Ants are always there in your home, no matter what. So, of course, this makes you wonder, "does vacuuming kill ants." But vacuuming doesn't kill these ants.
These vacuums suck ants fast, and some of them might die when they do get sucked up by your vacuum. But a majority of them don't get killed.
The reason behind that is they are too small and too lightweight to get hurt by your vacuum cleaner.
Before answering "does, vacuuming kill ants," let's talk about why you have these ants in your house?
Why Do You Have Ants in the House?
They come inside our homes in search of nesting habitat and food. Any small amounts of food, including food crumbs, can attract various hordes of those ants.
These tiny creatures comprise over 13,000 species. But, no matter how clean your house is, these ants always find a way to crawl on anything that they can find.
These ants live in all habitats throughout the globe, excluding Antarctica and the Arctic. Some people still tend to get scared by their presence and reach out to pest controls to get rid of ants.
But no matter what you do, these ants are going to find a way and make an appearance now and then. If you think that you have an immaculate house? Then try to leave a piece of food on the floor for some time. And you will see some ants lurking around it even if they are not in hordes.
But with time, that piece of food will attract a horde as well. So, these tiny creatures have a significant role in cleaning the entire ecosystem. They attack cockroach nymphs and spread small seeds. So, they are essential to our ecosystem.
This makes you wonder if you shouldn't be getting rid of them and trying to learn to live with them. But what if you vacuum them? Of course, you don't want to kill them?
What Happens When You Vacuum an Ant?
If you have seen hordes of ants in or around your house, you might not want to use insecticides on them. This is because they can be harmful to other insects like bees. And this might be a stronger case if you have pets and kids around your house. So, you will have to be a lot more cautious in using such chemicals around your home.
But what about vacuuming. This might be a good idea to eliminate ant hordes? Cleaning them is a good idea, and you don't end up killing a majority of ants if you are using a regular vacuum cleaner. But the thing is, doing this is not going to be entirely effective as well.
Only a few ants will die when they get sucked up into your cleaner. But a significant portion will not even get affected. This is because these tiny creatures have such a small and lightweight body that prevents them from getting hurt.
You will notice that as soon as you try to empty that bag, these little creatures will get out of it and start spreading on the bag and you.
This will be an even bigger mess, especially if you have some insect phobia. So, you might need to go for the correct type of vacuum cleaner for this purpose.
The only thing that you need to worry about is whether you want to kill those ants or not. But if your house attracts hordes of ants in summers because that is when they are most active.
Perhaps, it's a better option to get rid of them as much as possible. So, you need the right kind of vacuum cleaner or shop vacuums for the best results.
Can You Vacuum Up Live Ants?
Yes, you can vacuum up live ants pretty quickly. Vacuuming them is probably the best option. You can cleanly attack those lines. They won't have a chance to escape from the suction power as they have lightweight and small bodies.
The thing you need to worry about here is emptying the vacuum bag. Because suction will not kill these tiny insects, they will always find a way out of that bag. So, it would help if you used a better tool of suction here.
Vacuum cleaners with flexible plastic corrugated hose and crevice tools can eliminate ants. If your vacuum cleaner doesn't come with these features, you will deal with live ants.
So yes, you can vacuum live ants, but with the right type of vacuum cleaner, you will get the best results. Vacuum cleaners with flexible corrugated tubes are for this purpose. Hence, you need to go for a cleaner that features those flexible plastic hoses.
With such a cleaner on your side, you won't have to deal with the ant problem again as it can remove ants pretty well. But this is only going to work if you are not dealing with those vast hordes.
Do Ants Die in a Vacuum Cleaner?
As mentioned above, ants don't die inside a vacuum cleaner, so your ant problem is still pretty much there. Most people think that a plastic bag can suffocate them, and they will eventually die. But that has nothing to do with them because you can't choke them.
These tiny creatures can live in water and breathe using those tiny air bubbles on their bodies. So, the air inside the bag is going to be more than enough for them to live.
And, of course, you can't stuff your vacuum bag with these ants. So, suffocating those ants is an idea you need to throw out of the window.
One practical tip for you is to go for diatomaceous earth, an excellent anti-ant product that you can use in your vacuum bag. Next, you need to dump it in your vacuum bag in a small quantity and then seal the bag. After that, shake your vac bag and dispose of it.
One benefit of using diatomaceous earth is that it is a much better option than another insecticide. In addition, this product is entirely environmentally friendly and flammable as well.
The same cannot be said for any of those ant sprays or insecticides. But you need to make sure that you don't use it near a vacuum cleaner, or your unit will get damaged from it.
Keep in mind you should not use these chemicals or insecticides around the area that you are vacuuming. It is not going to be a good thing for your vacuum and certainly won't be safe for you as well.
Can Ants Crawl Back Out of a Vacuum?
If you are looking to vacuum ants, you need to do it the right way. You have to clean ants properly for the best results. This is precisely why you should use diatomaceous earth in your vacuum bag.
If you don't use this product, those pesky ants are going to crawl out from your vacuum. So, it would help if you handled them effectively. If you are dealing with hordes of ants, you will have to go for an insecticide.
If you are not dealing with large hordes of ants, other tricks like apple cider vinegar, borax, and other substances can work for you. These substances are entirely natural, and using them is completely safe. But they are not going to be effective on large colonies of these pesky ants.
But make sure you don't go for just any insecticide. For example, one of the most effective insecticides for ants is the Advion Ant Gel Insecticide. And yes, you have guessed it right! The gel is going to keep those ants in control.
This way, you can control those hordes of pesky ants because the gel is a sticky medium that will hold the ant in place. This gel will expose these ants to poison, and they will die after a short while. From there, you can use your vacuum cleaner as usual.
Gel-type insecticides are always a great option because they hold these ants in one place. Ants are not going to do any harm when they are not on the move. And with poison in, then these gels will hold and kill those hordes effectively.
Wrap up
So, as far as the question "does vacuuming kill ants" is concerned, no, it won't. You need to understand the fact that these innocent ants are not your enemies. On the contrary, they have a significant role to play in our ecosystem. They take care of any decomposing matter there and prevent further decay of organic matter that might become hazardous.
To ensure you don't have any ants in your home, keep your house clean and free from any food crumbs. You can also use diatomaceous earth in your shop vac bag. Use Advion Ant Gel insecticide for better results. These are the products that will kill ants and prevent them from getting out of your shop vac. A bagless vacuum is the best vacuum for the job.
Even a tiny piece in the corner under the furniture will attract these ants.