Having ants everywhere outdoors doesn’t bother me it’s when I see them trailing along my kitchen countertops that I spring into action. Therefore, the past two spring/summer seasons we have successfully rid our house of two different types of ants, and decided it was time to show you how to get rid of ants naturally!
Identifying ants
When learning how to get rid of ants naturally, detective work is an integral part of eradicating them, but there’s actually much more to it. Furthermore, finding the most effective treatment for ants depends on the specific type you have invading your house. This is because each species has different behaviors, preferences in food, and remedies that will be effective in keeping them out of your home.
Some ants are specific to region, so we only have experience dealing with certain types. So in this article we’ll cover remedies for odorous house ants and carpenter ants. In addition, read the end of the article for tips that may work on other species.
Finally, for help identifying these ants, see the images here or here.
Odorous House Ants
You will find these ants anywhere you have sweets laying around.
Odorous house ants will leave a chemical pheromone trail wherever they travel. If you kill them, other ants will simply follow the trail and show up in the same places. For this reason, kill the entire colony.
When you see the first few ants, you can sponge them and the surrounding area with soapy water to eliminate the pheromone trail. Immediately work to figure out where they’re getting into your house, and begin placing homemade ant bait at the entry points.
Homemade bait for house ants
Borax will kill odorous house ants, and powdered sugar will attract them. Make a homemade bait by thoroughly mixing one part borax with 3 parts powdered sugar. Fill tiny containers (such as bottle caps) with this homemade bait and place them as close to the place where you suspect ants are entering your house. If you see trails of ants, place small containers of the mixture directly in their path. This prevents most of them from traveling all around your house if they have easy access to this sugary treat.