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Why Are There Ants in My Bathroom? Types, Solutions & FAQs

ants

Ants are some of the hardiest pests, and they’re attracted to many of the elements in human homes: food, water, and dark spaces. Bathrooms have all of these, so it’s no surprise that ants find a way into your bathroom.

Ants can smell wet wood, stagnant water, and human hair that makes its way into our drains, especially if the bathroom is dirty. Getting rid of ants is more challenging than you’d expect, but it’s no herculean task. Let’s check out how to get rid of ants in your bathroom.

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What Kinds of Ants Get Into Bathrooms?

Many types of ants can make their way into your bathroom in search of food and water, including carpenter, black, and sugar ants. Any type of ant can get into your bathroom if the opportunity presents itself, but one type indicates you have a structural problem.

The one you need to watch out for is moisture ants, which may signify rotting wood in your home. Because bathrooms are so moist, they’re more prone to wet, rotting wood. When the ants burrow, they further damage the wood and pose a structural damage threat similar to termites.

Moisture ants are yellowish in color and prefer to nest in humid areas whenever possible. Unfortunately, this makes your bathroom a prime nesting spot. They burrow into wet, rotting wood that may be in your walls or floors, then nest and reproduce.

bathroom
Image By: jarmoluk, Pixabay

How to Get Rid of Ants in Your Bathroom

First, you have to eliminate whatever is attracting the ants. Stagnant water left in the sink, toilet, or shower can serve as water sources for ants, so the first order of business is to clean the bathroom and get it as dry as possible. When using water in the bathroom, make sure it fully drains and wipe down wet surfaces with a clean cloth. Without water, ants won’t be able to survive.

Next, you need to figure out where they’re coming from. Ants are orderly creatures, and there’s usually a trail so you can follow them back to where they’re burrowing and nesting. Once you find the source, completely caulk the area. Pay special attention to tiny nooks, cracks, and corners ants could infiltrate.

Finally, eliminate and repel the ant colony. You may have covered their nest, but they’ll likely find a way back in before moving to another spot.

person cleaning the bathroom sink
Image Credit: photopixel, Shutterstock

How to Kill Ants in the Bathroom

To kill the ants, mix boric acid with some peanut butter or honey to prepare a protein-based toxic ant bait. The peanut butter or honey will attract and stick the ants to the area, and the boric acid will kill them.

Use this treatment liberally in any areas where you see ants, but beware that boric acid is toxic to both humans and animals. This means it may not be suitable if you have young children or inquisitive pets unless you can keep them away from the infested bathroom in the meantime. That may not always be possible, especially if you only have one bathroom.

For those situations, you can spray white vinegar or virtually any essential oil in the bathroom. Ants are very sensitive to strong odors and will avoid these whenever possible, so in most cases, they’ll leave.

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Conclusion

Ants are tricky little bugs that love dark, wet areas with food sources, which makes your bathroom the perfect spot for a colony. To get rid of ants, you should cut off their water sources, keep it clean, and use either boric acid or an ant repellent to deter them. The last thing anybody wants is a full-blown ant infestation


Featured Image Credit: cp17, Pixabay

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