How To Get Rid Of Ants In The House

Ants are really amazing, if you think about it. I get a little creepy looking at them crawling around. They have a committed commune mentality. Are abnormally strong for their size and they can lift many times their body weight. Ants are so small they can crawl through the smallest crack or crevice in your home.

Did you know that ants follow a line? For instance the breaks in the sidewalk cement, the foundation of your home, etc. This can help you in eliminating them, you can follow them back to where they come from and eliminate their ant hill. You can also see where they are entering your home and caulk any cracks or holes.

Plain and simple - food, sweet or greasy food or any type of food!.

Ants have a great sense of smell.

Ants don't like lemons, yes there are things that ants do NOT like. Pepper, Cinnamon and Cayenne Pepper.

Mix lemon use and water, half and half. You can mix this right in a spray bottle. Spray where you see ants and at entrance way or where they are entering your home. You can use indoors and outdoors.

There are some great home remedies to get rid of ants right in your kitchen cabinets. I used these ingredients when my neighbors cat used my vegetable garden as a litter box. So it is safe for pets.

Ants don't like the scent of Cayenne pepper, black pepper, and cinnamon. and you can easily use these to get rid of ants in your home. Just spread some on the ants and you will see them scurrying away. Spread some on your pantry shelves to keep ants away.

Another no no for our friendly ants is vinegar. I use vinegar to clean my hardwood floors, maybe that's why I hardly ever get ants. A dual purpose.

Bay Leaves are another deterrent for ants, just leave some on your kitchen counter.

There are a couple of ways you can use these ingredients.

Mix with water and spray the outside of your home along the perimeter and where you see ants entering.

Simply create a line with the spice, remember ants like to travel in lines, make the line long enough so the ants can't go around it.

You would think that you shouldn't be feeding your crawling friends. But there are some foods that are lethal to ants.

Cornmeal and Grits are one of those foods. Spread a little dry Cornmeal or Grits where you see ants. Once the ants feast on it, it will expand inside their mighty bodies and eliminate them. This method is effective inside or outside. Outside you spread the Cornmeal or Grits around the anthill.

Another thing that ants don't like is the smell of baby, although I love it. To each his own. So for this use we'll go with the ants opinion. Just sprinkle baby powder on the ants and the area that they are entering your home.

You can also use the baby powder in your pantry and around sticky jars such as honey and syrup.

Many people use Boric Acid mixed with anything sweet to get rid of ants. Just mix 2 parts sweets to 1 part boric acid. The ants are attracted to the sweet and Boric Acid eliminates them. Boric Acid has a very low toxicity rate.

Boric Acid is also effective on a wide range of insects.

Many of the methods mentioned above, such as the boric acid, lemon juice mixture and grits, will also work on outdoor ants and ant hills.

My husband has poured boiling water straight into the ant hills. Our visiting friends were no longer welcome. You may have to repeat more than once for them to get the point. As always, use caution when using boiling water.