Health And Family

Natural ways to keep those ants away

Alixandra Caole Vila - The Philippine Star

August 14, 2014 | 1:35pm

MANILA, Philippines - Don’t you just want to get rid of those sneaky biting critters that march into your home and never leave their territory?

Protect your home, your skin, anywhere else ants like to crawl with these simple tricks using common household items. These are natural ways to get rid of them, which is a lot safer than using pesticide that is perilous to people’s health.

Chalk

This is a very familiar trick, but for those who do not know it, chalk can repel ants. Chalk, made up of powdered shells of marine animals has a calcium carbonate content, which ants hate. Find their entry points and draw a line around every point with a chalk. You may also use talcum powder, salt, and flour to draw lines.

Chalks by Rok Lipnik/CC BY

Adhesive tape
Ants do have a sweet tooth. Protect your cookie jars and chocolates by lining up an adhesive tape around where your sweets are placed. Place the adhesive tape sticky side up and watch the ants be glued.

Adhesive tape by Glenn Liam/CC BY-NC

Flowerpots
Fire ants are commonly seen on yards and patios. To get rid of them, use a flowerpot. Place the flowerpot upside down over the anthill. Pour boiling water through the drain hole to destroy their residing place.

Flower pots by Howard Dickins/CC BY

Oranges
A smooth puree of a few orange peels can make those ants go away. Mix the puree in 1 cup warm water. Slowly pour the solution over and into anthills and send the little pests packing.

Oranges by Gyorgy Weil/CC BY-NC-ND

Cucumber
Aside from the smell, cucumber peels and other citrus peels contains fungi that are toxic to ants. Scatter the peels on areas where ants are mostly seen.

Cucumbers by Dorota/ CC BY-SA

Aluminum foils
Tired of having ants sharing with your food? While common practice to keep them away is by placing the bowl of food onto a container half-filled with water, you may also use aluminum foil. Create a metal moat around the bowl of food to keep the ants at bay.

Aluminum foil by Emilian Robert Vicol/CC BY

Vinegar
Wipe down your countertops, floors, and any other places where you have spotted ants with a 50-50 mixture of white vinegar and water. The strong smell of the vinegar removes the scent of the trail that ants are used to smelling.

White vinegar by Michelle Grimord Eggers/ CC BY-NC

Herbs/Spices
Sprinkle powdered cinnamon, clove, garlic, cayenne pepper, black pepper, or salt at entrance points of the ants.

Salt & pepper by Larry and Terry/ CC BY

Dish Soap
Putting line of dish soap mixed with little water around windows and doors would keep the ants away. It destroys the pheromone trail away.You can also try pouring dish soap directly onto ant hills.

Dish soap by seaturtle/ CC BY-NC-ND

Alcohol
Put 1 part rubbing alcohol or tequila to 1 part water in a spraying bottle. Spray at entrance points or trails and reapply it for few days.