How To Get Rid of Ants Naturally

373 thoughts on “How To Get Rid of Ants Naturally”

1. I will read the article soon but we just mix 1:1 ration sugar baking soda and well Boom they are eliminated right to queen…

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   • I had ants overrunning my hummingbird feeder, to the point that the hummingbirds didn’t even try to use the feeder. I really didn’t want to use chemicals, though. I tried the old “chili powder soup” – didn’t work. I tried the baking soda/powdered sugar – all it did was attract more ants. I tried cinnamon – it didn’t work, either. I set the feeder on a table surrounded by a “moat” of water and they still swarmed to it, even though they couldn’t get beyond the water. If the water evaporated, the ants got into the feeder. Even the geckos and whiptail lizards weren’t making a dent in the ant population. I finally had to give up and have the exterminator spread stuff on the anthill and the ants are gone! I hung the hummingbird feeder back in it’s old place and the hummingbirds are happy!

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     • When ants invaded our hummingbird feeder we wiped the string it was hanging on with vegetable oil. No more ants!

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       • I make fresh hummingbird food and clean the feeder about every 3-4 days. I clean it out really well in hot soapy water. There are usually some ants, but they don’t get a chance to really take over with this method.

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       • I used Vaseline on the hanger so the ants couldn’t climb on it.

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       • My father in law taught me to coat the wire that I hang the feeder with oil. the ants can’t go up and down it but it doesn’t bother the feeder or the birds.

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         • Hmm I have the same problem with a feeder I have for my Baltimore Orioles. It’s a hanging feeder and they get into the jelly I put out for them. Will have to try the vaseline or oil trick to keep them away, or even on the post that the hangers are on…

         • I love love love your Ant Away Spray! I share it always and swear by it. But I have a question, why should you omit tea tree oil if using the spray in an area you cook/have food in? Thank you!

       • That’s great to know, I will have to try that the next time there is an ‘ant attack’ on my hummingbird feeder. I had a very serious attack earlier this summer. I tried knocking them off with a just plain water sprayed from a spray bottle. It seemed to work, but then they would come back and swarm again. Then I tried clove oil and peppermint oil rubbed on the strap that was holding the shepherd’s hook that the hummingbird feeder was hanging from. I am disabled and carefully used a stable step stool . . . but I don’t think I reached it enough. My last resort, which did the trick was to spray the strap with St. Gabriel’s Stinkbug Killer (all natural, strong mint scent). That worked, but I sprayed so much that it dripped a little on to the top of the feeder and repelled the hummingbirds some. Finally, I sprayed a bit of water on the lower end of the strap and wiped and wiped till it was not as strong on that end (near the feeder) and I thoroughly washed the feeder and made new nectar. No problems at the feeder since then. But, for the last few days have seen one solitary ant, on different occasions . . . which I’ve taken outside on a napkin. Tonight I saw around 5 of them, swarming around my counters, near the cutlery drawer. I’m not even sure where they came from. I had a ball jar of sugar open earlier today, maybe they smelled it, from far off. Wonder how far away they can smell something like that. Anyway, there were none in the sugar jar, but am wondering if they were attracted by that. I also read somewhere that they seek water and that so even a wet napkin on the counter can attract them. Anyway, I do appreciate the advice here. I am a big believer in essential oils and had already smeared some clove oil on the counters before coming here to this site. I happened to have it out already, as I had been cleaning the cabinet below my kitchen sink earlier and had thrown some cotton balls with peppermint oil and clove oil under there, before putting all the cleaning supplies back (sole purpose I use that cabinet for). I am going to make some of the spray soon!

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         • I hang my feeders from a shepherd’s hooks. I just spray it with Crisco oil spray, so it’s fairly easy to do and lasts quite a while. Whenever, I notice it’s not working anymore I just spray it again the next time I’ve taken the feeders down to clean and refill.

       • And speaking of oils on hummingbird strings and polls. If you use olive oil or coconut oil on your skin it will keep you from getting bit by bitting insects.

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         • Thank You! We have fleas and only the dog and myself seem to get bitten.

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         Thank you so much for this article! I don’t have ants indoors and I want to make sure I don’t get them indoors!

         One question:
         Is borax safe to use around my dogs?

         I’ll be trying several of these methods until I make things way too inhospitable on my property for these little pests!

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         • Hi Niara, most vets advise against using borax around dogs but baking soda is generally considered ok in small amounts. I recommend talking with your vet before deciding on an approach.

     • My hummingbird containers were hung on a shepherds hook the ants would not leave them alone so I took Vaseline and went half way down on the pole and layered a thick one to two inches of Vaseline around the pole the ants would try to go through the Vaseline and would die trying. Usually the first application would work if u need too apply again as needed hope this works for you

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       • We did this as well and had a freak accident with one of our hummers. He flew up against the pole and got stuck steadfast in the Vaseline.
         I put on gloves and went out and carefully pushed him away, he was stuck by his chest feathers. He lost some of his feathers but okay after a rest in the hostas on the ground. Scared the crap out of me.

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         • Oh wow! Poor birdy.
           You helped him so that must have made you feel better and him too! I would have done the same!

     • Vaseline is your answer for your bird feeders. Put vaseline on the post holding your bird feeder. Ants can’t and won’t cross it. Or if you have it strung up by wire or string; apply vaseline to string or wire . I know this works well. I have used it for years.

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     • Get the perky pet ant guard. You hang it on your hook and hang the hummingbird feeder on the ant guard. No more ants! Get them at Walmart, Tractor Supply or other store that carries feeders.

