20 Safe Ways to Kill Ants in Your Home Without Toxic Chemicals
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Squeeze lemons into a spray bottle, or rub a pureed blend of orange peel and water on window sills and doors jambs to discourage the itsy-bitsy insects from crossing over. Here's how to get rid of ants, including natural ant repellents, ant prevention tips and ant bait and killer spray recommendations. Sanitation is critical for controlling ants inside the house. Keep foods sealed, pet bowls empty, floors swept, and all surfaces clean.
Effective Methods to Get Rid of Ants Naturally
The British Pest Control Association have an online directory where you can find your nearest pest controller. Chances are, you have one of the nine most common types of ants found in and around the home. DIY methods rarely work because ants mostly live in protected spaces (such as underground or in walls).
How to Find Ant Nests
Here are some of the best ways to kill and repel ants naturally using ingredients found in the home or at a local store. In most ant species, the queen is the only individual who can produce new workers. If you (or a professional) do use insecticides, avoid using them outdoors and look for ones specifically designed for ants. Most insecticides are broad spectrum chemicals that can kill other types of insects. This includes insects beneficial in your home and garden, such as ladybirds, mantises and parasitoid wasps. Ants usually come indoors in search of food or nesting habitat.
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Hairy Smooth Carpenter Ant
Though ants are familiar insects, in the home, they are sometimes confused with termites. If you look closely enough, you can tell an ant by its slim middle and curved antennae. Ants forage for food in spring and summer months, sending out search parties that and will scavenge for anything they can find. They particularly like sugary substances, and we've all experienced enjoying a picnic outdoors, only to turn around and find the little critters descending on food left on unattended plates. Poke holes in the lid and sprinkle some extra sugar on top and around the outside of the trap as a little extra incentive for the ants to check out your set-up.
Vinegar or Essential Oil Based Cleaning Sprays
OLE comes from the gum eucalyptus tree, which is native to Australia. It contains a chemical called p- Menthane-3,8-diol (PMD), which is an effective insect repellent. Keep peppermint oil out of reach of pets, especially cats, which can become very ill if exposed. To use it to kill ants, follow package directions, or sprinkle the powder anywhere you see ants. Keep reading to learn about how to kill and repel ants safely. It may take a while for the ant colony to die, especially if it is large.
Their main colonies are located outdoors under logs or rotting wood. These main colonies have to be exterminated as well to clear these ants out of the house. With the exception of worker ants, all other ants of the species are nocturnal. Worker ants also go out during the day being attracted by dead animals. This means killing a single queen rarely has the desired effect when trying to eliminate Argentine ants from California homes. But, it does help to deter them due to that aroma that we humans enjoy so immensely.
But they frequently make their way inside homes where they cause serious structural damage. These ants (Camponotus laevissimus) are part of the carpenter group of ants in California. Typically found in sand, these ants build underground nests.
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Nectar Fortress, designed by Sapphire Labs, is a clear gel that acts as a barrier to ants by blocking their path and repelling them from the area. According to Sapphire Labs, Nectar Fortress uses natural cinnamon oil as an active ant-repellant. It might sound surprising that you could repel ants naturally with this common kitchen ingredient, but cinnamon contains chemicals that are bothersome and even toxic to ants. Remember to keep the ant baits away from children and pets including homemade and store-bought baits.
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. If you notice ant holes near your home, pour boiling water into them. This method will effectively and immediately kill many of the ants inside. Anthills may appear small, but the ant colonies underneath them are vast. Do not ingest lemon eucalyptus oil and keep it out of reach of children and pets.
Store-bought baits generally come in ready-to-use containers where you only need to open and place the bait without touching any toxic substance. Borax refers to the natural mineral that is collected from evaporated deposits or mined from the ground. When the borax is mixed with other natural minerals such as colemanite or boracites, the resulting compound is boric acid. Lora Novak meticulously proofreads and edits all commercial content for Today’s Homeowner to guarantee that it contains the most up-to-date information. Lora brings over 12 years of writing, editing, and digital marketing expertise. She’s worked on thousands of articles related to heating, air conditioning, ventilation, roofing, plumbing, lawn/garden, pest control, insurance, and other general homeownership topics.
Commercial products are also available to help kill or detract these pests. 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. Ants are social creatures that form colonies with a queen and thousands of worker ants.
One 2014 study showed that, in high concentrations, cinnamon essential oil could repel and kill ants. However, sprinkling the powdered cinnamon you have in your spice cabinet won't be as effective. Ants will just learn to avoid it and go to other parts of your home. According to Nalyanya, the most common ants that will enter your home include carpenter ants, odorous house ants, and pavement ants.
“And both species prefer damp areas.” That means showers, windows, and damp spots in the basement need extra attention. You can certainly use a borax mixture to get rid of ants and many homeowners have had great success following this method. If you prefer to make your own bait, lay out different kinds of baits (without borax) and monitor which ones the ants are attracted to. Place the baits along ant trails that you have seen for the best effect. This is a great recipe for protein-feeding ants such as odorous house ants, Argentine ants, pharaoh ants, southern fire ant, thief ant, red imported fire ant, and pavement ants among others.
To ensure you have the broadest range of attractants, use both carb-based and protein-based bait traps. Baits can be placed in an area where you have seen ant activity in the home, but do not place them directly on an ant trail; ants will avoid bait traps placed in this manner. 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. Ants are common invaders of homes across the United States and are mostly harmless. They can be hard to get rid of, but it’s possible to repel and eradicate ants over time using the natural methods described above.
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