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?
Not only do they repel mosquitoes, but also other insects such as wasps and bees. Coffee grounds are the bee's knees when it comes to staying bug bite free. Most bugs have a very strong sense of smell. Coffee grounds are very potent and even more potent once they are burned.
Both cayenne and black pepper repel ants. Ants hate cayenne pepper. Black pepper will work just as well too. Locate the source of the ant infestation problem, sprinkle some pepper around that area and if possible, create a wall that will stop the ants from accessing your household.
Ants hate the smell of strong citrus fruits. Save your orange, lemon and grapefruit peels and scatter them around entry points. It's a natural way to deter ants without harming them.
Try pouring a line of cream of tartar, red chili powder, paprika, or dried peppermint at the place where you think ants might be entering the house; they won't cross it. You can also try washing countertops, cabinets, and floors with equal parts vinegar and water.
Two of the best ways to eliminate ants are Borax and diatomaceous earth. Essential oils, including peppermint and clove, are a natural way to repel and kill ants. Food and moisture attract ants, so keep your home clean and dry to get rid of ants permanently.
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.
Vinegar only remains effective for as long as the scent lingers. When the solution dries up, homeowners need to reapply the solution in the problem areas to keep ants away. However, it's important to remember that vinegar shouldn't be treated as the main line of defense against ant infestations.
Spreading coffee grounds throughout your garden will also attract insects, such as, worms. Worms provide tons of nutrients to help your garden grow and thrive.
Compost coffee grounds for a vegetable garden instead of using them directly. Remember, coffee grounds are not good for tomatoes or seedlings. Get a soil test, especially if your plants are not thriving or you want to change the acidity of the soil.
These things are great for nutrient poor lawns and lawns on clay or sandy soil. However, coffee grounds still contain some residual caffeine, which can cause harm to the micro fauna in your soil, and that's why it is not recommended to apply coffee waste directly to your lawn.
Natural deterrents.
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. Lay these out in areas where you see ants, and they'll stop using that area as an entrance into your house.
Sure, coffee smells irresistible, but that's not the reason why ants are attracted to it. The ants might be attracted to the sugar and honey you add to your coffee. Remember, ants have an affinity for anything sweet and juicy, including sugar cubes, honey, syrup, fruit juices, and ripe fruit!
The good news is that ants can still smell Vinegar after it is dried. Always remember that Vinegar is not a permanent solution to remove an ant infestation. It is reasonable to spread the solution thrice a week over the affected areas to remove ants slowly.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work. Vinegar does not kill ants in the traditional sense: you spray it, and the ant dies. The only way this remedy is effective is if the ant drowns in vinegar (though water accomplishes the same thing).
Because ants have a sensitive sense of smell, spices like cinnamon will overpower them. On pheromone trails, workers leave a scent, which cinnamon's strong smell can disrupt or neutralize. These claims have some validity. However, cinnamon is only used as an ant repellant, not as an ant killer.
Cayenne pepper / Black pepper
How it works: The spicy, strong scent of cayenne pepper (or black pepper, if that's what you have) irritates ants, and they try to avoid it. Pepper's scent also masks the ants' pheromone trails that lead them to food sources in your yard and home.
There is at least SOME scientific basis for this myth, but the truth is that the cinnamon you buy at the grocery store is not going to solve your ant problem. The roots of this Internet solution may spring from an article published in the International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications in 2014.
You can find cakes of castile soap in natural health food stores or some old-fashioned general stores. Crumble it up, and mix 1/4 cup of soap with a few drops of peppermint oil and one quart of water. Shake and spray around ants to kill them.
Salt-boil salt and water into a mixture and once cooled, pour into a spray bottle and spray nooks and corners. Oranges-half fresh orange juice and half water sprayed around your home will keep the pests out and keep your home smelling nicely. Essential Oils-used like lemon or orange juices.
Spices: Cinnamon, Cayenne, and Black Pepper
Sprinkle cinnamon on surfaces where you've seen ants congregate in your home. Spices such as cinnamon, black pepper, and cayenne pepper act as a dermal irritant to the tiny insects and they'll be working their way towards sweeter surroundings.
Baking soda (or borax)
Ants hate baking soda. That's because baking soda and borax both kill ants when they eat them. To make a homemade ant bait trap, combine equal parts baking soda or borax with honey and water. Place it in a shallow container and leave it out wherever you usually find ants in your home.