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     • If you have the feeder on a Shepards hook…..I take baby oil and soak the post down with it and they havent been able to climb up the post.

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     • For humming bird feeders you can coat the hook and connecting hardware with petroleum jelly (Vasoline)and the ants can’t reach the feeder.

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       • Quick question. We were spraying with the essential oils but didn’t have much luck they went away for a few days then would come back in droves and repeat. We’re trying the borax but what do we clean our floors with prior to laying out the cotton balls? Thank you!

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   • For ants, I have been using Boraxo laundry detergent and sugar about 1/2 and 1/2. I just sprinkle in cracks and crevices, behind appliances, etc
     The ants disappear in about a day. You do need to scrub the mixture off hard surfaces as it tends to harden but it is soap, so your are leaning in the process.

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   • This is an absolute lifesaver! I discovered ants around my laundry room and, while I did call and schedule a pest service, used half vinegar, half water solution with orange oil. It lessened the number of ants after each use. Hopefully it works to clear out all the ants soon!

     Mommasu

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   • Hi I read your article and thank you. I was just wandering are these repellents, repellant also for other insects? Because I need an ant repellent specific for ants but not effective on the bees for instance.
     Thank you in advance.
     Alessia

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   • Stock up on Avon Skin So Soft. Spray it at every entry into or outside. Found ants in my carpet this morning and sprayed SSS on the lot, then sprayed vinegar over the carpet, sprinkled baking soda over all and vacuumed. Cleaned and washed the vacuum well and left it to air soaker tub. Will repeat frequentlyduring the spring and summer months I expect.

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     • Avon Skin so Soft awesome repellent worked well to deter spiders. And pet safe.

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   • Hmm I have the same problem with a feeder I have for my Baltimore Orioles. It’s a hanging feeder and they get into the jelly I put out for them. Will have to try the vaseline or oil trick to keep them away, or even on the post that the hangers are on…
     The problem with using things to kill the ants is you have to get to the queen also and if the workers are dying before getting back to the nest then it isn’t doing any good. They need to get the food back to the nest and to the queen and the small ones that are being grown.

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     • Please remember, essential oils are highly toxic to cats. Just being around some, without direct contact, can cause kidney failure or liver damage…do not use any citrus or tea tree especially, just because it’s safe for us doesn’t mean it is safe for our furry friends!

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   • I cant figure out how to post my own comment, so im posting here. I tried one of these lemon juice mixes and now everything i sprayed it on is sticky AF! And i can only presume is going to attract more bugs!

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   • Fire ants do invade homes. So much incorrect info on internet these days.

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     • She did say , “fire ants don’t usually invade houses“ and in Texas (fire ant capital I promise) that has proved to be true for us and everyone I’ve asked. But boy when they do it’s awful. I used the castile soap method with great success the 1 time they did.

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     • I live in Georgia and have fire ant colonies in my walls! I have tried everything short of ripping out the drywall and nothing even makes a dent in the hordes that come out at the slightest crumb or dropped cat food…

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   • I sprinkle chili powder around the door they like to go in. Works every time and the dogs don’t bother it.

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   • Now that our house smells like vinegar, lemon oil, peppermint oil, cinnamon and bleach, what else are we supposed to try to get rid of ants in our kitchen? Dogs tried to eat the store-bought traps, so those are out… which of these methods might actually work? Frustrated… Thanks 🙂

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     • Bwahahaha I’m there too! Tried everything… diatomaceous earth can work for some but it’s a mess and if it’s humid or wet where you put it, forget about that option. I’m in GA and I have fire ants nested in the walls, they were here before me and I’ve been in this house 7 years, so it’s BAD…all I can really say is good luck!

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   • Try Bay leaves. I had a problem with ants in my hummingbird feeder. Tried Vaseline, the ants just crawled over the stuck ants. Dried Bay leaves at the base of the pole. I was also able to stick some underneath the hanging feeder. THEY WORKED! No more ants!

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2. Sorry forgot to add its easy to make and honestly it has been a lifesaver for the gardens!!

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   • which remedy did you use having trouble with ants in our garden my husband and I just planted

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     • Was your maiden name Howell?

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       • you mean like Dan Howell???!?!?

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     • We had to keep our counter tops really clean and also the dish washer but we planted mint around the house especially outside the kitchen windows . This has worked like a charm. Most any kind of mint will do, whatever you like best . Mint is a winner.

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3. How about fruit flies? They are taking over here.. 🙁

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   • For fruit flies, put a small amount of dish washing liquid in a spray bottle with water. Fruit flies are difficult to catch or kill otherwise. When you see one in flight, spritz with the mild soap-water and watch them die within SECONDS!! Be careful not to spray near food as it will settle on the surface below the fruit fly. I especially like when it get a nice fat juicy one because I just KNOW there were other flies inside waiting to be hatched! 🙂

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     • Best fruit fly remedy I have ever seen is to poke s few holes in the lid of a small deli tub with a fork tine and cover the bottom of the tub with apple cider vinegar. Flies get in in droves but can’t find their way out.

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       • Outdoor food stand in the summer hung plastic bags filled with water and a copper penny. No flies there!

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         • hi! could i get more detais on the copper penny in a sack of water ? just need a little more information !!

   • For fruit flies… take a small tub or dish with straight sides (like a yogurt container) and fill 1/3 with apple cider vinegar. Cover the top with cling wrap. Secure the cling wrap in place with an elastic around the lip of the container. Using a toothpick, poke many holes in the cling wrap lid. Fruit flies are attracted to the vinegar, and go in through the little holes but cannot get out. They eventually drown in the vinegar which then disintegrates them. Works everytime.

