Black Ants in the Kitchen: How to Get Rid of Them for Good

A trail of tiny black ants across the kitchen bench is one of the most common pest calls we get in Melbourne. They’re usually after something sweet, and they’ll keep coming back until the nest is dealt with. Here’s how to work out what ants you’ve got, why sprays don’t fix the problem, and what actually works.

Black house ants: tiny, shiny black and drawn to sweet food.

What are the little black ants in my kitchen?

In most Melbourne kitchens it’s the black house ant (Ochetellus glaber), a native ant that has adapted well to living with people.

• Size: tiny, about 2–2.5 mm long.
• Colour: shiny black to very dark brown, sometimes with lighter legs.
• Behaviour: they form busy trails between the nest and food, day and night, and they don’t sting.
• Food: sweet liquids and foods, such as honey, jam, soft drink spills, fruit and pet food.

Other ants that turn up in Melbourne kitchens include the white-footed house ant (black with pale “socks”), the coastal brown ant (light brown, likes greasy and protein foods) and the Argentine ant (honey-brown, huge spread-out colonies). They can look similar, so tell us what you’re seeing and we’ll identify them.

Where they’re coming from

The ants you see are workers. The nest, with the queen, is usually somewhere you can’t see, such as:

• Wall cavities and gaps behind skirting boards and kitchen cabinets
• Under the slab, paving, garden edging or pot plants outside
• Roof voids, and sometimes inside appliances and power points
• Garden beds close to the house, especially along the kitchen or laundry wall

Follow the trail back as far as you can. Where it disappears into a gap is a good clue to where the colony is.

Why supermarket sprays make it worse

Surface sprays kill the ants you hit, but they repel the rest. The nest keeps producing workers, the trail moves somewhere else, and with some species the colony can even split into more nests. That’s why ants seem to come straight back a few days after you spray.

How we get rid of kitchen ants for good

Our ant treatment uses a non-repellent product. Ants don’t avoid it. They walk through it and carry it back to the nest, where it spreads through the colony to the queen.

• Inside: kitchens and laundries, including skirting boards, where ants usually come in.
• Outside: along the ants’ trails, such as footpaths, driveways, paving, garden beds, decking, fences and around the walls and windows of the house.

Full control can take up to 28 days as the treatment spreads through the colony, so seeing some ants in the first couple of weeks is normal. Everyone, including children, babies and pets, can come back inside 2 hours after the indoor treatment. Our targeted ant treatment comes with a 6-month written guarantee, subject to our guarantee terms.

What you can do today

• Wipe benches with warm soapy water to remove the scent trail ants follow.
• Store sugar, honey, cereal and pet food in sealed containers.
• Rinse drink cans and bottles before they go in the recycling.
• Don’t leave pet food bowls out all day.
• Fix dripping taps and leaks, because ants also come in for water in hot weather.
• Hold off on surface sprays if you’re booking a treatment, as they can stop the ants taking our product back to the nest.

Black ant FAQs

Why do ants keep coming back after I spray them?

Surface sprays only kill the ants you hit and repel the rest, while the nest and queen keep producing more. A non-repellent treatment lets the ants carry it back to the nest, so the colony is dealt with.

Do black house ants bite or sting?

Black house ants don’t sting, and they’re not aggressive. They’re a nuisance and can contaminate food, but they’re not dangerous.

How long does the ant treatment take to work?

Full control can take up to 28 days as the treatment spreads through the colony. Seeing some ants in the first couple of weeks is normal while they carry it back to the nest.

Is the ant treatment safe in the kitchen?

Yes. We treat the edges and entry points, not food surfaces. Everyone, including children, babies and pets, can come back inside 2 hours after the indoor treatment.

Can you treat spiders at the same time?

Yes. Book ants and spiders together and we’ll add our full inside and outside spider treatment, with its written 12-month guarantee.

Ants marching across your kitchen? Call 1800 38 66 55 or request a free quote. We service all of Greater Melbourne, 7 days.