There are more than 12,000 species of ants in the world, but only a few of them invade our homes in search of food. To keep these insects under control you can adopt some natural, simple and effective methods, which are able to move them away or eliminate them from your home. Neutralize explorer ants by keeping the kitchen clean and storing food in airtight containers. Prevent the rest of the colony from entering by sealing cracks with putty, using barriers and deterrents, such as cinnamon, and finally using bait, such as boric acid-coated maple syrup. If none of these strategies are successful, there are pest control professionals who can solve your problem once and for all.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Protect Your Home from Scout Ants
Step 1. Watch out for the explorers
The first sign of ants in the kitchen is an alarm bell. Scout ants are explorers, traveling alone or with a few other companions. They roam your kitchen in search of food and supplies. If these insects return to the anthill and warn the other specimens in the colony, plenty of them will arrive. Do not waste time:
- Clean your kitchen.
- Store foods in airtight containers and remove all traces of sticky, sweet, fatty and meat-based foods from the reach of insects.
Step 2. Wash the dishes immediately after using them
Alternatively, put them in the dishwasher and close it. Swipe a rag soaked in vinegar in the pantry, on the counter, and on the kitchen table.
- Vinegar cleans, disinfects and keeps ants away.
- Take out all the trash and close the bin tightly.
- Wash any containers you plan to reuse before putting them away.
Step 3. Dust the kitchen every day
Crumbs on the floor, on the carpet or in the tightest spaces are an invitation for ants.
If you often forget to vacuum the kitchen, make it a habit to vacuum at the same time every day, like after breakfast or dinner
Step 4. Rinse the containers you use, making sure they are completely clean
In particular, check the jars of jam, sauces, pickles, honey, syrup, and liquor bottles. Place the jar of honey and any that contain sugary foods, a favorite of ants, in bowls of water.
For more details on the water bowl technique, read How to Keep Ants Away from Cat Food
Step 5. Store all food in airtight containers
Make sure they are able to prevent even small insects from entering. Do this for all foods, without exception, for 3-7 days. Ants, finding nothing to eat, will go somewhere else. The strategy works because these insects follow chemtrails left by other specimens that have found food sources.
You may also need to store other insect-attracting products, such as detergents and deodorants, in airtight containers. Watch out for any ants you see near non-food sources
Method 2 of 5: Deny Access
Step 1. Locate the access points
As you clean the kitchen and watch out for the explorer ants, you too can do some reconnaissance. Can you figure out where they come into the house from? Follow the first specimens and check where they come in and out.
The access points most commonly used by these insects include openings in wood, crevices in concrete, ventilation ducts, grates, cracks in the floor, and so on
Step 2. Seal all entrances with putty
Alternatively, you can use putty, glue or plaster. If you have no other choice, petroleum jelly and sealing adhesives allow you to temporarily block access to unwanted insects.
If you use a temporary sealant (such as petroleum jelly), replace it as soon as you have the option of a permanent solution, as the material will deteriorate over time and the opening will be accessible again
Step 3. Arm yourself with a spray bottle filled with soapy water
The soapy water kills the ants and destroys the chemtrail they leave behind. This prevents other specimens from following those tracks. To try this simple and inexpensive method:
- Put a teaspoon of liquid dish soap in the spray bottle and fill it with water. Add peppermint oil, orange peels, or citrus peel oil to make the spray even more potent.
- Spray the ants you see with the solution.
Method 3 of 5: Using Barriers and Deterrents
Step 1. Install protective barriers
In your kitchen you will already have many of the products you need, you just need to know how to use them. The barrier must be at least 6-7 mm thick and must form a seamless line. Use this strategy on window sills, on the floor, on the kitchen counter, and in all places where ants enter. Here are some of the products you can use to create effective protection:
- Charcoal powder.
- A chalk line.
- Turmeric.
- Cinnamon.
- Citrus oil.
- Black pepper, cayenne pepper, or chilli.
- Vaseline (ideal for doors and windows).
- Talcum powder.
- Washing powder.
- White vinegar and water.
- Drying powders (such as diatomaceous earth or silica gel).
Step 2. Use deterrent odors
Ants don't like some scents, such as peppermint, camphor, and garlic. You can use these products fresh or in the form of oil to keep these insects away from certain areas of your home. Use camphor with caution, as it is also poisonous to humans - as well as animals.
- The biggest advantage of this solution is that it allows you to make your home smell good.
- Sprinkle chopped mint leaves in ant-infested areas and grow this plant where insects enter your home. Dried peppermint is also effective.
- Rub a clove of raw garlic on the ant's favorite hotspots and routes.
- Pour lavender oil into ant-infested areas and grow these plants near access points.
- Pour clove oil into areas infested with these insects, or chop cloves and spread them as a barrier.
Step 3. Use bay leaves to keep ants away from the substances that attract them
These insects are particularly attracted to sugar, paprika and flour. Put bay leaves in the sugar jar, flour container and paprika jar.
Over time, the deterrent power of the leaves wears off. Replace them every month
Step 4. Sprinkle some sucralose on the ant's habitual pathways
This sweetener poses no danger to children, so it is a very suitable deterrent for places like schools. It's also safe for pets, so don't be afraid to use this if you have a dog or cat. Sprinkle the sucralose all over the place where you see the insects passing.
