When you open your cupboard and find lots of ants swarming the spilled sugar, you may be tempted to use a powerful chemical to kill them instantly. However, pesticides themselves are harmful to humans, pets and other living things that are beneficial to the environment around us and should not be eradicated. The good news is that there are many ways to get rid of ants without pesticides, so you don't have to use them at all. Start with Step 1 to learn how to make ant sprays and traps, destroy the entire nest, and prevent them from coming back, without using any pesticides at all.
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Method 1 of 4: Utilizing Natural Insecticides
Step 1. Using dish soap and water
Fill a bottle with one part dish soap and two parts water, then shake it to mix the solution evenly. When you see a line of ants (or maybe just one ant), spray the solution on them. The ant will soon stop moving and cannot breathe. Wipe off the dead ants with a damp cloth, and save this solution for later use.
- Preparing a plate of soapy water is another great way to get rid of ants. Lure them with a trail of sweet treats to the plate.
- This method is effective in getting rid of a group of ants, but does not destroy the entire nest. If the ants keep reappearing, you may have to find and destroy the source.
- Soapy water is a natural insecticide that can kill not only ants, but most insects. Also try to get rid of cockroaches.
Step 2. Using white vinegar and water
Ants don't like vinegar, and you can make an inexpensive and easy insecticide with vinegar and water. Mix one part vinegar and one part water in a spray bottle. Spray directly on the ants to kill them, then wipe off the dead ants with a damp cloth or paper towel, and throw them away.
- You can also use vinegar and water as an ant repellent; Spray the solution along window frames, doors and other places where ants often enter.
- Some people have proven that using this vinegar solution to clean floors, windows and countertops or cabinets discourages ants from crawling there. White vinegar works great as a household cleaner, and don't worry, the smell will go away once it dries.
Step 3. Make a lemon juice solution
If you can't stand the smell of vinegar, use a lemon juice solution to spray the ants. Ants don't like the citric acid in lemon juice, so you can also use this solution as an ant repellent by spraying it around your house. Mix one part lemon juice with 3 parts water and use it as a multi-purpose spray solution.
Step 4. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth inside the house
Diatomaceous earth certified safe if ingested (food grade) is a highly effective insecticide but not harmful to humans and pets. Diatomaceous earth is made from diatomic fossils that are ground to a powder. When the insect crawls on it, the tiny fossil fragments will scratch the waxy coating on the insect's outer skin (exoskeleton), causing the insect's body to dry out. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth along siding, window frames, and around your home to get rid of ants.
- It is recommended to wear a mask or cover your face with a cloth when sprinkling diatomaceous earth. Although it is harmless if ingested, its tiny particles can injure your lungs if inhaled.
- Diatomaceous earth becomes ineffective when it is wet, or when the air is damp. It will be effective again when dry. If the humidity in your home can reduce the effectiveness of diatomaceous earth, install a moisture absorber around where you sprinkle it.
Step 5. Using boric acid
Boric acid is a completely natural and effective ant-killing agent. When ants ingest boric acid, they are poisoned and die. Boric acid also damages the outer shell of ants as diatomaceous earth does. Boric acid is available as a white or blue powder that you can sprinkle on places where ants frequent, such as near siding or window frames.
- Boric acid is not a toxic pesticide, but it should not be eaten by humans or pets. Avoid using it in places that your child or pet often uses to play. Do not use it near food or in the kitchen.
- Boric acid is not toxic to birds, reptiles, fish or beneficial insects.
Method 2 of 4: Setting Traps
Step 1. Make a boric acid trap with sugar
These traps are easy to make, inexpensive, and very effective. All you need is a few pieces of cardboard or business card paper (one for each trap), a bottle of corn syrup or other sticky sweet material, and boric acid powder. Here's how to make the trap:
- Mix 2 tablespoons (tablespoon) of corn syrup and 2 tablespoons of boric acid in a small bowl.
- Make sure it has a paste-like texture and is sticky, and not runny. Add more boric acid if it's still not thick enough.
- Use a spoon to spread the mixture onto the cardboard or business card paper. Each sheet will become a trap.
Step 2. Place the trap where you often see ants
If you often see them gathering on the bathroom floor, place a trap there. Place one under the sink, and another on the front porch. Place more traps where you see ants crowds.