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     • This is THE BEST. I do this anytime I see even one. Or after a large farmer’s market haul I will do it in advance.

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     • I did a similar recipe to rid my kitchen of fruit flies: I mixed apple cider vinegar with a few drops of dish detergent in large plastic caps (like from medicine) The knats are attracted to the cider vinegar, but the dish soap traps them and they die. No need for plastic wrap. Worked great!

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   • Fruit flies use a solo cup n put dish soap n warm water to make suds n lil splash of apple cider vinegar n they will attract to it sitting on sink counter n be dead

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   • Fruit fly bait: Mix 1/2 cup wine, 3-5 drops dish soap, then about 1/2ish cup of water right from the tap so the dish soap gets bubbly. The flies get stuck in the bubbles and sink to the bottom. We’ve tried lots of things and this works pretty well. If you have a lot of fruit flies, you may have to rebubble the mixture. I usually just add in a little more water with the sprayer by the sink.

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     • They’re not getting my wine!

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   • I have had problems with fruit flies in the past, but when I do now I just bring my vacuum cleaner into the kitchen and turn it on and suck them off cabinets, counters, windows and even in mid air. Works great and eliminates them immediately. I have been doing this for several years and works every time.

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     • I do this all the time as well. I feel like a ghost buster. Lol. Instant fix.

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     • This is a great alternative that I used before. You can also make a simple trap using a disposable water bottle found on youtube.

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   • I found an amazing technique to get rid of fruit flies. I had a bad apple once and it was swarmed on the inside of the apple wit fruit flies. I didn’t know till I got to it in the bag and for a month was fighting them. the best thing I found that got rid of them in a week was using apple cider vinager and Dawn dish soup. change the small container every day mayb 2 times a day. all u do is get a small shallow dish and fill it half to 3/4ths apple cider vinegar. then add a few drops of dawn dish soup and gently stir it in. put the dish somewhere where the flies r mostly at and they will get stuck in the dish and drown. I had a mini ketchup bottle that was 2oz big. the lip on it worked good to keep the flies trapped. I highly recommend this trick. it worked wonders for me. hope it helps u too 🙂

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   • leave a bowl (doesn’t have to be full) of left over or cheap wine out in the areas they swarm. they are attracted to the smell of fermented fruit and drown in the wine.

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     • Witch hazel works as well – little holes on the top & the critters fly in & never come out.

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       • I’ve used witch hazel as well. And I’ve used one of those bug zappers that looks like a tennis racquet, if they are particularly nasty. Just hold the button and swipe it thru their ranks and ZP ZP ZP ZPZP!!!

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   • Try vinegar in bowls with a little bit of water, put the plastic film or plastic wrap on it and poke small holes just enough for the fruitflies to go in, but not big enough for them to find the holes, so the vinegar attracts the flies, they go in, but never come out, then you just basically do what you want with them, like let them out, oh, you can also put bits of fruit in there to attract them, but vinegar is better. Hope this helps? But if it’s already there then never mind, but good luck to everyone!

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   • Fruit fly/gnat traps: Apple cider vinegar (Heinz’s Pepper type works best, but hard to find) and a drop of Dawn dish soap to break the surface so they drown. I have about an inch in custard cups in every room, wave wildly every now and then to stir them up and get em to the vinegar traps, and have gone through many, many bottles of window cleaner (any kind) in knocking down the ones in flight. You can also leave wet food in dish drain overnight and spray all with windex in the morning. Easy to wash down the drain. I also put an inch of sand in any house plant (they like to hatch in wet areas) and spray windex/chlorox in drains to kill any off hiding/hatching in there.
     I clearly have an issue with fruit flies/gnats. lol THEY BITE. And I’m extremely allergic to their bites only.

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   • Put a little cider vinegar or old wine into a small, clear, wide-mouthed glass and add a few drops of dish detergent. They will go into the vinegar but the soap will keep them from coming out. Without the soap, the can breed in the vinegar.

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   • For fruit flies Apple juice in a jar or cup. Place plastic food wrap over it. And poke holes with a toothpick.

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4. Jennifer- I use ACV with a drop of dish soap and a piece of fruit in a glass. Cover the glass in Saran Wrap, and poke a hole or 2 in the top using a toothpick. They can get in, but they can’t get back out. Good luck!!

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   • What is ACV?

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     • apple cider vinegar 🙂

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5. We love Food grade Diatomaceous earth!!
   Kills all bugs with an exoskeleton (cuts them up and dries them out) and YET is so safe you can ingest it (has health benefits too!!)

   Freakin’ wonder product 🙂

   http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/8107/diatomaceous-earth-as-non-toxic-ant-killer

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   • is this safe for pets? don’t want to use anything that will mess my cat up but im OVER ANTS! they are tiny and everywhere!!

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     • it is recommended for your pets for fleas. but of course on this post as mentioned a food grade DE is safer. …google it?

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       • If the product does not specifically state – in fairly obvious lettering on the package that it is FOOD GRADE, do not attempt to eat it. If it has little pictures of bugs or says is for killing ants, roaches, etc., and/or mentions usages in pools, DO NOT EAT IT. Only use DE that clearly states it is food grade. The other crap is poison.

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     • Look for food grade DE. Not that hard to find. (Try Ace Hardware) I have mixed a TSP of it into moist cat food for the Feral cats that have adopted us to help de-worm them. Vet approved !

