Ant Trouble

Someone else mentioned trying cinnamon. My mother-in-law swears by it. She sprinkles cinnamon where she sees the ants coming in and by the next day their gone.

Here are some all natural pest repellants
Ants: Sprinkle cinnamon, bay leaves, cayenne pepper or baby powder in problem areas and along baseboards and windowsills

Cockroaches: sprinkle equal parts of baking soda and confectioners' sugar in problem areas

Mice: Place cotton dipped in peppermint oil near problem areas. Used kitty litter is anoter repellant.

Mosquitoes: Mix 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water placed on your deck or balcony or dab lavendar oil on your wrists and elbows.

Flies: Small sachets of crushed mint placed around the home will discourage flies. So will a potted sweet basil plant.

spray amonia wherever you see them, it works and it's safe

also they do not like cinnamon

I use corn meal (I just buy it in a canister at the grocery store) and that has worked well. I like it cause I can use it around my 1 year old and have no worries. I think it expands in the ants' bellies and kills them.

Dear B.,
To get rid of ants my chiropractor told me to use a packet of nutrisweet. Sprinkle on the area where they come in. The sweetness attracts them but it is toxic for them also. Your kids should not eat this either but at least they are not inhaling it as they would if you sprayed.

L. M.

some kid safe things that work for us:

white vinegar (we mop about once a week with it, and keep some in a spray bottle too for counters and quick spraying the corners and entry points)

cinnamon

black pepper

keeping the cheerios/food cleaned off the floor and counters clean

Dryer sheets work, as well as baking soda.

Hi B..
I know what your experiencing our ant trouble is so bad, we had to throw out a lot of food. Which becomes very expensive, especially when your on a tight budget. I did some research on the internet, I wish I can remember the site, but we found something that kills them, but won't keep them away, we have done all the ant traps too and bombing, but still, they are always around. So we have came up with a solution we use 2 cups of Lemon (real)juice or even boiled from the real lemons (from rine to make juice) and about 1 1/2 cups of vinegar with about a 1/2 cup of water (put in a spray bottle) and start spraying. This kills the ants, but won't keep them from coming. We're still working on that project. This solution is also good on hardwood floors, mold and mildew growing in the bathroom as a household cleaner and also to remove odors from furniture. The vinegar does evaporate and nothing smells like vinegar after a half hour. But you'd be amazed. Good Luck!

B..
Ants don't like cucumber peels. Try some of those where you have the ant problem.
I hope that it helps.
L.

I use HOT water (3 parts) mixed with dawn dishsoap (1 part.) The hot water stuns them long enough for them to breathe in the dishsoap, and the dishsoap kills them, I guess their 'friends' can smell the death because they won't come that way again.

Put used coffee grounds around the outside of your house and that will help. We had a big problem and I was told to do this and it did work.

Hi,
I have ants every year too! I guess that's what I get for living in the sticks, I wouldn't trade it though. I don't spray either, due to my having 2 children also (& 2 cats). I have heard ants don't cross chalk lines & to use sidewalk chalk where they are coming in. I have also heard that vinegar works. I haven't tried, so I'm not sure, but it's worth a shot. On a side note, I have also heard to keep mosquito's at bay, to put Listerine in a spray bottle & spray around the area you'll be in.

Cucomber slices on the countertops.

This may sound strange, but sprinkle paprika in the areas where they come in. My father in law swears by this, so I tried it, and when I found ants in my entryway, I put paprika down and I haven't seen then since. Its safe for kids, since its a spice (just don't let them lick the floor, LOL) I also lifted up the carpet near my entry and sprinkled some underneath there. Good luck.

Try sprinkling Nutra Sweet around where the ants come from the colony. It is a toxic to them because of their small size. It doesn't do people any good but it will not kill them and it is unlikely kids will lick it from the ground.

Go Bless.

S.

We had bad ants at our last house. We sprinkled a product called Sevn around the foundation. You can get it at hardware stores. It is safe because we had cats and they never got sick or ate it.

