I’m in a Florida rental and just read host (property management) rules to not leave any food out on counters due to the tiny ants. i can see a few scouting. how do I deal with the garbage if they have open garbage containers, no lids? (even with lids, wouldnt ants still just swarm in?) Do i put food waste into the fridge until I’m ready to throw it in the dumpster each day? Owner not responding, I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m a PIA because I asked if there was any salt in the kitchen… but hey - i read the rules!
If there is a garbage disposer, use that. If not, put the waste in a ziploc bag and put that in the refrigerator.
We have an open air house and put the food trash in the trashcan in the kitchen - it’s the type where you step on on the flap by the floor and the lid pops up. Yes, the ants can find the food there, too. But the ants are really tiny and easily managed, so it isn’t a big deal.
The ants need to be given a more attractive target than the food or they need to create a barrier around the house (insecticide). “Terro” liquid ant bait works great (Home Depot/Lowes) - it’s boric acid (Borax) in sugar water.
I recently had an infestation of sugar nats, the small black ones that come inside through minuscule holes. Thank goodness my guest didn’t mention it but I know they arrived because they didn’t clean the counters when they cooked. I had mo problem before they spent 5 nights there and they used my Ninja blender a lot so I think they used a lot of fruit and didn’t wipe down the counters afterwards.
I created a mix of borax, sugar and water to attract them. Then they take it back to the ant colony and hopefully kill everything within a few days. I have guests checking in tomorrow so I will head back to the house, get rid of the borax trap and then spray everything down with white vinegar. I hope my next guests don’t encounter any of these critters and I am fortunate that these last guests didn’t mention it in their review!