How to Get Rid of Household Ants Naturally Without Pesticides

When the weather warms, ants get plentiful and not everyone loves these small and pervasive insects. Rather than grabbing a chemical spray or powder pesticide that can harm the environment, small animals or children, try one of these quick and effective natural measures to rid your home and surrounding living areas of ants.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• ant infestation
• water
• sponge
• peppermint
• spearmint
• catmint

1. Keeping Things Clean Indoors and Out
   
   The first step in getting rid of ants is not getting them in the first place. Ants prefer sweet, sugary and starchy substances like fruits. By keeping household trash in a sealed container, sweeping up crumbs as they fall and making sure your house is generally clean you can cut down on ants wanting to come into your home.
   
   Walkways to the door, and surrounding porches and decks are often places ants start setting up their homes. Eventually, if things aren't kept clean they will migrate indoors. So, if you have outside barbecues and picnic areas, be sure to clean up after your outdoor events so that you don't leave enticing bits for the ants.
2. Use Water To Break Up The Line
   
   Ants are often seen in a line carrying crumbs and bits of food back to their nest. Once they find a food source, they will continue to return to it until it is exhausted or you break the line. The simplest way to do this is to wet a sponge with water and wipe up the ants. This breaks the chain to the food source and keeps away stray ants you may not have seen who may later find the food. Don't forget to wipe up the food source. Ants can be beneficial in showing you what you need to clean to keep them away. If you don't want to crush the ants with a sponge, using a hose to wash them away works well too.
3. Plant Mint Around Your Home
   
   Ants dislike the scent of plants in the mint family. Planting peppermint, spearmint, or catmint around your home can help curb ant infestations. Ants aren't likely to pass through a clump of mint to enter your home because the minty aroma deadens the ants sense of other food smells and is generally off putting to them. You can also sprinkle dried mint at the base of doors and entryways to help deter ants. Another solution is to mist areas where ants could cross, or where you see infestations starting with an essential oil mint spray to keep them out.

Tips & Warnings

• Checking around the household foundation and sealing up any cracks can help prevent ant migration indoors.
• After a heavy rain ants may migrate indoors when their nests have been disrupted by water flow.
• Remember, if you have broken the ant line with water, you have created a slippery surface - tread with caution to avoid slips and falls.
• Avoid specialty mints like chocolate spearmint which blunt the ant deterring effects of traditional mints.