Buzz
Opening a cabinet only to find ants swarming over spilled sugar can make you want to immediately grab a powerful chemical insecticide to eliminate them as quickly as possible. However, using insecticides is harmful to your health, pets, and beneficial creatures that are essential around your home. Fortunately, there are many effective ways to kill ants without resorting to insecticides. Check Step 1 and the following sections for ways to make ant traps, spray solutions, and eliminate ant nests, all without using harmful chemicals.
Steps
Use Natural Insecticides
Use soap and water. Pour a part of dish soap and two parts water into a bottle, shaking it well to completely mix the solution. When you spot an ant (or even just one, as it could still be a problem), spray the mixture on it. The ants will immediately stop moving and suffocate. Wipe away the dead ants with a wet cloth, and keep the spray bottle for future use.
- Another great method is placing shallow dishes with soapy water. Attract ants by sprinkling sweet substances leading into the dish.
- This method works well for dealing with a small group of ants but will not eliminate the entire colony. If the ants keep returning, you may need to address the root of the problem.
- Soap water can kill most types of insects, not just ants. You could also try using it to eliminate cockroaches.
Try using white vinegar and water. Ants have a strong aversion to vinegar, so you can make an inexpensive and simple solution with equal parts vinegar and water. Pour this mixture into a spray bottle and spray it directly on the ants to kill them, then wipe the area clean with a damp cloth and dispose of the dead ants.
- You can use this vinegar-water solution to prevent ants from entering your home by spraying it around windowsills, doorways, and areas where ants tend to invade.
- Some people find that using this vinegar solution to clean floors, windows, and shelves can help reduce ant activity on these surfaces. Vinegar is an excellent cleaner and leaves no lingering smell once dry.
Create a lemon juice solution. If the smell of vinegar bothers you, consider using a lemon juice solution to spray ants. Ants are repelled by the citric acid found in lemon juice, which can be sprayed around your home to deter them. Mix one part lemon juice with three parts water to create an effective all-purpose spray.
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth in your home. Diatomaceous earth is a highly effective, natural insecticide that is gentle on humans and animals. This fossilized algae powder works by physically damaging the outer shells of insects, causing them to dry out and die. Simply sprinkle this powder along baseboards, windowsills, and other areas where ants are present.
- Tip: Wear a mask when handling diatomaceous earth. While it is not harmful if ingested, the fine powder can be harmful to your lungs if inhaled.
- Diatomaceous earth loses its effectiveness when wet, even in humid conditions, but it will regain its potency once dried. Consider using a desiccant in high-humidity areas to improve its efficiency.
Use boric acid. This natural substance is a potent remedy for ant control. When ants consume boric acid, it disrupts their digestive system, leading to their demise. Boric acid also damages their exoskeleton in a similar way to diatomaceous earth. It typically appears as white or green powder and can be sprinkled in areas where ants are commonly seen, like along walls or windowsills.
- Boric acid is not a toxic insecticide, but it should be kept away from children and pets. Avoid using it in areas where children or animals play, and do not apply it near food or in kitchen cabinets.
- Boric acid is safe for beneficial insects, birds, reptiles, and fish.
Set traps.
Make boric acid traps. These ingredients are easy to mix, inexpensive, and, most importantly, extremely effective. All you need are a few pieces of cardboard (one for each trap), some corn syrup or any sticky molasses-like syrup, and boric acid powder. Here’s how to make the traps:
- Mix 2 tablespoons of corn syrup and 2 tablespoons of boric acid in a small bowl.
- Ensure the mixture is sticky, not too runny. If it’s too liquid, add more boric acid.
- Spread the mixture onto the cardboard pieces. Each piece of cardboard will serve as one trap.
Place traps where you commonly see ants. If they tend to gather in the bathroom, set a trap there; place one under the kitchen sink and another by the front gate. Put traps around the house wherever you notice the ants gathering.
- Since the traps contain boric acid, avoid placing them in kitchen cabinets or areas where food is stored.
- You can also place traps outside, near flower beds or trash cans.
- The sweet syrup may attract other creatures besides ants, such as children or dogs. Make sure the traps are out of reach of children and pets.
Wait for the traps to attract ants. If you have an 'ant infestation' in your house, the traps will soon be filled with ants searching for food, and they’ll feast on the syrup contaminated with boric acid. Though they won’t die immediately, the poison will take effect in their stomachs. The ants will then return to their nest, carrying the poisoned food for their colony. The ants in the nest will also consume the poison.
- When you see ants going to and from the traps, let them be. If you kill them, they won’t have a chance to bring the poison back to the nest, which could end up killing dozens of other ants.
- This method may not eliminate the entire nest, but it will significantly reduce the number of ants around your home.
Replace traps when the syrup has dried. After a few days, you may need to create new traps. Mix up a fresh batch of bait, spread it on the cardboard, and set up the traps again.
Continue setting traps until the ants no longer come. After a week or two, you’ll notice a significant reduction in the number of ants feeding on the syrup. When you start finding dead ants around the traps and no longer see the 'army' marching into your home, you’ll know the job is done.
Use ground corn and borax to kill larvae. Worker ants consume liquids, not solids, but they will carry the ground corn back to the nest. They feed it to the larvae, after which the food turns into liquid, and the worker ants consume it again. This way, boric acid is passed through multiple generations of ants.
- Ensure that the dishes containing ground corn and borax are shallow enough for the ants to access.
- You can also mix a thick paste using ground corn, borax, and a few drops of water. Spread it in areas where you often see ants.
Eliminate the ant nest
Follow the trail of ants to locate their nest. If you've sprayed the ants and set up traps but they continue to gather inside, you’ll need to target the source: the nest. When you see a trail of ants in your home, follow them as far as you can to find their mound. Depending on the type of ant, their nest may be outside, hidden under rocks or fences, or even inside your house.
