Ants can be very annoying. They start to gather at the slightest sign of food and will form lines of hundreds of ants, making it tough to find the source. Killing them off is also quite a process. Here are some ways to keep the trails of ants out of your home.
Close Off Entrances
The best way to lose this trail of crawlers is by taking away the food and shelter aspect of your home. Ants are small, so it’s easy for them to get into small spaces and into the areas where you don’t want them to be. You will need to try to seal off any cracks and other openings that they could use to enter your home. Caulk your windows, doors, and small cracks that they might be able to crawl through.
Cleaning Up
The mixture of white distilled vinegar and water is like the holy grail of cleaning products. Cleaning surfaces with this half-and-half mix will repel ants because it removes any remaining scents of food that might have left a trace. Lemon juice works the same way. This acidic juice will get rid of the scent trails that ants like to follow. Put some lemon juice in a bottle and spray away!
Repel Them
After you clean your kitchen surface thoroughly, apply a few drops of peppermint oil. Ants hate the smell of it. They also are repelled by the odor of black pepper, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, chili pepper, cloves, and garlic. Sprinkle or place these herbs in the areas where you see ants gather the most. Bay leaves in your cabinets and drawers may also help!
All these things are natural, environmentally friendly, safe for pets and kids, and will leave your home smelling great. Spices, herbs, and essential oils are things that can often already be found in your kitchen but are also quite easy to find if you don’t have any.
Another thing that ants hate is the smell of coffee grounds. If you’ve got an ant problem, try sprinkling some in your garden or outside along your house where the ants might be getting in. Drawing a line along your home with chalk or sprinkling talcum powder will help, as it is a repellent as well.
Leaving citrus or cucumber peels can also repel these pests. Because these peels are toxic to the fungi that ants eat, they will be repelled by them. Dish soaps can stop the gathering of ants as well. Mixing dish soap with water in a spray bottle is a great way to cover an area of ants. You can also just pour the soap onto a pile of them as well.
The fastest way to get rid of ants is to basically pour water on them. You can also just dampen a cloth and wipe them away. Ants are afraid of water and will be swallowed by it right away since they are so small. This will work easily and quickly. However, it is not a preventative method.
If you want to prevent ants that are still coming into your home after a thorough cleaning, you should call a pest control professional to give you a hand. An excessive amount of ants can contaminate your food and your home. Your local exterminator should be able to inspect your property to find their entry points as well as why they are targeting your house and how you can address the root of the problem.
Are you looking for a pest control service in Melbourne to help you get rid of ants in your home? Find more here on All Guard Ant Control