Good luck!!! The ants in my home walk around the darn traps, I have tried every product on the market. Even the ones who clearly state they work for up to 9 months! My grandson has taken up spraying them with windex when he sees them.
There is a paste you can make with baking soda a little sugar and water and put on a piece of tin foil and place in the areas you know they are coming in at. They flock to it, take it back to the nest and can't digest it so they die, but it takes weeks to work very well.
I have spread Nutmeg in the pantry along the wall and in the laundry area. I use baby powder or talc in my bathrooms around the pipe enterances and around the tub and walls and under my kitchen sink. Has to be replaced frequently as it gets wet when I mop. The nutmeg in the livingroom etc, gets vacuumed up and has to be replaced frequently too. I know they don't like vinegar or amonia and have sprayed all the window sill areas in and out but it seems the newer generations don't seem to have the same dislikes and or phobias as the ones from a few years back.
The best product I have found recently is Specticide Bug Stop. It at least stops them for a couple of days. There is something called blast in aeresol spray, even has some scented like flowers etc. that works for a day or two.

Check into diatomatious earth. It is like microscopic silica that ants can't cross. It is an organic alternative that you spread around your home (outside) and they can't get across.

If you can find where it is that the ants are coming in, block thier path by sprinkling it liberally with nutmeg. They find thier way by scent trails, and they refuse to cross nutmeg, so if the nutmeg suddenly blocks the scent trail they are following, they will have to go elsewhere.

I have found that ants will not cross vinegar so to keep them out on the inside I spray vinegar on door sills and window sills. On the outside I spray Ortho Home Defense MAX. They say you can spray inside with the Ortho too but have a cat, a dog and my twin boys so I don't trust it.

I use vinegar both inside and out.

Good Afternoon:

First try the About.com website, motherearthnews.com, and Google to look for natural ways to get rid of ants. I read that putting a powdery white line of flour works because it gets in the lungs. I also read that they don't like the smell of cinnamon or cucumbers. Just read up on the internet. We don't have small children, but here is what we did.

We had ants on our kitchen counter and a friend told us about mixing boric powder with pop. We mixed the two together and put the combo in lids from dog treat containers. We placed the round lids across the kitchen counter. Because they were coming from the wall at the kitchen counter we did not want to use a bug spray such as Raid. Who wants to spray by the cupboards where your dishes, dishwasher and sink are located?

It takes a short while for it to work and here's how it works. The ants take the boric powder via the pop back to the nest where they feed on it. The boric powder makes them blow up -- Ka BOOM!.

Boric Powder is poisonous so you might think twice about using it with small children. If you use this combo you may want to use it at night, or where small children can absolutely not have access to it and put it into their mouths. Also, washing down the counter with vinegar, worked for us. Good Luck.

It really depends on what type of ants they are???
Carpenter (big giant black ones)???

when we had ants then I sprinkled baby powder along all the baseboards & doorsteps, they can't cross it apparently cause it solved it

Hi B.,
My name is M. V. and am an Independent Marketing Executive for a company named Melaleuca and their aim is to produce eco-friendly products to our earth. In their book Melaleuca Wellness Guide they do address having problems with ants. Feel free to contact me with more information if you would like or check out melaleuca.com.
Another solution I have found useful, but not as earth friendly is placing a barrier of some type of chemical around the outside of your house, safely away from your children and pets...Repeat as needed.
Many Blessings,
M. V.

i have been told to sprinkle cinnomin(sp) around the house they wont cross it?.
Good Luck

Hi,
we've had a really bad time with ants. we bought our house in nov. last year & didn't know about all the creepy crawly things around here until it started getting warmer. my husband went to home depot & got some kind of powder stuff & sprinkled it around the outside of the house. it was ORTHO something, anywho it took about a week to work & know instead of like 30 ants we might see one or two here & there.

Not sure where you are located, but I use Capital City Exterminating here in the Columbus, OH area. They are wonderful! We had an ant problem, sometimes in and out in one of our bathrooms, but a huge one was discovered when replacing windows...so this could be more than you think. Traps and sprays were useless. I have a child and small animals, they're attentive and helpful with safety for all. Have them come and give you an estimate - they're honest. John is our technician. If you're an Angie's List member, you'll get a discount. Their # is ###-###-####.

Put baby powder around where they might be coming in. they do not like to cross powdery things. Another thing you might try is chalk dust. Just put a line of it down around the foundation and door and window openings.

Hi B.! Try Ortho's Home Defense Max. It's odorless and I believe safe to use around children and pets. Good Luck

Most sprays are safe as soon as they are dry. So, just spray before going to the park or running errands and everyone should be fine:)

Hi, when I had young children we moved into a house that had a lot of ants........I found out that by sprinkling the ants n the spot they came into the house with powder they disappered. I have used this for over thirty years now. Good luck.........
patsy

I have heard that if you put a stream of dish soap,around the area where they enter,that it will keep them from coming in.

