Commercial products are also available to help kill or detract these pests. Some natural ways to permanently get rid of ants include using water-based mixtures that contain borax and Diatomaceous earth, or pouring boiling water into ant holes. Like most essential oils, keep tea tree oil out of reach of pets.
How To Prevent Ants From Entering Your Home
From peppermint oil to ground coffee, there are plenty of natural homemade remedies you can try to help keep the pesky insects at bay. Sometimes, it is possible to get rid of ants with items you likely already have around the house. Price suggests using a 50/50 combo of vinegar and water (you can use a rag or a spray bottle). Sometimes it takes many types of ant control to truly get ant populations under control.
Make a homemade ant killer with Borax
No matter how hard we try, sometimes we can't avoid pesky ants making their way into our homes. They tend to be drawn to rooms like the kitchen, where it's easy for them to find food sources to bring back to the rest of their colony. If you've recently been swarmed by ants, you might have heard that cinnamon is a good deterrent, possibly even killing them. We spoke with pest control experts about whether cinnamon can kill ants, how it works to deter them, and other ways you can rid your home of ants naturally. No matter the preference, these plants, flowers and herbs make wonderful (and natural!) additions to kitchen pest management plan. If you're still not convinced, consider other all-natural alternatives like coffee grounds, essential oils, banana peels, white vinegar and onions.
Lemons
Boric acid is a type of poison that can kill certain types of worker ants, according to a 2023 animal study. The boiling water won’t be enough to kill off the entire colony. For this reason, make sure to treat every ant hole you see within your home’s proximity. You may be able to find peppermint oils at your local grocery chain or health food store. It’s imperative to keep borax away from pets and children as it may be harmful.
Many of us have cinnamon in our pantries, but does it work to kill ants? If all else fails, insecticidal baits can be used to control ant numbers. But before you take that route, ask yourself whether the ants are actually a problem (more on that later). Once that happens, hundreds of others can follow the trail to the food source. You’ve probably noticed ants more commonly come indoors in summer - that’s largely because most insects are more active in the warmer months.
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You can also coat cotton balls with cinnamon powder or cinnamon oil and place them near ant-prone areas. Ants that are more attracted by proteins can also be snared with a borax-based mixture. Combine a large spoonful of peanut butter with a tablespoon of powdered sugar and a teaspoon of borax. Mix thoroughly and create a lure by pressing the mixture into a short open tube like a piece of a drinking straw. Leave this near ant trails and refresh the bait every couple of days. Use citrus fruits — Citrus fruits such as lemons, limes and oranges are great natural ant repellents.
Odorous house ants are tiny (less than 1/8 inch in length), and while bothersome, don't do much damage except ruin the sugar in your sugar bowl. You'll see them marching in a line on your kitchen counters or bathroom wall. You can find ant traps at many hardware and gardening stores and online.
Borax
Clean the bowls immediately to eliminate the scent of the food. To stop ants from making homes in your plants, surround the soil with citrus rinds from lemons or oranges. Check your houseplants for swarms of ants, which might indicate nests underneath the soil. You can also use boric acid as an ingredient in do-it-yourself (DIY) ant traps. Mix the powder with something sweet that will attract ants, such as maple syrup or corn syrup. Spread on a flat, disposable surface like cardboard and place in areas where you see ants.
Boiling water
Place a bait trap near areas of activity and in spots that are likely to attract ants. Try placing them near drains, in kitchen cabinets, under the stove and refrigerator, and anywhere there are wall openings, such as around pipes and wall outlets. Natural and non-toxic, cinnamon not only kills ants, but its strong smell makes it shine as a repellent, too. Fortunately, there are safe ways to kill ants when they get in your house. Get rid of these foraging insects using eco-friendly home remedies made from things you’ll find in your pantry or at the supermarket.
While little black ants don’t pose a threat to our health, they can be a nuisance and contaminate food. You can, however, weaponize cornmeal in your fight against ants by mixing it with boric acid, a cousin to Borax that’s available online and at home improvement stores. Mix nine parts cornmeal with one part boric acid, adding a generous helping of soybean oil or peanut butter to create a paste.
A spray of salt water solution can also help kill ants by dehydrating them. Ants hate the smell of citrus fruits, such as lemons, limes, and oranges, so they're an excellent natural repellant. Save your lemon or grapefruit peels and scatter them around entryways. They act as natural deterrents without causing ants any harm. Ants are also a common household pest that are drawn to food. While each is typically half the size of a paper clip, a large infestation of ants, called an army or colony, can be an unsightly nuisance.
Oil extracted from the lemon eucalyptus tree is another natural insect repellent. It contains citronella, which is used in candles to repel mosquitoes and has been shown to repel certain types of ants. First things first, it's a good idea to know what kind of ants are taking over your lawn. Since common black ants aren't much affected by aspartame, this hack would be counterintuitive from the get-go, and you're not likely to see any results. As for how you'll know if these are the kinds of ants you're dealing with, you'll need to take a quick look at them.
Pepper Moran is a pest control expert with over five years experience in educating homeowners on affordable and earth-friendly ways to protect their homes from pests. Instead, the best way to get rid of ants in this case may simply be to give them a good stomp when you spot a few here and there. They may be scouts, after all, so killing them off means they can’t come back with reinforcements. If you have pets, check the packaging carefully and be mindful of where you place ant baits. The same can’t be said of carpenter ants, which chew through rotten or damp wood, potentially damaging windows, doors, or even structural framing in the process.
Whether it is a sticky drop of honey or a spoon under the sink, find what they're looking for and remove it. If you are lucky, the ants will move out on their own once you remove the source of attraction. The best ways to get rid of ants in the kitchen involve keeping the kitchen cleaning, keeping ant access points sealed off and keeping food stored away. By morning, they’ve taken over every corner of your kitchen (plus, your pets are annoyed because the ants are feasting on their dog or cat food). You wind up spending the next several weeks or months trying to get rid of them, to no avail.
Sprinkle a layer of the powder in the areas you've noticed ants or anywhere you don't want them. The diatomaceous earth will then stick to the ants, dry out their exoskeletons, and exterminate them. If you've noticed that ants have started moving into your kitchen or pantry, it's time to take action.
It’s important to seal any cracks in your house where ants may be entering. You can use natural remedies like cornstarch to quickly eradicate large amounts of ants, or try cleaning ant pheromone trails with liquid detergent. If these fail, try using bait traps or commercial repellants. Plus, plants look and smell lovely, adding instant ambiance to any room you put them in.
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