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   • Diamotaceous Earth (food grade) is also my choice of ant killer. I got rid of a huge infestation of ants in my ceiling SMOKE ALARM…believe it or not…!!!! The infestation had rendered the alarm inoperable….thats how I discovered them…..I had to remove the alarm and shake out 1000’s of ants outside and remove the batteries. Put the DE on top of the unit and replaced to the ceiling. Never had another ant and was able to return the unit back to operable condition. But now I am interested in using the Peppermint remedy also on other areas of my home.

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   • I’ve used DE for years but it’s just not working like it used to. But it does help my cats with worms.
     We are having a problem with spiders right now. I am getting bit all over . I sprayed peppermint salt water today. Now since I sprayed ants are everywhere

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     • Spider bites are EXTREMELY rare. You are probably getting bit by something else! (Maybe the spiders will help catch the pest that is biting you!)

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       • I have a spider problem too. Looking for a solution for them. Not fun when I wake up to a spider bite or two.

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6. So, Mommypotamus, which one of these have you tried and found success with?

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   • Dunno about Mommy, but I actually found this page when looking for solutions to ants having found my dog’s food dish. I’m using a variation of the essential oil solution:

     I couldn’t find a spray bottle, so I used some cotton balls soaked in each- peppermint, wild orange, melaleuca (aka tea tree).. because that’s what I had.

     After I vacuumed up all the ants.. and watched some come from the dish and got them too, I put the cotton balls in the hole they’d used as entrance. After an hour and a half, I haven’t seen any more. I’ll be changing out cotton balls daily or so over the next couple days/week.. we’ll see how it works.

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     • found this very helpful. i have a problem with ants getting into my cats food dishes both dry and wet, so I need something that won’t hurt my cats.

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       • This site has some good info on essential oils and cats: http://tisserandinstitute.org/cats-essential-oil-safety/

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     • When using oils around pet food bowls, please check the oil. A LOT of essential oils are toxic to pets!

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7. I’ve read Peppermint oil is supposed to repeal Spiders but I spray my house often with peppermint/Vinegar Mix and I still find spiders everywhere.
   The vinegar works on the ants though!

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   • Try mixing the peppermint oil with just water…works at my house..also be sure you are using a high quality essential oil

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   • Spiders hate lemon, so try something with lemon.

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     • Spiders hate fire, try a flamethrower.

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       • Bwahahaha!!

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       • I laughed so hard at this!

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8. Can you tell me if all of these are safe to use with pets, as well? I don’t want to harm my cat 🙂

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   • I know the diatomaceous earth is considered safe, but I would double check on the others – especially the essential oils.

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     • I read that DE is not recommended for chickens with mites. Instead we use wood ash in their dusting pits, from our (cooled) woodstove.

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       • Food grade DE is totally safe for chickens. Maybe what you read was someone using non-food grade?

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         • Yes! We used in our coop under the shavings and often in a dusting bin.

     • essential oils are not safe for cats.

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       • Citrus oils aren’t safe for cats

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   • tea tree oil (also known as melaleuca) can be toxic to pets, so use it carefully. i’ve used it for years in homemade cleaning products with no problems (and i have a dog), but only on counters and windows, etc. i wouldn’t use it on floorboards or other lower places where a pet might ingest more easily. opt for some of the other oils mentioned.

     another method for treating ants outdoors is just to pour boiling water on the ant mound if you can find the source. it’s super cheap, but a bit more cumbersome if you have a large mound of ants. kills them instantly.

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     • oh and one other tip that does work (though i have no idea why) is to put a piece of chalk in front of where they are coming in if you can find their point of entry. it takes a day or two to take effect, but they usually don’t come back.

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     • Veternarian’s Best hot spot spray and shampoo is Tea Tree Oil and Aloe Vera, so it must be in the concentration that’s the problem?

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       • I’ve heard that even a little bit on their tongues when grooming can be deadly, but I don’t know how scientific that article was. It’s something that I intend to look into when I get a chance because I do like to use tea tree oil on my skin.

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       • FYI: Aloe Vera is toxic to cats.

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     • Yes. Please be careful around cats when using essential oils!

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   • Cats HATE citrus and it can actually repel them, so I’d use the citrus oils cautiously so as not to upset your kitty.

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   • avoid using peppermint if you have cats. not good for their livers and can cause pneumonia in some

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9. Tried most of those tips when ants invaded our pantry. Sadly, none of them worked and we had to resort to spraying chemicals, then thoroughly cleaning the entire pantry before we put the food back in. Not fun! One natural tip that DOES work, though, is collecting used coffee grounds and putting them on top of the ants nests in your yard. Apparently the ants all eat it and die. I’ve been using this tip for about 5 months now and it does appear to really work.

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   • That’s so interesting! I almost included coffee grounds, but one entomologist said they don’t work: http://fireant.tamu.edu/entomologist-testing-puts-bite-on-many-home-fire-ant-treatments/

     From what I understand, most of these recommendations require several applications, so I included that in the instructions. Some remedies, like coffee grounds, are species specific according to some. Of the ones that I researched these and neem oil had the broadest application in terms of effectiveness. I certainly have had success with some of them, but perhaps it was due to their species – sorry it didn’t work out for you!

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     • I can vouch for the effectiveness of Neem Oil as a systemic pesticide. We mix 1 tbsp Neem Oil with 1 Liter of water, and pour near the base of trees. Keeps Ant and their Mealybug harvest at bay.

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     • I live in South Carolina and fire ants are always a problem. I use coffee grounds, placing on top of mound but not disturbing the mound at all. The next day the ants are gone. Sometimes another mound pops up nearby, but I just use the coffee grounds again, and then they are usually gone for good.

