Getting Rid of Ants Naturally

Ants are an annoying problem that frequently crops up during the summer months. All it takes is one drop of juice on the floor, a bread crumb or even a dab of peanut butter that you missed cleaning and they are all over the place! Since using toxic sprays might not be such a great idea in the kitchen, where ants usually end up, it is preferable to use natural methods to get rid of them.

Keeping your kitchen as clean as possible is the best way to prevent an ant invasion. You should try to clean up messes and spills as soon as they happen and wash out the cloth frequently so it isn't spreading food smells around the kitchen. Use bleach to disinfect it and you shouldn't have a problem. Seal off the cracks between counter and stove, too, since a lot of food can fall down there and attract pests.

Ants send out scouts who leave scent trails for the rest of the ants to follow directly to the food source. You can erase this trail by wiping your counters and floors with one part vinegar diluted in three parts water. This prevents the rest of the ants from following the trail.

You can find out where the ants are getting in, just follow the line back to the entrance. This might be a crack in the floor or a tiny hole in the wall, they are quite adept at managing to get into any room in the house. Once you know where they are coming in, you can either block the hole up or try another natural method. Often, if you simply block the hole, the ants will just find another way in.

Try mashing up some garlic in a mortar and pestle and rubbing it over the area. Your house will smell of garlic, but ants absolutely hate the stuff and will stop coming through the hole! You can use this outdoors as well, if you find that they are coming in through a crack in the foundation or siding. This will prevent the ants from even attempting to enter the house.

Finding that a stream of tiny ants have invaded your home can be disconcerting, especially if you are a clean person. However, they are very good at finding the most minute bit of food and it doesn't necessarily reflect on your cleaning abilities. With the natural remedies given above, you can easily get rid of the pests without the use of toxic poisons.