natural ant killer/deterrent

[mom0810]

We have NEVER had ants. Until now. We have a 17 month old toddler which equals crumbs and it seems the ants have caught on.

What can I do?

Is there anything natural that will kill them or deter them? I don't want them in the house but I also don't want to use chemicals. Help!

[J-Bean]

I always use cinnamon around the cracks/holes they come in to stop/slow them down. It's non-toxic and smells good but the walls get brown smudges on them from where I sprinkle the powder. Good luck! Darn ants.

[Zadee]

Wipe things down with vinegar and put bay leaves out.

[nataliachick7]

Originally Posted by J-Bean

I always use cinnamon around the cracks/holes they come in to stop/slow them down. It's non-toxic and smells good but the walls get brown smudges on them from where I sprinkle the powder. Good luck! Darn ants.

wait wouldnt cinnamon attract ants? im confused:

[amelissam]

I use Borax and sugar. I mix with water and pour around the foundation of my house (outside). We have a HORRIBLE ant problem, and it seems to keep them away very well. You wouldn't want to use this inside your house with a baby, though, because of the Borax.

[A&A]

They are repulsed by the smell of lavender.

[wordmommy]

The other day I discovered fire ants in my kitchen (AGAIN : ) and in a rage, sprayed them with the spray I make to clean. They were all dead in about two minutes and haven't come back. I'm about to have to go apply it to my car, because they are now in there. ARGH.

Anyway, here's the link to the recipe. It's for All-Purpose Cleaner. I use vinegar instead of lemon juice and Dr. Bronner's for the liquid castile soap.

http://www.anyclean.co.uk/articles/n...g-recipes.html

[nora--not a llama]

I've recently found that peppermint essential oil deters them. I bought a diffuser and put it in the kitchen.

[AmandaGRB]

Originally Posted by nora--not a llama

I've recently found that peppermint essential oil deters them. I bought a diffuser and put it in the kitchen.

I agree with the Peppermint EO. I use this as well and it works very well! I put it in my kitchen cleaner (vinegar, H2o, and a couple different EO's). If we get ants, I also drop a couple drops along where I see them, like around the door or window and they are gone for quite some time. Plus, my house always smells like peppermint candy.

Amanda

[Woodland]

PEPPERMINT!!!! essential oil! I tried everything else and nothing worked. BUt the Peppermint does the trick, it also makes your house smell nice.

[Leta]

Spray: water, white vinegar, Tabasco sauce, Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap. This basically is the "everything ants hate" spray.

To eliminate anthills: sprinkle grits or instant grits around the anthill. The worker ant takes this to the queen, who can't digest it and will die. All the other ants will leave to find a new colony.

[yitlan]

Another peppermint EO fan. Just put a few drops directly on their path, especially where they enter, if you can find it. HAs worked like a charm for me!

[dianamerrell]

Originally Posted by nataliachick7

wait wouldnt cinnamon attract ants? im confused:

I use cinnamon all the time! I do not know why it works, but it does

i put some in a bowl and use an old makeup or paint brush and dust it on windowsills, doorjams etc. they avoid it and do not walk across it. for a test one time i put an ant in the container of cinnamon and it died!:

i wonder if it is like the powder that microscopicly cuts the ants and they dry out?

[yitlan]

Originally Posted by dianamerrell

I use cinnamon all the time! I do not know why it works, but it does

I believe the oils work b/c they cut off the scent trail the ants follow. Without the trail they get confused and scatter trying to find another. That's one theory I've heard. Also, at first, a wet oily barrier probably helps the situation!

[SabDoulaMommy]

I used peppermint eo today to deter ants & then left the house. When I came back, there were 4 lines of ants into my kitchen, where there had previously had 1!!! I swept before I left too! I thought maybe the peppermint eo attracted them in? Then I thought, maybe b/c it was in drops they were attracted to it, what if I sprayed it? So I mixed some w/ water & sprayed. They scattered, but were back w/in a few minutes. I just I'm going to try the vinegar now.

[cfiddlinmama]

Diatomatious Earth (sp? I threw the box away so I can't check) works great and is non-toxic. We get ants really bad. I sprinkled it around the foundation and along the window sills. Within 48 hrs they were gone. I think I've seen three since then. You can get it home & garden stores or feed stores. I got mine at Agway. It didn't work for my animals' fleas though.

[mamaverdi]

They make natural pesticides that are not toxic to humans that are similar to Amdro. We've had varying degrees of success with other things mentioned on the thread.