How to Make a Natural Ant Insecticide & Repellent
Ants are a common problem. They're notorious for invading your children's outside play area or sneaking into your kitchen. Unfortunately, most repellents and insecticides you can buy at the store contain chemicals in them that are harmful to more than just the ants. Luckily, there are many alternatives to store-bought chemical insecticides to rid yourself of ants, and many of the ingredients are already in your pantry. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Boric acid
- Water
- Yeast
- Mint leaves
- Cinnamon
- Cucumber
- Cider vinegar
- Salt
- Sugar
- Honey / Jelly
Instructions
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Ant Repellants
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Leave cucumber slices near ants' entry points into your home. Ants have a natural aversion to the bitterness of cucumbers, and the scent will deter them. They also dislike cinnamon and mint, so sprinkling cinnamon or crushed mint leaves near entry points also should keep them at bay.
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2
Discourage them from making their home on your lawn by flushing their mounds with water regularly. The water will not kill the ants, but flushing their home will annoy them enough to make them move. They might decide to move to another part of your yard, so keep vigilant in flushing any new mounds until they leave for good.
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3
Wash your home surfaces where the ants come in regularly with a mixture of equal parts cider vinegar and water. Ants leave a scent trail when they come into your home so that other ants can follow them in. Cleaning these surfaces wipes away the scent trail and confuses the ants.
Ant Insecticides
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Use boric acid. Mix a few teaspoons of honey or jelly to bait the ants and combine it with a teaspoon of boric acid. Place the mixture in a small dish near the point of entry into your home. Boric acid is a mild acid that is harmful if ingested, so be sure to keep it away from your kids and household pets.
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Kill the ants by destroying their mounds. Mix a pot of boiling water with a generous amount of salt. Pour the boiling water into the mound over a period of a few days. Any ants that are not killed by the hot water will pick up and move.
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6
Use yeast to kill the ants. Ingesting the yeast will produce gas in their stomachs, which causes them to expand, killing the ants. Mix yeast will equal parts sugar and molasses, and leave the mixture out in areas where ants enter your home. Alternatively, sprinkle yeast on their mounds outdoors to kill them without harming the soil or environment.
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References
- Photo Credit ant image by FttSniper from Fotolia.com
