05/28/2026
It’s the season for 🥁 🥁 🥁… ANTS 🐜 😱
It happens every single year where we begin to see lots of posts about ants and what to do when they are getting inside. I thought we could take a moment to share some suggestions we personally have that may help stop and/or prevent them.
First (as much as I hate it): Ant killer. We recommend lining the outside of your home with it from corner to corner if you’re having an ant problem. It creates a barrier for them that they can’t get past and this often stops any potential problem before it even starts. There are ant pellets that are supposed to be solely for ants and not harm other insects, so if you’re against pest control but having an outright issue, this may be a good option for you. You could also try food grade diatomaceous earth which is technically natural, but keep in mind that it is harmful to many bugs including spiders, which is why I generally recommend the ant granules instead.
Second: Trim bushes, limbs, or branches of any kind so they aren’t touching your house if possible. This gives them (and many bugs) direct contact to your home via other sources than the ground. This makes it easy for ants to bypass things like the bait pellets and come right in. Avoid mulch and/or try to keep it from touching foundation directly.
Third: Borax+Sugar+Water. If you try this concoction keep it away from children and pets. I haven’t ever tried this but I’ve heard the ants will drink from it because of their attraction to sugar water. The borax in the mixture will unalive the ants.
Fourth: Natural deterrents. This would probably be more of a preventative than a solution to an existing problem. Some natural deterrents are mint, lavender, cinnamon, cloves, citrus peel, and coffee grounds. You could also try essential oil such as peppermint or tea tree. You can google mixtures and get information on how to use them as repellents.
Fifth: Terro Liquid Ant Baits. I have witnessed how well this works after a friend with an ant problem tried it. She could not stop ants from coming in no matter what she tried and this officially extinguished them from her home. I know it’s another bait option, but again, they make them just for ants so it wouldn’t be harmful to other bugs.
Sixth: Put sugar and things of that nature in air tight containers. I used to be a care giver for a lady with an ant problem and we could not find the source of the issue. Finally I looked in her very top cabinet and found sugar in a “salt” container and that’s where the ants were residing and traveling to. Once we got rid of that, they stopped coming in. Sometimes just finding the source of what they are going after will solve the problem.
With all those things suggested, I will say that ants can absolutely get inside of enclosures and harm/unalive spiders. If you have an ant problem where they are coming inside, we do recommend tackling it sooner than later.
If you cannot get rid of ants no matter what you have tried, to protect your spiders you can try:
-Putting their enclosures on trays/plates of shallow water. The ants would not be able to get to bypass the water to get to the enclosure. Make sure the enclosure is not “floating” in the water. It needs to be heavy enough to sit sturdy. Dry enclosure bottom really well if planning to open to ensure your spider doesn’t get trapped in water residue. Be sure to not open it near the tray, because if they jump into the water they can drown.
-Put Vaseline in a thin line at the base of the enclosure. This will create a barrier that should prevent them from walking up the enclosure. Be sure your spider doesn’t have access to reach the Vaseline (like if getting them out or whatnot.) This recommendation is courtesy of Web Puppy Lodge. I thought it was a pretty genius idea.
We hope none of you are having issues with ants. But if you are, we hope this helps. Some of this came from knowledge gained while Dillon worked pest control many years ago, some from personal experience, and some from google searches. If anyone has a solution to offer, please free to leave it in the comments. I know some of these options are the most pleasant, but sometimes we have to take undesirable measures to protect our home and pets.
Happy spOOding!
