Ants seem to invade our houses while seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Ants may be small, but if you’ve tried to battle the infestations, you know they can be a real nuisance. Not even the strongest chemicals seem to drive them away. Well, you’re in luck, because there are plenty of natural ways to reclaim your home without harming your family or pets. Here’s how to send them packing, naturally.
White Vinegar Spray
Ants detest the smell of vinegar, as it completely disrupts their scent trails. All you have to do is mix equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle, and then apply it to any baseboards, countertops, or entry points you’d like to rid of ants. Luckily, the smell of the vinegar fades quickly for humans, but remains potent to any ants in the area. Just keep spraying the vinegar mixture each day until ant activity decreases entirely.
Lemon Juice Barrier
Lemon juice is another remedy that erases the scent trails of the ants, while also containing natural acidic properties disliked by ants. Simply squeeze the lemon juice along the windowsills, ant entryways, and door thresholds. If you’d like a stronger effect, you can always mix the lemon juice with a bit of water and throw it into a spray bottle to easily spread it throughout the house.
Cinnamon Powder
Cinnamon not only smells delicious, it also acts as a natural ant repellent. Sprinkle some ground cinnamon on the areas ants are using to enter your home. The powder can physically deter the ants, and also masks their pheromone trails because of the strong cinnamon scent. For a greater effect, you can use a cinnamon essential oil combined with a bit of water in a spray bottle.
Diatomaceous Earth (Food Grade)
Diatomaceous Earth is a fine, powdery substance that is harmless to you and your pets, but deadly to ants. When they interact with the powder, it damages their exoskeleton, leading to dehydration. Sprinkle the powder under cabinets, around foundations, or close to ant entries. However, be sure to get the food-grade diatomaceous earth for indoor use, and then reapply the powder after rainfall or cleaning.
Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint oil is a multi-insect repellent that will drive many different insects, including ants. Add ten to fifteen drops of water and pour it into a spray bottle, then douse the areas around cracks, doors, and windows to prevent ants from entering your home. The strong smell will confuse the ants and prevent them from properly navigating. A bonus to using peppermint essential oil is that it leaves your home smelling clean and fresh!
Cucumber Peels
Strangely enough, ants seem to dislike cucumbers, especially the bitter cultivars. Place freshly cut cucumber slices or peels close to where the majority of the ants are. The ants will smell, then taste the cucumber, and stay away from it. The slices will dry out in time, so you should replace them daily to keep the smell strong and effective. If you feel like the cucumber isn’t as effective, you can always combine it with green cleaning deterrents for a stronger smell.
Baking Soda and Sugar Trap
Mix equal parts powdered sugar and baking soda, and put the mixture in shallow dishes close to ant trails or nests. The sugar will attract the ants, while the baking soda disrupts their digestive system, killing them in due time. This method may be slow-acting, but it makes fantastic homemade bait for large quantities of pesky ants.
Boiling Water
Using boiling water is one of the most direct and effective methods against large ant colonies. Just pour the boiling water into ant hills outside, which destroys their nests and kills the ants inside. If there are multiple colonies, just repeat the process until all the hills are more or less destroyed. Just be careful not to get any of the boiling water on yourself or any of your precious plants, and be wary of indoor plumbing or other sensitive areas.
Coffee Grounds
You can sprinkle used coffee grounds around your garden, close to windows, and near points where you’ve spotted ants. The strong smell of the coffee will confuse the ants’ scent trails, while ants generally dislike its aroma, and thus stay away from areas that smell like coffee. Not only will you be enriching your soil, but you’ll be keeping those pesky ants at bay.
Clove Essential Oil
Clove oil contains high amounts of eugenol, which acts as a natural insecticide. Mix the oil with some water, and apply it to areas with high ant traffic, or put a few drops on cotton balls, then place them near points of entry. It even kills ants on contact, which will deter other ants from following their trail. However, use it with caution, since it may be natural, but that doesn’t mean it’s harmless.
Cornmeal
Cornmeal may not instantly kill ants, but it is often taken back to the colony as food. The ants will eat it, but have difficulty digesting it, leading to mass starvation over time. Take cornmeal and sprinkle it along ant trails and nests, which should be enough to have them start picking it up and carrying it inside the colony. Plus, cornmeal is safe for both children and pets, and it can always be used as a broader natural pest control to regulate other insect numbers as well.
Chalk Lines
Drawing a line with a piece of chalk seems simple, but it does work. Chalk contains calcium carbonate, which is proven to disrupt the scent trails of ants and deter others from crossing said lines. So take a piece of chalk and draw chalk lines across your windowsills, doorways, or directly on ant paths. Chalk lines aren’t a long-term fix, but it does provide an immediate, non-toxic barrier if you’re fed up with ants.
Bay Leaves
Bay leaves emit a very subtle aroma that is unpleasant to ants. So place these whole leaves inside your pantry shelves, close to entryways, along ant trails, and in your cupboards. If you feel like you want extra potency, just crush the leaves a bit to release a more potent scent. The best part is that these leaves are totally safe, easy to use, and add another piece of natural weaponry to your pest control arsenal.
Borax and Honey Bait
Borax is toxic to ants and works best when combined with something sweet to attract ants, like honey. Take one part borax and three parts honey, and then place it on small cardboard pieces close to ant trails or nests. The honey will draw ants in, making them carry the mixture into the colony, where it then kills other ants over time. Be wary of letting small children or pets close to these mixtures.
Soapy Water Spray
A simple mix of water and dish soap can break down the outer shells of ants, killing them on contact. Combine only a few drops of liquid soap with water and spray or pour it onto ants, entry points, or their nests. If you spray ants on trails, it’ll confuse their scents, which will prevent future invasions for a while.
