Things that break up their scent trails cause ants to get lost.
An ant's job is to find food and bring it back to the mound. In doing so, they invade homes and outdoor living areas through any crack, crevice or fissure they can find. Ants that find food create scent trails back to the mound that other ants follow back and forth, to and from the food source. The first line of defense against these ant invasions is to remove the scent trail and repel new scouts. You can use some techniques with common things you may already have in your cupboard to repel ants. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Spray ants when you see them with a spray mister full of soapy water. Just fill up the bottle and add a couple of squeezes of dish soap and shake. If you spray the ants, it alters their smell to other ants and spoils their ability to mark trails back to the mound.
2. Follow ant trails to the point where they enter the house or whatever area you don't want them. Ants have a natural aversion to cucumber peels. Scatter the peels where the trail enters. The peels are bitter as are old spoiled cucumbers. Other substances can be spread across the point of entry to deter ants including cayenne pepper, citrus oil, lemon juice, cinnamon or coffee grounds.
3. Scatter the contents of mint tea bags or crush mint leaves or cloves and spread wherever you see ant activity. You can spray commercial clove oil sprays over areas frequented by ants to drive them away.
4. Mix a teaspoon of borax and a cup of sugar in a quart of water. Wet cotton balls with the borax-sugar solution and place them in a small plastic butter or yogurt tub. Cut holes around the bottom of the tub to allow ants to enter and put the cotton balls inside the tub. Put the tubs in areas around ant activity. Ants will tear up the cotton balls and take the bait back to the mound and slowly kill the mound.
5. Cut cloves of garlic into wedges and press them into cracks in decks, walks and areas ants are entering.
6. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth, available at a pool chemical supplier, on ant traffic areas. Don't use it directly on the mound or the ants may move the colony. Diatomaceous earth has sharp edges that cut up ants and larvae and can slowly kill the mound.
7. Spray vinegar or a 50-50 vinegar and water mix, cider vinegar or essential oils like lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree oil, witch hazel or peppermint on the ant trail with the sprayer.
Tags: back mound, cotton balls, find food, kill mound, other ants, scent trails