subject: Safe Execution Of Ant Pest Control To Avoid Harm In The Kitchen [print this page] We know to keep kitchen sinks and counters clean and dry to prevent ants, and here are other natural ways to keep ants out of your home. Persistence is the key when trying natural ant control remedies. If one of these methods doesn't work for you, then try another.
Tricks for Some Natural Ant Approach
Place cinnamon sticks or garlic in areas where you have seen ants enter, such as in window tracks, by doors and in corners around your home. While garlic cloves aren't as aromatically pleasing as cinnamon sticks, they work really well. You can also place cinnamon sticks around the pantry for extra protection.
Place white vinegar or apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle and spray on areas where you have seen ants. The fungicidal and insecticidal properties in the vinegar help prevent ants.
Sprinkle black pepper where you see ants. The ants will immediately scatter. Pay attention to where they run; chances are they will be exiting your house and you'll be able to treat the entry area with pepper too.
For serious anthill problems in your yard or walkway, pour boiling water over the anthills. It sounds a bit cruel, but pesticides can be equally, if not more, cruel.
Mint destroys the smelling capabilities of ants and prevents them from entering your home. There are several ways to use mint to prevent ant infestations. First, plant mint around your home, especially near doors and close to areas where you have seen anthills. Second, place mint leaves in and around windows. If ants are entering your pantry, place some mint leaves on the shelves and in the corners.
Another spray solution for getting rid of ants is to take an equal solution of glass cleaner and liguid soap and mix it together and put it in a spray bottle, and again, spray areas where the ant infestations seems to be coming from and where their ant runs are.
Cream of tarter has also been said to be a great barrier to an ant investation if you know where they've coming into your home. Just apply it around the area and the ants won't come in.
A few ideas on dealing with ants naturally:
Keep your kitchen spotlessly clean and dry. Dont leave food scraps lying around or bowls soaking in water and fix tap drips. Take out the garbage or remove the bin from the kitchen altogether. I have found that once ants know there is an easy food source in your kitchen, they will come for even the most microscopic morsel.
Keep food in tightly sealed containers. Keep pet food bowls in larger bowls filled with water, the ants cant swim across the water.
Kill the scouts. Ant colonies tend to send out a couple of ants to scout out food before sending in the troops. Kill the scouts before they can report back to the nest.
Block their path. Find the ant trail and cover it with one of the following natural things that ants dont like: dried mint, cloves, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, vinegar, ground coffee, cinnamon, peppermint oil, bay leaves, black pepper or cucumber. Be prepared to do this several times. Ants are ingenious at finding new ways into your house. After blocking their path repeatedly, the ants in the nest outside practically went via the neighbours house to get into our kitchen.
Fill holes and gaps through which the ants can get in.
You can make your own spray repellent by either spraying ants with soapy water made with dishwashing detergent or a spray of citrus peel and water (mixed in the blender)
Alternatively, mix borax and honey together and either leave in a jar lid or if you have kids and pets, in a sealed marg container with small holes so that the ants can get in and take the poison back to the nest.
You could pour boiling water down their nests.
Most ant problems can never be totally eradicated, as far as killing off every ant, but they can be managed to the point of having negligible, if any impact inside your house.
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