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     • Barbara B.
       May 30, 2016 at 8:55 PM

       I live in Southeast Texas and we have ants here a lot. We find their mound and sprinkle either cornmeal or grits. They can not digest the cornmeal or grits so they die of move on. Hope this works for you.

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       • We use oatmeal for outside ant, put on their hill, no more ants. Inside, I make paste of equal amounts borax & sugar, then place a spoonful on a disposable plastic top, & place it where I see ants coming in. We have a dog, so I make sure he can’t get to these. Usually w/in an hour, the paste is black w/ants eating the paste. After another hour, all are gone. They bring it back to their nest and share. I rarely have to do this twice in a season.

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         • Are you using rolled oats or quick oats. Thanks

   • Neem oil works. I mix I tbsp of neem oil and 2 tbsp of dish soap mix with hot water and spray all around your house in and out continue once a week . It also kills flies and earwigs.

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10. I have had a recent invasion as well!

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11. Was talking to my husband about this maybe 10 minutes ago. It seems you have superpowers to know exactly what is going on in my life. I’m glad you are using them for good! 😉

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12. Greg Arroyo

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13. This looks helpful. I’m sure they’ll be showing up any day now, with the heat wave we’re having.

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14. Sean Starr

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15. GMO cornmeal! It is AMAZING for getting rid of ants. I was absolutely plagued by ants for a couple years. I tried everything- even Avon SSS, which has worked in the past. The cornmeal takes a couple of weeks to work but they soon learn that the food in your house is poisoned!
    (Apparently ants learn waaaayyy faster than people.)

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16. Zach see if any of these ideas work for you guys

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17. Crystal

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18. Cinnamon works well too!

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19. Robyn Mercier, saw your post earlier. Maybe this helps you?

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20. Last year I had ants in my kitchen….I used peppermint oil and they went away.

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21. DE paint brush , mask and base boards then borax maple syrup and just because why not cinnamon sticks. Your welcome. That got rid of a bunch of carpenter ants in a few days and they never returned

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22. We just got invaded last night by dozens of large ones in random places after a heavy rain!

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    • 
      I’ve used food grade diatomaceous earth for years.
      If you leave it for a bit the ants will carry it back to the nest and get rid of it.

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23. Each year we sprinkle grits around the perimeter of our home as soon as we seem them, and BINGO! they’re gone. Works like a charm!

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24. Great info, thanks, pinned

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    • Tea tree oil is toxic to dogs

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25. I read that Cheyenne (red) pepper sprinkled in snake prone areas deters snakes!

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26. I love the essential oils. I’ve taken to using doTerra’s TerraShield because it uses a few different oils and smells great! It works for far more than just ants. I even use it as bug repellant for my kids when we camp!

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    • Where do you get terrashield?

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      • terra shield is made by doterra, which is essential oil company. usually it’s sold by individual sellers, but you may be able to buy it from their website (doterra.com) or from amazon

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        • I would not use Terra around kids or ANY animals……….you have to be VERY careful when you use this stuff. I try to ensure I get it into cracks only and if outside, during the time of day where birds are no longer flying like in the evening.

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27. Theresa Chiovari Rotella, read and pass on to mom!!

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28. Yeast

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29. Peppermint essential oil diluted with water in spray bottle. Aunts hate the smell and leave. Plus it’s completely safe for the entire family and smells great.

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    • I’m an aunt and I love the smell

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30. Stephanie Bickford:)

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31. <3

    ("Anybody need a gallon of irradiated ants?")

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32. you can also try slicing cucumbers in half and leaving them around the house. ants hate them as much as they hate citrus peels. they avoid them due to the same bitterness found in citrus skins. i find this to be the easiest because i have two dogs in the house. i caught one investigating the bathroom once and carrying the cucumber to her bed, but as soon as she tasted how bitter it was.. she abandoned it. cucumber peels alone will do as well so you can use the meat for eating 🙂

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    • My black lab ways cucumbers!

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33. Diotomacious earth, baby!

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34. Marsha Trolan

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35. love your page mommypotamus, to bad sucky zucky tried to steal you from me, but I gotcha back hehe. thanks for the info on the clove oil, comeer critters, i gotcha now

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36. Lol, Joseph Smith! Welcome back! 🙂 🙂

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37. The essential oil one will repel most spiders too!

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38. We recently got an infestation and used baby powder. It worked really well!

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39. There are great, Heather. I already use citrus-peels-in-vinegar spray (I don’t heat them, just let them steep for a few weeks) plus essential oils as an all-purpose kitchen spray.

    Now that you’ve solved the ant problem, can you ask your entomologist friends how to get rid of flies?? Thanks!

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    • Haha! Will do 🙂

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40. Cinnamon works every time! they hate it

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    • I agree! Our local kindergarden was invaded by ants, and naturally they couldn’t use pesticide on the floors and shelves. Cinnamon did the trick and the kids thought is was fun and very strange.

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41. Zabrina Reed #6 is doable with pets. I may try it.

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42. Thank you Kathleen Pelton!

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43. borax and sugar….works ASAP. melt it in water and leave a dish outside your house where they are entering. gone overnight. also you can dust borax along the inside to create a barrier inside the house.

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44. Lindsey Crow

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45. Melissa Burcky

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46. Omg Monique ! Perffffect! They literally attacked my coconut oil for the first time yesterday!! It’s the one in my bathroom and it was all milky from the heat. Yeah, I found a few buggers there! Ahh

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47. Lindsey Crow those little Fers!!!!! I’ll have to try this myself. They’ve gotten in our pantry. Never use to be there. And on Avery’s formula. >.<

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48. Beneficial nematodes are highly effective as well.

