It is rare to see an infestation of ants in the fridge, but it can occur when you do not maintain it regularly, as dirty environments attract pests.
How To Get Rid Of Ants From Fridge? You can get rid of ants from the fridge by cleaning its internal components using a white vinegar solution, sealing the entry points, using airtight storage containers, borax baits, and removing food residues.
It becomes essential to remove large infestations of ants from the fridge as they can cause damage to rubber seals and other internal plastic components.
How do you get rid of ants from the fridge?
You can use different ways to remove ants from your fridge, but one of the effective ways to control the population of insects is to make an area unattractive for them by removing food sources.
Clean internal compartments
Some people do not bother with maintenance and cleaning of internal components of the fridges, which can get dirty over time. Dirt can accumulate on the condenser coil, shelves, valves, etc.
These dirty components can attract ants inside the fridge and pose a risk of contamination to food particles, so you can clean the internal parts to keep them at a distance.
Switch off the fridge before cleaning to ensure your safety, and remove the stored food for easier cleaning.
Mix one part of white vinegar in three parts of water. Spray the solution on internal compartments, leave for a few minutes, and wipe the surface.
In addition, you can also use warm water and soap to remove the accumulated dirt, so mix the dishwashing liquid in warm water and spray it on the dirty compartments.
Use a scrub or clean cloth to remove the dirt after spraying the soapy solution. Moreover, spray the peppermint oil solution after cleaning, as its strong odor can repel insects.
Seal entry points
The seals of doors in the fridge can break over time or become loose due to poor maintenance, so these broken seals can provide entry routes to tiny insects.
In addition, frequent door opening and closing can also lead to gasket damage. It can also get dirty due to the presence of food contaminants or dirty hands and, accelerating its perishing rate.
It is better to replace the door gasket once a year because it loses its structure due to poor usage and food or dirt contamination.
These broken seals can become entry points for the tiny insects as they need a small space to make their way through them, so you have to keep them intact to avoid these unwanted entries.
Use airtight storage containers
Most commonly, ants get inside the fridge due to the presence of sweet food items and other tasty foods that are appealing to insects as their pleasant aroma and sweet taste attract them.
The containers of food that are not appropriately covered can entice these annoying pests to come inside and grab the tasty food particles to fulfill their nutritional requirement.
Accordingly, you can create a barrier for insects by covering the containers using airtight lids, as they cannot find a way to enter the storage containers.
These airtight storage containers can protect the refrigerator from unwelcoming pests and avoid the entry of odor molecules into other food that can affect the taste.
Clean spills, stains, and dirt
You can avoid ants in the fridge by keeping the shelves and storage containers clean. Juice spills on the shelves and food residues on the outer side of containers can allure insects.
Moreover, removing food stains from the doors, shelves, and boxes can help reduce the risk of attack to a maximum extent. Use hot soapy water to remove the old and stubborn stains.
You can slightly scrub the spot if the stains are hard to remove or use a butter knife to scratch the surface gently to avoid scratches on the internal surfaces.
In addition, remove accumulated dirt and grease stains that are not easier to remove by washing them with clean water or using a wet towel to clean the internal components.
Put borax baits in the fridge
Borax baits are pretty effective at killing ants as they can attract insects due to sweetness and kill them by interfering with the internal digestive system.
Mix 3 parts of sugar with 1 part of boric acid to prepare an ant bait, and add some water to make a thick paste. Transfer this bait to a container and put it inside the fridge on the door side.
Accordingly, the sweet odor of sugar can allure the ants crawling inside the fridge and attract them to consume the bait ingredients.
It takes around 20 to 30 hours to kill ants after consumption by interfering with their digestive system. So, you have to be patient because it can take more than a day to cause insect toxicity.
Put bay leaves
They do not like the bitter and unpleasant odors of spices or herbs and prefer to stay away from the bay leaves as their strong aroma can disrupt their scent trails and interfere with communication.
I always use fresh or dried leaves to repel ants as their odor dominates due to the smell of cineole. Put 4 to 6 leaves under the fridge to deter insects, as their odor creates a force field.
Moreover, they cannot detect the sweet smell of food inside the refrigerator and move away when they come close to the force field of its aroma.
In addition, crushed dried leaves can also give the same results if you do not have fresh leaves at home, but the fresh ones are good to use.
Use natural repelling sprays
Essential oils and spices can potentially deter ants, so you can use them to prepare repelling solutions that can be used after cleaning the internal and external components of the fridge.
Use lemon, rosemary, orange, neem, and peppermint oil to prepare solutions, as these essential oils irritate the smell receptors of these insects.
You can prepare different solutions by mixing a few drops of each oil in water and spraying it on the inner side of the fridge after emptying it.
Remove the food containers and clean the internal surface before spraying essential oil solutions. Their irritating citric odors can affect their communication by dominating trail odors.
Make boundary of diatomaceous earth
You can create a boundary of food-grade diatomaceous earth around the refrigerator because it contains tiny silica particles that can kill ants if they try to cross the boundary.
These particles can penetrate their skin and cause excessive moisture loss from their bodies. It leads to the drying of their bodies and causes immediate death due to severe dehydration.
Additionally, it can effectively kill insects for a long time until it is dry and loses its effectiveness after rain or contact with water. Make a 2 to 3 inches boundary around the fridge to kill ants.
It is quite an inexpensive and effective method to get rid of ants, as you have to make a repelling boundary of home ingredients without spending money on expensive products.
Why are ants going in my fridge?
Ants can enter the fridge as sweet food items, and uncovered containers can create an appealing environment for insects.
They love to eat sweet food residues on the outer side of containers or bottles and spills of juices on the shelves. Some omnivorous species can infest meat to get protein and build muscles.
Moreover, stains of grease and accumulated dirt on the internal components, compressor, thermostat, and coils can also attract them as these insects usually visit dirty spots.
Furthermore, they find the internal environment suitable during hot weather and try to get inside it through small drain holes and broken door gaskets.
What type of ants can live in a fridge?
Most commonly, you can find sugar-loving ants in the fridge because every species of these insects has different food requirements and varying preferences for habitat.
Sugar ants can enter the fridge if they detect sweet cakes and chocolates on the inner shelves, as their pleasant odor and sweet taste can entice these insects.
In addition, the carpenter ants can also visit the meat boxes if they need protein and detect the presence of chicken or beef inside the refrigerator.
I found a small number of black ants inside the container of juicy fruits as they were sucking the juice from apples and mango slices.
Furthermore, odorous houses, thieves, pharaohs, and Argentine ants can enter the fridge and live for almost 1 to 2 weeks without dying.
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