There are many natural ways to get rid of ants, some work better than others, but in the battle against ants all weapons are valuable. The more weapons you have in your arsenal, the less likely the ants will be coming back. Here are a few tips to help you naturally win back your house.
Clean everything in sight! The first, and perhaps most important, weapon you have in your natural arsenal against ants is a clean house. Ants can find food residues even when we cannot see or smell them so we must not only clean but sanitize common food areas with something such as a vinegar and water mixture to eliminate the food residues as well as the ants scent trails which guide them back to tasty areas. Clean the bathrooms with the mixture as well, ants like to get into hair products and cosmetics sometimes depending on the ingredients.
Vacuum your entire house and get into all the crevices and corners to get all food particles up. If the ants are getting into your carpet you can sprinkle some borax or diatomaceous earth on the carpet before vacuuming.
Make your house undesirable to the ants. Once your house has been cleaned of food particles and residues, make the ants hate being in your space and they will leave. Here are some natural ways to make your house and yard undesirable to ants and other insects:
Sprinkle an aromatic ground spice such as cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper, etc. around areas where the ants are coming in and in all cracks and holes, they do not like these spices and normally won’t cross the line after a little while. Also sprinkle the spices around the perimeter of your house to create a barrier. Peppermint, spearmint, lavender, sage, and other aromatic herbs work well too, place them in cabinets, on door jambs, under rugs, etc. to keep the ants unsatisfied with your home. Fresh squeezed lemon also works well for around doors and windows.
If you have visible ant mounds in your yard you can treat them in several ways: Pour boiling water on them, this kills the ants and hopefully the eggs and queen if the boiling water gets deep enough; If your area is dry, sprinkle dry instant grits on the mound, the workers deliver it to the queen who eats it and after consuming water dies from her stomach exploding, often killing the entire mound within days; If your area is wet, mix a few tablespoons of dish soap in a gallon of hot water and pour the entire thing over the mound, the soap suffocates them and the hot water delivers the soap deep into the mound.
When you see ants, kill them and erase their scent trail! This can easily and safely be done by mixing a squirt of dish soap and hot water in a spray bottle and spraying the ants directly, then wiping up the area with the mixture. The soapy water suffocates the ants while the mixture dissolves the scent trail. Eliminating the scent trail will keep other ants from finding the same spots as quickly. It is also very effective to wipe down your walls and counter tops with this mixture often. Diligence in killing visible ants and eliminating their scents will eventually make them move out and move on down the road.
Planting aromatic herbs and plants around the perimeter of your home can significantly reduce the number of ants trying to invade. The more barriers you setup the fewer ants will cross. Some good plants for this purpose are lavender, chili peppers, garlic, rosemary, eucalyptus, clove, lemon balm, cedar, mint varieties, and geraniums.
If these natural suggestions don’t work or don’t seem to be very effective you may have an infestation that you need a professional to look at. Check under the house, in attics, and anywhere else you can think of that the ants may be building their nests and try natural remedies to drive them out and if that doesn’t work there are pest professionals specializing in natural insect control and elimination that can help you fix the problem.
There are numerous other natural ways to get rid of ants but I hope these suggestion have given you some ammo to add to your natural insect arsenal. If you would like to find out more about natural insect control, or you would like a complete natural plan to rid yourself of bugs in general Click Here to read more.
