Keep Ants Away Naturally

Written by April Reinhardt (last updated June 29, 2009)

1

One of the most prolific pests, ants are seen my some as a nuisance and annoyance, but by others as a beneficial pest to gardens and plants. But if you've seen ants trailing across your kitchen countertop, then you probably want to find an easy—and safe—way to rid your home of the little critters. Here are some ways to keep ants away naturally, without using chemicals, pesticides, or insecticides harmful to your family and pets:

  • Spray them with plain Windex, Formula 409, or Simple Green. Not only will you kill the ants, you'll have a clean house!
  • Mix a solution of one part liquid dish soap with 3 parts water and spray anywhere you see ants.
  • Combine peanut butter or bacon grease, or sugar with Borax, and place the mixture into a small plastic container—the kind you get at the deli counter. Place the lid on the container and poke holes into it. Clearly mark the container "Ant Killer" and place it behind appliances. Keep children and pets away from the containers.
  • Smear a thin layer of peanut butter or honey onto a small strip of aluminum foil, and then dust it with Borax and place it behind light switch plates to catch and kill ants in your walls.
  • Cut several garlic cloves in half and place them on windowsills and near doorways to keep ants away. Ants hate garlic.
  • Sprinkle windowsills, door thresholds, and garbage cans with cayenne pepper, black pepper, lemon juice, cinnamon, or crushed red pepper. Ants hate those spices and will not come near them.
  • Dab a cotton ball with peppermint or spearmint flavoring oil, and apply it to baseboards, kitchen and bathroom backsplashes, windowsills, and anywhere you see ant activity. Since ants hate mints, they will not cross that line of oil.

Keep all food in airtight containers, and clean up food after eating. Don't leave dirty dishes in your kitchen sink. Rinse the food particles away. Sanitize kitchen countertops with ammonia or a spray cleaner. Use general good sanitation within your entire home, making it less hospitable for ants to feel welcome.

Author Bio

April Reinhardt

An admin­istrator for a mutual fund man­age­ment firm, April deals with the writ­ten word daily. She loves to write and plans to author a memoir in the near future. April attend­ed More­head State Uni­ver­sity to pursue a BA degree in Ele­men­tary Edu­ca­tion. ...

MORE FROM APRIL

Removing Stains from a Wood Deck

Most mild stains can easily be removed from a wood deck with detergent and water. Simply use a stiff brush to agitate the ...

Discover More

Adding a Garden Water Fountain

Adding elegance and visual interest to any garden, a water fountain also provides the relaxing sound of trickling water. ...

Discover More

Wood Planters

Whether you want to decorate your back deck with tall potted palms, or adorn a window box with tiny pansies, wood ...

Discover More

Cover Your Entire Back Yard! Flowtron's lantern-style insect killer uses nontoxic ultraviolet light to eliminate mosquitoes, biting flies, and other insects over a 1/2-acre area. Hang it up, plug it in, and you are ready to go. Cleaner, safer, and longer-lasting than messy chemicals. Check out Flowtron BK-15D Electronic Insect Killer today!

More Pest Tips

How to Repel Ants

There are many insecticides, pesticides, and poisons readily available from hardware and home improvement stores ...

Discover More

Love to Camp, but Hate the Ants?

If you love to camp, but hate the ants, make your camping environment impossible for ants to thrive. Use vinegar to douse ...

Discover More

Ants will not Cross a Chalk or Powder Line

Because ants use pheromones to make and follow trails, you can stop ants in their tracks by using chalk or powder to ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is eight minus 8?

2012-02-06 04:09:53

james

i have tried everything in the past to get rid of ants.
thank - you for these tips, i will use these tips this summer everywhere.