How to Kill Outside Ants

Home remedies can work as well as insecticides at removing ants.

Most ants provide natural solutions to outdoor pests because they eat fleas and fly larvae. However, there are times when they become the problem, especially if you have kids who play outside or you garden on a regular basis. The goal, when you want to get rid of, or kill, them, is to disturb their home enough so that the ant in charge will want to relocate, explains Rick Belding, a horticulturist who works for the Chicago Botanical Garden in Glencoe.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Rake
• Chili powder
• Pepper
• Coffee grounds
• Trash sealant
• Water
• Soap
• Bowl
• Boric acid
• 1/3 cup apple-mint jelly
• Diatomaceous earth

Instructions

Home Remedies

1. Remove ant attractants in your yard. Throw out any piles of old, unusable wood because certain ants, such as the Velvety tree ant, like to make their home on the boards. Get rid of the rocks in your lawn if you are experiencing ant problems because the rocks provide a cool area for them to burrow in, especially the Thief ant.

2. Focus on the base of garden plants and other landscaping shrubs because ants like the organic matter and soil around these areas. Dig up the plants which attract the ants. Rake leaves over the ground where your plants were originally located. Get rid of insects such as aphids, white flies and and mealybugs because these insects leave an ant attracting honeydew behind on fruits, vegetables and herbs.

3. Brew a pot of coffee. Remove the grounds after the coffee is done. Sprinkle a tiny bit of pepper into the coffee grounds. Mix the ingredients together. Place mixture onto the mounds where ants live. Exact proportions of the above ingredients do not matter because both are known ant repellents.

4. Seal any outdoor trash because the ants feed on left over garbage.

5. Remove any outdoor pet food after your pet is done eating or, place the dish inside a bowl filled with water. Add soap to the water if you are sure your animal won't drink the water.

6. Clean up outdoor liquid and food spills to keep ants away from outside your house.

Boric Acid

1. Make a Boric acid remedy. Mix together 1 tsp. of 99 percent pure Boric acid with 1/3 cup of apple and mint jelly.

2. Place a small amount of the mixture onto the ant pathways; however, do not put the solution anywhere that will block their trails. Repeat the application every 25-square feet.

3. Go back over the area every couple of days to make sure that the solution is gone and to see if anywhere along the trails needs a reapplication of the mixture.

Ant Repellents

1. Apply diatomaceous earth to areas around the ant mound to harm any ants that travel through it.

2. Follow application directions on the product.

3. Check the mound in a few days to see if the diatomaceous earth is working.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear protective gear when using diatomaceous earth and Boric acid.

• Keep Boric acid away from kids and animals.

References

• Chicaco Tribune: Home Remedies
• Beyond Pecticides: Ant Control
• University of California: Ants