- Little black ants are one of the most common types that invade homes. They crawl in long, slow lines. With a bit of attention, you can track them outside to find their nest, typically hidden in the yard.
- Odorous house ants (named for the coconut-like smell they emit when crushed) build nests indoors around window frames or inside walls. They also nest outside, under wood piles, rocks, or in other cracks.
- Pavement ants usually nest in cracks in sidewalks. You may not see their nest as it’s hidden beneath the pavement, but you can locate their entry point.
- Fire ants rarely enter homes but may have nests in your yard, making it dangerous to walk barefoot. Look for large mounds of soil with small, sand-like particles.
Prepare a pot of boiling water. Take a large pot and fill it halfway with water. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling and very hot, carefully remove it from the stove and head to the ant nest you’ve located.
Pour the boiling water into the ant nest. Aim to pour the water directly into the entrance of the nest. The boiling water will instantly kill hundreds of ants and cause the nest to collapse. If the nest is large, you may need to use more than one pot of boiling water.
- If the nest is inside your house, using boiling water could cause damage. Instead, you could pour a bowl of soapy water into the nest or, wearing gloves, scoop out the nest into a bucket and submerge it in water.
- If dealing with fire ants, be sure to wear long pants, tuck your pant legs into your socks, and wear long sleeves when approaching the nest. The ants will likely become agitated and could swarm your clothes.
Check for ants after a few days. If boiling water proves effective in killing the ants, you won't have to deal with them anymore. If you see ants gradually returning, pour boiling water again. Sometimes multiple applications are necessary to completely eliminate the ants.
- If boiling water seems ineffective, use a stick to poke into the ant nest and stir until the hole is large enough. Fill the hole halfway with baking soda and pour vinegar over it.
- If you're dealing with fire ants, you can try a method known as 'shoveling'. Wear long pants with your cuffs tucked into socks for protection, and use a shovel to quickly scoop up the fire ant mound into a large bucket that has baking soda to prevent the ants from escaping. Continue scooping the entire mound into the bucket and drown the ants with vinegar and water or boiling water.
Seal the entrance to the ant nest if you can't remove it. Sometimes, it is very difficult to remove the entire ant nest, but you can usually find the entrance. You can pour boiling water into the entrance, but a simpler method is to block the entrance. Cover the hole with gravel and soil and sprinkle boric acid around it. The ants will have to relocate their nest elsewhere.
Natural Prevention
Create lines that ants cannot cross. There are several natural substances that ants despise, and they will avoid them. By sprinkling these substances in lines around window sills, doorways, and any places where ants enter, you can prevent them from entering your home. You should refresh these lines every few days, as ants may cross if the line breaks. Some substances that work well for this purpose include:
- Cinnamon
- Red pepper
- Ground citrus peel (orange or lemon)
- Ground coffee
Squeeze lemon juice along the edges of the walls outside the house. This method will keep the inside of your house clean while the strong citrus scent will stop the ants. You can also mix equal parts lemon juice and water and sprinkle it around the outside of the house.
Use essential oils to repel ants. Ants dislike several essential oils that humans find pleasant. Add ten drops of essential oil to 1 cup (240ml) of water and spray the solution inside and outside your home to keep ants at bay. Here are a few oils you can try:
- Lemon essential oil
- Peppermint essential oil
- Eucalyptus essential oil (do not use near cats! It is toxic to cats, but harmless to dogs).
- Lavender essential oil
- Cedarwood essential oil
Keep surfaces clean to avoid attracting ants. Spring is the time when ants are most eager to enter your home. Try to maintain clean floors, counters, and cupboards. This is a long-term solution to keep ants out. If ants can’t detect food smells, they will lose interest in invading your home.
- Make sure food containers are tightly sealed, especially sugary items like sugar, honey, syrups, and other foods ants love.
- Clean up any spilled food, especially juice or syrup that falls on the floor.
Seal your home to prevent ants from getting inside. If you block the ants' entry points, they will likely stay outside. Look for any cracks or gaps that ants could crawl through, such as under doors, around window sills, and tiny gaps in the floor. Seal these cracks with caulk or other materials. You can also spray lemon or lavender solution on these areas.
Tips
- Try mixing dish soap, vinegar, and other household items into a spray. It’s always effective!
- Regularly check entry points and window sills; one ant can attract thousands of others. Ants may leave a scent trail invisible to humans but detectable by other ants, so use ant-specific cleaners to remove it.
- Ants dislike peppermint toothpaste. Simply apply it to areas where you see ants, and they will quickly leave!
- Take a piece of cardboard, coat it with glue or another sticky substance, and place it where you spot ants. They will crawl onto it and stick, and once it’s full of ants, you can just throw it away!
- If you don’t want to harm ants, place a jar of honey on a tree in your garden at the start of summer. Ants will happily stay away from your kitchen!
- The best way to avoid ants is to keep your house clean. Frequently wipe down tables and counters, and don’t leave food crumbs behind.
- Keep some sticky tape handy. When you see ants, place the tape over them and press down with your finger. The ants will get stuck in the tape without making a mess. Repeat as necessary until the tape loses its stickiness.
- Chalk and salt are considered ant deterrents, but many people don’t find them very effective.
- Squash ants with your fingers, then wash your hands thoroughly, especially if they are odorous ants.
Warning
- Always place ant bait and traps out of reach of children and pets. Only place them where ants are likely to reach.
- Ants may return, so be prepared to handle the issue again.
- Remember: Ants play an essential role in the food chain. Avoid eliminating all the ants in the area, and focus only on those within your property.
