Ants in the house can be so annoying, especially when they are crawling in their numbers and attacking everything that is exposed to them. To get rid of ants at home, you might be tempted to grab your bottle of Sniper or Baygon and start spraying on them. However, most of these insecticides are harmful to humans and pets hanging around the house.
This is the reason why we at Greathomemaking decided to teach you how to get rid of these ants with homemade pesticides, free from harmful chemicals. The substances or materials used in preparing these insecticides are common and easily sourced. Without wasting time let us jump in;
1) A Mixture of White Vinegar and Water
Ants don’t like vinegar and they won’t come close if they perceive the smell of vinegar. If you spray vinegar on ants, it kills them in seconds. To prepare an easy pesticide using vinegar, mix a 50/50 solution of vinegar in a spray can, and spray directly on the ants to kill them.
Spray around the corner of the house where you normally see the ants coming out as a deterrent. You can also use the mixture to clean the floor, countertops, and windows. It will make the ants less likely to crawl on those surfaces
White Vinegar (Kikan in Yoruba) is available in stores all over Nigeria and prices range from ₦ 1,400 – ₦ 1900 depending on the store and location.
2) Lemon Juice
Just like Vinegar, ants don’t like the scent of lemon juice, the smell and acid in the lemon juice destroy the scent trail and movement of the ants making them unable to locate whatever they feel like attacking.
Cut open the lemon and squeeze out the juice, soak a napkin with the juice, and use it to wipe surfaces where they crawl. Also, spray some lemon juice on their path or around the hole they come out from, It will keep them away.
3) Use Pepper
Sugar is an ant’s best friend but pepper is one of their worst enemies. If you want to keep ants away, grind pepper and spray it closer to their place of abode, or better still use it to form a wall around their hole and you will keep them at house arrest.
You can also form a pepper spray with a mixture of ground pepper and water and spray directly on them.
4) Chalk
Yes, you heard me right, Chalk! Use chalk to draw a line or border around the entry point of the ants. The ants won’t want to cross the marked area thereby disrupting their scent trail. Try this today.
5) Peppermint
Peppermint is a natural insecticide and is very effective in driving away ants. Mix 2 drops of peppermint oil with water and spray around the corner of the house where the ants crawl. It will deter the ants from coming around.
6) Cut out their Food Sources
Finally clean and cover up sugar and food items that can attract ants in the house. Ants have 4 or 5 more odor receptors than most other insects. They have a highly defined sense of smell and they can gather in seconds once they perceive food anywhere. One best ways to get rid of ants is to keep food items away from them.
