During warm weather or rainy seasons, many people discover ants entering their houses and garden areas. There are different types of ants, but the most common house-invading ants include pavement, carpenter, acrobat, pharaoh and odorous house ants.
Dealing with ants can be very frustrating. Pesticides for ants contain chemicals that are harmful to humans and the environment, but there are some natural, non-toxic ways to control ants.
Here are some of the home remedies to get rid of ants:
Chalk
Chalk contains calcium carbonate, which helps in keeping ants away. Spray some powdered chalk in the areas that are the entry points of ants or draw a line of chalk at the entrance. In order to keep ants of your house, draw chalk lines so that these bugs don’t enter. While it not clear as to why this line stops the ants from coming inside, but it is surely effective. Make sure you make the line in a way that is out of reach of any child in the house.
Lemons
Squeeze a lemon or place lemon peels in places from where the ants enter. You can also wash your floors with water that has a little lemon juice added to it. Ants apparently don’t like the smell of lemon juice so they will keep away. Anything sour and bitter may keep the ants away, but any sugar is ants’ best friend. To ensure you do not keep anything sweet that may attract the ants in some way or the other. Keep your kitchen slab absolutely clean and place the peels right there.
Oranges
Oranges are same as lemons; they keep the ants away from visiting your house. Make a paste of one cup warm water and a few orange peels. Spread this paste around entry points of ants and wipe it afterwards. You can also place orange peels on the kitchen slab or wherever you think these ants may enter from. It acts as a natural deterrent for ants that may not only keep them but also keep them away. So, bring the orange rinds to some use and ensure no ants visit your house anymore.
Pepper
Ants are pretty fond of sugar but they hate pepper. Sprinkle pepper at the areas from where ants enter your house. This is will help getting rid of ants. Cayenne pepper or black pepper are hated by ants. You can also make a solution of pepper and water and spray it near the entrant areas. The pepper wouldn’t kill the ants but definitely deter them from returning to your house. Make sure you clean the area where you want to spray the pepper solution.
Salt
Spreading salt near nooks and corners from where ants enter the house will help to keep ants away. Table salt is one of the best and the cheapest ways to get rid of ants naturally. Use ordinary table salt not health boosting rock salt. All you need to do is to boil water and add a large amount of salt to it, stirring it until dissolves. Pour into a spray bottle and spray where you think ants tend to enter from.
White VinegarAnts can’t bear the smell of white vinegar. Prepare a solution of equal amounts of water and white vinegar. Add a few drops of essential oil to it and shake well. Store this solution and sprinkle it at the points from where the ants enter. Repeat this once daily. Again, this solution may not kill the ants but definitely keep them away from entering the no-entering zone. Spray it around your windowsills, doorways and other places where you usually see ants coming.
Cinnamon
Put cinnamon and cloves on the entrance of the house and the areas from where you think the ants can enter. This a good method to also keep your house smelling fresh and earthy. Cinnamon is often regarded as an effective DIY ant control option. It is believed that cinnamon acts as a natural repellent as ants can’t stand the strong smell. For more effective results, you can add some essential oil to the cinnamon powder, so that is busts with the stronger smell, keeping the ants away.
Peppermint
Peppermint is an insect repellent, which can help you get rid of ants. Ants don’t like the smell of peppermint and are likely to avoid areas that contain traces of it. Peppermint has a strong fragrant that cannot be tolerated by the ants, which keep them away from entering the home. Prepare a mixture of 10 drops of peppermint essential oil and a cup of water and sprinkle it wherever you find ants. Repeat this twice a day. You can even sprinkle dried peppermint instead of the liquid mixture.
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