Effective DIY Ant Control Solutions

1 April 2022
Categories: , Blog

Like other household pests, ants want water, food, and shelter; therefore, the bite-sized critters invade your home given a chance. Although ants are not directly harmful to people, they can be destructive and attract other pests such as spiders to your home. They are also an unpleasant sight, especially if you have guests around. Thus, you should make every effort to prevent an infestation in your home. This article highlights simple and effective DIY ant control tips.

Citrus Fruits or Citrus-Scented Cleaners

Citrus fruits are an excellent source of vitamins and smell great. Therefore, you would think that citrus fruits like lemon, lime and oranges would attract ants to your home. However, it is not the case because citrus fruits are excellent ant repellents thanks to d-limonene, the acidic oil found in the peels. The toxic oil kills ants immediately after they come into contact with it. Since ants follow trails created by other ants, squeezing and rubbing a piece of lemon peel on entryways messes up the trails. You can also use citrus-scented cleaners around your home for better control. However, ensure that the cleaning solution is made from natural citrus extracts instead of synthetic scents for successful control.

Talcum Powder

Another natural ant control solution is talcum powder. Commonly known as baby powder, talcum powder is gentle on your baby's bum but not that friendly to ants. Notably, ants communicate by way of pheromones they leave along their trail. It makes it easy for the ants behind to find food sources discovered by their counterparts in front. Sprinkling scented talcum powder on your entryways and suspected ant trails helps break the pheromone paths. Besides, since ants breathe through spiracles, the fine particles can easily clog the tiny breathing holes, suffocating them when they crawl through the powder barrier.

Pepper

If you thought the pepper in your kitchen cabinet was only good for meals, think again. The sneeze-inducing powder has another genius use: ant control. It is important to note that pepper does not kill ants, but it does a great job of preventing them from accessing your home. Simply sprinkle some powdered pepper along kitchen windows, doors and possible external cracks on your walls. The pepper acts as a barrier, keeping ants far away from your house. You can also mix powdered pepper with water and fill the solution in a spray bottle and use it directly on any ants you see in your home. Notably, ant control solutions are perfect if you do not have a full-blown ant infestation in your home. However, if you see too many ants, call pest control services.

About Me

Hi, I’m Mike and I run a small farm with my family. When I moved out of the city to start a new life a few years ago, I was looking forward to getting closer to nature and to learning how to manage some livestock and crops. Nobody warned me, however, that I’d also quickly have to learn how to manage pests – you can’t pick and choose what kind of animals and bugs you have to deal with around this place! So, a few years on and with some useful advice from my neighbours under my belt, I’ve got pretty darn good at keeping pests at bay. In the spirit of paying it back, I’ve started this blog to help people who are looking for quick and effective solutions to all kinds of pest problems.