I have found that it is best to know what KIND of ants that are invading your house. Some ants are attracted to sweet and others are attracted to other food sources. I just found ants SWARMIMG my son's diaper trash can! We followed their trail and found they were coming through the lower part of his window seal! Long story short I went to Lowes and all the products had the different species of ants that their products work for and ALL of them said to let it dry and it was safe for kids and animals AFTER it was dry. I called my father-in-law to do some research over the internet and described the ants to him. We had the "little black ant" species and no I am not making it up! haha. I have heard from people that vinegar works well but I don't think that putting anything sweet down would do anything other than attract them to a certain spot in your house or to try and track down the nest. But that is just my opinion and I am by no means an expert. But take a good look at the little ants and try to figure out what kind they are. Then you can have an idea on what kind of natural repellent for that species. I hope this helps.

This isn't natural by any means... but it's completely safe for pets and children after it's dry. ORTHO indoor/outdoor bug spray. It's a liquid that comes in a gallon and has a pump/spray nozzle. You spray the baseboards, etc and all around the outside of the house too.. by doorways, etc.... leave the house for 2 hrs, and it's dry and completely safe when you come home. No odor or anything. It kills ants, spiders, fleas, all kinds of unwanted houseguests. I have pets and usually put them in a room for the 2 hrs while I spray the rest of the house. You only have to do it once and it works for almost a whole year.

B. I too have ants! hate them! I put the dryer sheets out called bounce where I see the ants, seems to help a lot and it is cheaper than those ant traps, let me know if this works for you ok...

I was sent an email that told to put dry grits (not cooked) around in house and this is suppose to get rid of ants haven't tried yet

B.,
I see that someone else mentioned it - I had the best luck with baby powder. I put a few of the bait traps (look like little plastic mounds) in areas that my daughter couldn't get to; then I went crazy with baby powder, using it as a way to section off areas. They will not cross the baby powder, so it seemed to work well for keeping them in one area and directing them to the bait traps.
Good luck!

I have trouble with ants every year. I live out in the country. My grandmother gave me a trick taht seems to work for me. Get a cucumber and peel it. Put the peels in your pantry or other places the ants are. For whatever reason the ants don't like the smell or something about that cucumber peel. I do it at the beginning of spring and it normally lasts all summer for me.

Good luck!!

Have someone spray outside around your house to prevent them from coming in to your house. I watch kids too so I wouldn't want anyone spraying in the house. My parents get big ants because of the tree outside their kitchen window. They have someone spray outside and it seems to help. This year they just cut down the tree. Good Luck.

Try using a product called Terro.

Hello B.!

I had the ant issue too, but it has been taken care of. My father had a pest control business years ago, which got my brothers started in that business as well. All three of them work in the pest control business now lol. They are all licensed by their state, in where they are tested to know ALL about the chemicals they use.
My younger brother suggested he spray once every three months along the edges of all my walls. Knowing I have my two granchildren here that are 2 1/2 and now a newborn, he said I am to have them out of the house for about 4 hours. My dogs as well. I just put the dogs out back away from the house.

He said once the spray is dry, it won't hurt the kids, but not to let them near it when it is wet. So basically, keep them out of the house til you know it is dry. I throughly trust him on this, and I know he knows what he is talking about. He would NEVER put those babies in danger for a few ants nor would I. My suggestion is to call a REALLY good pest control service, do your homework, because not all are as good as they portray. Have them come to spray on a day you can be out of the house for the time needed. They can spray the outside around the house too. Or you can contact me and I will give you the name of my older brothers company as well as my younger brothers, depending on what area you are in, you could call on of them. For that matter... you can question my younger or older brother to death on the safety of the spray where kids are concerned lol. They are ok with it.

Good Luck!
T.

Hi.
We live in an old farm house and have trouble with ants at times, too. We have found one thing that really works for us....a spray that you can spray around the outside of your house specifically for ants. You can spray it all around your house, or just outside the room you are having trouble with. I think it may be called ant block?
Good luck.

cinnamon sticks will work in the area that you see them. Also, try some cayenne pepper in that area if the cinnamon sticks do not work.