The loathsome sight of sugar ant colonies crawling all over the place and attacking your sweet morsels, gives you a very tough time indeed! Curbing the menace of these ants in the house can become a lot easier with a bit of patience and disciplined efforts on your behalf. A foolproof combination of home remedies and preventive measures is the safest way of eradicating these pests on a permanent basis.
Some highly effective home remedies for getting rid of sugar ants
The moment you discover colonies of these ravenous sweet ants in the house feasting on your stuff and creating great nuisance, you can hardly wait to remove them permanently! Wondering how to kill sugar ants? These tested ants control home remedies would certainly fetch a lot of respite:
1. Boric acid & mint jelly
Creating baits for black ants by mixing boric acid with sugary morsels, is a fantastic technique to keep away these pests. Combine two tablespoons of this non-toxic chemical with 8 ounces of strawberry jelly, peanut butter or maple syrup, and preserve in a squeezable container. Cover with a lid. Squeeze out 2-inches of this mixture on masking tape strips placed on the ant trails within your house. As soon as they taste this mixture, they would be exposed to the poison, which would eventually be spread to their colony.
2. Vinegar
The aroma of vinegar acts as a strong repellant for ants in kitchen and naturally drives them away by masking the scent trails of these creatures. Prepare a spray by adding 1/4th cup of water along with 1/4th cup of apple cider vinegar to a spray bottle. You might also consider adding a few drops of essential oil, such as orange or grapefruit. Shake well and spritz this mixture all over those places where you spot these black ants.
3. Corn meal
Trying to figure out how to protect your kids from ants bite? Corn meal happens to be one of the safest home remedies for getting rid of sugar ants. Since these ants are unable to digest corn meal, they ultimately die. This is the best way of dealing with sweet ants in house because corn meal is absolutely safe for your pets and little ones.
4. Bay leaves
The characteristic smell of bay leaves acts as an excellent natural repellant and helps to eliminate sugar ants without any fuss. All you got to do is place these leaves at strategic locations, such as – kitchen drawers, cabinets, under the windows, counters and cracks from where they emerge. On adopting this measure, ants in kitchen would soon be history.
5. Peppermint oil
The refreshing fragrance of peppermint oil enhances alertness, performs wonders for your mood, and at the same time it naturally drives away sugar ants from your home. Pour a few drops of this essential oil on a cotton ball and use it for wiping your baseboards, plus all the common entry points. Leaving these aromatic cotton balls in your cupboard can prevent ants from invading.
6. Borax & sugar
Thinking of the best way to kill sugar ants? Being extremely poisonous for these pests, borax is one of the most frequently used home remedies for getting rid of sweet ants in house. Combine borax with sugar to create sweet baits of a dense, jelly-like consistency. It would take no time for the ants to attack and drag these treats to their colony. On spreading, the poison would easily kill them in large numbers.
7. Cloves
Since black ants are averse to its strong smell, whole cloves can serve as one of the most effective home remedies to eliminate sugar ants. Place cloves in various susceptible spots including kitchen cupboards, drawers and counters to keep away these insects.
8. Tea tree oil
On account of its powerful disinfectant properties, tea tree essential oil is undisputedly one of the most effective home remedies for getting rid of sugar ants. Put 4-5 drops of this oil on cotton balls, place these in your drawers and cupboards, or use for wiping entry points such as baseboards, to prevent ants from creeping in.
9. Cucumber
Sugar ants cannot tolerate the taste of cucumber. Slice a fresh cucumber into pieces, and place these in different corners of your home to naturally steer them away.
10. Lemon juice
Drizzling lemon juice around the entry points, serves as an effective ants control measure for your residence. For this purpose, fill half a spray bottle with water, and the other half with freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can also add 10 drops of lemon or orange essential oil for extra zing.
11. Baking soda
It is possible to prevent the entry of ants in kitchen and other areas of your home with the help of baking soda. Spraying a solution of baking soda and water on your floors and carpets is one of the easiest home remedies for getting rid of sweet ants in house.
12. Citrus spray
Preparing a spray using citrus peels is one of the most advantageous home remedies to remove ants. Add leftover orange or lemon peels to a pot, and pour sufficient water to cover the peels. Heat to steaming point and let the liquid steep for a few hours before straining. Pour in a spray bottle and start using. Those painful ants bite episodes would become a forgotten affair in no time! Enjoy the mesmerizing fragrance too!
13. Pepper
If you want to eliminate sugar ants permanently from your home, then try mixing black pepper or cayenne pepper with water, and sprinkling this liquid on black ants whenever you spot them. This is quite a convenient ant control procedure.
14. Mint
Since mint happens to be a very powerful natural insect repellant, planting some mint in close proximity to the ant nests would ensure that they keep away from your house. Spreading crushed mint leaves along their trails is also beneficial.
15. Coffee grinds
Think twice before you throw away those coffee grinds! Being a great natural repellant for ants, sprinkling coffee grounds along their trails, or spreading them on the soil from where they emerge, can prevent ants from entering your home.
16. Soapy water
You can easily destroy ant trails by dissolving soap in water, and spraying this solution in the corners of your house. The chemical constituents of soap dehydrate these creatures by acting tough on their exoskeleton, thus making it one of the best home remedies for getting rid of sugar ants.
17. Diatomaceous earth
Deciding on the best way to kill sugar ants? Try sprinkling a ring of food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) around the foundation of the house or ant hills. Silica-rich DE dehydrates these pests by compromising the waxy coating of their exoskeleton, as a result of which they die easily.
Keep sugar ants at bay with these simple preventive measures
By keeping your surroundings clean at all times and implementing these preventive steps, you can completely eliminate sugar ants from your home.
Here are a number of tricks to keep away these tiny monsters:
- Seal cracks, crevices and possible entry points using plaster or glue
- Keep your floors free from food crumbs and debris
- Use white vinegar while washing your counter tops
- Ensure that your kitchen sink remains clean throughout the day
- Avoid leaving edible items out in the open
- Clear dishes, food and liquid spillages as soon as possible
- Vacuuming carpeted floors regularly is a bare necessity
- Get hold of large, firm trash-bags and seal tightly
To top it all, do not waste time in initiating the necessary steps as soon as you notice the early signs of infestation. Apart from maintaining proper hygiene at home, do not forget to store your breads, sticky sugary treats, snacks and baked goodies in airtight containers.
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