🐜 Kitchen Ant Invasion: A Complete Guide to Destroying Every Nest in Hong Kong

Hong Kong homes, especially those in older buildings and low-rise units, are prone to ant invasions, especially during summer and humid seasons. Ants swarm in search of food, often sneaking out from cracks in walls, along electrical troughs, and behind cabinets. Once established, ants return repeatedly, so simply swatting a few ants isn't enough. Learn how to eliminate the entire nest using scientific methods , not just the immediate ants, but also their potential escape routes.

---

1️⃣ Common invasive ant species in Hong Kong🔍

• Ghost Ant
  It has a thin body and light color, likes sweets, and often goes into the kitchen to grab sugar, honey, and biscuits.
• Pharaoh Ant
  It has a yellowish-brown body, prefers hot and humid environments, eats sweets and grease, and is difficult to deal with.
• Black House Ant
  It is large in size and will bite sweets and proteins, with obvious routes.

💡 Let me tell you : Different ants have different preferences, so you have to choose the right bait for your ants, otherwise the effectiveness of destroying the entire nest will be greatly reduced.

---

2️⃣ Why do ants target your kitchen? 🍯

• Exposed food → Sugar, biscuits, rice grains, meat scraps, etc. attract ants.
• Adequate water supply → Sink, leaking taps, dripping water dispenser.
• Hidden passages → Corner cracks, wire holes, and gaps under cabinets.
• Signal pheromones → When an ant finds food, it releases an odor signal to attract an entire group of ants.

---

3️⃣ The scientific principle of killing ants in multiple nests🧪

Ants are social insects. In their nests there are worker ants, soldier ants, and a queen. As long as the queen survives, the ants will continue to reproduce .
Method of destroying nests :

1. Use poisonous bait (low-dose chronic poison) to attract worker ants to move back to the nest.
2. The worker ants feed the poison bait to the queen and young ants.
3. The entire nest is poisoned and dies, achieving a radical cure.

---

4️⃣ Practical ant extermination process (Hong Kong version)🛠

Step 1: Lock the ant route

• Observe the entrances and exits of ants, such as corners, edges of cabinets, and behind electrical appliances.
• Mark the fixed routes that ants travel to make it easier to place bait.

---

Step 2: Choose the right bait

• Common brands on the market: Combat, Advion, Optigard, etc.
• Sweet bait → For sweet-loving ants (such as house ants and Pharaoh ants).
• Protein bait → Targets carnivorous ants (such as black house ants).
• If you are not sure about the species, you can mix sweet + protein bait.

---

Step 3: Bait Correctly

1. Place the bait near the ants' path (do not block it directly).
2. Keep the bait clean and odorless to avoid it being washed away by water.
3. Do not use insecticide spray at the same time, as it will scare away the ants and prevent them from returning to the nest with the bait.

---

Step 4: Be patient

• Initially, the number of ants may increase as more worker ants come out to carry the bait.
• The number of infestations will begin to decrease significantly after 3-7 days , and severe nests may take 2-3 weeks to completely eliminate.

---

Step 5: Remove the nest and residue

• A concentration of dead ants was found, which may be the location of their nest.
• Vacuum away the dead ants and debris and discard the bag.
• Wipe the floor with bleach or vinegar to remove the pheromone smell and prevent new ants from following the scent.

---

5️⃣ Special Notes for Hong Kong📍

• Old buildings have many gaps → You can use caulking glue to seal the gaps in wall corners and pipes.
• High-rise units → Ants can enter the house through the air conditioner unit on the exterior wall, so check for cracks in the exterior wall.
• Humid weather → Ants are more active, so it is recommended to carry out ant extermination and dehumidification simultaneously.

---

6️⃣ Long-lasting anti-ant habits🛡

• Store food in sealed containers, and use airtight boxes for sugar jars and snacks.
• Clean food crumbs from the table and floor immediately.
• Check your sink every night to keep it dry.
• Regularly inspect windows, door gaps, and pipe openings.

---

📌 Editor's Summary

Want to "kill the entire nest" of kitchen ants:

1. Observation route (finding the entrance)
2. Symptomatic bait (sweet or protein)
3. Wait patiently for the worker ants to return to the nest with the poison bait
4. Remove odor + block entrance

💬 My personal experience has shown that using a sweet + protein bait significantly reduces the number of ants within 7 days . Add in seam sealing and protection, and you won't see them marching for months. The only thing to be patient with is the initial "increase" of ants, but this is a necessary step in destroying a nest. Be patient and you can knock them out in one fell swoop! 🔥