Ants are common in the kitchen where there is abundant food and in particular most ant species like sweet foods like sugar, and honey. Ants tend to come out of nowhere, and if they are present in your bathroom, it can be confusing as to why. So, in this article, I will explain how to get rid of ants in a bathroom.
As a general rule, it’s because they have a nest close to your bathroom and are hunting for food, they going there to drink water, or their home was destroyed by rain, and they are coming inside for shelter. Ants can easily be removed with ant bait.
As you can see, there are a few reasons why ants will start hanging around in your bathroom, or use it as a transport route to somewhere else. But, to get rid of them, the method is the same. Below, is how to get rid of ants, and a more in-depth explanation about why ants are in your bathroom.
How To Get Rid of Ants in the Bathroom
Many species of ants will cause a very painful bite, they can also begin eating the wood in your home, and will eventually cause a lot of damage. Therefore, it’s a good idea to remove ants from your home, and here’s how to do that.
Overall, ant bait is the best thing to use to get rid of ants. Ants will take it back to their nest, where it will kill the entire colony. But, you need to get bait for the type of ants you have, because different ant species have different diets. How to identify them is explained below.
Some of the common species of ants in the USA will eat anything such as meat, fruits, and nectar. Whereas, others only eat grass or wood. The ants that are most common in the USA are:
- Carpenter ants
- Fire ants
- Sugar ants
- Argentine ants
- Thief ants
- Harvester ants
- Black house ants
- Pharaoh’s ants
- Odorous house ants
To identify what type of ants you have refer to this article from Western Exterminator, an extermination company. It shows pictures of what each of the most common types of ants look like. If you have a carpenter ant problem, for example, you should carpenter ant bait.
There are ways to stop ants from entering certain areas. The easiest are acidic type liquids such as lemon juice, heavily salted water, or vinegar. If you notice ants coming out of one particular hole you can spray one of these, and it will deter them from coming through that area.
Main Reasons Why Ants Are in Your Bathroom
Ants live in large colonies with burrows underground. They will typically set up next to a food source. So, that it’s not so far to travel. But, if they are living close to your house and there is heavy rain it will wash out their burrows, and they will seek shelter indoors. Which just might end up being your bathroom.
They can hide out here until they establish a new food source and make a new burrow. But, in other cases, they have permanently set up shop, and are feeding on the wood in your home.
Ants also drink water by getting a droplet stuck to their head and drinking it with their tongue. If there hasn’t been much rain, they may be low on water sources, and they may be coming into your bathroom to drink water from the bottom of your shower, and from the sinks.
In all cases though, it’s best to kill them using ant bait, so that they don’t continue to bother you. Some ants also have a very nasty bite, and if you’re going about your normal activities one or a few can be walking around, and end up on your body and give you a bite.
Can Ants Come Up the Shower Drain
Ants can enter your bathroom from a range of different places. They can walk long distances and come through small gaps and holes. But, here’s whether a shower drain is one pathway that ants can get into your bathroom.
As a general rule, ants can not come up the shower drain. Shower drains have a plumbing fixture just below the drain called a p-trap. It is a ‘u’ shaped pipe that permanently has water in it to stop odors in the pipe from coming up the drain. Ants will not swim through this water.
The water is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) or more in depth and covers an area that is about half a foot (15 cm). Ants don’t like being in water and will avoid it. However, if they fall into water or get washed away by a flow of water they can swim. But, they can’t swim underwater.
A shower drain is reasonably long, and technically an ant could walk up the pipe when the shower isn’t used. However, they won’t be able to swim past the p-trap. And will get flushed back down the drain when the shower is used.
Can Ants Come Up the Sink
Most ants are very small and can walk upside down, and on vertical surfaces. For this reason, they can virtually walk anywhere. Here’s if it’s possible for ants to come up the sink.
In general, ants can not come up the sink. Sinks have a ‘u’ shaped pipe called a p-trap just below the drain. It permanently has water in it to stop bad odors in the pipe from coming up the drain in the sink. Ants will not swim through this water.
They will also get flushed down the pipe every time the sink is used. In rare cases when there’s an issue with the plumbing the p-trap can be dry. This occurs if there’s a leak in the plumbing and the pressure in the pipe is not air-tight.
But, other than that it’s not possible for ants to get through the p-trap. Ants will not swim underwater. And there is too much water in the p-trap for them to get through.
Amos Christen graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Interior Design from Drexel University — Philadelphia, PA. Since 2003, Amos has worked with top interior design professionals in this area, including architects and interior/graphic/lighting designers. As a skilled interior designer, Amos Christen is highly versed in fine arts and crafts and uses that to supplement his main area of expertise. He often publishes articles related to home décor on several websites, including Sprucetoilets.com, Sprucebathroom.com, and Mybesuitedhome.com. He also contributes to leading interior design magazines.