Ants can cause ongoing frustration for many homeowners. Here are some tips on how to rid the home and yard of the unwanted insects.
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“This looks like a lovely place to settle and raise a family.” ….”Why, yes it does.”
Create a “moat” around the object by surrounding it with adhesive tape or duct tape placed sticky side up.
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Sprinkle boric acid along any cracks or crevices where you’ve spotted intruders such as ants or roaches. Use a baster to blow small amounts of the powder into hard-to-reach corners and any deep voids you come across. Note: Keep in mind that boric acid can be toxic if ingested by young children or pets. Also, be careful with these toxic cleaning products as well.
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Draw a line around home entry points in chalk. Ants will be repelled by the calcium carbonate in the chalk, which is actually made up of ground-up and compressed shells of marine animals. Scatter powdered chalk around garden plants to repel ants and slugs.
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To get rid of ants without dangerous pesticides, sprinkle a line of flour along the backs of pantry shelves and wherever you see ants entering the house.
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If fire ants plague your yard or patio, place a flowerpot upside down over the anthill. Pour boiling water through the drain hole. (Editor’s note: This seems unnecessarily cruel, especially if you’re an “Ant-Man” fan.
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You don’t need insecticides or ant traps to ant-proof your kitchen. Squirt lemon juice on door thresholds and windowsills, as well as into any holes or cracks where ants are getting in. Finally, scatter small slices of lemon peel around the outdoor entrance. Lemons are also effective against roaches and fleas. Lemon juice: Mix the juice of 4 lemons (along with the rinds) with 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water and wash your floors with it.
(Check out these household items you can clean with lemons instead of chemicals.) -
In your garden, on your patio, and along the foundation of your home, use a solution you can create in a blender: Make a smooth puree of a few orange peels in 1 cup warm water. Slowly pour the solution over and into anthills.
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If you experience a summer invasion, it may be that the ants are looking for sugar. Give them pepper instead. Cayenne pepper sprinkled in spots where the ants are looking, such as along the backs of your countertops or on your baseboards, will tell them that no sugar is ahead. If the ants’ home colony is a little too close to yours, cayenne pepper can help get rid of it. Pour the pepper down the ant hole and say so long to ants.
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Stop ants in their tracks before they spoil your picnic: Place a plastic container on the bottom of each picnic table leg. Fill with water. The ants won’t be able to crawl past.
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Serve the ants on your premises with an eviction notice: Pour equal parts water and white vinegar into a spray bottle, spray it on anthills and around areas where you see the insects. Also keep the spray bottle handy for outdoor trips or to keep ants away from picnic or children’s play areas. If you have lots of anthills around your property, try pouring full-strength vinegar over them to hasten the bugs away.
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If ants are beating a path to your home, intercept them by sprinkling salt across the door frame or directly on their paths. Ants will be discouraged from crossing this barrier.
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Flour, sugar, and paprika can all fall prey to ants. Keep these cooking essentials safe by slipping a bay leaf inside your storage containers. If you’re concerned about the flour or sugar picking up a bay leaf flavor, tape the leaf to the inside of the canister lid. This trick works inside cabinets, too, where sachets of sage, bay, stick cinnamon, or whole cloves will smell pleasant while discouraging ants.
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For an effective organic ant repellent, scatter talcum powder liberally around house foundations and known points of entry, such as doors and windows. Other effective organic repellents include cream of tartar, borax, powdered sulfur, and oil of cloves. You can also try planting mint around the house foundations.
Source: Readers Digest