Nothing like waking up in the morning, wanting some fresh air in your garden, then you find out that it has been invaded. Walking one by one through a seemingly endless stream, these tiny insects are one of life’s biggest pests and getting rid of them can be a huge pain. In fact, even many chemical ant killers are often ineffective when it comes to getting rid of ants. Finding the natural deterrent for ants can, therefore, be a really daunting task!
Do not be afraid! Natural Living Ideas is here to offer you ten natural home remedies that we have tested and determined to effectively eliminate these irritating insects without filling your home, garden or backyard with repugnant mosquito repellents.
1) Baking soda
Baking soda is one of our favorite natural household products because it is also one of the most useful natural ingredients for many of life’s little grievances. But while baking soda is great for humans, it wreaks havoc on ants by disrupting their body’s natural chemistry. Create your own natural ant bait by mixing equal parts baking soda and powdered sugar. Pour the mixture into a shallow container (the plastic or metal lids work great) and place it near the line of insects that parade to attract them to your homemade bait. Ants will bring it back to their nest, eat it, and quickly decrease in number, saving your pantry and your sanity!
You can also strategically position this natural ant bait in places where ants might enter or in your home, such as window sills or in the corners of your pantry and cupboards where food is stored to prevent future invasions .
2) Borax
Borax works like baking soda. Mix this traditional household detergent with water, sugar and peanut butter to make a paste. Drill a few holes in a plastic container, fill it with your borax mixture, close the lid and place your homemade trap near the ants or in any place likely to interest these pesky creatures.
Just remember that borax is toxic to animals other than ants. Be sure to keep your traps away from pets or any other small animal to prevent them from eating the mixture due to its delicious aroma of peanut butter.
3) chalk
Ants will not cross a chalk line. While it may sound silly, it is a fact! The powdery substance disrupts traces of insect pheromones – the scent marks that an ant uses to communicate with other members of its colony. As such, draw a line of fresh chalk or pour a line of chalk powder between the entry points of the ants and the desired food source (your pantry, cupboards, kitchen scraps, etc.) will prevent them from reaching their destination.
4) Soap & Water
For a quick fix that will eliminate the ants currently in your home and keep their brothers apart long enough to allow you to mix a more permanent solution, a simple mixture of soap and water will do the trick. Just fill a spray bottle with lukewarm water, add a good amount of liquid dish detergent, shake and spray. The soap coats the bodies of the ants and smothers them while washing their path so that the rest of the colony cannot find the delicious snack to which it had previously led.
5) vinegar
Another of our favorite and most useful natural household products, vinegar is also a great natural remedy for repelling the invasion of ants. Like chalk, vinegar destroys traces of ants’ pheromones. You actually observe this effect by spraying a mixture of vinegar and water in a circle around a group of ants in motion. Cut off from their olfactory marks, the line of ants will separate almost immediately and the insects will start to wander aimlessly, well and truly lost without their trace of perfume to direct them.
Since it disturbs their pheromones, ants also hate the smell of vinegar. Spray around doors and windows or anywhere else ants could enter your home to keep them out. Of course, the mixture will evaporate over time and will need to be re-applied daily to be effective. Still, it’s a great natural and completely non-toxic solution to the ant problem, and even better if you like the smell of vinegar! (Advice: add essential oils to the vinegar to cover the fragrance and reinforce the anti-repellent properties of your spray)
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