How To Naturally Get Rid Of Ants

With summer in full force, tiny ants across the country are building their ant farms and reproducing by the millions. A few ants here or there aren’t a problem, and most people aren’t afraid of an ant or two. However, when the ants living in the anthills on your front walkway start coming in the front door, you’ll need to do something about it.

The good news is that there are many simple, effortless and inexpensive ways on how not to kill ants but remove them from your house. In fact, the ingredients for natural ant control can be found right in your pantry.

Here are some natural ant repellents that won’t put you in danger form using toxic products.

Baby powder

Dusted on both the ants when you see them, and at their entry point into your house.

Vinegar

Put some vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray around the areas that these pesky critters show up. Vinegar leaves behind a natural ant repellant.

Even more ant-fighting power: vinegar and water, with about ten drops of tea tree oil mixed in. This is an excellent cleaner, disinfectant, and deodorizer.

Chalk

School teachers get your chalk out. Yes, that’s right, for some reason if you draw a line of chalk on the ground, ants will not cross over it. Maybe they know that once you “draw the line” one side is theirs and the other is yours.

Leaves And Cloves

Place bay leaves or cloves at their point of entry. Ants hate the scent of these, and will avoid them.

Black Pepper

Black Pepper is a natural safe way to send these insects running back to their anthills. Sprinkle some near their entryway and rest assured that they will not visit you while that pepper stands in the way.

You can also try sprinkling cayenne pepper at their point of entry.

Mint

The best solution is to build a border around your house of spearmint plants. This keeps the little pests away, plus it makes entries smell great! also, some types of mint chewing gum keep these segmented bugs away. Place some down and they will find some other place to hang out.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is also known for its ability to keep those crawling bugs away. Sprinkle some around the areas they frequent the most.

Catnip

Basil repels flies and mosquitoes. To deter ants, use catnip. Sprinkle it in their paths.

Borax

You can make your own Borax ant traps to help get rid of your ant problem for good. Try a mix of borax and syrup. Put this mix along places you see the ants.

Windex and Ivory Soap

Mix equal parts Windex and Ivory Soap. This is a preferred option to use environmentally safe methods to control pests.

Boiling water

Boiling water is a bit more brutal method to get rid of those ants, but usually works pretty well, if you can get the queen. Usually it won’t be a problem if you put enough water down their nest. A few gallons of water should be enough.

Other plants

Here is a list of some other plants which have been known to be effective at warding off ants: basil, lavender, garlic, chili peppers, eucalyptus, rosemary and thyme.

Keep in mind that if you have a major ant problem then chances are these natural tips won’t help the problem go away entirely. In that case, you may need to hire a professional.

Filed Under: Health & Fitness