If your house has been invaded by ants, you may be looking for a way to stop them. However, a lot of the chemical pest control products found on the shelves of supermarkets can be harmful to the environment and your health. Below is a guide to 3 ways to deal with ants without using harsh chemicals.
Vinegar
Ants navigate and communicate using trails of pheromones. The lead ants, who are scouting for food, leave behind a scent which is followed by the rest of the ants. Every time an ant follows the trail, it makes the scent stronger. By removing this scent trail, you can deter ants from entering your property. Vinegar is a great way of disrupting this trail. Simply mix a solution consisting of equal parts of vinegar and water, and place it in a spray bottle. Spray this solution on the floor areas where you have seen the ants moving around. As well as disrupting the trail, stronger solutions of vinegar will kill ants who come into contact with it. You may also wish to spray down food-preparation areas in your kitchen.
Chalk
Another great way of dealing with an ant problem in your home is using chalk. There are a number of theories about how chalk helps to stop ants. Some people believe that ants do not like to walk through the fine chalk dust and so will avoid it. It is also believed that the chalk may disrupt an ant's ability to follow scent trails left by the scout ants. You can simply crumble a chalk stick and deposit the dust around the area where ants are entering your home.
Essential Oil
Essential oils don't just smell great; they also help to combat an ant invasion. The strong smell of essential oil will easily mask the scent trails in your home and disrupt the ant's ability to navigate. Ants will also avoid having to walk through the oil, and so it will act as a barrier to prevent them from entering your home. Simply add a few drops of essential oil to a water-filled spray bottle and then apply it to the affected areas of your property.
If these methods are not effective, you should contact a professional pest control company. A contractor will visit your home to assess the problem before taking the necessary steps to remove the ants' nest from your property.
Share27 June 2017
Hello, my name is Mandi, and although I own a number of pets including my dog, two ferrets and a guinea pig, I am utterly afraid of all non-pet creatures in my house. I hold the guinea pigs as I watch TV, and I sleep with my dog, but the idea of a mouse running through the walls makes me incredibly uncomfortable and tense. Since pests are such a trigger issue for me, I have spent a lot of time researching them. I have learned how to get rid of them, but more importantly, how to get rid of them without bothering or putting my pets in danger. If you are trying to balance the wanted and the unwanted creatures in your home, I hope these posts help!
