Get Rid of Ants Using Household Items

Ants in Your Pants? Try Lemon Juice or call Lemonade Pest Control 🙂

It’s estimated that the average American home contains around 5,000 ants! While ants play an important role in the ecosystem outdoors, having an ant infestation inside is no picnic. Who wants tiny insects marching through the kitchen or showing up at picnics uninvited? Fortunately, there are many natural, non-toxic ways to get rid of ants without resorting to harsh chemical pesticides. In this article, we’ll explore homemade repellents, solutions for keeping ants out, and effective baits that will send them packing. You’ll also learn when it’s time to call in a professional exterminator for a serious ant problem. With a few simple strategies, you can stop ants in their tiny tracks and prevent future invasions. Let’s get started!

Understand Why Ants Invade

Ants invade homes looking for two things – food and water. As social insects, ants live in colonies and work together to find resources. Scouts leave the nest in search of food, and when they find something good, they leave a scent trail for the other ants to follow. Ants are tiny and can squeeze through the tiniest cracks and crevices. Once inside, they explore all areas of the home looking for sugary, starchy, or greasy foods. They also need water, so they may congregate around sinks, tubs, or other sources of moisture. Understanding ant biology and behavior is key to controlling these pests. Ant colonies have a queen that lays hundreds of eggs daily, so eliminating the workers you see is only a temporary fix. Finding and destroying the nest or removing their food and water sources is the best way to get rid of ants long-term.

Keep a Clean Kitchen

Ants are attracted to crumbs and spills so it’s important to keep your kitchen clean if you want to help get rid of ants. Be sure to wipe kitchen counters, sweep floors, vacuum carpets, and take out the garbage frequently. Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink either. Ants are opportunistic and love leftovers. Make sure to store human and pet food in sealed containers. Keep your pantry organized and wipe up any spills in cupboards or on shelves. Try not to leave pet food and water bowls out overnight. A clean kitchen means fewer food sources and fewer pheromone trails for ants to follow into your home. Good sanitation goes a long way toward ant prevention and control.

Use Natural Repellents

Ants have a strong sense of smell, so pungent smells and flavors can help deter them from areas you don’t want them in. Some easy, natural repellents to try around your home include:

• • Essential Oils: Oils like peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus, citrus and lemongrass contain smells that naturally repel ants. You can mix a few drops of these oils with water in a spray bottle and spritz entry points like windowsills, baseboards or cracks. The ants will be turned off by the strong scents.

• • Spices: Ground cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and ginger sprinkled around windows, doors and other areas ants are getting in can help drive them away. These spices have potent smells ants want to avoid. You can also mix them with a bit of water to make a thicker paste and apply to problem areas. Just reapply after it rains or every few days.

• • Vinegar: White vinegar or apple cider vinegar wiped down along baseboards, windows and other spots around your home creates a smell boundary for ants. You can also mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle to spray trails and entry points. The vinegar dissolves the ants’ scent pheromones so they become confused and unable to follow the trail back to the nest.

• • Lemon Juice: Just like vinegar, lemon juice helps mask ants’ scent trails and makes it harder for them to navigate back to their nest. Wipe pure lemon juice around doors, windows and other places ants are getting in. The strong citrus scent will deter them. You can also mix lemon juice with water to dilute it and spray it as a repellent. Using natural scents is a safe and effective way to get ants to steer clear of certain areas without using harsh chemicals. Be diligent about reapplying these solutions every few days for the best results. But if the ant problem persists, call the professionals at Lemonade Pest Control who can treat the infestation at its source.

Apply Barriers

Ants Won’t Cross One effective way to control ants naturally is to apply barriers around your home that deter ants from entering. Here are some useful tips:

• • Seal any cracks and crevices on the exterior of your home with caulk. This denies ants entry points into your walls or foundation. Check window and door frames as well for potential gaps ants could come through.

• • Place your pet’s food and water bowls on plates filled with water. This creates a moat ants cannot cross to get to the food.

• • Create barrier lines ants will avoid crossing using chalk, ground cinnamon, or cayenne pepper. Simply sprinkle these along countertops, windowsills, doorways or other places ants may enter. The strong scents repel ants so they won’t cross over. Reapply after cleaning. Taking the time to apply these simple barriers around your home will help block ants at the source and prevent invasions. Focus your efforts on possible entry points and places ants frequent. Natural ingredients create effective ant boundaries without the use of harsh chemicals.

Eliminate Water Sources

Ants need water to survive, so eliminating sources of water in and around your home can help get rid of ants. Here are some tips for eliminating water sources that attract ants:

• • Fix any leaking plumbing or dripping faucets, both indoors and outdoors. Even small leaks around pipes under sinks or around exterior spigots can attract ants. Seal any leaking fixtures or call a plumber if needed to fix more complex leaks.

• • Empty and dry out any standing water inside or outside the home. This includes water collected in buckets, plant saucers, toys, gutters, and birdbaths. Dump out the water and be sure to wipe or air dry any containers.

