Home Remedy to Get Rid of Ants
90You Can Get Rid of Ants Naturally
How Do I Get Rid of Ants Indoors?
I have dealt with the dreaded ant problem several times before. Before learning how to get rid of ants, we had one particular summer where I literally vacuumed up the trail of ants that formed in my kitchen every morning. Since we have both children and indoor pets, hiring an exterminator or using harmful chemicals or pesticides to eliminate ants wasn't a viable option for us.
How to Get Rid of Ants in Your Home
After much trial and error, here are the most effective ways that I have used to get rid of ants inside without using dangerous pesticides. Try all of these ways to get rid of ants until you hit on a winner. For some reason, different methods and ingredients are more effective at different times when trying to eliminate ants. I am assuming it depends on the type of ant that has invaded.
How to Get Rid of Ants Naturally
Diatomaceous earth is a great home remedy to get rid of ants. Simply sprinkle lines of it in areas where ants are seen and where they enter your home. This is one of the best ways to get rid of ants that I have used. Be certain to get the right type of diatomaceous earth, however. The kind used for pools and such is harmful to kids and pets. You should be able to find diatomaceous earth at a garden center or nursery. Ask if you are uncertain about the type you are buying.
Baby powder sprinkled in areas where ants invade is also supposed to get rid of ants. I haven't used this method personally, as baby powder contains talcum which is supposed to be a carcinogen when inhaled or ingested. (Ironic, isn't it?)
Use Lemons to Get Rid of Ants
A lemon juice mixture also works surprisingly well. I can't remember where I learned this home remedy to get rid of ants, but mix up about half lemon juice and half water. Put this in a spray bottle and spray everywhere ants are seen and anywhere they can enter. This includes spraying around the outside of the house. Works wonders if you want to eliminate ants!
Kill Ants With Grits!
Believe it or not, quick grits will help eliminate ants in your home. Just sprinkle them dry anywhere ants have been seen. Once the ants have ingested them, they expand and kill the ants. This is also an effective way to kill ants outside. Just sprinkle the instant grits all around any ant hills.
More Home Remedies to Get Rid of Ants Naturally
Cayenne pepper, cinnamon, black pepper, and peppermint oil all help get rid of ants. To use this method, be sure that a line of the spice or oil is long enough that the ants can't simply go around it to enter your home. If you have toddlers, this method for getting rid of ants isn't recommended for obvious reasons. Pets usually steer clear of these ant killers.
Best Home Remedy to Get Rid of Ants
Many people swear by boric acid mixed with anything sweet to get rid of ants. The mixture ratio should be 2 parts sweet substance to 1 part boric acid. It is supposed to be a very effective way to eliminate ants. I didn't use this method because boric acid can be harmful if inhaled and I have a dog with breathing problems already. Its toxicity is supposed to be very low, though.
Are There Any Home Remedies to Get Rid of Ants Outside?
If outdoor ants and ant hills are a problem, try pouring boiling hot water straight onto the ant hills. Be careful not to burn yourself, as the hot water will splash. You may have to repeat this a few times to kill ants and get rid of them, but it usually causes ants to find more hospitable environments.
Also try the grits and lemon juice mixture methods mentioned above to get rid of ants outside.
Other Ways to Get Rid of Ants
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Terro 100 1-Ounce Liquid Ant Killer ll
Price: $2.04
List Price: $3.09 |
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Combat Ant Killing Gel 27grams
Price: $2.39
List Price: $6.19 |
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Worker Ant Syndrome
Price: $0.99
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Combat Ant Killing System, Child-Resistant, Kills Queen & Colony, 6/bx
Price: $7.15
List Price: $2.93 |
Other Ways to Get Rid of Ants
If you don't mind commercial ant killers, I've heard many recommendations from friends and family for Terro ant baits. I have been told that Terro baits will get rid of ants in less than a week. I believe that the active ingredient is boric acid. They are also supposed to be safe to use around pets.
Of course, if you want to get rid of ants forever, find out where those suckers are entering and seal it up with caulking. No more ant problem!
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How to Get Rid of Ants Without Toxic Chemicals Comments
Hi Angela lets try some of these methods although I hate kiling insects unfortunately they can take over.
thank you Diana
I could have made a request for this hub. We have lots of ants here both outside and inside our house and we never used chemicals because of our daughter and our cat. I´m going to try the lemon juice mixture and see if it works ;) . Thanks for this great hub.
Very sound advice here, I just moved and the back lawn has an overabundance of ants so i was getting ready to reduce their numbers, your hub helped, thanks.
Wow, exploding ants! The lemon juice is what I would choose to keep them out. Otherwise, I think black ants are cute and they help open up the peony blooms. I don't like the red biting ants I sat in as a child though! Ouch!
now u tell me........
i needed to know this years ago already !
thanx ! at least i now have an armoury when the next army comes marching in.......
now u tell me........
i needed to know this years ago already !
thanx ! at least i now have an armoury when the next army comes marching in.......
Last I had a huge ant mound abutting my home. These were fire ants! After several failed attempts to get rid of it, I took a broom handle and poked deep holes into it.
Then I poured hot water made with a hot pepper tincture I'd made 10 years before. The big ant mound and the ants were so devastated that it went flat with the next good rain. It's still empty of ants a year later!
To make a tincture just fill a blender with hot peppers and add vodka 2/3's the way up. Run the blender for 30 to 60 seconds. That's it!
The best to you.
Kelley Eidem
Hi Angela,
I have a yard made up mostly of ants! Drives me nuts!. Thanks for the ideas. I'll certainly try the lemon juice one and also Kelley's blasting hot pepper and vodka concoction.
Say Kelley, did you ever drink that stuff?
I really am thankful fo ryou ant-ridding ideas and will definitely try a few methods.
