It is that time of the year again when various species of ants make their way into our homes. Many households use chemical insecticides, but those can carry a potential health risk for your kids and pets. And actually all insects have a role to fulfill in our ecosystem, so there is no need to kill them all, it is a matter of keeping them out of your kitchen and cupboards.

4 Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Ants

1.      Spot Early Invading Signs

From the moment you see a few ants in your kitchen or house, make sure to take immediate action and start cleaning your kitchen. Those are the scouts that will guide the rest of the pack straight to your kitchen counters and cupboards.

Prevention Tips:

• Seal all food in containers
• Don’t leave dirty dishes or garbage out on the counter or table
• Clean countertops and cupboards with vinegar. Ants don’t like the vinegar smell.
• Clean kitchen area regularly
• Keep bin shut tightly
• Follow the first ants you spot and seal all the entrances holes with silicone caulk, glue, putty, or plaster.
• Make unbroken defensive barriers to keep ants out of your house. Here are a few things ants don’t like and won’t cross: turmeric, cinnamon, citrus oil or juice, powdered charcoal or chalk, black or cayenne pepper, baby powder, white vinegar with water, clove oil or crushed cloves, Vaseline, or dish soap with water.

2.      Anti-ant Herbs And Oils

Ants can’t bear the scent of some herbs and oils, so adding these to your home will not only keep the ants out but will give your house a pleasant fragrance as well.

Peppermint, Lemon, Lavender, and Camphor: ants don’t like the scent of peppermint, lemon, camphor, and lavender. You could make a spray bottle with one of those essential oils and water, plant mint, lavender or camphor near the entrance of your house. Crush fresh or dried lemon peel,  mint, lavender or camphor leaves and leave at the ant infested areas.

Laurel/bay leaves: those work very well to keep ants away from food. Just add a few leaves in your sugar can, flour canister, and paprika jar.

3.      Homemade Ant Bait With Boric Acid

Keep in mind that our aim is to keep ants out of your kitchen and make sure they are doing their job in nature. But sometimes there is no other way.

Boric acid is poisonous and when ants walk over it and clean their feet or antennae, boric acid is ingested and kills the insects.

• Pour maple syrup, honey or any other sweet substances ants are attracted to on a saucer.
• Sprinkle boric acid around the syrup so the ants must walk through it to reach the syrup.
• Place the saucer in the area where the ants are frequently spotted.
• Keep out of reach of pets and kids.

4.      Anti-ant Foods

These anti-ant foods work, but it may take some time. Put one of the following bait foods where the ants appear:

• Cornmeal: safe for pets and kids. Ants carry it to their nest. They will try to eat it, but they actually can’t digest cornmeal.
• Cream of wheat (farina, do not cook): ants will eat this and the farina will expand in their stomach and kill them.
• Cinnamon, cayenne pepper, black pepper: those scents repel ants. Sprinkle around the area where you want to keep them away.
• Coffee grounds: put coffee grounds on an ant hill and around your house. This will confuse the workers and they will lose the scent of their trail back to the nest. So no food will reach the nest and new hatchlings will starve.

ALSO READ: Homemade Natural Bug Repellent That Works 

What are your natural secrets to keep your house ant-free? Please share them with us in the comment box below.