Natural remedies against ants: some practical methods to keep them away

Do you have ants at home and in the garden and you do not know how to eliminate them? If you do not want to use the chemicals on the market, harmful for health and environment, there are a number of natural remedies to eradicate them. Let's find out what they are!

Natural remedies against the ants: the strategies to put into practice

Before seeing how to eliminate the ants with natural remedies, let's find out what strategies to adopt to prevent them and avoid that they approach our home again.

The first thing to do is identify the anthill but also the access point of the ants in our house, usually these are the corners of doors or windows. At this point we can spread on the area some talcum powder that will block its entrance;

The presence of the ants also indicates that there are food residues in the house. Therefore let’s pay attention to domestic hygiene, always close well the bags of sugar and the honey packaging using sealed containers for food, and always remove all the crumbs on furniture and floor, and avoid keeping the dirty dishes in the sink;

If you have plants in your house, check the soil, because it is there that the ants could hide because they find their natural habitat in the moisture of the soil. Move the plants out of the house;

Wash surfaces and floor with water, vinegar and lemon juice, because it will help to avoid bringing them closer together. It will then be appropriate to seal any cracks from which the ants can enter with silicone or stucco.

Natural remedies against ants: the most effective methods to keep them away from home

If instead the invasion has already begun, then we must resort to strong ways to remove them, but always with simple and natural remedies. The first you can try is salt: scatter a handful of coarse salt near the anthill and a handful of salt up in the corners and in the cracks of doors and windows, it will be an excellent deterrent. But let's see what are the other methods to use.

Vinegar

Vinegar is an excellent repellent against ants, to keep them away pour it in a spray container and spray it in the corners of doors and windows and on window sills without forgetting the kitchen and the nest area. Even if the vinegar dries quickly its smell will still be felt by the ants that will stay away. You can also add a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil to vinegar.

Spices: cinnamon, hot pepper and cloves
Among the spices that keep the ants away due to their particularly strong and unbearable smell for these insects, we have cinnamon, hot pepper, pepper, cloves and spicy paprika. Put these remedies either directly near the areas where the ants are found or use them in the form of essential oil by diluting a few drops with water and spraying directly on the areas or near the cracks from which they could enter.

Herbs: mint, oregano and laurel
Even mint is a useful natural remedy against ants. In these cases you need to put a few leaves of this plant on the window sills and around the doors, or 10 drops of essential oil mixed in 1 glass of water, and spray them at the possible gaps for the house. In addition you will also have the advantage of having a good smell at home. Also the oregano and the bay are the best deterrents, put the bay leaves or the bunches of oregano in the points where there are the ants.

Coffee grounds
Another effective remedy to keep away ants is coffee; you can use the beans or the grounds to create small "mountains" near the entrance of the anthill. You will erase the traces of the ants and any eggs will also be destroyed. To create a powerful deterrent sprinkle some lemon on the grounds and add cinnamon, pepper, hot pepper, white vinegar and mint essential oil. They will move away in no time.

Lemon

The lemon has also proved to be an excellent deterrent for the ants; just place a few slices of lemon covered with black pepper on the areas affected by the passage of the ants. Alternatively you can use the juice to be sprayed in the corners and on the window sills, it has the power to disorient the ants.

Natural barriers
Barriers can be effective to trap ants and prevent them from escaping. In this case you can choose from one of these "ingredients": talcum powder, bicarbonate, cinnamon powder, chalk, cayenne pepper or powdered detergent. Create a barrier that must be about 6 mm wide and must follow a continuous line. This will trap them and prevent their exit.

Liquid soap and water
You can also get rid of ants with a mixture of liquid soap and warm water, just put a drop of soap in 1 liter bottle. Spread it at the entrance of the nest, or spray it in the corners where you have noticed the passage.

Honey

Honey can be considered an alternative natural method against ants. It is used to attract them, so it acts as bait; put some honey containers near the areas where you usually see the ants pass by, once the ants enter, they will remain trapped.

Water, sugar and borax also for flying ants
With these three ingredients you can prepare a paste that will help you to get rid of the ants; just mix together water, sugar and borax and apply the mixture on small cartons that you will place near the colony. Ants will take some pieces that will bring into the nest, killing them.This also works for flying ants and it must be renewed every couple of days otherwise it gets dry and loses its function.