Ants are a common household pest that is difficult to eliminate once they’ve moved in. Ants usually enter a home via cracks and crevices in the walls, doors, or open windows. They may nest inside the walls and find their way into your food pantry. There are several ways to repel ants from your home. Here are some of the most effective methods that involve a combination of natural and chemical substances.
Repel Ants Using Natural Methods
Vinegar
Use a mixture of 50/50 vinegar and water in a spray bottle to repel ants you see crawling around your home. The odor this mixture leaves behind is unappealing to ants and encourages them to look elsewhere for food.
Essential Oils Repel Ants
Strongly scented essential oils like neem, lemongrass, cinnamon, lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus, and peppermint help discourage ants from your home. Mix two or three drops of oil in 1 ½ – 2 cups of water and add it to a spray bottle. Spray the areas around your home where you notice ant trails. Many homeowners use peppermint with excellent results.
Salts
Various salts, like baking soda, borax, and Epsom salt, work to eliminate unwanted insects. Measure out approximately 1 -1 ½ tablespoons of salt and mix with 1 cup of water in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture around points of entry to repel ants.
Get Rid of Ants Using Conventional Chemical Methods
Using Spray to Repel Ants
Bug spray is available at your local supermarket that targets and eliminates ants. Spray the entry points around your home, and for more immediate results, locate the trails, follow them, and apply the product along the route.
Ant Baits
Ant baits work because ants live in colonies and share their loot. The baits contain a poisonous insecticide mixed with a sugary agent that attracts the ants. They will collect the bait and carry it back to their nest, which poisons the whole colony. The baits are effective on many different species of ants.
Traps
Ant traps are similar to baits. However, the poisonous insecticide is placed on a sticky substance that traps ants and kills them where they are.
Ants can infest a home and get into food products. In addition, they leave pheromones behind to attract more ants. To help prevent an infestation, seal gaps and cracks around the house, keep your home clean, and store food in air-tight containers.
Inspect It Neil provides inspections to customers in New Jersey. Contact us to schedule our services.