The sight of little marching columns determinedly moving into the house or the corner of a room is something all of us have watched at some point in time. Sometimes they come through an electrical outlet looking for some crumbs someone generously left under the table.
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They also invade bathrooms, looking for remnants of the irresistible homemade sugar scrub. You know we are talking about ants.
The main causes that attract ants include adequate shelter, high moisture levels, and food accessibility, particularly sugary foods. Several varieties of vegetation in your garden can also prove to be a major cause for ant infestation. These annoying creatures can intrude your house through roofs or decks that contain wet or rotted wood, exterior siding, step crevices, and doorway cracks. EHC brings you some home user-friendly home remedies which can help you in dealing with the ant menace.
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Vinegar
This is an efficient method to get rid of ants. Mix classic vinegar or apple cider vinegar and water in equal quantities. Fill it in a spray bottle and sprinkle it on all the entry paths. Allow it to dry. The pungent smell of vinegar repels ants.
Citrus or Cucumber Peels
They are toxic to the kind of fungi ants feed on. Leave peels at entrance points. Replace every other day. Or puree peels in a blender, add water, and smear at entrance points or along trails.
Soap
This is something which is used by everyone in their day-to-day life. The ingredients present in soap are harmful to ants as these components break down the pests’ exoskeleton in waxy layers, thus, causing dehydration. Mix soap along with water and spray the mixture in the entry points or where you generally see ants.
Lemon
Lemon is one of the most effectual fruits in shooing the ants out. Squeeze out some lemon juice and mix it with water. Then, spray it onto the ants infested areas.
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Table Salt
Table salt is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to get rid of ants. Take boiled water and add some salt to it. Pour this salty water into a spray bottle and spread in those places where you generally find ants.
Black Pepper
Both black pepper as well as cayenne pepper works wonders in getting rid of ants. All you need to do is carry out a simple process; mix pepper in water and spray it on ants.
Perfume
Get an exceptionally strong perfume. Soak cotton balls in the perfume and keep them in areas, where the ants appear frequently. Ants cannot tolerate strong smell; therefore, they will disappear from all those areas.
Garlic Cloves or Cinnamon Sticks
Place garlic cloves or cinnamon sticks wherever you spot ants’ colony, for instance, by doors, in window tracks, and in corners around your house. Just unpeel a garlic clove and cut it into small pieces. Put them at various places where you see ants. Alternatively, you can place some cinnamon sticks around the storeroom for additional protection.
Homemade Ant Repellent
Prepare natural and eco-friendly ant repellent at your home. For this, cut an index card in two halves. Mix borax and corn syrup (or any other sticky sweetener) in 1:1 ratio. Place the prepared mixture onto the card using a spoon or your fingers. Put the index card in areas where you find ants, even on carpet.
Duct Tape
This remedy will also enable you to save your trees and plants from ants. Simply wrap the tape around the trunk of the tree or plant with the sticky side facing on the outside. Gradually, it will glue all the ants, and as a consequence, either they will die or will not be able to move, and hence, become victims to other bugs.
Ant Powder
Mix chili powder, tartar cream, powdered cleanser, powdered chalk, cinnamon powder and talcum powder, and sprinkle it thoroughly in ant-affected sites. The pungent smell of the mixture will keep the ants away.
Chalk
Draw a line with the help of a chalk or sprinkle chalk powder to get rid of ants.
Coffee Grounds
Using coffee grounds at various entry points is an effective way to get rid of ants.
Mint
Used mint tea bags can prove to be an effective home remedy in driving away ants. Place these used tea bags at varied points where you think ants may enter. Alternatively, take dried mint leaves and crush them into powdered form. Sprinkle the prepared powder at the entryways, doors, and garbage areas.
Preventive Measures
Keep your home clean, particularly the kitchen, and always cover the food with a lid.
Immediately clean food and liquid remains, specifically found beneath kitchen appliances.
If you have a pet at home, ensure that you always clean its food immediately after the pet has finished eating.
Make sure that all the bins are covered and remove garbage from the house more frequently, especially in spring and summer seasons.
Close holes, crevices or cracks from where ants enter inside.
Avoid leaving unclean dishes in the sink. Rinse them up after each and every meal.
Don’t leave your doorways or window open, as one ant attracts the other ants as well.
Avoid moisture to accommodate on counters as well as on other surfaces, as ants prefer to stay near water sources.
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Image courtesy: onbeingmark.files.wordpress.com , geeksaresexy.net , imgur.com
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