13 All-Natural Ways To Eliminate Ants
It may seem like ants would eat anything, but you’d be surprised by how many natural deterrents there are! You don’t have to risk your kids or your own safety with those chemical pesticides. And the best part? Most of these items would leave your house smelling great, too!
1. Ground black pepper
As much as ants love the smell of sugar, they absolutely hate the scent of spices!
How to Use: Sprinkle some pepper on entry points to stop ants from passing through. Bay leaves and herbs work just as well, too.
2. Vinegar
Ants, as foragers, are all about marking their trail with a pheromone scent. Get rid of the scent and you can get rid of their trail.
How to Use: Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray the solution on ant trails, floor corners, or any place where you think the ants are coming from. Repeat this 3 times a week until the problem is gone. If you see large groups of ants, you can spray directly on them to kill them.
3. Coffee grounds
Humans love the smell of coffee but apparently, ants don’t feel the same way (they don’t know what they’re missing).
How to Use: Coffee grounds are great for outdoor ant elimination. The best way to use them is to locate the ant nest or the hill itself and pour a generous amount of coffee grounds over it. It won’t kill the ants. Rather, they’ll move their nests somewhere else.
4. Lemon juice
Citrus can mask the scent of food and sugar; just what ants are looking for!
How to Use: Squeeze 2 big lemons into a spray bottle, mix with 1/2 cup of water and lightly spritz the solution wherever you have an ant problem: on your countertops, the base of your floorboards, or even on the roots of your vulnerable plants.
5. Baking soda
An ant’s digestive system contains acid. When acids mix with baking soda…
How to Use: Naturally, ants wouldn’t dive head first into a solution that’ll make them explode. So, mix baking soda with some powdered sugar, and let the ants bring the substance back to the colony for a long-term fix!
6. Cucumber peels
Bitter peels are off-putting for anyone, even ants!
How to Use: Peel the skin off the cucumber and place it where you’ve got an ant problem. When the peels start to look wilted, replace them with new ones.
7. DIY ant spray
Instead of buying bug killer at the store, you can make your own with just a few ingredients. It’s cheaper, and it’s all-natural. Spray this mixture directly on ants or anywhere you regularly see them.
How to Use: Mix together one cup of water, 1/4 cup of vodka, 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon essential oil, and 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint essential oil. Not only will this stop ants, it smells good!
8. Molasses
Molasses has all the same insect-killing properties as borax but more organic and child-safe!
How to Use: Add 6 tablespoons of powdered sugar with 1 ½ tablespoon of molasses. Place the mixture in a small container somewhere accessible in your house. Let the ants gather. Some will die here and some will bring the sticky substance back to their nest for an unfortunate treat.
9. Cornmeal
Ants are kind of like people in the sense that they love to eat food that isn’t necessarily good for them. They love to eat cornmeal but can’t really digest it, so they just end up dying off.
How to Use: Leave a small pile of cornmeal somewhere ant-accessible. You’ll notice in a few days that the cornmeal is gone and so are the ant trails.
10. Cinnamon
Ants hate cinnamon and will actively avoid it, whether in the powder form or the stick.
How to Use: Sprinkle cinnamon or place cinnamon sticks where ants gather. You can also just leave a stick in your cupboards or kitchen drawers as a precaution.
11. Citrus peels
Don’t throw away those orange peels just yet! Ants hate the smell of citrus, and it just drives their senses crazy.
How to Use: Place a few fruit peels on doorways or wherever you think the ants are entering. You can use fresh peels, but dried peels are most effective.
12. Peppermint
Nature lovers and gardeners, this might just be the solution to your pest problem. Just like lemon juice and orange peels, the scent of peppermint interferes with ant navigation.
How to Use: Mix around 10 drops of peppermint essential oil in water, and spray or sprinkle around your house. Alternatively, you can grow Peppermint Plants in a small pot or in your garden to protect the surrounding plants.
13. Table Salt
You don’t need to go all the way to the grocery to get your natural ant-repellant. It might already be in your pantry! An ants’ exoskeleton is delicate, and salt is notorious for soaking up moisture.
How to Use: Sprinkle salt right on top of a trail of ants. Another way is to add a couple teaspoons of salt in boiling water, wait for the water to cool, then add it to a spray bottle to spritz in anty areas.
