There is nothing more annoying than ants in your house. I did some research on how best to get rid of those nasty bugs. In this article, you will read the most commonly used and most effective ways to get rid of ants.
There are several ways to get rid of ants:
- sprinkle coffee grounds
- place herbal plants
- use nutmeg or cinnamon
- place bait boxes or ant powder
- copper at your door
- sprinkle chalk or talcum powder
- use vinegar
- remove ant queen
- fight with a natural enemy, the nematodes
How useful are ants?
Ants are very useful animals. If you have these workers in your garden, but they don’t bother you much, I would definitely leave them alone. Ants are hunters and try to keep your garden free of insects! They also clean up your garden by collecting dead animals and other small (edible) garden waste.
Nuisance of ants
Ants cause the most nuisance in May, June and July. Below you can read the most famous problems:
- Sagging of your terrace. Because ants like to live under your patio or pavement and move huge amounts of sand, your patio tiles can sag over time.
- Ants in the house. Once they’ve found their way in, you’ll have a merry row of ants marching through your house day in and day out.
- Aphid in the garden. Ants spread aphids in your garden that are harmful to plants. They protect these lice by killing its enemies, such as the ladybug.
- Bald spots in your lawn. When ants settle in grass, bald spots can form.
- Biting ants. Some species of ants, such as the red ant, like to bite. This is annoying for playing children, for example.
Prevent ants in your house
Prevent ants from entering your home by keeping your house clean. This means no dirty dishes on the counter, no cookie crumbs, sugar granules or other sweet things lying around and no bread crumbs or other food scraps left behind. Ants love this type of food and are happy to pass this on to their ant friends. So put your dirty dishes directly in the dishwasher, vacuum regularly and often wipe your countertops with detergent so that ants don’t have a chance to find those treats.
Get rid of ants in your house
There are a myriad of options for controlling ants in your home with home remedies or other means.
Fight ants with herbs
Ants don’t like nutmeg or cinnamon. Follow the trail of the ants and try to find out where they invade your house. Once you discover this sweet spot, sprinkle a generous dash of cinnamon, pepper, or nutmeg there. In addition, you can sprinkle some cinnamon or nutmeg on any ant you encounter with the intention that they take it back to the nest to warn the rest of the colony. So don’t completely cover the ant, it should still be able to walk back :-).
Herbal plants against ants
The ant hates herb plants. So place some herb plants next to your door to keep the ants out. This also looks nice. You can also place these plants in strategic places in your garden to prevent nuisance. Use one of the following herbs: Lavender, Tansy, Mint, Rosemary, Marjoram, Nettle, Sage or Basil.
Sprinkle coffee grounds
Sprinkle some coffee grounds in front of your door, or possibly inside. Ants hate coffee grounds and will not walk on the residue. This method does have some drawbacks. Inside it will give a mess and outside it will be washed away in a good rain shower. Use the coffee grounds from your filter after you’ve made coffee, or open a used Senseo pad. You can also sprinkle the coffee grounds directly into the ant nest.
Fighting ants with copper
Ants don’t walk on copper. Span a copper wire where the ants enter your house or put some copper coins around it. The advantage of this method is that it can withstand rain well. You can also use very fine copper sharps, very effective, but less useful during a wet period.
Using chalk or talcum powder
The last method I discuss is using chalk or talcum powder. Sprinkle some talcum powder or draw a line with school chalk where the ants enter your house. They can’t stand this and don’t come in anymore.
Use a bait box or ant powder
Don’t believe in home remedies, but still want to get rid of your ants? Buy ant bait boxes or ant powder from a garden center or sometimes even the supermarket. Put these boxes or powder where they enter your house. The natural and effective substance in the boxes is taken by the ant to the nest and you will be rid of your ant problem within one or two days.
Get rid of ants in the garden
So, now you know how to keep the ants out of the house. Next, we talk about getting rid of ants in your garden. Try the following methods to remove ants from your yard.
Fight ants with vinegar
Spray your garden regularly with a mixture of water and vinegar. Ants hate vinegar and will consider moving to your neighbors. The recipe for the mixture is two parts water to one part vinegar.
Pepper against ants
Sprinkle some pepper at the entrance of the ant nest to keep the ants in the nest. Ants don’t walk on pepper. This method is not really effective. If it rains, the pepper will wash away, so you’ll have to repeat the process.
Remove the ant Queen
Are you ready to take rigorous action? Erase the entire nest by removing the ant queen. Lift a tile from your patio and find the largest ant. This is the queen. Put this queen out in another spot in the garden where she won’t cause any problems.
Pour boiling water into the nest
A common method of combating ants is boiling water. Pour boiling water in and around the ant nest for several days in a row. Unfortunately, with this method, you will not eradicate the nest, but you will delay the development of the nest. It may even motivate the ants to move to a different place in your garden. This is not the most animal friendly way to get rid of ants.
Fighting ants with a natural enemy
The last method I discuss is the use of nematodes. Ants hate nematodes. These tiny creatures are the ants’ natural enemies. You can order nematodes online or buy them in the store. Mix the nematodes with water and pour the water into and around the ant nest. The nematodes eat the larvae and chase the ants away. This is a very natural method that does not harm the other organic life in your gardes, such as your plants and animals. The nematodes will perish on their own when the ant infestation is over.
Have ants removed professionally
If all your efforts to remove the ant nest, or ant nests, are unsuccessful, you can always seek professional help. Experts often know exactly which ant can best be tackled and have thorough knowledge about (professional) pesticides.
