What home remedies help against ants in the house? Are there any good tips against the pests? At the latest when you discover the first crawlers, you ask yourself this question. This is how you get rid of the creepy crawlies!
Actually, ants are very useful. With their passage systems they loosen the soil. This promotes the growth of plants. They improve the soil by natural fertilizer.
However, they are anything but welcome in the house or apartment. Once they have found a way inside, they can cause great damage.
Food that has been infested by ants should definitely be disposed of. The crawlers can even transmit germs.
In the worst case, they even trigger a cable fire. This is what happens when ants climb up electrical devices. Admittedly, very rarely. But the possibility exists.
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Where do ants come from in the house?
Most species have their nest outside the house. They love stones, slabs, wall cracks or old wood. When they are hungry and the offspring need food, they stray into homes. They swap our houses for their pantry and make a mess of it.
They slip through leaky doors and windows. In the process, they leave behind a scent that attracts even more conspecifics.
I recommend you to rely on an effective ant powder. But beware: very many are toxic to humans and pets. The Ant powder from Plantura* is organic.
You can use it in the house, in the garden and on paths. By the way, it is also effective against woodlice and silverfish. At the same time it is harmless to aquatic organisms and other beneficial insects such as bees.
What helps against ants in the apartment?
But you do not have to immediately resort to poison and kill the crawlers with it. There are also home remedies against ants, which are very effective.
The natural remedies can help drive away the ants, make it difficult for them to nest and prevent their appearance. Sounds good, doesn't it? Put an end to ants in the apartment!
What you can do in any case is to take precautions that will make your apartment uninteresting for the insects. This way you can prevent the infestation of ants:
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Prevent the attraction of ants
Empty your pets' food bowls and fruit bowls. Rinse used dishes immediately. Close the dishwasher tightly. Remove food scraps and crumbs from the floor. A robot vacuum cleaner can also help you here.
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Seal food tightly
Ants are very inventive and ambitious. Not even refrigerator seals are an obstacle for the crawlers. That's why it's important to keep food and supplies airtight in both the pantry and the refrigerator. The best thing to do is to get yourself a big load of Tupperware boxes.
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Dispose of garbage and waste
What is garbage for us is food for ants. Use closed trash cans and empty them daily.
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Go in search of clues
Where does the ant trail lead? Eliminate the food source. If you have a nest outside the front door under paving slabs, building material gravel will help. It makes ants feel very uncomfortable and they build their nest somewhere else.
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Check doors and windows
A tiny hole is enough to have ants in the apartment. Seal joints with silicone, wall openings with construction foam and block the uninvited visitors' access. You should also take a close look at window and door seals. Replace them regularly - this also has many advantages for heating in winter.
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Close compost container well
If you empty the garbage in the house, it ends up in the compost bin. Here the ants are already waiting. Get a well-sealed compost container. This is not only a good home remedy against ants, but also against other pests.
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Airs regularly
Yes, that's right! Regular airing drives away ants. They feel most comfortable in stuffy and warm shelters.
Ants everywhere, what to do? The best home remedies against ants
If all the prevention does not help, means must be used to drive away the little crawlers.
If all home remedies do not help, then resort to organic Ant powder from Plantura*. It works in a completely natural way and does not endanger children, pets or beneficial insects.
Once they are in the home, you need to stay calm and find their food source. Where do they come from? Where do they crawl to and where do they leave the house?
Vinegar as a home remedy against ants
If you do not want to kill the ants, but only to drive them out of the house, should resort to vinegar. Ants orient themselves by smells when searching for food.
If food has a very strong inherent odor, this is repugnant to crawling insects.
Vinegar is one of the most effective means against ants.
Here's how:
- Pour vinegar into a spray bottle
- Now you spray with it on the ant trail and especially the loophole that leads them into your apartment
- The smell of the vinegar confuses the crawlers and dissolves the ant trail
The smell dissipates relatively quickly. This can lead to the fact that you have to spray again.
Chalk against ants
If you have the crawlers on the terrace and want to keep them away, chalk helps. It should be enough to draw a large circle around the object that you want to become ant-free.
Supposedly, ants do not cross the line. After a few days you need to redraw the line.
Tea tree oil to help with ant infestation
Tea tree oil* is a home remedy against ants that works because of its scent. Dilute the essential oil with water and apply it to the ant trail. It is even better if you apply the oil in front of the hole where they hatch into the home.
The ants then avoid the apartment because they are disturbed by the smell of the oil. However, those who have a fine nose themselves should not rely on Tea tree oil* set.
Water against ants on the balcony table
Yes, there's always something to nibble on at the balcony table. Ants know that very well. But you can put a stop to them with a very simple trick.
Place the legs of the plastic table in buckets with water. Ants are not fans of water - it is an insurmountable barrier for them. Just refill it regularly and you're done.
Vacuum cleaner for acute infestation
A short-term helper is the vacuum cleaner. Important: Dispose of the dust bag with the vacuumed ants immediately.
The further away from your home the better. Otherwise, the crawlers can easily come out of the bag again.
Drive away ants with lemons
If ants have settled in flower beds or pots, lemon peels will help.
Simply halve or slice the squeezed lemons and add to the plant.
Garlic cloves against ants
For us, garlic is super tasty. Ants can't smell it. They pack their bags and move on. This home remedy for ants is especially suitable for the balcony and flower pots.
Take peeled garlic cloves and put them in the ground. Ready.
With beer and sugar against the crawlers
It becomes somewhat more radical with the beer-sugar method. Anyone who is afflicted by ants should mix a soup bowl with beer and a lot of sugar.
Ants love beer and get quite drunk. However, their hangover turns out so strong that they die from it.
Copper against ant infestation
Watch carefully where the little pests have their nest. Insert two to three bare copper wires 7-10 cm long into the nest. The ants disappear.
Cloves against the pests
Scatter cloves along the ant trail, in corners and by window frames. The advantage: The cloves smell super for us.
The ants hate the smell and make off. When the ants have said goodbye, leave the cloves for a while. You can also use this home remedy outdoors.
Cinnamon against ants
Also Cinnamon* ants stink to high heaven. They leave immediately. Sprinkle ground Cinnamon* to the affected parties.
After just a few minutes, they are gone and won't be back anytime soon.
Positive effect: it smells like Christmas :)
Drive away ants with deodorant
Your deodorant smells super floral and summer? Perfect! The shriller the deodorant smells, the more effective. With deodorant, you disturb the ants' sense of smell. It confuses them and causes them to scatter.
With essential oils and herbs against the crawlers
fern, thyme, juniper leaves, chervil, lemon herb, Lavender oil* or Lavender flowers* disturb the animals' sense of smell.
Coffee drives away ants
A good reason to drink more coffee! But be sure to keep the coffee grounds. Simply spread a spoon on the affected areas. Or better yet, put a spoonful of coffee grounds directly on the nest.
Yeast and honey against ants
Often yeast is suggested. But the effect is more than controversial. Because the yeast is a fungus, which is not harmful to ants.
If you're unlucky, word of the treat gets around and you suddenly have more crawlers in the apartment.
My conclusion
Ants can be really annoying. However, with simple means you can successfully drive them away without killing them. Try home remedies against ants before you resort to radical measures.
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