• • Change your pet’s water frequently. Pet water bowls are another common water source for ants. Wash the bowls thoroughly and refresh your pet’s water daily or even twice a day during hot weather when ants are most active.

Cutting off access to water will encourage ant colonies to move elsewhere. Along with other natural ant deterrents, eliminating plumbing leaks, standing water, and other moisture sources can help control ant problems in and around your home. Call a professional exterminator like Lemonade Pest Control if you continue to have persistent ant issues that natural remedies cannot resolve.

Use Ant Baits

Ant baits are an effective way to control ants naturally, as the worker ants bring the bait back to the nest to share with the rest of the colony. This eliminates the entire colony, including the queen ant that produces new ants. There are a few types of ant baits that can help get rid of ants in your home.

• • Boric acid powder – This is one of the most common ingredients in ant baits. The ants ingest the powder, which acts as a stomach poison that kills them over several days. Place the powder along ant trails and anywhere you see ants entering the home.

• • Diatomaceous earth – Made from fossilized algae, this chalky powder kills ants by absorbing the waxy outer layer that protects their bodies, causing dehydration. Sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth along ant trails and entry points.

• • Liquid ant baits– These contain sodium tetraborate decahydrate, which the ants take back to the nest and feed to the rest of the colony. Place these sticky traps along ant trails, under sinks, and other places you see ant activity. The liquid bait will attract worker ants who will then become “living baits”. Using ant baits is an effective way to eliminate the entire ant colony. By having the ants unknowingly carry the bait back to the queen, you can get rid of ants at the source. If ant baits and other natural remedies don’t solve your ant problem, call Lemonade Pest Control – we can inspect your home and implement solutions to keep ants away.

Control Ants Naturally Outdoors

Controlling ants that invade areas outside your home can be done without the use of harsh chemicals. Here are some effective, natural ways to get rid of ants in your yard and garden areas:

• • Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the foundation – Diatomaceous earth is a natural mineral powder that will cut and dehydrate the exoskeleton of ants. Sprinkle a line of diatomaceous earth around the foundation of your home where ants may be entering from the outdoors. Re-apply after heavy rains.

• • Use boiling water to kill ant hills – Pour boiling water directly onto ant hills in your yard or garden. The heat will kill the ants and destroy the structure of the hill. Just make sure to avoid areas with plants.

• • Grow mint, tansy or cucumber plants – Strongly scented plants like peppermint, tansy or cucumbers can help deter ants from foraging in garden areas. Mint and tansy contain insect-repelling properties, while ants dislike the sticky sap from cucumber plants. Plant these around your garden borders. Using natural methods like these can help eliminate outdoor ant infestations without the need for commercial pesticides. However, if the ant problem persists, it may be time to call in a professional exterminator for chemical treatments and a more thorough removal process. Lemonade Pest Control has expertise in ant elimination and can provide effective solutions for stubborn outdoor ant infestations.

Know When to Call a Professional

While there are many effective home remedies for getting rid of ants, in some situations it’s best to call in the professionals. If you’ve tried several natural ant deterrents and remedies but the ants still persist, it may be time to bring in pest control. Carpenter ants can cause major structural damage as they burrow into wood, so it’s important not to delay in getting professional help if you suspect carpenter ants. Their nests can be difficult to locate and eliminate on your own. Fire ants have painful and potentially dangerous stings, especially for those with allergies. Their mounds can pop up quickly and a swarm can invade a yard almost overnight. While natural repellents may discourage fire ants, professional pest control is often the best option for eliminating them. Other signs it’s time to call the pros include ants inside electrical outlets, appliances, or sensitive equipment. Ants invading businesses, schools, health facilities, etc. should not be managed by amateurs. If you have an allergy to ants, it’s also wise to hire a professional rather than attempting to manage them yourself. At Lemonade Pest Control, our specialists have extensive training and proven techniques to locate and eliminate any ant infestation while keeping your family safe. If ants persist after you’ve tried natural home remedies, call us! Our experts can inspect, identify the species, pinpoint nest locations, and devise a targeted plan to get rid of ants on your property for good.

Conclusion

Ants can be a frustrating nuisance, invading your home and outdoor spaces in search of food and moisture. While home remedies like maintaining a clean kitchen, using natural repellents, and applying barriers can often take care of minor ant problems, more serious infestations may require professional pest control. This article covered several DIY methods to get rid of ants without using harmful chemicals. You learned that you can repel ants with lemon juice, vinegar, cinnamon, coffee grounds, chalk, or talcum powder. Sealing up cracks and crevices deprives ants of entry points. Borax or boric acid applied in strategic areas works as a slow-acting poison that ants bring back to the nest. Following these natural pest control tips diligently may eliminate ants from your house. However, if you still see trails of ants after trying these home remedies, it’s time to call in a pest control professional. Companies like Lemonade Pest Control have the advanced products, tools and expertise to fully eliminate ant colonies. Their technicians can pinpoint nest locations, treat the whole colony and help prevent future ant problems. Don’t continue struggling with ant infestations – call Lemonade Pest Control for customized solutions to ant problems. (717) 259-2747