How to Repel Ants

Two summers ago during a heat wave of ninety days with temperatures over 100( each day, our grass scorched and we lost large patches of it. Now it is spring and I've noticed that in those bald patches of yard, ants have merrily taken up residence. A quick and hefty sprinkling of cayenne pepper to their anthills soon had them leaving for greener pastures, however. There are other ways to repel ants, and most don't include using pesticides.

Whether you've got an ant problem in your house, or in your yard or garden, here's a list of products that will fend off and repel ants:

• Some great spray cleaning products that repel ants are Windex, Simple Green, Formula 409, and Shaklee Basic-H. Spray any of those products wherever you see ants, and they will not stick around.
• Ants usually won't cross a line of cayenne pepper. Sprinkle it on and around anthills. If you've ants in your kitchen, place a small dish of cayenne pepper in your cupboards or on your kitchen countertop.
• It's a fact that ants hate peppermint. Place a dish of crushed peppermint on your kitchen countertop to keep them away. You can also mix a solution of one pint of water with one dram of peppermint flavoring oil. Spray the solution anywhere you see ants.
• Mix a solution of one part water to two parts of Ivory liquid soap, and spray wherever ants are present. Take care to let friends and family know that the floor may have a soap solution on it, as the floor will become slippery.
• Mix 1 tablespoon of peanut butter with 1 tablespoon of boric acid and spread the mixture onto a saltine cracker. Using a pin, punch holes into the lid of a small bracelet box. Place the rigged poison cracker inside of the box, and tape the lid onto it (so that children won't open it and eat it). Place the box anywhere you see ants in your house. The ants will eat the poison and die.

Another good poison to use to kill ants is diatomaceous earth. Sprinkle it anywhere you see ants. When they traipse through it, the dust will infiltrate and expose their exoskeleton, and then they will die after dehydrating. Take care not to use poisons or insecticides in eating or cooking areas, and certainly never around children or pets!