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    • Oooh! Good idea. I’m trying that outside.

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49. Does anyone know… while these remedies work for carpenter ants as well? The big black ants that like to eat the wooden parts of your home? Found in surprise, surprise… houses that are located in wooded areas! Info would be greatly appreciated!!!

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    • Kay, I have woods behind my house, and those are the ants I would get in my kitchen every single day! I sprinkled cinnamon over my doorways and they were gone all summer last year! I killed a total of 2 all summer. The years before, I was easily killing 10-20 a day.

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50. [Kay: All of these should work fine for carpenter ants, too 🙂 ]

    Cayenne pepper, sprinkled in a line across their entry point — and around garden beds, etc — works wonders against most pests/pets. The scent is too strong for most mammals, and is an irritant they will happily leave alone — though be forewarned: some cats are known to react to it in much the same way they would to catnip. >_< For snakes and insects, contact with it literally burns, due to the high levels of capsaicin. You can also do the same with a solution of the oil and water, spraying it on them. Though you probably don't want tyo do this /inside/ your home.

    Cornmeal is another one that will deter/kill ants. They're incapable of digesting it, but will still eat it, anyway. They'll also carry it back to the nest, killing those that haven't wandered out yet/those that choose it as a first meal upon reaching maturity. This will also kill off the Queen, eradicating the entire colony.

    A carefully balanced mixture of boric acid [Borax] and sugar [for bait] will do the same thing. Make certain it isn't too strong, or they'll die before they can carry it back to the nest. Avoid this one if you have kids or pets, of course.

    If you know where they're nesting, dumping club soda into the nest will kill the colony; drowning them in the water, and suffocating with the carbonation those that are missed.

    A heavily diluted [1% oil/99% water] solution of Ceylon cinnamon leaf oil in a spray bottle will also work wonders at repelling them — and is completely safe… even to the point of being edible — by fouling their sense of smell. This is extremely useful because ants will ignore food-as-bait if they're seeking water. You can spray your home inside and out with it, and most insects should avoid it like the plague. If you /do/ somehow manage to find the Queen… drip the oil on her neat. It will kill her instantly.

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    • We use cornmeal during the first invasion and cinnamon oil to keep them out. I notice that ants are really attracted to peanuts and that most commercial ant baits use them. Would love to know about natural mixture…maybe peanut butter and borax?

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51. We seem to have an ant problem right now, too. A few years ago, we had ants and I tried the cinnamon method, but it didn’t seem to work for me (not to mention that cinnamon can be expensive!). This time, I looked online and found the vinegar and peppermint ideas and have been trying them. I’ve sprayed straight white vinegar around where I’ve seen them and was just wondering yesterday if my orange peel vinegar would be more effective. lol I’ve also been putting peppermint oil on a cotton ball, rubbing it on the window sill (where they seem to be coming in), and leaving the cotton ball on the window sill. I’m seeing fewer and fewer ants everyday. I’ve been reapplying the peppermint oil and vinegar every night. Tonight when going to apply the peppermint oil, I saw an ant on the sill. It must have smelled the oil because it ran away! I’ve never seen an ant act that way! The ants that I’m seeing now seem to be disoriented, too. From your post, it sounds like I’ll need to keep doing this for a while. But, it seems to be working! I’m telling my husband about the diatomaceous earth. That sounds like the best method. Thanks for the timely post, Heather! =)

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52. I started getting ants in my apartment kitchen about a month ago when we got over 6 inches of rain in two days. I never could find where exactly they were getting in, unfortunately, so I just treated the areas where I saw them and all around the window. First I tried vinegar, then peppermint oil, then a mix of peppermint, lemon, and orange oil, but no luck it didn’t seem to phase them one bit even if I sprayed it directly on them or wiped it all around them. Then I set out a borax/sugar mixture, no takers. Next I tried buying some ant trap contraption, but I saw them walk right next to it instead of going in it. Finally I resorted to spraying ortho home defense and since doing so I have only seen about half a dozen ants in a couple weeks time. Having ants in the kitchen makes me not want to do any cooking because before I know it they magically appear on my counters. I hate having to use chemicals, but I couldn’t stand it any longer. I also tried spraying essential oils all over my apartment many times for several months when I first moved in because there were small spiders everywhere, but it never worked and again I ended up having to spray the pesticide which took care of the problem very well. Wish I had better news, but the insects I’ve encountered don’t seem to mind the oils.

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    • I’ve used club soda on my ant hills and it works for me and its cheep.

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    • I had ants that were like that September (in my 3rd floor apartment)! They didn’t seem to like ANYTHING I tried! Finally, I mixed some honey with borax and then dabbed it on the places where I saw them moving around the most. (Mine were “lazy” and didn’t want to climb anything but the walls. Eventually I did figure out where they were coming in and so I treated that area quite thoroughly.) They went straight for it and that took care of the problem, so much so that when pest control came a few days later (from the apartment complex), he was amazed that I had basically done the job for him…and asked how I’d managed it.

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53. I appreciate the attempt not to poison our children and our environment, but will definitely use the essential oils as I do not think we need to kill these ants that are no doubt performing a useful ecological job. Thank you.

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54. Diatomateous earth works great! Get one of the “poofers” they sell or use an empty condiment bottle that you can squeeze to get it into small cracks and crevices. It’s messy but it’s worth it knowing it won’t harm pets & family.
    I am glad to hear about the citrus vinegar, I had ants in the kitchen recently (because we had so much rain) and when I sprayed my ant covered counter with my home made citrus vinegar spray, it slowed them down.

