How to Get Rid of Ants the Natural Way

Finally enjoying the sunny weather in your patio?

Shades on, feet propped up, lemonade in hand, sleepy – this is definitely the life!

That is, until, you feel a micro syringe injection-like sensation on your neck. You get jolted back into reality, and hastily touch the area. You catch a tiny ant struggling to get away. Semi-dead, in between your fingers. Then you scan the area and realize a few drops of lemonade from the pitcher on the table have gotten the attention of your friendly neighborhood fire ants. So now they’re juicing away!

If you’re in California, and have an ant problem in Stockton, for example, then you’ve come to the right place. Read on to know about how to get rid of ants effectively.

House Ants

Since there are many types of ants, this article focuses on the two more common types, one of which are the smelly or odorous house ants which love sweets and leave a trail of pheromones for their fellow house ants to follow. Therefore, it is essential to control the ant problem at the source.

To simply get rid of the pheromone trail, sponge the area with ants with soapy water. Then prepare the bait comprised of sugar and borax. Mix one part borax and three parts sugar and put some of the mixture into small containers, like bottle caps or used tiny dipping cups. Strategically position the baits along the ant trail.

If you have small children or pets in the house, you can simply combine a cup of warm water, half a cup of sugar and 3 tablespoons of borax. Using cotton balls, you can soak up the mixture and put them on shallow dishes positioned near ant trails.

The trick here is to get as many ants to dip into the mixture and take it back with them to their colony. This will eventually end up wiping out their colony so you’ll end up seeing fewer to no ants at all.

Other simple remedies that work against house ants include spraying vinegar to eliminate the pheromone trail, and to simply keep your place neat and clean so there are no food particles left scattered for them to scavenge on.

Carpenter Ants

These types of ants usually haunt homes located in forested or wooded areas as they typically live in wood accessible through a tunnel. But they invade human homes in search of food.

What you can do is observe and check to see where they appear to be emerging. For example, if you’ve killed a number of ants on sight, be alert as to where new ants seem to be emerging. Try to follow the trail so you can even end up finding their nest. Borax and sugar won’t work on them, and the best natural agent you can use on carpenter ants is diatomaceous earth (DE).

DE is made up of the tiny fossilized skeletons of algae-like plants. Best of all, it is all-natural and organic. Food grade DE is safe even when used around pets and children. It works to kill the ants when the DE’s rough, pointy surface pierces through the insect, thereby immobilizing it and causing it to get dehydrated.

Get rid of ants and other bugs like fleas and ticks by sprinkling DE in your yard or grassy areas. If the ant colony is located in a tiny crack, you may mix DE with water and squirt it into the cracks or holes with a medicine dropper or some other convenient spraying apparatus.

Other DIY Ant Removal Routes

Some people have successfully used petroleum jelly to trap ants, cinnamon to turn their sense of smell off, baby powder or talc to make them less likely to enter a house, and other creative DIY mixes to bait, trap or kill ants. Keep in mind these are not long term solutions. In order to get the the root of the issue it is best to consult your local Pest Control Company. At AAI pest control we put your needs and peace of mind first. Like our slogan, Pests Goodbye, Trust AAI. 

Happy hunting!