Tips to Get Rid of Ants from Your Home

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Nobody wants ants in their house. However, the widespread use of toxic insecticides to get rid of these pests can pose risks to the environment and human health. The following natural solutions will help you avoid such risks while keeping your house ant free. Here is how to get rid of ants.

How to Get Rid of Ants

1. Double sided adhesive tape

Simply, line common ant entry points, such as doors and windows, with adhesive tape to trap ants before they have the opportunity to enter your home.

2. Ant deterrent substances

Ants are repelled by several common substances such as chalk, talc, baby powder, lemon juice, bay leaves, cloves, salt, pepper and vinegar. Applying these substances along ants’ entry points and around areas to which ants may be attracted can help keep these pests at bay. Pepper, in particular gives ants the impression that no sugar is ahead. The lemon juice and vinegar can be applied by mixing them with water and putting them in a spray bottle. Citrus peels can also be used to repel ants.

3. Avoid Attracting Ants

  1. Store sugary foods in sealed containers where ants don’t have access to them.
  2. Keep your house, especially your kitchen clean.
  3. Make sure to take out the trash and clean your countertops and kitchen sinks regularly. Food crumbs should be removed as soon as possible.
  4. Keep moisture away.
  5. Ants are also attracted to water. Make sure your bathroom and kitchen are puddle-free. This is especially important for those living in areas of low-humidity.

Get Rid of Ants

1. Destroy the Ant Trail

If you spot a trail of ants entering your house, the best thing you can do is destroy it immediately. This will deter other ants from following the trail. There are several ways in which this can be achieved. The simplest method is to remove the ants with a sponge that has been soaked in soapy water. Simply swipe away the trail of ants, rinse the sponge and repeat until all the ants are gone. Once you are done, spray the trail with bleach, all purpose cleaning solution, or any of the other natural ant repellents mentioned above. Vacuum cleaners can also be used to remove the trail of ants. However, if you do so, it’s advisable to sprinkle the ants with pepper or talcum powder beforehand, so that they don’t end up living inside and infesting your vacuum cleaner.

2. Use Ant-Traps to Remove Ants that are Already Living in Your Kitchen or Pantry

Most ant traps involve using sugary bait to attract ants towards a poisonous substance. The simplest and most effective ant trap consists of a mixture of 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of boric acid. As ants sometimes search for fats and oils in addition to sugars, adding a tablespoon of peanut butter to this mixture can help in attracting more ants.

In order to avoid luring new ant colonies with the bait, only use ant traps in areas where you are certain ant colonies are already present. Make sure to remove and replace the ant trap after a while. Otherwise, the poisons may become weathered and lose their effectiveness, but the bait will continue to attract ants.

3. Homemade Insecticide Spray

A mixture of 1 teaspoon of rubbing alcohol and 1/2 teaspoon of dish soap in a spray bottle full of water can be used to kill and repel ants. Though, this method may not be considered strictly natural, it is still less harmful than most store-bought chemical sprays.

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