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55. I know that Tansy planted around the area where ants enter the house will keep them not only from entering your house, but from being anywhere around your house at all. Tansy repels ants. Plant from seed, or buy a plant at your local herb nursery, or a local nursery that carries herbs.

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    • is that Pansies instead of tansy

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56. Oph, never knew about the essential oil spray. I always buy ant products, but now with my small daughter I’m looking for something less poisenous. Thanks Will try this out!

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57. This is fantastic! I have a toddler and a dog who will eat anything, so I’ve been looking for some natural remedies for our yearly ant problem. Thanks for putting this together!

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58. I planted Pennyroyal a few years ago near the deck and house for outside pests. It spreads yearly (& smells good) so keeps them off the deck. I bring a sprig inside when it blooms in the spring to stick under/behind the microwave & other appliances where the cats can’t get at it (It’s can be harmful if ingested by pets & small children).
    It gets the ants out, and keeps them, out all summer. My neighbor came over to pick a bunch of it for her invasion or ants last summer. Keep the tree branches trimmed off the roof for upstairs entry!
    Will use this spray in other places where the Pennyroyal can’t be hidden…Thank You!!!

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59. Good to see and hear from you again!
    Are these tips for black ants only ! We have FIRE ANTS and we usually kill the workers with hot boiling water but that kills the grass too. We need to kill the FIRE ANTS!!!

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    • Thank you, Margo! Most of these are really meant to repel ants from the house. If you want to manage them in the yard you’ll probably need something else. I was **just** reading a book last week that had some suggestions for fire ants, but unfortunately our dogs found it on the porch and it is in a hundred or so pieced now 🙁

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      • Thats not funny, but funny! Thanks for the chuckle

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        • You’re welcome! Our English shepherd puppies are like two extra kiddos 🙂

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      • Thank you for all of the different ideas. I hope that someone can help us. My husband and I are seniors and have some health issues. He has disk disease that makes it difficult to stand for more than 5 or 10 minutes at a time. I have cancer again (3rd time) and I hurt most of the time. I am not worried about the cancer because I have already dealt with it before and I am still here and it left! Our problem is this…….we live in an older mobile home and it seems like the ants have decided that it is theirs. They are inside the floors and the walls. At night they are on the ceiling above my bed and they dive bomb me by dropping on me. It is bad! I have to get up and take all of the bedding off. Actually we use sleeping bags now because that is easier. I have a diffuser in every room that we keep on at all times with lavender and eucalyptus essential oils. We spray the walls and the baseboards with the citrus essential oils. Nothing is working! This has been going on for 16 months straight! Even when we had 2 feet of snow. We cannot afford to move
        Help us please! Thank you in advance!

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        • I agree, sprinkle grits and have someone put some food grade DE out also that way which ones dont eat the grits may crawl thru the DE. Also couldnt hurt putting some lids of either Borax, which is considered a chemical so don’t get it near eyes or mouth or animals, or Baking Soda ive read is toxic to them also bc it reacts to the acid in their bodies. Mix, equal parts, of either with powdered sugar and put down. Or i have mixed borax with sugar water and sprayed cotton balls down and left it out in lids for bait. Also saving coffee grounds and putting down will repel them someone said ontop the hill will kill them. Im getting ready to try the baking soda powdered sugar one, and either sprinkle DE or try some cinnamon oil sprayed where they’re entering. I really pray you get some relief bc that just sounds miserable!

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    • Grits dry n by the bag full dump on mounds or path n do so about 1 wk daily n be gone n I spend $700 on pest control ppl n n umm grits works n cheaper

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    • FIRE ANTS are tenaciuos and difficult to eradicate, patience and persistance may be required depending on the size of the nest. The usda says that sugar water with a boric acid concentration of 1% (any higher and it only repels them) poured onto mounds and surrounding area will kill them. This works well for most ant species. Most ant species are neutral or even beneficial, but fire ants can ruin a garden quickly by devouring germinating seeds, tunneling into potatoes and tomatoes, and girdling young fruit trees, and they’ll happily bite and sting you, too! Drought makes these ants even more voracious, as they to turn to garden crops for moisture. In controlled studies conducted by Texas A&M University entomologists, fire ant mounds still showed no activity nearly a month after the researchers had drenched the mounds with a mixture of 1 1⁄2 ounces of Medina Orange Oil, 3 ounces of Dawn liquid soap and 1 gallon of water. Before applying, look for other mounds, and be sure to apply to all of them at the same time. A compound in citrus oil, d-limonene, breaks down the ants’ exoskeletons and causes them to suffocate. The commercial product Orange Guard Fire Ant Killer — approved for use in organic agriculture by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) — also contains orange oil. (For other approved products, check the OMRI website.) If you have a galleried nest, (a very large network!) the Texas Two Step method may be more helpful.

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60. Ground cinnamon worked for me!

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61. I soaked orange peels in vinegar and mix that with water and use that as ant spray … doesn’t work forever but I don’t mind repeating

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62. I had ants invade my pantry years ago…I sliced a cucumber & put the slices in the corners & ends of the shelves, never saw an ant again! The cucumbers just dried like a potato chip & never got moldy, so I just left them…It worked for me…Thanks for these tips!

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63. I use powdered cinnamon. They dont like it, but I do, and it is cheap. Ants have a purpose in nature, and I like them – just not too many, and not in the house, so this is a good way to keep them out, and away from where I don´t want them to go.
    But mind you, I live in Denmark, and we only got the BIG ants in the woods, and the garden ones are max ½cm, so you have to see how it works on other ants other places…

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64. I put grits on the mounds and they are gone that same day.

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65. What about RED ANTS?