- Since these traps contain boric acid, do not place them in kitchen cabinets or near food.
- You can also place these traps outdoors. Place it in a flower bush or near a trash can.
- The sweet smell may attract living things other than ants, such as small children or dogs. Make sure you place it in a place where children and pets cannot reach it.
Step 3. Wait for the trap to attract ants
If your home is being attacked by swarms of ants, it won't be long before you find the trap filled with ants crawling in search of sweet treats and now feasting on corn syrup containing the poison boric acid. They wouldn't die right then and there, but the poison would soon work in his stomach. Meanwhile, some of the food they get will be brought back to the nest to be shared with other ants, so that the ants will also be poisoned.
- When you see ants going in and out of the trap freely, let them go. Don't kill him. Leave it so it can bring the poison back to its nest, and potentially kill dozens more ants.
- This method won't completely eradicate all the ants in the nest, but it can significantly reduce the ant population in your home.
Step 4. Replace the trap when the syrup has dried
After a few days, you will need to replace it with a new trap. Make another new ant poison mixture, apply it to the cardboard, and put the trap back in.
Step 5. Keep setting the traps until the ants don't come again
After a week or two, you will notice that the number of ants eating the syrup from the traps has drastically reduced. When you start to find dead ants around the trap and no more ants enter your home, then your trap has worked well.
Step 6. Use cornstarch and borax traps to kill ant larvae
Worker ants eat liquid food, not solid food, but if they find cornstarch, they will take it back to the nest, feed it to the ant larvae, which then turn it into a liquid food they can eat. In this way, the boric acid will circulate through several generations of ants.
- Make sure the plate of cornstarch mixed with borax is low enough for ants to get in and out.
- You can also make a dry paste of cornstarch, borax, and a few drops of water. Apply this paste on places where ants often pass.
Method 3 of 4: Destroying the Ant Nest
Step 1. Track the ants to their nests
If ants continue to roam in large numbers in your home even after you have sprayed them or set traps, you should attack directly at the source: the anthill. If you see a line of ants entering your house, follow it as far as you can until you can find the nesting mound. Depending on the ant species, ant nests can be located outdoors, in the open, hidden behind rock crevices, or even inside your house.
- Little black ant is the most common type penetrated into the home. These ants line up slowly in long rows, which if traced will head to a nest outside the house. You'll find their nests in shady spots in the yard.
- Pudak ants (ants that emit a characteristic stinging odor when you squeeze them) make their nests inside the house, i.e. on window frames or inside walls. They also make nests outside the house, namely in piles of wood, piles of leaves, under rocks and in other crevices.
- Tile ants (Tetramorium caespitum or in some areas the "goteng ant") usually makes their nests in the cracks of pavement tiles or roads. You probably won't see the nest directly, as it's usually hidden under tiles, but you'll be able to find the gaps it uses to get in.
- fire ant They usually don't enter the house, but the presence of the nest in your yard will prevent you from walking freely barefoot in the yard. Find a large mound above the ground made of sand-like grains.
Step 2. Prepare a kettle of boiling water
Half fill a large kettle with water, then heat it over high heat until it boils. As soon as the water boils and is still steaming, take the kettle from the kitchen to the anthill you want to destroy.
Step 3. Pour boiling water over the nest
Try to pour it into the inlet you can find. The boiling water will kill hundreds of ants that are hit by it, and will also cause the nest to collapse. If the nest is large enough, you may need more than one kettle to water it.
- If the nest you want to destroy is inside your house, using boiling water can damage parts of the house. Therefore, use soapy water and flood the nest with a bowl of soapy water. You can also move the nest into a bucket and fill it with water to drown the ants. Use long rubber gloves when moving the anthill.
- If you're dealing with a fire ant, make sure you're wearing long pants tucked into your socks and wearing long sleeves before approaching the nest. The ants will surely get angry and may come out in groups from the nest to try to crawl on your clothes.
Step 4. Check for ants over the next few days
If the boiling water has killed all the ants, then there should be no more hanging around you. If you find small groups trying to return, re-flush the nest with boiling water. Sometimes it takes more than one watering to get rid of all the ants effectively.