After eating the sweetener, the ants will die in a short time. Be sure to replenish your supplies as needed
Step 5. Use the coffee beans
Sprinkle them on anthills and in the foundation of the house. This safe product confuses worker ants, which lose the trails left by other specimens. As a result, the colony runs out of food and cannot proliferate.
- Keep using the beans regularly and be patient. It can take a whole season to see the desired effects.
- It is important to replace the beans at least once a year. If you do it more often, this strategy becomes even more effective.
Step 6. Use dish soap and baking soda
Combine small amounts of these substances in a half-full bucket of water. Mix the solution well, then pour a thin strip of liquid around the area where the ants are coming from.
This technique is a great way to keep insects out of your windowsill
Method 4 of 5: Using Lures
Step 1. Make an ant bait with boric acid and maple syrup
You can find baits on the market, but they are probably chemical preparations that are not compatible with your goal of keeping insects away by natural methods. Fortunately, it's pretty easy to make a lure yourself; one of the most effective involves the use of boric acid. This acid and sodium borate salts occur naturally in minerals such as sassolite.
- When ants walk in boric acid, they ingest it and die. It is a poisonous powder, which must not be swallowed or come into contact with the eyes, nose or mouth. Handle it with gloves.
- You can make a simple boric acid bait with maple syrup. Pour a spoonful of syrup and a large dose of acid onto a plate or saucepan.
- Use a skewer, toothpick, or cotton swab to evenly distribute the acid in the syrup.
- Place the trap in the spots most frequented by ants. Keep it out of the reach of children and pets. This method can take a week to achieve the desired result.
Step 2. Use ant food
These insects are unable to digest many foods, and thanks to this strategy you can get rid of them, as long as you are willing to collect the dead specimens. Use the following baits where ants appear:
- Corn flour. This method is particularly useful in homes with pets or children because it is a harmless food.
- Flour. Spread it where the ants are. This food has the property of expanding in the stomach of ants, killing them.
- Coffee beans. Ants are sensitive to caffeine, so try leaving some kernels on the way to the anthill. This method allows you to get results after a few weeks.
Step 3. Deal with carpenter ants in the most natural way possible
An infestation of these insects is dangerous, because it can damage the structural integrity of your home. Piles of broken wings and longer-than-average body ants are indications of the presence of this species. You may also notice pelleted droppings (which look like sawdust) and in some cases you will be able to hear them moving in the walls. Some methods of getting rid of them include:
- Use bait. These insects love sugar, so you can use it against them using the boric acid solution described above.
- Use the vacuum cleaner to remove nests from infested walls if possible.
- Call an exterminator. Professionals can drill holes in the walls and blow in diatomaceous earth, silica gel or boric acid to eliminate the infestation. Pyrethrin spray is also a widely used insecticide.
Method 5 of 5: Relying on a Professional Exterminator
Step 1. Verify that the exterminator uses natural pesticides
Some professionals specialize in using natural pest control methods. Search for such a service in your area by typing "organic pest control" or "natural insect killer" on the internet.
- Exterminators who fall into this category do not have to follow strict laws. Some use "organic" and "natural" products only in name, but not in fact.
- Call these operators and ask about their business, saying "Can you explain to me how your methods are considered completely natural?".
Step 2. Call an exterminator to get rid of the red ants
These insects rarely invade homes, but if you notice them you need to get help right away. They are aggressive, their stings are painful and can even cause allergic reactions.
If fumigation of the environment is required, insist that a product that contains an insect growth regulator, such as amabectin, be used
Step 3. Follow any advice you get from professionals
They are trained in insect killing and pest prevention. If you have had difficulty with any of the techniques described in this article, ask for clarification.
For example, you may have searched all over, but didn't find the ant entry point. An exterminator will be able to help you
Step 4. Directly attack the anthill by itself
Even if you are not a professional, using the techniques adopted by the exterminators you can achieve results similar to theirs. Approach an anthill on a cold day, then pour a few gallons of boiling water into it.
- If you want to make the water more lethal, add vinegar, insecticidal soap, citrus oil, insecticide, or ammonia.
- Repeat this process every day or until it seems to you that the ants have given up and gone away. It may take a few days to get the desired results.
Advice
- The ants most commonly found in the home belong to the species Linepithema humile, Monomorium pharaonis, Solenopsis molesta, Tetramorium caespitum, Tapinoma sessile.
- Sprinkle vinegar on the ants and the paths they follow.
- A simple floor cleaner kills ants on contact.
- Spray hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on the ants to kill them instantly. It is a non-toxic and odorless product for humans.
Warnings
- Carpenter ants feed on wood and are therefore very dangerous for homes. If your home is affected by an infestation of these insects, get help as soon as possible.
- Pyrethrin is lethal to cats, so don't use products that contain it if you have cats.
- Camphor is poisonous, not only to ants, but also to humans and other animals. Do not use it in places accessible to children and pets.
- Boric acid is potentially toxic to humans. Even though the dangerous dose is a few grams, take proper precautions when handling this substance. Wash your hands after preparing the bait to prevent indirect contamination of children and pets.
- Boric acid is illegal in some countries.
