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Of all kinds of protected animals that you can find in our territory, ants are probably the most intrusive. Literally — in a moment of inattention these little tireless workers can take over even your kitchen if you live in a family house or, for example, in the countryside. But don’t despair. Although ants are protected, and therefore some methods used to exterminate other common pests cannot be used against them, you can outsmart them even without chemicals and strong poisons, which can also be dangerous to your children or pets.
Cinnamon
Ants have a very sensitive sense of smell; they are up to five times more sensitive to scents and odors than other types of insects. And unlike us, they don’t like cinnamon. Cinnamon oil repels them most reliably, but you can also use ordinary ground cinnamon mixed in a glass of water. Soak a cotton ball in the mixture and dampen the ants’ trails, especially the places they use to get into your kitchen. The procedure will need to be repeated once or twice a day and in a few days you’ll have the ants gone for good.
Cayenne pepper
Cayenne pepper is actually a type of chili pepper, so you can substitute it with other varieties of this very hot and aromatic food. Unlike cinnamon, you’ll need to cook the cayenne pepper in a pot full of water. Boiling helps the cayenne release a range of aromatic compounds that ants fear like the devil fears the cross. When you pour the cayenne pepper broth onto the places from which the ants swarm, you’ll have them off your back for good.
Wine or apple cider vinegar
Ants also don’t like the acidic smell of vinegar. In practice, vinegar is one of the most tried-and-true and cheapest means of fighting ants. Fill a spray bottle with a mixture of water and any type of vinegar. For better effect it’s good to add a few drops of lemon or at least citric acid. Spray the solution once or twice a day along the ants’ access trails and in a week or two you’ll have everything sorted.
Water
Somewhat unexpectedly, water is also a great weapon against ants. If circumstances permit, you can simply flush out the anthill. Usually it’s enough to aim a garden hose at them for about ten minutes. During that time the stream should reach all the spaces of the anthill up to the queen, who will probably drown or be escorted away. Either way, you’ll get rid of the ants.
Other effective methods include, for example:
- boric acid
- pepper
- salt
- aromatic herbs