- If boiling water doesn't work, take a stick or twig and stick it into the nest. Twist around until you get a big enough hole. Half fill the hole with baking soda and then pour the vinegar over it.
- If you're trying to get rid of fire ants, you can also try this method. Once you've put on your slacks with the ends tucked into your socks for your safety, grab a shovel and quickly transfer the mounds of fire ant nests to a large bucket sprinkled with baking soda to keep the ants from crawling out. Continue shoveling until the entire nest has been removed, then submerge it by pouring boiling water or vinegar mixed with water into the bucket.
Step 5. Block the entrance if you can't reach the nest
Sometimes it's very difficult to get to the entire anthill, but you will always be able to find your way into it. You can pour boiling water through the hole, but sometimes it's effective enough to simply plug it in. Cover it with soil or rock and sprinkle a little boric acid around it for prevention. Usually the ants will immediately move the location of the nest.
Method 4 of 4: Trying Natural Antidotes
Step 1. Create a boundary line that the ants won't cross
There are some natural ingredients that ants dislike so much that they won't even want to go near them. If you use one of these materials to draw lines around your window frames, around your house, and in places where ants can get in, you can avoid having ants in your home. Update the line every few days, as ants will be able to cross it if the line breaks. Here are the ingredients you can use:
- Cinnamon
- Red chili pepper
- Orange or lemon peel powder
- Coffee powder
Step 2. Spray lemon juice around the edges of the house
This will keep your floor from getting sticky fruit juices, but the ants will be repelled by the strong citrus smell. You can also spray a solution made from a mixture of one part lemon juice with one part water around the outside of your house.
Step 3. Use essential oils to repel ants
Ants do not like the smell of some essential oils, which to humans can smell very pleasant. Add 10 drops of essential oil to a cup of water, then spray this solution inside and outside your house to repel ants. Here are the types of essential oils that you can try:
- Lemon oil
- Peppermint Oil
- Eucalyptus oil (don't use it near cats as it's toxic to them, but safe for dogs)
- Lavender Oil
- Cedarwood oil
Step 4. Keep every surface in your home clean to prevent ants from getting in
During the rainy months, when ants are most likely to try to get into your home, do what you can to keep your floors, countertops and cupboard tops and furniture clean. This will really help ward off ants from coming. If they don't smell the food, they won't be interested in coming into your home.
- Make sure the food containers are also tightly closed. This is especially true for containers of sugar, honey, syrup and other foods that ants love.
- Clean up immediately in case of spillage, especially spilled syrup or fruit juice.
Step 5. Close your house to ward off ants
If you don't give the ants a chance to get in, they will of course stay out of the house. Find all the small cracks and crevices that ants can give way to, such as under doors, around window frames, as well as cracks in the foundation of your house. Cover all holes and cracks with caulk or other filling material to make your home impermeable. Spray lavender or lemon water around it for better prevention.
Tips
- Try to make a solution with dish soap, vinegar and other ready-to-spray ingredients. This method always works!
- Always check the doors and windows of your home; one ant can mean there are thousands of others. Ants leave a trail of invisible odors that only fellow ants can smell, so use special cleaning agents to remove these traces.
- Ants don't like mint toothpaste. Just dab them around where you see them, and magically, they'll disappear!
- If you don't have the heart to kill them, just put a cup of honey high up in a tree in your garden at the start of the dry season. The ants will be happy enough not to disturb your kitchen.
- The best way to prevent the arrival of ants is to keep your home clean. Frequently wipe the surface of the furniture and do not let food crumbs.
- Equip yourself with masking tape. When you find an ant, apply tape to it and then press down with your finger to kill it. The carcass of the ant will stick to the tape so it doesn't contaminate the house. Use repeatedly until the tape has lost its adhesive power.
- Squeeze the ant with your finger to kill it. Be sure to wash your hands afterward, as many ants emit a stink.
- Many say that drawing a line with chalk and salt can ward off ants, but in reality this is not very effective.
Warning
- The ants will definitely come back someday, so be prepared to do these things again.
- Always place ant traps away from children and pets. Put it where only ants can reach.
- Remember that ants are also an important part of the food chain. Do not try to exterminate all the ants in your environment. Only destroy what is in your house or yard.
