Natural And Chemical Ways To Rid Of Ants

 

In the United States, Odorous house ants and Argentine are common. Imagine getting up in the morning only to see the coffee grounds full of ants. Hard to let go, right?

Here are the top natural remedies to prevent ants from entering your home or repelling them if they already did. Anything available at home would do, from lemon juice to white vinegar. Keep reading.  

Easy Ways To Repel Ants

Vinegar

When you mix water and vinegar (50/50), you get an ant repellent spray. If you choose to kill the ants directly, you can by spraying the mix. After that, discard them using a damp paper towel. Vinegar and water also act as a deterrent. 

Wherever you see ants entering your home, spray this pest control solution. One may repel ants from the doorways and windowsills.

Cinnamon

Apart from using a mix to repel ants, you can kill them using cinnamon. If an ant inhales cinnamon, it leads to suffocation and death. Take some ground cinnamon and sprinkle around the opening of a visible anthill or on their path. 

The cinnamon essential oil works well to repel ants. Prevent the ants from entering your home by spraying this powder around cracks, windows, and doors. Moreover, you can mix water and a few cinnamon oil drops to spray on ant trails. 

Lemon Juice

It is similar to vinegar in destroying the scent trail, so ants can’t follow it. You can mix a solution of 3 parts water and one part lemon juice. It becomes your all-purpose spray. Around your home’s perimeter and entryways, spray the lemon solution. If you wish to get rid of ants elsewhere, spray this solution.

Peppermint

Are you looking for a natural insect repellent? Then, peppermint can be your pick. It is among the best natural remedies to control ants from entering your home. You may plant mint at home or use peppermint essential oil. Apart from the fact that ants hate its smell, your home will stay mint fresh all day! 

Around your home’s perimeter and the entryways, you may plant mint. Take a cotton ball and place peppermint essential oil drops. Wipe suspected areas with this. If the ants are frequent in your cabinets, you can place a cotton ball there. 

Black Pepper Or Cayenne Pepper

You should know that ants hate black pepper. Cayenne pepper works great too! Just locate the source of the ant problem and create a pepper wall. It will prevent ants from getting into your territory. Or you may simply sprinkle some black pepper. 

Another trick is to mix water and black pepper and spray it directly to repel ants. Some people don’t wish to kill the ants, but these are creeping their cupboards. So, pepper can deter ants from returning. 

Essential Oils And Boric Acid

You can mix lavender and peppermint oil with water and make a spray. Since ants hate these essential oils, you can spread them all around entry points. 

Sometimes killing ants is not the right way out. All you want is for them to take a U-turn. Repel ants using boric acid, if that’s feasible. However, read the instructions and keep children and pets away. 

Pest Control

If the initial handful gathers an entire ant colony, maybe home remedies aren’t enough. You need to call an expert for pest control. When you have an infestation on your hands, call them right away. 

These experts will identify the species and find ways to exterminate them. However, natural tricks like black pepper, lemon juice, and boric acid work just great in most cases. 

Tricks To Keep Ants From Entering Your Home

Seal All Entry Points

Seal and caulk any exposed crevices or cracks in windows and doors. It is the best way to prevent an ant problem in the first place. Most houses in the United States prefer to seal the entry points and aren’t welcoming to ants. 

Hide The Sweets

The dark brown or black garden ants are famous invaders. So, foods like sugar, maple syrup, and honey should be kept in tightly wrapped foils or airtight containers. You may even Plastic Wrap these sweet foods to repel ants. 

Do Your Chores

If you keep your cabinets, floors, countertops, and pantries clean, it’ll help. Generally, food crumbs hide here and welcome ants home. Also, store your dog’s food properly between feedings. Finally, keep cleaning the pet bowls regularly. 

Take Out The Trash

Ensure that your kitchen trash cans are adequately covered. If the lid cracks, buy a new bin. But, keeping them lidded and clean is one of the best ways to get rid of ants. Even after you remove the garbage, check the trash can for any residual ant-attractant.

Conclusion

If ant colonies have become perpetual trouble, you must find a solution. One way is to keep ant baits and wait for them to kill. The other is to seal the entry points so they cannot get in. The tricks given above can help you get rid of ants, almost hassle-free. Either spray a mix of vinegar and water or spread a small amount of boric acid. It all works!