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Ants are very receptive to food smell and with approaching spring, these tiny tots start to peep out from various corners of the walls, reproducing by millions or billions. Though a few ants may not be much of a problem, a trail of ants running in the house is surely the moment to be concerned for.
The kitchen is the most loved location of ants as it is the place where all of the food is being cooked and little bits can be left out.
Even if it is clean and tidy, still one cannot be 100% sure that one is free of ants danger. Even one drop of peanut butter or ketchup or rice granule can be the cause for a party for a huge family of ants.
These extremely small but very annoying tiny creatures are easily attracted by sweet substances and to keep them away One needs to take serious measures.
7 Home remedies for getting rid of ants
1. Cinnamon Or Garlic
The aroma of cinnamon and garlic is not appreciated or resisted by ants. It becomes the easiest solution to keep them all away from the kitchen, shelves, or other top spots them.
Things Required
Cinnamon sticks or powder and garlic cloves.
How To Use
Make use of cinnamon sticks or powder at places that are most attacked areas of the house like kitchen corners, window tracks, or door side. One may witness an ant trail receding, away from the sticks.
Even the garlic cloves can equally work well. Just placing a few cloves at the entry point of ants attack, keeps them away forever.
2. Spray Table Salt Or White Vinegar
This is another effective home remedy that has been used for many years to keep these little bugs away. The insecticidal and fungicidal properties of white vinegar prevent the build-up of ant trails. Make use of table salt solution or white vinegar to keep the house ants free.
Things required
Salt, boiling water, and white vinegar
How To Use
Mix table salt with boiling water and spray it around in all corners of the kitchen or places frequently attacked by ants.
White vinegar also works equally effectively and fast, when sprayed or wiped with white vinegar at ants-prone regions of the house. Ants trail will vanish away within minutes of using white vinegar.
3. Mint
Mint deteriorates the smelling abilities of ants and thus, aids in preventing ant attacks. There are many different ways in which mint can be used for avoiding ant infestations.
Things Required
Mint plant, dried mint leaves, or mint tea bags.
How To Use
Grow mint plants at home and place them near doors or places with anthills. Make use of dried and crushed mint leaves around the windows, at corners, and on kitchen shelves.
But, need not worry if you cannot manage to have mint leaves or plants in or around the house, even mint tea bags are equally effective in getting rid of ant attacks.
Also, Read
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- What to do if you have fleas in your house: 5 home remedies
4. Lemons
The most effective fruit to combat invasion by ants is Lemon as ants are known to get repelled by the scent of this citrus fruit. Lemons have been used as one of the most used household remedies for getting rid of ants.
Things Required
Lemons, warm water, lemon peels, clean cloth, and spray bottle.
How To Use
- Prepare a mixture of one cup lemon juice with 4 cups of warm water.
- Either spray it around the ant-prone areas with help of a spray bottle or spread it over the kitchen surfaces, shelves, or cupboards with help of a clean cloth.
- Mop the floor with this lemon solution to avoid the entry of ants around the house.
- Another option is to blend lemon peels with water in a blender and use it to clean or wipe the surfaces.
5. Cucumber And Pepper
For ants-infected areas, cucumbers, and pepper are good solutions as the taste of cucumber and smell of pepper are not appealing to ants and they prefer to vacate the spot immediately.
Things Required
Thin cucumber slices and black pepper.
How To Use
Make use of cucumber slices as ants avoid the taste of cucumbers and are forced to run away from the spot, making it the perfect remedy for warding off ants. Sprinkling black pepper on ant trails or ant hills causes them to scatter, run and promptly exit away from the place, leaving the area ant-free.
Once you watch out the route of their entry, put pepper over the entry points on regular basis to create a constant barrier for entry of ants.
6. Petroleum Jelly
At times, we need to keep food in dishes or bowls for a while, before fully covering it with lids like pet’s water or food dishes.
To keep them ant-free, we must make use of petroleum jelly which is so smooth and frictionless that ants cannot succeed riding over it.
Things Required
Petroleum jelly
How To Use
Spread petroleum jelly on outside surfaces of bowls and dishes that need to be kept out. Apply petroleum jelly in a full circle making a safety ring around the dish, which cannot be crossed by ants as it is sticky and smooth to tread on.
This ensures that the food remains safe and out of attack from ants. Even apply petroleum jelly to cracks in the walls or door side regions, which serves as the entry point of attack by the tiny ants.
7. Scented Products
Ants run away from strong-smelling products like talcum powder, perfumes, or deodorants. When you encounter any ant trail within the house, use such products and make them run away.
Things Required
Baby powder, strongly scented talcum powder, perfumes, or deodorants.
How To Use
On visualizing the ant’s trail, sprinkle some baby powder as the strong smell of it is sure to make the ants run away immediately, leaving no trace of their existence behind.
While using strong smelling perfumes or deodorants, soak cotton balls in them and keep these cotton balls at areas of ants attack and instantly, ants will be seen rushing away from the place of strong odor.
In addition to the above home solutions, one can also put certain plants like eucalyptus, basil, chili peppers, thyme, or peppermint to ward off ants, owing to their strong smell. All these recommended remedies serve to get rid of ants without using any harmful or unsafe insecticidal solutions.