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66. I use a spray bottle filled with malt vinegar and washing up liquid to stop them when they are outside before they hitch a ride inside on the bottom of someone’s shoes. They run away at high speed and take there nest elsewhere.

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67. Cornmeal – they can’t digest it but will eat it

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68. Put aspartame (fake sugar) in a small dish near the ants. They take it back to their nest and explode! Takes about 4 days, then GONE. It was invented to poison ants, feeding it to humans came later. Yuk.

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    • http://www.snopes.com/media/notnews/antpoison.asp

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69. Thanks…I wanna tell another way to get rid of ants:TYHME…You can use dried thyme anyway,let it stay for two or three nights than sweep thoroughly…

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70. We have 4 cats and 1 dog and the flees get so bad sometimes… my grandmother even started to them from the animals.. do you know and VERY effective ways to get rid of flees PLEASE lol.. ways that are not harmful to humans or pets?

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    • We use the tea tree oil lavender Dr. Bronner soap, rinse with a 50/50 Avc and water. Once they are dry we use food grade DE. and dust the betting down and the dog (be careful of the eyes and nose very dusty). We stopped using “dog shampoo” cause it doesn’t work. I would go back to rinse out the tub and the fleas would be jumping to get out!! The tea tree oil in the Dr. Bronners kills the fleas!!

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    • Many years ago I would mix engivita yeast with OJ as a source of B vitamins. My cats wouldn’t leave it alone. What I discovered was that it changed their smell or taste & the fleas didnt like them. I have used it for years for fleas on my pets. Just sprinkle a small amount on or in their food.
      The pets love it & the ant dont.

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71. I’ve had luck with a mix of 1:1 Borox Laundry Powder and Powdered Sugar. Moisten with a little water to mix, and put on wax paper in the area where the ants are. They’ll be gone in a few days.

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    • I am using something similar: 3 parts corn syrup (i had some old stuff laying around) 1 part borax and a little peanut butter mixed in to attract the grease loving ants. I place a Tbs of this stuff in some plastic lids and place them where I see ants. The ants feed on it and take some back to the nest. Most ants are gone in 1-2 days.

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72. Cinnamon! I use it a entry point when they get into the house. I will stain if it gets wet, tho! But it works for me. I have been ant fee in this house for 5 years now. Before cinnamon, every spring like clock work!

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    • Do you just sprinkle around baseboards, I have the in my kitchen and bathroom?

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73. Cinnamon is amazing! I spread it over the thresholds of my doors, and went from killing 10-20 ants per day, to seeing 2 last summer!!! It works great!

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74. Are any of these remedies harmful to Bees? IE. powered sugar and baking soda mixed together.
    I’m looking for things that will ward off ants while no harming or even confusing my bees. I ‘m worried about the effects of baking powder to bees who might be attracted to sugar. Thanks

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    • Hmmm, I’m not sure. These remedies are mostly intended for use inside the home so I didn’t look into their effect on bees.

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75. I’ve used most of these remedies over the years and they work very well. Wanted to add a couple things not mentioned which I wanted to add are: 1. the reason grits and cornmeal work, is that they are a concentrated dry food, and once the ants eat them and they become moistened, they expand within the ant and the ants’ stomachs explode. Yes, the above work outdoors as well. But once the rain washes them away, they need to be replaced. Mint leaves/cucumber peelings, vinegar, cinnamon, neem oil, (cheap from an Indian grocery store), bay leaves and other aromatics do work as a deterrent. However, when plagued with several ants, I mix a tsp. of diatomaceous earth, 1tsp. boric acid powder, 1 tsp. granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup corn meal and place in various sour cream tub lids in several locations around my kitchen, backyard, back deck, etc. You want them to eat some and track some back to their nest on their bodies, which will poison the ants at their source. Alternatively, you can leave out the cornmeal, stir the rest of the ingredients in 2 cups of warm water (in order to dissolve the sugar), and store it in a jar. Then dip numerous cotton balls in this liquid and leave them in a little lid nearby for them to come and feed off. The liquid can be stored and remains active for a good while. One other tip on fruit flies…these vinegar traps work well but take several days to get them all. When I get several flies, I pull out my little yellow plastic electric bug zapper that’s shaped like a little tennis racquet. They cost from between $3 to $7 and are battery operated. Be careful to keep away from kids and don’t touch the wire mesh even after the red light goes off, since it will hold a charge for a few seconds after. I just wave this thing through the air and kill multiple fruit flies in one fell swoop. Instant results. Works with flies, or even moths. I take it camping and each year to keep the kitchen tent bug free and kids are always more interested in playing with it than with their toys, so keep it out of their reach, or they’ll shock their finger on it inevitably.

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76. Vinegar & cayenne pepper along the trail and where they might enter.

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    • I tried cayenne pepper along the corners and edges of my counter where I always see ants, and an hour later my countertop was LOADED with tiny little black ants walking in and out of it. Cleaned it all up and today trying Dr Bronners peppermint soap spray.

      In my bedroom closet where I had a HUGE invasion I soaked a cotton ball with pure lemon essential oil and swiped.it along the floor/baseboard line then left a few lemon oil soaked cotton balls tucked up along the baseboard. So far no more ants in the closet.

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77. Living in California we get a lot of ants! About 3 years ago they were soooo bad I was starting to think they were just out to torture me…..okay maybe that’s a little dramatic 🙂 but nevertheless coming downstairs every morning to an ant attack was starting to wear on me. A friend of mine told me to water outside my house and so I did. I tell you it worked!!! Now this method primarily works in the summer when the ants are looking for water. