15 Ways to Keep Those Pesky Ants Out of Your Home And Garden

Dealing with ants can be a pain and seems impossible, but there are ways to prevent their invasion and get rid of them in an eco-friendly way.  The best cure against an ant invasion is prevention. Not only is it a good idea to prevent them from appearing in the first place, but if you already have them and you end up removing them you know how to prevent them from resurfacing.

First, it should be noted that ants are attracted to sweet flavors and water. For the most part Adult ants can only digest liquid type foods. Ants that fetch solid foods have to use their digestive acid juices to dissolve it first. They use their tongues to get the semiliquid food. Any food that remains solid while in the mouth enters a chamber beneath the mouth opening, there it has to go thought a series of screens. These screens filter out the food and turn it into a pellet that the ant will regurgitate out. The food that was liquid will pass into the “crop” which is a sack where liquids are stored for long periods of time without digestion. The food lies here so that the ant can go back to its colony and regurgitate most of the food for the other workers to consume. The way this is done is through a valve known as the proventriculus in the inner section of the crop. The food is allowed to come out and pass into another ant’s midsection.

Ant Prevention

• Maintain a clean household – Pay careful attention to the Kitchen since this is the place where all the food is kept. Ants are attracted to any sweet smelling food just lying around. Maintaining an orderly kitchen, protect and cover all food, and leftovers.
• Make sure not to leave food on the floor or wet messes – Leaving crumbs constantly will attract them. Sweep the floor after meals, make sure to get right in the corners as well. Also make sure not to leave the floor wet. Since they are attracted to the moisture. Make sure to clean any spills and maintain clean and dry floors.
• Don’t leave dirty dishes lying around – This would be really convenient for them since the food has been left there ready. Make sure to wash the dishes after every meal, and dry them. Ants have the habit to seek out water and stay near there.
• Maintain a good trash system – It’s a good idea to keep the trash bins away from the house. If you leave them too close to the house, ants might go inside your home after being in the bin. Make sure to take out the trash daily or as needed. Letting trash accumulate will only attract more ants.

How to Kill Ants Organically from your Home and Garden

Baking soda:

 Baking soda is known for having acidic property and is known to be poisonous to ants. Put some baking soda around the plants you want to protect to keep the ants at bay. You can also use this around openings they use to enter the house

Cayenne pepper:

Cayenne pepper is a powerful spice. This can be used near openings that ants enter or exit from. It can also be scattered over the plants you want to protect.

Flour or alternatively baby powder:

These are both excellent ways to keep ants from getting in. The baby powder container also makes it easy to create a circle around plants or opening to prevent ants from intruding.

Coffee beans/grinds:

Ants are repulsed by the strong aroma of coffee. Use this coffee grounds around food bowls, openings, and around plants to keep ants at bay. Out of all the methods this one has to be my favorite since I am an avid coffee drinker.

Chili Powder :

Ants are repulsed by chili flakes if they are scattered around. Any hot little bits seem to work in this regard. Another way to increase this repulsion is to mix it with cinnamon for added results. A good way to use the chili is spray it over garden plants and openings. Another way to use this is to take a cup of oil and use around a half a cup of red chili flakes. Heat the concoction and mix it well. After letting dry place the oil into a spray bottle and add warm water to fill it up.

Cinnamon:

Turmeric can be used the same as chilli poweder .

Peppermint:

I like to use peppermint using cotton balls. The smell is delicious and I keep them in my cabinets or any problem areas as needed.

Black pepper:

Black pepper is a great way to get rid of ants. It’s not acidic and not too spicy but it does the trick. They can be used in cabinets, on windowsills. They also can be used to create a circle around your pet food and around plants

Bay leaves and lemon juice:

This can be used in many ways. Combine them and create a paste, use this to put beneath doors and any other possible openings. Also, you can place an open container of bay leaves in your pantry. Or you can make it into a mixture and put it into a spray bottle, then you are able to spray it directly onto the ants, or any possible trails.

Vinegar:

This can be used as a mixture between vinegar and water. Just spray it on the areas where you wish to be rid of those pesky ants.

Mixture – Many people get better results from combining several ingredients to make a stronger repellent.

Ants often get a really bad reputation, but they are a necessary part of the world. They can be a household pest, but outside ants help in the creation of soil, change and distribute seeds, nutrients that can give forth new life. They are most valuable and known for their complex and intricate underground networks. These systems provide a unique and convenient system for the transportation of air and water that plants need to live and grow. Only try to keep ants away that are causing harm in your garden.

Let me know in the comments below any ways you keep those pesky ants out of your home or garden…