Natural Methods to Combat Ants Without Chemicals
You don’t necessarily need insecticide sprays to deal with ants. The most effective chemical-free approach is to remove what attracts them and block their routes into your home. Extension experts recommend sanitation and exclusion as the first steps.
1. Remove food sources
Ants are commonly attracted by sugar, grease, crumbs, pet food and spilled drinks.
- Wipe counters and floors regularly.
- Don’t leave food uncovered.
- Store sweets, flour and other attractive foods in airtight containers.
- Empty food waste regularly.
- Rinse food containers before putting them in recycling.
2. Eliminate water and moisture đź’§
Fix leaking taps and pipes, dry wet sinks and don’t leave standing water around the house. Moisture can be an important reason ants enter buildings.
3. Erase their scent trails
Ants leave pheromone trails that guide other workers to food.
A simple 1:1 mixture of white vinegar and water can be used to wipe ant trails. It can temporarily disrupt those trails, although it doesn’t eliminate the colony. Soapy water can also remove the trails.
4. Seal their entrances
Follow the ants to find where they’re coming in, then seal cracks and gaps around:
- Windows
- Doors
- Pipes
- Baseboards
- Foundations
This is much more useful long-term than repeatedly killing individual ants.
5. Make the outside less attractive
Keep branches and shrubs from touching the house, and remove piles of leaves, wood and other debris near the foundation. These can provide routes or nesting areas for ants.
What about cinnamon, lemon, coffee grounds, etc.?
You’ll find many online claims that these “repel ants permanently.” Evidence for many of these household remedies is limited. Vinegar and soapy water have better support for disrupting trails, but they generally don’t solve an established colony.
