Ants are among the most difficult pests to deal with. There are approximately 10,000 different ant species around the world. If you have not had the pleasure of dealing with an ant problem in your home yet, you will.
Below you will find several do it yourself remedies for dealing with ants. I have collected these from various sources over time. Some of these I read about in magazines, some I found scattered across different websites, and others I have heard about from individuals that swear by them. Some of these remedies may work great for some ants, but not at all for others. Keep in mind that there are lots of different species of ants, and all of them have their own patterns, likes, dislikes, etc… Make sure you know exactly what you are dealing with before you try to treat it. Our website has a Pest I.D section that could help you identify some of these.
Even though almost all the formulas on this list are prepared from natural ingredients some could still be poisonous or cause illness and should be kept away from pets, children and anybody with a low tolerance immune system. If you use any powders or chemicals, make sure you follow all directions and safety precautions on the labels. I have purposefully refrained from posting any remedies that include any types of pesticides or chemicals, such as Boric Acid. Please be careful and don’t forget to wear any / all personal protective equipment.
We do not intend for these remedies to be used as a substitute for hiring a pest management professional, especially in more severe cases.
Check out the remedies, try them, and have fun! Let us know which ones you have had luck with, and which ones you did not have luck with.
General:
1) Are you a coffee drinker? Brew your coffee as you normally do. After you do so, take your used and still wet coffee grounds and dump them on any ant mounds around the outside of your house. I have been told that this works great!
2) Have some extra cucumbers? Ants are said to hate cucumbers, and they dislike cucumber peels even more! The more bitter then cucumber the better. Peel a cucumber and spread the peels in the area(s) where you are having ant problems.
3) Spray window cleaner on the ants. This will kill them.
4) Ants won’t cross a line of chalk, cayenne pepper, baby powder or coffee grounds. The calcium carbonate in chalk will puncture their skin and cause them to die of dehydration. The heat from the cayenne pepper is what will generally keep ants out. These methods work great around pet food either outside or inside. Just make a line around their dishes with any of the above products.
5) Place fresh, whole bay leaves in kitchen cabinets, drawers, behind the microwave, under the fridge, and anywhere else you are having an issue with sugar / pharaoh ants. The bay leaves will deter them and they will leave the area.
6) Mint leaves, ground up garlic, cloves, and turmeric (also a spice) are all said to repel ants. Just place these in or around cracks and entry points to push the ants out and keep them out. If you have an ongoing problem, you might want to consider planting some mint outside the house in the areas where you are having issues. Both ants and mice hate mint.
7) Sugar ants / pharaoh ants travel in trails. Mix 1 quart of water with 1 tablespoon of ivory liquid dishwashing detergent in a spray bottle. Spray the ants and their trail directly. Doing so will help get rid of them because you are washing away their scent / pheromones that they are leaving behind for the other ants. You can also scrub your counter with 1/2 part white vinegar and 1/2 water mixture to erase the trails.
8) Lemon Juice – If you are able to tell exactly where the ants are coming in at, spray some lemon juice into the opening / crack. You can also spray lemon juice on the thresholds of your doors and window sills to keep ants out. You can also spray ants directly with a spray bottle filled with equal parts of lemon juice and water. The mixture will be make it very difficult for them to breathe.
9) Black pepper – Sprinkle black pepper where you see a gathering of ants and they will scatter immediately. If you sprinkle where you have seen them enter, they will not return.
Fire Ants:
1) Boil some water. Pour the hot water directly onto the top of the mound. Repeat this 2 to 3 times.
2) Instant Grits – Make a ring around the Fire Ant mound with instant grits. The ants will eat the grits and take some back to the nest. The fiber in the grits is indigestible to ants. When the ants drink, the grits will cause them to bloat up and die. You might even want to come back the day after spreading the grits around and lightly wet the mound with your garden hose. This will give the ants a close source of water to drink from after they have already ingested the grits. You can also mix some potato chips in with the grits to attract the ants since they love grease. Corn starch / corn meal works the same way.
3) Pine oil – Use 1 drop of pure pine oil in a quart of water and spray the ants and their nest.