Content:
- Fixing the Problem with Ants
- Natural Insecticides
- Lay Traps
- Take Out a Nest
- Completely Natural Deterrents
- Keeping it Clean
- Seal Any Cracks
There is nothing worse than opening your pantry and finding hundreds of ants crawling through and over everything, especially if you have sugar stored in there. The most common method of fixing the problem with ants is to use pesticides, but these don’t only kill the pest, they can also kill other insects that are beneficial to the environment.
Another problem with using pesticides is that the chemicals can also be harmful to your pets and your family members, so it is better to try natural remedies and methods to get rid of an ant invasion.
Fixing the Problem with Ants
Natural Ant Insecticides
Soapy Water
You may be surprised to find that simple soapy water can be a good way of killing ants. An easy method is to fill a water spray bottle with two parts water, one part dish soap, and shake it well. Then when you see the ants, spray them with the solution, and they will suffocate to death.
Alternatively, use small shallow dishes with soapy water in them and leave a trail of something sweet, such as sugar, for the ants to follow to the dish. Once they crawl into or fall into the water, they will die.
The only downside is that this method will only kill the ants you see, it won’t affect the actual nest. So, if the ants keep returning you will have to try and find the nest.
Vinegar and Water
White vinegar has so many uses it really is a wonder product for the home, and it can be used to kill ants as well. You need to make a solution of 50/50 water and white vinegar in a spray bottle.
When you spray it directly onto the ants, it will kill them. Also, spray it on your window sills and around your doorways to help prevent the ants from coming into the house.
Lemon Juice
Some people aren’t so keen on the smell of vinegar so a solution made with lemon juice works just as well.
Ants don’t like the citric acid component of lemon juice, which makes it a useful deterrent around the areas you think the ants are coming in through.
Mix 3 parts water and 1 part lemon juice in a spray bottle and spray it wherever you need to.
Diatomaceous Earth
You can sprinkle diatomaceous earth around inside the home, but use the food-grade variety for better safety for your family and pets. The composition of this earth includes diatoms that were fossilized, that were then crushed into a powder. When insects walk over it, the outer coating of their bodies is scratched which makes them dehydrate and die.
Make sure you wear a mask when sprinkling diatomaceous earth around, and focus on areas such as windowsills and the baseboards. The earth isn’t harmful, but the tiny particles may irritate when inhaled. The earth doesn’t work well when it is exposed to wetness, so it needs to be kept dry.
Boric Acid
This may sound like a dangerous chemical but it is actually a completely natural product. It has the same effect as the diatomaceous earth, causing scratches in the exoskeleton of the ant and making it dry out, but it also has another effect as well. If an ant eats the boric acid, it poisons them.
Keep boric acid out of reach of your household members including your pets, as a safety measure. Though it shouldn’t be dangerous to large animals and humans, it can be harmful to smaller creatures, so it is better to be safe.
Lay Traps
Sugar and Boric Acid Trap
This is an easy trap to make and yet very effective against ants. For each trap, you will need a piece of cardboard, some corn syrup or other sugary syrup, and boric acid powder. Mix 2 tablespoons of the syrup with 2 tablespoons of the boric acid together until it is like a paste. If it is too wet, add a little more boric acid. Then spread it over the cardboard with a spoon. Now place the trap in any areas where you often see ants, but not in your kitchen areas where food is stored.
These traps can even be used outside, which is a great way of preventing ants from coming inside. The ants are attracted to the sugary part of the paste and will be poisoned when they eat it. They don’t die straight away, but they will eventually, usually after taking some of the food back to the nest, which will, in turn, kill even more ants.
When you notice the syrup has dried on the trap, you will need to replace it with a fresh trap. Continue to use the traps until you no longer notice any ants coming to them. Within a couple of weeks, you should see a significant decline in the number of ants coming to the traps.
Cornmeal Borax traps
This type of trap is aimed specifically at the larvae of the ants back in the nest. The ants will carry small pieces of the cornmeal back to the nest and feed them to the larvae, which then convert the solid food to a liquid and are fed back to the worker ants.
This method results in the poison going through multiple generations of the ants. Make a mixture of cornmeal and borax, with a few drops of water to reach a paste consistency. Then, spread it to any areas where you notice ants.
Take Out a Nest
Ideally, to completely get rid of your ant problem you really need to destroy the whole nest.
If you follow a trail of ants, they will lead you to where the nest is, which, depending on the type of ant, could be out in the open, hidden in rocks, bushes, or hedges, or cracks in the sidewalk. It may even be inside your house!
Once you have located the nest, fill a large pot with water about halfway then bring it to a boil. Carry it carefully and pour it directly over the nest. If you can see an entry hole, pour it through that.
Not only will the boiling water kill hundreds of ants, but it will also cause the nest to collapse, killing even more. Sometimes if the nest is particularly large you may need to use more than one pot of boiling water.
Of course, if the nest is inside the house you will need to deal with it in a slightly different manner. So, use the soapy water method mentioned above to suffocate the ants in the nest. Alternatively, scrape the contents of the nest into a bucket and then pour over the boiling water.
Sometimes you will need to use the boiling water method over a few days to effectively eradicate all of the ants. If it’s not doing the job well enough, use a stick or poker and stab it into the nest, moving it around to create a crater. Then fill the hole you have made with baking soda until it is about halfway up and pour vinegar on top.
Completely Natural Ant Deterrents
You could make a line around your windowsills and the outside of your home that the ants won’t cross, using a variety of natural methods.
Every few days, redo the lines to make sure there are no broken areas where the ants can sneak through. The best things to use for making the lines are:
- Coffee grounds
- Orange or lemon peel ground up
- Cayenne pepper
- Cinnamon
Essential Oils
There are several essential oils that ants cannot bear the smell of, so they won’t enter an area where these oils are placed. Using a spray bottle, add 1 cup of water and 10 drops of the oil and spray the areas where you know ants have been entering.
The great thing about using essential oils is that you can use them inside and outside, and the smell won’t bother the humans in the family. The best oils to try are:
- Peppermint oil
- Lemon oil
- Cedar oil
- Eucalyptus oil (but keep it away from cats as it is toxic to them)
- Lavender oil
Keeping It Clean
If your home and the surfaces within are kept nice and clean you are less likely to have ants coming inside.
They tend to enter homes during the months of spring, so this is the time when you really need to keep your cupboards, countertops, and floors nice and clean.
Your food containers should be sealed shut, especially if they are sweet foods like sugar or honey. If ants can’t smell food, they won’t come looking for it.
Seal Any Cracks
If there are any cracks or crevices in the home, seal them up using a sealant or caulk. Also, take measures to seal around windows and doors. If the house is airtight, the ants can’t enter.
Once you have sealed up any areas, then spray with water mixed with lemon or lavender just to make sure they aren’t tempted to sneak in.
