Ants may not be dangerous, but they can be quite a nuisance when they are romping around in the kitchen or burrowing under the patio slabs in the garden. It’s tempting to use chemical ant repellents to get rid of them quickly.
But it doesn’t always have to be the chemical club. There are a number of home remedies for ants that are ideal for getting rid of them. Here are the best home remedies and tips against ants in the home and garden.
Home remedies for ants: Effective and natural
No special remedies or chemicals are needed to combat ants, which according to Ökotest are not always completely harmless anyway. Sensitive people can react to sprays in particular. So here are the 8 best home remedies against ants:
#1: Vinegar
Ants don’t like strong odors because the intense scent disturbs their sense of direction. This is exactly what can be used to drive the creepy-crawlies away. Vinegar works particularly well. We all know that it smells strong. And ants don’t like the strong smell either.
Mix the vinegar with a little water and pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Now use it to moisten the ant trails. You may have to repeat this several times, as the scent will fade after a while.
#2: Spices
Cinnamon, chili powder or cloves are also good household remedies against ants. The scent of the spices is also crucial here. Cinnamon oil has the most intense scent and is also suitable. However, the effect usually fades more quickly than with vinegar.
You can sprinkle the scented ant repellent in front of the ants’ entrances to your house and on their paths. You will see: The ants don’t like it at all.
#3: Herb plants
Fragrant plants such as lavender, thyme and marjoram – or rather their essential oils – are also disliked by ants. Planting the herbs in the garden or strategically laying out the plant parts to drive the ants away.
Some gardeners also recommend laying out loose mint tea leaves or tea bags along ant trails. Fresh mint is also said to have proven effective in the garden, on the patio and on the balcony.
#4: Lemon
Lemon juice is also quite effective against ants, as is lemon peel. The ants don’t like the smell of lemon at all, but for us humans – unlike vinegar, for example – it is quite pleasant.
You can either rub the peels on the floor to break through the ant trails with the essential oils or wipe down table legs, window sills and the like with a little lemon juice as a preventative measure. Alternatively, you can also apply juice and lemons directly to affected areas.
#5: Coffee
Your old coffee grounds can also be put to good use as an ant repellent. This is because the strong smell disorients the small animals by covering up the scent trails on the ant trails.
Scatter the coffee along the roads, at the openings to the burrow and entrances to your home. In the garden, the coffee also acts as fertilizer – very practical!
#6: Tea tree oil
Speaking of scent: tea tree oil is also powerful against ant infestations. The problem with this home remedy for ants, however, is that it also takes some getting used to for us humans.
If the smell doesn’t put you off, you can dilute the tea tree oil with a little water and drip it onto ant trails and openings through which the ants gain access to the house.
#7: Fat & Vaseline
Does Vaseline work as a household remedy against ants? Yes, the greasy cream is avoided by ants and represents an insurmountable obstacle for the animals. It is therefore ideal for breaking through ant trails and the like.
Apply the Vaseline, or other grease, in a wide strip on an ant trail. The strip should be wide enough to prevent the ants from walking around it.
#8: Chalk & lime
Chalk and lime are avoided by ants because they react sensitively to the alkaline powders. Therefore, simply draw a line with chalk in front of your entrances – you will see that the ants will not cross it.
The chalk or lime powder can also be applied to the entire area, for example on the lawn in front of the entrances to the burrow or ant trails. The only disadvantage is that this household remedy needs to be renewed quite quickly.
By the wayBaby powder is also suitable for blocking the ants’ path.
Preventing ants: What to watch out for
Fighting ants or driving them away is all well and good, but you should also take these preventative steps to ensure that the pests don’t find their way back to you afterwards:
- Pack your Food carefully: If ants find a food source, they lay a pheromone trail for their fellow ants – ant trails are created. Therefore, pack your food in tight containers.
- Clean up dirty Dishes plates and cups that are left on the table for days on end are a real feast for creepy-crawlies. This also applies to the food bowls of pets.
- Take care of the garbageIt is best if your garbage cans can be closed with a lid. You should also take the garbage out regularly. This also helps to prevent unpleasant odors.
- Seals Gaps : Joints, gaps and openings in windows or doors are open gates for ants. Silicone or mortar are quite easy to use and you can even order them online.
Home remedies against ants: Better avoid these
Just because something is a natural home remedy doesn’t mean it should always be used. Some remedies are just plain mean, especially when there are alternatives:
Baking powder & baking soda
Baking powder and baking soda are also very effective and well-known household remedies against ants, but they are also quite cruel. Because what many people don’t know is that the ants die in agony as a result.
And the household remedy can also harm other small insects. For ants to eat baking soda and baking powder, it has to be mixed with sugar. In this state, it also attracts bees or butterflies – which also die after eating it.
Beer & sugar water
Beer or sugar water can also be helpful in combating ants. This is because they follow the smell and fall into the liquid, where they drown. Again, this is not very animal-friendly and also a danger to beneficial insects.
Hot water
Boiling water is very effective in eradicating an anthill. If you pour large quantities of it into the nests, ants and larvae will be scalded deep inside the tunnels and die.
You might think this is a quick death, but it is worth remembering that the water cools down and only burns the deeper-lying animals, which then slowly die.
Some additional tips against ants
Are you dealing with a whole colony in your house or garden and would like to take further steps in addition to home remedies against ants? Here are a few tips to make your life easier:
1. fight aphids
It sounds strange, but there is a good reason for it. Some species of ants are known to feed on the sweet excretions of aphids and scale insects, known as honeydew.
In return, the ants even protect the small pests from predators! It can therefore make sense to control the aphids at the same time as the ants. You can find tips and tricks on how to do this here.
2. move the ants
You can do this very easily by filling a flower pot loosely with soil and some wood wool as well as a spoonful of jam. Then place it upside down on the ant nest.
After a short time, the ants will start to move into their new home. Give them about a week, then you can lift the pot with a spade and move it.
3. build ant-unfriendly
Have you ever noticed that ants like to build under terraces and garden paths? The sand under the stones is easy to remove and the stones themselves heat up quickly. Ideal living conditions for the crawlers. The stones, on the other hand, become wobbly as there is no bedding.
To make life a little more difficult for them, you should use fine gravel or basalt chippings instead of sand. The animals won’t be able to carry it away. The joints can also be sealed quite easily with mortar. This also helps against weeds.
