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If the idea of ants crawling all over your home makes your skin crawl, you are not alone. It is not a pleasant experience to see a swarm of ants. An ant or two crawling on your kitchen counter may not seem bothersome, but this signifies thousands are hiding somewhere nearby. After all, ants are clannish creatures that live in colonies. Clearly, no one can ever tolerate this scenario, so you want to eradicate the problem and prevent the pesky critters from coming back.
Remember, as the warmer weather sets in, these ant colonies become more vigilant in trying to invade your home. Fortunately, you can rely on non-toxic and all-natural methods to keep them away. After all, traditional bug sprays have harmful chemicals that harm your health and the environment. If you are looking for safer methods, you have come to the right place. Let’s get started to get your DIY game on to get ants out of your home.
Most likely, you already have spray-on glass cleaner, liquid detergent, or liquid dish soap. Combining the glass cleaner and liquid detergent or soap will prevent ants from coming into your house. The mixture removes the attractive pheromone scent that ants leave when they walk. It is for this reason that ants always make a trail. Now, when you spray your concoction, you eradicate this path and make it difficult for them to find their way.
For best results, spray this mixture on the areas where you often see them. You can let it evaporate naturally if you wish. But if you do not want to leave your floorboards or countertops slightly damp, you can wipe it off as it will leave a light residue.
You do not need to go far to create your DIY ant prevention solutions. Look inside your kitchen cupboard. You will be amazed to see that you can use many basic kitchen ingredients to ward off ants. Look at them below:
Ground cinnamon is not only a base spice used for the iconic apple pie. A study in the National Center for Biotechnology Information suggests that the scent of cinnamon is an irritant for ants. You get a bonus as this spice makes your house smell nice. To prevent these pesky critters, you can use it in the following ways:
Apply ground cinnamon powder directly where they are coming in from windowsills to baseboards.
Make a cinnamon mixture by combining the powder or essential oil to spray all over your house.
Soak up cinnamon oil in cotton balls and leave them in cabinets and drawers.
Use a cotton bud dipped in cinnamon oil to make borders around your house so ants will not cross it.
The pungent smell of vinegar drives ants away. It is not surprising that this fermented acid will turn off ants. When vinegar dries out, humans can no longer discern the scent, but it remains irritating to ants. You can pour the acid directly on the ant nest, spray it on the path, or inject them into cracks. Another prevention method is to use a 50:50 vinegar-water solution for maintenance. Use it for mopping floors or cleaning your counters and watch your ant problems disappear.
Using pure lemon juice sprayed on paths will keep ants away because they cannot tolerate the strong acidic scent. A study showed the juice itself would not directly kill them, but it will disrupt their tracking sense. As a result, the scent trails they leave are rendered useless, so the other ants have no paths to follow. The strong citrus scent also discourages them from staying on your property. Apart from the juice, you can also leave behind lemon peels in susceptible areas as it emits the same scent.
Another efficient ant irritant is pepper. This condiment, whether black or red, will deter ants. You can sprinkle the powder directly in areas where ants often congregate. As this powder is all-natural, you do not need to worry about it. You can also put the pepper powder behind your appliances and furniture or along your windowsills.
This plant is known for its minty taste and fresh scent. Fortunately, a study at Cornell University indicates that peppermint essential oil works against ants. Though humans may find the cool scent calming and clearing for the nasal passages, it will annoy these tiny insects. For best results, you can use peppermint via:
Make a peppermint spray solution with ten drops of essential oil with 1 cup of water plus a drop of liquid soap and blast the concoction wherever they congregate.
Soak up cotton balls with peppermint oil and leave them in cabinets, shelves, and drawers.
Buy peppermint plants and leave them by your windowsill, entryways, and windows.
The best approach to kill ants is to change your lifestyle habits. After all, they enter your house to forage for food. If there is none readily available, ants will have no reason to infiltrate your home. Take note of the following suggestions:
Keep your food stored rather than leaving them in cabinets or countertops. Place them in tightly sealed containers. Make it a point not to leave any residue on the covers.
You must be vigilant in cleaning up any food mess. Spills happen, but quickly wiping and disinfecting will help. Most of all, watch out for crumbs in the following areas:
Couch cushions
Trash bins
Countertops
Inside toasters or microwave ovens
Other areas where you eat and do food prep
Store pet food, which ants love. Moreover, remove pet bowls when they are done eating. Be sure to rinse the bowl to take away the scent.
After trying natural remedies, but the stubborn ants keep coming back, it is time to call eco-friendly professionals. Our team at Natures Gate Pest control company will eliminate your problem using all-natural methods that will not harm your family. We can identify what type of ants you are dealing with and craft effective solution plans to eliminate the problem. Our trained team serves St. George, Utah, and other nearby areas with the mission to free your home from pesky invaders.
