Do ants like coffee grounds?

Author: Holly Ortiz  |  Last update: Sunday, November 30, 2025

You may love your morning coffee, but ants could do without it. Another natural way to deter ants, sprinkle coffee grounds outside and around your garden. The smell repels them and they'll be looking for a less caffeinated place to hang out. Want to keep your home clean and clear of ants?

Will coffee grounds repel ants?

Coffee grounds are great for pest control. Ants especially don't like them - both grounds and the acids damage their exoskeletons. Use spent grounds to keep ants out of the house by laying down a 2 inch wide line around the foundation and entrances.

What smell do ants absolutely hate?

Household items like citrus fruits, black pepper, peppermint oil, cayenne, thyme, and lavender can create natural ant repellents. Great for avoiding pesticides or conventional ant traps! Mixing parts of these substances with water in a bottle and spraying the solution around the house can keep ants at bay.

What bugs do coffee grounds attract?

Fresh coffee grounds do not typically attract bugs. However, the intense aroma of coffee grounds can deter certain insects, including mosquitoes and ants.

Are ants attracted to coffee?

There's really everything they need in order to establish a colony," Counsell explained. Counsell says cleanliness is. Ants can be attracted to even a trace of leftovers like coffee residue.

Why didn't I know this method before? Ant colonies and aphids are gone!

What do ants hate the most?

Natural deterrents.

If you know where ants are getting in, you can line these entryways with things that ants hate. Salt, baby powder, lemon juice, chalk, vinegar, bay leaves, cinnamon, or peppermint oil are a few items that you have around your home that will stop ants from coming inside.

Do coffee grounds attract mice?

Mice typically do not like coffee grounds scattered around the kitchen. The strong aroma of coffee is generally unpleasant to mice, which can act as a deterrent.

What do coffee grounds keep away?

In fact, when implemented correctly, coffee grounds can be an effective way to repel certain pests such as wasps, snails, and mosquitoes. With years of experience in pest control in Vancouver, Atlas Pest Control can help explain why this is the case. As our question: “Do coffee grounds attract pests?” — no!

What animal hates coffee grounds?

Will coffee grounds keep rabbits away? Sprinkling coffee grounds among your plants may help to ward off rabbits and other small mammals due to coffee's powerful scent.

Why leave coffee grounds in the garage?

Remove Unwanted Odors

Coffee grounds contain nitrogen and carbon compounds, which have the power to remove unwanted smells. In other words, coffee grounds could become your best friend in fighting odors in your home.

What does cinnamon do to ants?

Cinnamon is often regarded as an effective DIY ant control option. It is believed that cinnamon acts as a natural repellent because ants cannot stand the smell. Also, if an ant inhales cinnamon, it can suffocate and die. Ground cinnamon can be sprinkled on an ant's pathway for them to inhale.

What attracts ants the most?

Food spills and crumbs

From unsealed containers of food to crumbs and sticky spills, all types of food will eventually be an ant magnet. While they are attracted to sugary foods, ants will eat almost anything, including meat, carbohydrates, and even other ants.

How to use unused coffee grounds?

7 Ways To Reuse Coffee Grounds
  1. Face and Body Scrub. Those tiny grains of coffee are the perfect no-fuss, low-cost scrub for your body and face. ...
  2. Garden Pest Control. ...
  3. Compost. ...
  4. Food for Hydrangeas and Azaleas. ...
  5. Fix Furniture Scratches. ...
  6. Pot Scrubber. ...
  7. Scent Freshener.

What can I put down to keep ants away?

Natural Methods for Repelling Ants
  1. Distilled White Vinegar. A white vinegar and water solution is a common method to wipe out ants for good. ...
  2. Citrus Fruits. ...
  3. Peppermint Oil. ...
  4. Cinnamon. ...
  5. Salt. ...
  6. Cayenne or Black Pepper. ...
  7. Coffee Grounds. ...
  8. Baking Soda and Powdered Sugar.

Do coffee grounds go bad?

Coffee grounds that are past their prime are generally going to lack much of a smell or taste. “Best-by dates on coffee indicate when they'll have their best taste and smell, but don't indicate the safety of the coffee grounds,” Edwards explains.

Are coffee grounds toxic to dogs?

Coffee beans, grounds and brewed coffee contain caffeine, a very dangerous and toxic chemical to cats and dogs. Ingestion can be life threatening. According to the Pet Poison Helpline, a moderate amount of coffee can easily cause death in small dogs or cats.

What plants can you not put coffee grounds on?

Avoid using coffee grounds on alkaline-loving trees, such as linden, ironwood, red chestnut and arborvitae. Coffee grounds used as mulch or compost inhibit plant growth on geranium, asparagus fern, Chinese mustard and Italian ryegrass. Definitely don't use coffee grounds with these plants.

What animal only eats coffee?

Captive civets are sometimes fed only coffee cherries, the fruit that produces coffee beans. In the wild, their diet includes fruit, insects, and reptiles.

Do coffee grounds prevent ants?

You may love your morning coffee, but ants could do without it. Another natural way to deter ants, sprinkle coffee grounds outside and around your garden. The smell repels them and they'll be looking for a less caffeinated place to hang out. Want to keep your home clean and clear of ants?

Can I sprinkle coffee grounds on my lawn?

The nutrients in coffee grounds are slowly broken down, allowing the turf to have a longer period of time to absorb them ensuring stronger turf for longer. Using coffee grounds as lawn fertilizer is also good for the worms. They love coffee almost as much as we do.

Why put coffee grounds around your house?

The compounds in coffee grounds, like caffeine and diterpenes, are toxic to insects. So pests like mosquitos, beetles, and flies will avoid coffee at all costs. Sprinkle some in your garden or around small cracks in the home to help deter insects from getting in your home.

Do coffee grounds attract roaches?

Roaches may not be able to sip on coffee, but their affinity for it is likely as strong as the typical American. Cockroaches are attracted to the scent of fresh coffee grounds, making your Keurig, standard pot, or grinder prime real estate for these pests.

What smell do mice absolutely hate?

The strong scent of peppermint is overwhelming to mice. Similarly, essential oils such as eucalyptus oil, bergamot oil, clove oil, and cinnamon oil are potent in keeping mice at bay. One study noted that eucalyptus oil applied once a day was more effective as a rat repellant than once a week.

Do moles like coffee grounds?

The advice apparently also noted that coffee grounds would be a deterrent to gophers and moles.

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