FindItMore | Do you know there are more than 12000 varieties of ants yet discovered globally? Ants can be a big nuisance if you overlook them for a longer period. They can invade within your personal space; besides, they can damage your property as well. If your house has a lot of cracks and crevices, it will provide them enough space to hide. Ants are not shy like other insects; rather, they are destructive and interfering. Odorous ants are tough to kill than normal common household ants because they are resistant to most of the chemical insecticides. Check out further on how to remove ants naturally.
When you see an ant colony, it may urge you to kill some, avoid doing that as it will only make your problem worse. Killing ants is not an easy task because they live in a colony so, if you want to kill them, you must target the colony. There are various ant killing products out in the market. Don’t jump on buying any of those without knowing how they work. In this article, we are going to discuss some proven natural ways to kill ants along with some chemical ant killers.
Most Effective Natural Ant Killers
- Mint
Peppermint is an organic ant repellent; you are facing severe ant problem in your house you can plant mint around your house. It doesn’t consume much space; a small pot is enough for a mint plant to grow. You can keep them in your veranda, rooftop, box window, lawn, etc. Most ants hate the smell of mint which forces them to relocate their colony from your house. You can also apply peppermint essential oil around the target ant colony, around your kitchen, sink, etc. for the desired result.
- Vinegar
Vinegar is another effective natural ingredient know for its ant repelling property. You can mix vinegar with water (1:1) and pour it in a spray bottle and apply it around the infested areas. It will hardly take a minute to kill them, as it destroys them on contact. For better results, you can also apply it around your kitchen and other areas overnight. Not only ants but it also repels other household insects like flies, cockroaches, rats, etc.
- Cinnamon
Most types of ants (especially household ants) hate the odor of cinnamon. Upon inhaling ants will from suffocation. Try to identify the ants’ path and sprinkle a little amount of cinnamon powder on it. Leave it for an hour and see the result. Cinnamon essential oil is also effective in killing ants. Mix 4 to 5 drops of cinnamon essential oil with 20 ml of water and sprinkle it around your target area.
- Black pepper
Like Cinnamon, ants also hate the powerful odor of black pepper. If you want to apply it to repel ants, keep your children and pets out of its reach as it may irritate their eyes and skin too. Before applying it locate the ant colony. You can apply it directly or mix it with water. This mixture will not kill the ants but force them to change their route.
- Diatomaceous earth
Food grade diatomaceous earth is another effective natural ant repellent. This is nothing but the fossilized remains of phytoplankton. The atoms of DE are known for their razor sharped edge which cut through ants’ delicate exoskeleton, thereby kills them. It is comparatively safe to use around children and pets. Sprinkle a small amount of DE around the ant colony, around the sink, oven, window, garbage cans, refrigerator, etc. You can keep for about a week without replacing and re-applicating unless it is required, as it will continue to do its job.
- Liquid detergent
If you have regular glass cleaner in your home, mix it with a spoon of liquid detergent. Mix it well and spray it around the ant-infested area. The mixtures work by removing the unique pheromone smell that ant trail used to communicate with each other. There is no scientific evidence supporting the remedy, but household owners say they got a satisfactory result out of it. So, there is no harm in trying.
- Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is a very powerful substance in killing and repelling ants with its strong sweet smell. Mix 10 to 20 drops of oil with 100 ml of water. You can spray the mixture around the infested area or soak a cotton ball in it and just keep it in the target area. Don’t allow your children and pets to ouch it.
- Neem oil
Neem essential oil is a pro at killing household insects and pests, especially when it comes to ants. Apply it around the infested area overnight, and it will work magically on them. It is also free from cruelty so completely safe around children and pets.
All the above-mentioned ingredients are easily available at the local market; you can apply one or a couple of them to get faster results. Apart from the above-mentioned natural ingredients, there are so many chemical insecticides to kill ants.
If you want to choose chemical ant repellents, then here are your options.
- Bait
Baits are one of the most constructive chemical ant killers. Ants cannot differentiate between food and bait due to their stimulating smell. They take these baits to their community, and eventually, all of them will die. Baits are free from side effects but keep it away from your children and pets.
- Spray
Ant sprays are nothing but a mixture of natural ingredients with insect killers. They work faster than other products. If you are absolutely irritated with your ant infestation, these sprays can give you faster relief. But you live with children and pets, avoid using it. Or, keep them out of the vicinity of the target area. Sprays are very effective as they can easily reach cracks and crevices where an ant colony may hide. If you don’t want to apply the chemical spray, you can make it with natural insect repellents by the DIY method. Mix two to three ingredients and pour them in a spray bottle and apply them on the infested cracks and crevices.
- Chalk
We are quite familiar with ant killing chalks since they are easily available in the grocery shops and provide an effective result on time. Its also easy to apply, just locate the ant trail and draw an outline around it. Wait for 4 to 5 minutes, all the ants of within the outline will be forced to death due to the lethal chemical deltamethrin and cypermethrin. Ants won’t cross the poisonous chalk line as it interferes with the scent trails left by other members of the colony. Sometimes these chalks also contain diatomaceous earth which absorbs all other odors, including pheromone secret by the ants.
Precautions with Chemical Ant Repellents
You may think ant repellents are as minor as ants, but wait, it’s not as simple as it looks. Each of the chemical products contains harmful insect repellent, which is designed to kill the ants, either on contact or otherwise. Here our team market exterminators have come up with a few precautionary measures that you need to adopt while applying ant repellents.
- First and foremost, keep your children and pets away. No matter what form of insecticide you will apply don’t allow them near the infested site.
- If you have asthma or any other respiratory issue, wear a mask while applying them or leave the infested area as soon as possible.
- If digested accidentally, drink a lot of water (Lukewarm) to dilute it as soon as possible.
- Don’t apply them to your skin.
- In case of skin or eye irritation, check with your doctor immediately.
Call An Exterminator
If you are confused about how to remove ants from your home and don’t want to apply market products, then calling an exterminator will be ideal for you. They know how to apply and what to apply to remove ant infestation from your home. These professionals use proper equipment that is required for ant treatment. Another best part with exterminators is their work comes with a guarantee. After treatment, if the infestation arrives further, you can get free treatment within the mentioned timeline.