If your home is being infested by ants but you do not want to hire an exterminator just yet, then you could try and tackle the problem yourself using some very effective natural methods.
There are a number of steps that you can follow to ensure that your home is free from ants. Some of these methods will not only prevent ants from invading your home but also get rid of the ants that are currently visiting your home.
If the problem has not gone out of control, then you can easily address the issue and solve the problem before an infestation takes place.
Read on to find out what you can do to get rid of ants naturally.
Natural way to get rid of ants
1. Clean your kitchen & dining room after each meal
We had to start off with this tip because frankly speaking, if your home is not clean then no matter what you do, the ants will keep coming back.
Ants usually come in search of food and as tiny as these creatures may be, they can sense food from far away. The most common place for ants to make trails is usually in the kitchen and dining room because that’s where they are most likely to find traces of food.
If you can keep your kitchen and dining room sparkling clean by wiping the counters and the tables, and sweeping and mopping the floors, then there will be nothing for ants to feed on in your home. Find your best Household Cleaning Tools from amazon.
If you have kids in the house, then be sure to pick up immediately after them if you see some biscuit crumbs on the floor or drops of juice on the table. By constantly cleaning and checking for dirt around the house, you will be doing a great job in keeping ants and other bugs away.
2. Make an apple cider vinegar solution to kill the ants trail
Vinegar is a very common household item and its benefits are great. Vinegar can be used to deter not only ants but also other pests like fruit flies. The strong smell of vinegar works to block communication for the ants which leaves them confused.
To make a solution, all you need to do is mix equal parts of vinegar and water and use a spray bottle to spray onto the entry points. Vinegar is also safe to use in homes with children and pets.
So you can use this natural treatment without worrying about causing any harm to your family.
3. Using airtight food containers
Another mistake you could make that could invite more ants into your home is by not using airtight containers to store food.
As you know by now that ants come in search of something to feed on and if you tend to leave food in the open or store them in containers that are not sealed properly then do not be surprised if you see more and more ant trails appearing in the house.
An airtight food container is designed to keep its contents fresh by keeping air out. But this also means that bugs will not be lured in due to the smell given off by any food item.
So make sure to store all leftovers and all food items in airtight containers, whether you keep them in the fridge or on the counters and cabinets.
4. Perfectly seal trash bins
Trash bins, especially the ones in the kitchen, should always be sealed tightly to prevent ants from smelling the food and coming to feed on them.
Just like airtight food containers, perfectly sealed trash bins also keep ants and other bugs away by blocking access to their source of food. You must also regularly empty the trash bins to stop food from rotting inside as the strong smell attracts ants even more.
Do not ignore the trash outside the home because a lot of ants start building their homes in your yard before making their way indoors.
5. Address other moist areas
Keep an eye on areas that remain moist most of the time and try your best to keep them as dry as possible. Moist areas are usually the most unhygienic spots in and outside the home and they are generally where a lot of diseases are borne and spread from.
Try to clear up the sink and put away the dishes after drying them. Also keep the counters, table tops and floors dry after your daily cleaning routine.
6. Put out ant bait to kill the entire colony
Ant baits are extremely popular and we are not surprised. These pesticides not only kill ants which are visible to the eye but also target and wipe off the entire any colony which includes the queen ant.
Commercial ant baits work best and are most effective in providing permanent results and preventing future infestations. As worker ants carry the bait back to the colony, the poison is transferred to the rest of the ants and the queen, which leads to every ant been killed eventually.
Ant baits may work slow and you may not see instant results but that’s what makes them so effective. There are a lot commercial ant baits that you can try out and as they come in a variety of forms such as liquid, gel and granular. You will most definitely find something made especially for the kind of ant problems that you are having in your home.
7. Using Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth
Food-grade diatomaceous earth or DE is the powder form of the fossilized remains of marine phytoplankton. Although it cannot be seen by the human eye, or felt by human skin. The edges of DE are razor sharp and capable of cutting through the exoskeletons of insects.
DE works very well as an ant repellent when sprinkled on areas where you can see ants. Such places include under cabinets, beneath furniture and appliances, on windowsills, in and around trash bins and even on cracks.
You will have to sprinkle some fresh powder every day to see the results. If you can identify the ants as carpenter ants, then make sure that you inject the DE directly into the nest.
Mixing two table spoon of diatomaceous earth with a quart of water and using a spray bottle to spray the problematic areas regularly will also do the trick.
However, it is important to only use food-grade DE because any other kind will cause irritation of the skin and eyes and also cause shortness of breath if inhaled in a large amount.
8. Use liquid dish soap spray
You can make another solution at home using just hot water and liquid dish soap. Mix a bit of the liquid dish soap with just enough water and use a spray bottle to spray on the ants’ nest, trails and any place you notice the pests.
This may not instantly kill them but the solution works well in deterring ants and preventing them from making trails in places where the solution is sprayed.
9. Vacuum up the ants
To clean up dead ants we recommend using a vacuum cleaner to vacuum them up and then immediately dumping them in the trash bin outside your home.
If the ants are in large numbers, then wiping them away with a cloth may not be a great idea (it is quite gross too) and using a vacuum cleaner will also get the job done much faster.
10. Use coffee grounds / chalk/ baby powder
Other very common ingredients to use are coffee grounds, chalk or baby powder. All three of these items are known to deter ants. Coffee is acidic and can burn the ants if they come in contact with the grains.
Whereas the scent given off by all three of these substances are very much disliked by ants. So sprinkling these onto places where you see ants can keep them away.
11. Identify the entry points and block them
If you can follow the trails and identify the entry points, then you can easily block the little holes or cracks to prevent the ants from going in and out. You can pour a bit of glue, or melted wax into these entry points to block them.
Be sure to block all the entry points because ants are very clever creatures and they hardly have just one entry point. Chances are that they will create more entry points once you block the existing ones so you may always have to keep an eye out for new ones around the house.
Our Last Opinion
Natural treatments are usually safe for home use as most of the ingredients used are harmless for humans and pets. These are also very economical methods because chances are that you already have the materials in your kitchen pantry.
The effectiveness of natural treatments when managing ant problems can and will vary, depending on the type of ants and gravity of the problem. But we still recommend that you give them a shot because everything discussed in this article have been tried, tested and proven to work if done right.
