Five Natural Remedies For Repelling Ants
Posted on: 24 January 2018
Even though a few modern family movies have depicted ants as friendly and fascinating, seeing a trail of them is rarely a happy occasion. Whether you're tired of seeing them crowd around a tiny crumb left in your kitchen or dislike that they always seem to be on your outside deck, you've already thought of ridding the property of these insects. Luckily, compounds and substances you have around the house already, like the five items below, can help.
Cucumber Peels
If you use cucumbers for tzatziki sauce or salads, keep the peels around. You can chop them up and use them as a solid repellent, sprinkling pieces of peel along ant trails. Cucumber seems innocuous enough to humans, but for insects, cucumber peel compounds have repellent properties.
Chalk
Do you have kids? Then you probably have a few sticks of chalk laying around. You can have fun with the children and discourage ants at the same time with chalk. The reason ants dislike it is their feet are adhesive, or "sticky," and they can't easily remove chalk dust after walking on it. Thick chalk lines might be just perfect for discouraging ant movement in certain areas.
Vinegar
Vinegar is delicious when mixed into various food dishes and can deter tiny insects. If you've got some in your pantry, pour a bit in a regular spray bottle and use it as an anti-bug spray. The scent of vinegar is strong enough to interfere with the scout ants' pheremone trails that other ants follow to get into your living spaces.
Peppermint
The bright, minty aroma from peppermint bushes or oil can be wonderful for everyone in your home -- except ants. Ants seem to intensely dislike the odor, and you could be able to effectively repel them by using the mint freely around the home and outside. Soaked peppermint oil neatly placed in corners of windows or rooms could work. If you're looking for new bushes, peppermint might be a perfect selection.
Coffee Grounds
If you're one of thousands with a serious coffee habit, you may use ground coffee beans to brew a cup every morning. Before you toss out used grounds, sprinkle them right on ant mounds or in areas you see them gather. The scent of strong coffee may be attractive to you, but tiny insects can find it too powerful and overwhelming. Replace grounds after a few days so the smell remains potent enough to repel the ants.
These measures are easy enough to implement and monitor for success. If you seem to continue having serious infestation issues, pest control companies like Bio-Lab Pest & Termite Control can help.
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