. Fall, winter, and colder weather, in general, mean that the ants will have difficulties finding food, and because of harsh climate conditions, their survival rate will lower.
Usually, your bedroom looks like a nice and cozy place in the winter for them to make a nest and hideout, where they can mate and prepare for the spring season. Other areas in the house could be too cold or too hot for them to be active uninterrupted, so your bedroom seemed like the best place to be.
They Came From Your Garden
Many ant species and types benefit from using your garden as supplies for building their shelter and establishing foods for the winter. However, if you’re not careful with your plants and don’t get rid of pests frequently, more insects and ants will show up.
If you’re not careful enough and keep your door and windows open, there’s a chance they’ll get in your house, firstly because of warmth and food, and secondly, to hide from larger animals.
Editor’s notes:
- Check your door and windows frequently and don’t keep them open all the time.
- Invest in a mosquito net and fly glue trap that can stop ants from entering.
- Avoid airing your bedding too close to soil and garden in general.
How to Get Rid of Ants in Your Bedroom
After identifying the cause of ants in your bedroom, let’s take a look at how to get rid of them. Below are the checked and most effective ways to get rid of ants in your bedroom.
Deep Cleaning of Your Bedroom
The first and best way to get rid of ants in a way that will repel them from coming back is to clean your bedroom, along with all other places where the ants could appear (such as kitchen, pantry, or living room) Since you sleep there, you should start with the bedroom.
Make sure to take all the bedding off your bed and wash it under 90 degrees to make sure that the ants are off it. You could also lift the mattress and take it out to air while ensuring that there are no cracks in the mattress fabric which allowed ants to enter.
You will also need to make sure that ants aren’t nesting somewhere in the bed frame. Admit it, food crumbles can fall anywhere, and you’re often unaware of how many sprinkles and crumbs can be found under the bed.
Editor notes:
- If you’re taking your mattress or pillow to air, keep it away from other areas where the ants are.
- Put natural ant repellants like peppermint oil or lemon in the cleaning water so that when you’re wiping the floor away you can repel further ant presence.
Also Read: How to Get Rid of Weevils In Your Bedroom (Causes And Solutions)
Chalk
Chalk is one of the most innovative ways to get rid of ants. It is rich in calcium carbonate which repels ants and blocks their sense of smell so other ants can’t sense if other ants from the colony are nearby. That said, summoned ants that didn’t get to the location yet will be repelled and forced to turn around and leave.
Using powdered chalk around your bedroom, places like under the windows, behind and under the bed, and behind the wardrobe, especially in the corners can help repel ants and make them go where they came from. Sometimes, drawing as much as one line is enough to repel them but no one knows why.
Editor’s notes: If you have children, it’s important to avoid chalk that is rich in two infamous insecticides cypermethrin and deltamethrin because it evaporates into the air once the chalk is placed, and inhaling it could make children nauseous and sick.
Many studies and institutions don’t recommend it, whereas in some places it’s illegal.
Some illegal ant chalk is known to cause eye and throat irritation in adults, so avoid using it. Agricultural pharmacies offer a lot of different ant and other insect repelling chalks but choose the one that uses trusted materials and always wipe the floor once you see the ants were repelled.
Citruses
Lemons, oranges, and other citrus fruits are ideal for killing and repelling ants from your bedroom. There are many ways in which you can use these fruits to repel ants. One way is to squeeze lemon or orange on the floor where you want to repel ants and wipe it around and spread it. It’s helpful with other citrus fruits such as grapefruit. These fruits are less rich in sugar than other fruit ingredients, which is why they easily repel ants.
Editor’s notes:
- You can also grate orange or lemon peel around the room and leave it at the corners to repel ants.
- You can also cook a paste made of warm water and orange or lemon peels, and apply it in the areas where ants are present. Also, make sure to apply it where you suspect the ant’s nest.
- You can also cook a paste that you’ll mix with coffee grounds, cinnamon, tea tree oil, peppermint, and other insect-repelling oils
Get Rid of Infested Houseplants
People have a habit of keeping houseplants in their bedrooms without realizing they could attract ants. If you see that your plants are completely infested, there’s not much that you can do other than get rid of those plants.
Editor’s notes: If you think that your plants are not completely infested here are some things you can do while repelling ants in the process:
- Use diatomaceous earth which can kill bugs and absorb their oils and acids. Keep it away from children and pets, however.
- Surround the house plants, as well as the corners of your room with house soap. Rub it against your plant’s plate and pot, as well as the floor surrounding the corners.
Traps
Using ant traps for your bedrooms is the best way to get rid of ants without using pesticides or insecticides which can be toxic and harmful to inhale. However, in the sea of different traps, it’s extremely difficult to find the right one.
If you have ants coming from different locations in the house it’s recommended to use multiple traps to make sure that they won’t come back.
Editor’s notes:
Finally, Insecticides
Insecticides are probably the most effective way to get rid of ants, but also the least recommended. Insecticides come with risks of their own. They are usually made of heavy chemicals that may not only be harmful to ants, but also humans. That being said, using liquids, sprays, and powders that can repel ants in your bedroom can be bad for your health if you’ll sleep in that room. But, if nothing else helps, it’s the most reliable option.
Editor’s notes:
- Make sure to remove the repellant after you’re sure that the ants are gone (if you have used the powder)
- If you will spray insecticide try to sleep elsewhere that night and let your bedroom air the bad smell and evaporated chemicals out.
- Carefully read the label to make sure no illegal chemicals are among the ingredients.
- Make sure to remove children and pets when applying insecticide so that they wouldn’t inhale or ingest it from the floor.
