The psychology of humans is weird because they never welcome unwanted guests. This is the same for the microorganisms like pests, ants, rodents, etc. Consider what if you are enjoying the outdoor party and you see a swarm of insects coming to celebrate the party too. This will be a trouble because they not only eat the food but also bite people who come in their way.
In such conditions, you have to be present in mind to get rid of ants in your grill. There are many ways but the most common are listed in the article. We have mentioned some of the ways through which you can store your grill while you are not using it so the ants and other microorganisms will stay away from the grill.
How to Get Rid of Ants in Your Grill while Grilling
Outdoor grilling is a great way of enjoyment mostly in summer. Winter is a little bit tough when there is no sun in the sky and even some of the areas are too cold to enjoy an outdoor activity like grilling.
However, in summer grilling is the best way to enjoy it with loved ones and the fragrance of the searing steak adds additional enjoyment to such get-togethers. Nevertheless, such fragrance invites little creatures like ants and bugs too. It is necessary to take precautions from the start so they will not disturb the party.
1. Behavior of Ants
Ants are the most uninvited organisms that reach the area where food is cooking. To make them distant you have to know about their behavior towards the food. Due to their small size, they are not easily seen so they do their work easily and sometimes enter into the clothes and bit people.
Therefore, you must know how to deal with them by doing a little research on them through the internet like the small red ants’ behavior or the black one that has a size of ¼ inches. However, we have mentioned some of the ways you can restrict their movement towards your grilling area.
2. Keep the Grilling Area Clean
If you observe the ants on the deck or in the patio before grilling then it is a clear sign of nests or mounds in the surrounding area. It might be possible that you left some food previously or the fruit from the tree has fallen which is a great invitation for ants. Such a scenario increases the possibilities of the ants when you are grilling outdoors too.
It is better to clean the area by washing the patio before grilling. Additionally, if you are a great grilling lover then it is better to cut the branches of trees and use the lawn mower on a weekly or monthly basis so it will be hard for the ants to live in such areas.
3. Choose the Right Grill
Grill is a great investment and when you are buying one for your use then at least search it thoroughly before purchasing. Check for the grill that mentioned the restriction of ants and other microorganisms through its design. It is advised to buy a grill that has a lid that protects the food from the insects while grilling and it forbids the entrance of insects when you store them.
4. Set a Trap
Keep Bugs Off the Grill
If the area has so many bugs, then it is necessary to set a trap for them while grilling. Find a trap for the bugs and hang it around the grilling area at a reasonable distance. It will attract the bugs towards the light or the fragrance that the trap has and kill bugs when they come in contact with them. In such a way you can protect the food from bugs and enjoy the party.
Keep Ants Off the Grill
However, for the ants, you can create a smoke screen around the grill. It restricts the ants and other insects because the smoke can interfere with the trail’s scent, and it is also unpleasant to ants.
More intense smoke can harm the ants by filling the air with particles that can suffocate them. Alternatively, you can use peppermint, thyme, rosemary, and eucalyptus. The fragrance of these things keeps the ants away from the area where you are grilling.
Why are Ants Attracted to Grills
When you see ants wandering around your grill this means you did something wrong that attracts the ants. Your fault might be not cleaning the grill after grilling, as ants get attracted to the food and grease smell and feed on them. If the quantity of food particles is large, they then ants get inhabitants of the grill.
Ants leave a scent called pheromones behind them when they find food so the colony will come there to take to food. If you find food around your grill it is necessary to remove the scent to break the swarm of ants. Out of the many ways we have mentioned some of them are to protect the grill from ants and their colonies.
How to Restrict the Ants from the Grill
1. Vinegar Spray
When you see the ants interacting with your grill, the easiest way to remove them is by using vinegar. Ants can’t bear the smell of vinegar and run away from it. So, take a spray bottle add 1/4 vinegar and 3/4 water, and spray on the grill. Vinegar is acidic so it will kill the bacteria and other microorganisms while helping to remove the ants from the grill.
2. Cloves or Cinnamon
The ground cloves or cinnamon also work in keeping the ants away from the grill. Both have a strong aroma that disturbs the scent trails of the insects that they use to navigate the food and also helps in communication with each other.
The essential oils eugenol and cinnamaldehyde in cloves and cinnamon respectively irritate the ants and make them avoid the areas where you sprinkled these spices. These make a physical barrier for ants as a natural repellent due to their strong scent.
3. Clean the Grill Before Storing
If you cook anything on your grill then there is almost a 100% chance that the food particles and the grease will spread on the grill and in the surrounding areas too. These particles are a clear invitation to ants because they are in search of food all the time.
The only way to prevent the ants from coming to your grill is to clean it right away. Brush the grates while they are still hot and after that wash the grease pan and vacuum the food particles from the grill. Also, remove the utensils that have food from the surroundings of the grill.
4. Corn Starch
If you don’t want to use your grill for a longer time then you can use corn starch around your grill. Place your grill properly in a garage or the store. Put a grill cover that fits the grill so the pests and other organisms don’t enter the grill. After that take some corn starch and spread it around the grill.
The ants love the cornstarch powder, but it gets stuck in the digestive system and kills the ants. Don’t use the powder on the grill because the ants will eat the powder and get dead within the grill and when you will remove the cover you will feel your grill will be smelling.
5. Use Borax
Borax kills the insects within 24 to 48 hours and is considered one of the best pesticides. It is chemically made from boron, sodium, and oxygen. This mixture of chemicals can affect the stomach and nervous system of the insects within hours.
Make a mixture of borax, sugar, and a little bit of water and make dough of it. Spread it around the grill and your work is done. When the insects eat the mixture, the borax will affect them and they will die.
Using a Grill After an Infestation
When you store your grill for a longer period of no use, then there will be more chances that the ants and other organisms inhabitant the grill. Those unwanted guests make the grill filthy as well as do some bad with the material of the grill. The most common one is mold which causes rust afterwards and is dangerous for health But it is easy to remove the molds from the grill and use the grill again as usual for grilling.
Take the grill to an open area and remove the parts from it. It is easy to spot the infected areas in bright sunlight. Wear gloves and scrub the parts like burners, grates, drip pan, and the body thoroughly. When it is done take a bowl and make a mixture of vinegar, baking soda, and dish soap. This mixture will kill the bacteria, and mold spores, and clean the dead ants from the grill.
Wash the grill afterward and dry it with a paper towel. Fix the parts again and power the grill without starting grilling. Try to check the grill is working perfectly because sometimes the water enters the parts and make some disturbance while grilling the food.
Conclusion
The sweet smell of grease and the leftover food particles on the grill attracted the ants and insects. When you are grilling outside it is necessary to take precautionary measures at the start. These ants come from anywhere if they fragrance the food and make the grilling a little tough.
The easiest way is to sprinkle vinegar around the area or use some cloves or cinnamon. The ants don’t bear the smell of them and stay far away from them. If you are storing your grill while not using them then you can use corn starch or borax. Both of these work best in preventing the grill from ants by killing them away.