The warm weather is finally here, and that means we all want to get outside. And does that mean anything else? Things on the outside are trying to come INSIDE – specifically, ants! We are always trying to get rid of these invaders, but sometimes it seems like nothing works. If you have ants and are at your wits end, you need to try these seven tips! Household Hacker takes us through these effective and surprisingly simple methods.
1. Protect Your Picnic Table
It might be a cliche now, but ants are drawn to outdoor food, which makes us think of one thing: picnics. Don’t let the invasion of these creepy crawlies ruin your picnicking! All you have to do is create an DIY moat for your picnic table — it’s not as difficult as it sounds, we promise.
Bring something like pie tins or Tupperware to your picnic, and make sure you have one for each leg of your table. Simply place the legs of each table into your containers, fill them with water, and you’ve created a blockade that will keep ants away from your food.
2. DIY Ant Traps
You don’t have to buy expensive ant traps, not if you have sugar, water, Borax, and small containers lying around the house. Mix your three ingredients in the container and leave it for the ants to come and find. This trap won’t kill them right away, but it will allow them to bring the poisonous substance back to their colony, which is more effective in the long run.
If you have kids or pets, put this mixture in a container with a lid (maybe cheap Tupperware) and poke holes in the sides, so only the ants can get in and out.
3. Protect Your Home
Gotten rid of the ants or looking to keep them out before they arrive? Then you need to kill the delicious smelling pheromones that are drawing them to your doorstep…or your porch…or your windows. All you have to do is mix water and vinegar in a spray bottle and spritz all the doorways, windows, or entryways where the ants might try to get in.
The harshness of the vinegar will mask the smells drawing in the ants and keep them away, but the water will keep the mixture diluted enough so it won’t stink up your home.
Do you get rid of ants in a different, creative way?