Cheers,
Deborah Marsden
used coffee grounds work also. Tried and tested :)
I hate killing insects except ants. you can find them everywhere and their bite hurts.
Hi dsm,
I used the hot peppers to get rid of my stage 4 cancer, just an eyedropperful or two each day along with freshly grated garlic and an oil.
See my cancer hub to get the details.
http://hubpages.com/hub/How-I-Cured-Stage-4-Cancer
Anything that can get rid of ants AND cancer is pretty cool in my book!
The best to you.
Kelley Eidem
very good one
I've had problems with ants at just about every place I've lived.... except where I live now!!! :)
Thanks for an informative hub anyway. I will bookmark it for the next time I move!
Just sprinkle some salt across their path and the ants won't cross it. I've also heard that a chalk line will work as well.
The bug guy told me to put windex down, ants make trails when you use windex it erases the trail and it helps to get rid them, not 100% but there lost without the trail.
Another on is DE for swimming pools, don't use this if you have pets or kids though. The ants get caught in it and can't move.
This is a great information. I really hate ant bites. Great tips and advice. Thumbs up! :)
check out my hub when you have some time.
Intresting points! I must add that Windex does a great job of killing ants and cleans well too!
Here in FL there can be a few problms though with killing ants outside as they don't seem to want to die. There are some good outdoor sprays that will do it but one has to remember to do it on a regular basis.
Another note is that fire ants can live in water for 2 weeks. Just ask me. Yuk!
All this ant stuff is easy to find on the web - because ants are a common problem. I'll second that hint about Windex - it's the best bet and the easiest since most people already have it in their home. I use a half and half vinegar/water solution for cleaning and ants hate that. It works as well.
I tried the black pepper and that worked as well
Windex or 409 kill them on contact - had ants in my old apartment and for sure works!
ant seeason is coming up , thanks for the tips, although some of the suggestions sound almost tasty
I hate to be the one to say it, but in the long run most of these won't work. You're best bet is to get yourself a good pest control company.
Very good hub! I live in South Carolina and we have fire ants bad. We have tried every thing to get rid of these irritation pest. I will try some of your ideas and see if they work. Thanks
Lots of great ideas here. I will pass them along to my sister who has an ant problem every year. Thanks!
cayenne pepper works
Thank you bunches, this was a lotttt of help.
Also, YEAST can help with ants, it has the same effect as the grits.
=]
They may be one of the smallest creatures on earth but their bite has no size. Thank you for the extermination tips.
Hi Angela,
Thanks! That is indeed useful. I have a lot of ants in my house. I will definitely try these methods and hopefully at least one of them will work.
Good Hub, but I did find the "grits thing" kind of disturbing - and that's coming from someone who thinks there is no such thing as a Summer without at a few ant parades near the kitchen door.
I always have a huge problem with ants coming in this one particular window in my kitchen. Since it is my kitchen I am reluctant to spray those chemicals that you can buy to get rid of ants. I will try your home remedies first this year.
I have to say that the boiling water method is a very satisfying way of killing a bunch of 'em.
I always use boric acid!
I had a jar of honey in my cupboard. We went on vacation and when we came back, there was a trail of medium sized black ants in a long trail on the wall, in the direction of where the honey was. I killed them all rather quickly with a shot of windex. Then I emptied out the cupboard and scrubbed it out, including the kitchen walls and floor. I now seal most everything inside zip lock bags. I put the honey in the fridge. I don't have room to put everything in the fridge so things like flour, I put on the highest shelf and store it in a zip lock bag.
I also use powered dishwasher detergent and combine with a little boric acid. I sprinkle that along the opening to my kitchen door inside and also the front door. It really helps alot and particularly with the small sweet and grease loving ants. I get a straggler black ant occasionally so I use an antibacterial spray cleaner or windex to spot shot them. Very important - vacuum rugs and floors as often as you can and keep floors and cupboards as clean as possible. That will help alot in keeping ants away. You may get a straggler now and then, but only because worker ants are roamers and happen to end up in your house. It would be a good idea to see if you have alot of ant activity around the outside of your house, which is a problem for many. You'll have to check what kind of ants you have and deal with them accordingly. Carpenter ants are not as easy to get rid of, unfortunately, but they tend to stay outside mostly.
Use cinnamon, it also is impossible for them to digest, and they will carry it back to their colony and will administer it to the others...It has worked for me so far, and I have been over run by them for the past 2 months.
We don't have them indoors (knock on wood) but there are mini ant hills all over my driveway (cracks) and side garden. I'm going to try that lemon spray.
Thie year has been one of the worst for ants around my house, and my neice drop by an mention windex and I started spraying and it has worked. Not all gone yet but I do see its working.
I recently started getting ants in the house- I guess because of rain- so I am trying the lemon juice- thanks for the advice!
we get ants year round but everytime our neighbor next door waters the grass all the ants come into our house its ridiculous so i'll try the lemon juice and grits test to see if it works indoors and outside because I have 2 cats and i'm sick of spending so much money on bug sprays and traps.
there is a product called EXXANT that is environmentally safe and kills ants on contact. I live in FL and it works great on fire ants...any kind of ant. "spray N Grow" sells it on the internet and i'm sure alot of other places do to.
Try all of these ways to get rid of ants until you hit on a winner. For some reason, different methods and ingredients are more effective at different times when trying to eliminate ants.
What do you do when you think there is a nest of ants somewhere in the house? Will any of these remedies used in the kitchen on their trail do anything to get rid of the nest? HELP!!! I have pets and don't want to use anything that will be harmful to them..plus, to myself and my husband.
John Chancellor says:
16 months ago
I am not sure the ants are really particular about the way they are exterminated ... but I can just picture the ants eating the grits and then having an internal expansion they can't handle.