How To Get Rid Of House And Carpenter Ants The Natural Way

Ants are everywhere – it’s perfectly natural. But when they start to trail along your kitchen, your sink or anywhere inside your house, that’s when trouble starts and that’s when you feel the need to do something.

While there are commercial chemical-laden products specifically made for getting rid of ants, there are natural ways that will save you money. Not to mention, it’s also considered a health-safe alternative for you and everyone in the house.

Getting rid of ants depend on the kind of species you're dealing with.

Eradicating ants only becomes effective when you know the specific type of ants that have made your home their home as well. Each species differs in food preference and behaviors which is why effective remedies also differ. Odorous house ants and carpenter ants happen to be among the most common ants that invade homes. Note that this article serves to give tips on how to effectively eradicate those species.

Odorous house ants give off coconut-like smell when squished.

Odorous house ants are easily attracted to sweets laying around your house. These species leave pheromones along their trail. If you kill the ants, the others will simply follow by tracking the scent. That said, the ants’ colony should be targeted. To get rid of odorous house ants, sponge them with soap first so you also eliminate the pheromone trail.

Trace the trail to find out from where they get into your house. Next is to put homemade bait for the ants, which usually consists of borax and powdered sugar. Mix one part borax with three parts powdered sugar and place the mixture in tiny containers like bottle caps. Place the bait near spots in your home you believe are where the ants are entering.

Careful with the mixture, though. Don’t let kids or pets near them. A good tip is to mix one cup warm water with 1/2 cup of sugar and three tablespoons of borax. Soak cotton balls in the bait mixture and place them near ant trails.

Don't kill the ants – even if you badly want to.

The ants will bring the bait back to their nest and that’s a great thing. They can’t really tell which one’s borax and which one’s sugar but the former will help destroy the entire colony.

If you don’t have borax at home here are a few tips you can also use:

– White vinegar helps keep ants off their trail. Spray vinegar near cracks or countertops where ants are travelling. Let the vinegar dry without wiping it. This would destroy their chemical trail, which will then disorganize their path. Spraying should be done several times a day, though.
– Keep your place clean – that’s one important tip for home owners who want to make sure ants don’t invade their home. Store your food properly;clean up spills, crumbs and garbage immediately. Making your home less attractive to ants will protect you from invasion.

Carpenter ants are among the largest ants in the U.S.

Killing carpenter ants requires you to do a bit of detective work since they don’t really bring back the bait to their nest. That means you need to find their nests and destroy it. Usually, the species reside near your home and eventually, get inside to find some food to eat.

Carpenter ants live in wooded areas.

The clue to your detective work is that carpenter ants live in wooded areas, which means you need to find an area where there’s wood or pieces of wood lying around. Next is to look for fine sawdust, which tells you that the ants have made a tunnel through a piece of wood. Watch out for any ants nearby and follow them to determine the entry point.

What’s great about the solution to getting rid of carpenter ants is that they’re organic. Diatomaceous Earth (DE), a natural and organic substance, can effectively eradicate this type of ants. DE is lethal for insects and it works by shredding the ants’ insides once ingested. Keep in mind, though, to look for the food-grade DEs as they can be safely put out, even with children and pets around.