7 Natural Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Ants
Natural Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Ants
Ants are one of the natural household pests that typically roams the kitchen or anywhere with scents of sugar and grease. They’re not exactly harmful but it does gets the blood boil when you see them crawling on your favorite cookies and drinks. I know people who wouldn’t mind and eat them just the same. But, if you’re not those kind of people, being proactive in cleaning up any food spills is a must. Sometimes, even with the extra effort to keep the entire home clean, they still swarm the place for unknown reason. That’s when we need to turn to some remedies that will get rid of them. Not just any remedies, they’re home remedies which is safe for you and the environment.
1. Vinegar
Vinegar blocks ant pheromones. Ant pheromones are used for their communication among themselves. Without a clear path of pheromones which the vinegar destroys, they will lose control over their pathways. Vinegar doesn’t kill them but it does a pretty good job in deterring them from going back to that spot. Mixing equal parts of water and vinegar together is the recommended ratio but you can actually skip the water mixing part and just use vinegar as it is. The vinegar will disappear in a short time so it won’t be a bother.
2. Baking Soda & Powdered Sugar
This is one explosive way to control ants in your house. Mix equal parts of baking soda and sugar together. Then, place them at locations where ants will show up. The sugar will attract the ants to eat them along with the baking soda. The baking soda is the secret weapon here. It will react with the acid in the ants and cause them to explode.
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3. Citrus Peels
Citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges has acidic oil in their peels which will be the active ingredient for our remedy. The oil is toxic to them and will destroy them in contact. It also destroys the pheromone trail that is used by ants to find their way. So, to make this:
- put citrus peels on a pot
- pour vinegar into the pot to cover the peels
- heat it up but not to a boil
- leave it overnight
- strain the liquid into a spray bottle
- commence your attack on active ant zones
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4. Food-grade Diatomaceous Earth
The powder is safe for human and mammals but harmful for insects. When insects walk on them, it actually scratches their exoskeletons. This ruins their body armor and they’ll dry out easily. So, sprinkle them on places where the ants can walk on. It’ll get rid of them overtime.
5. Chalk
Ants won’t cross the chalk line because it interferes with their pheromones. So, draw lines of barrier around your home with chalk! Checkout the experimental video to see how ants behave with chalk lines via link below.
6. Peppermint Oil
Ants hate its smell and will run away from it. It doesn’t kill them but it’ll get rid of them from places that you spray with it. Just simply dab a cotton ball with peppermint essential oil and rub a trail on any surface. This works with other types of essential oil such as clove oil and tea tree oil.
7. Coffee Grounds
Ahh… the elixir of adulthood. Coffee! It’s good for us but apparently bad for the ants. It doesn’t kill them but it deters them as ants hate coffee. So, use it wisely to block ant trails. It’s one way to wage this battle.
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Tried any of these ideas?Share your intel with us! How effective was it? Or better yet, if you know any natural remedies that is super effective for you, let us know in the comments!
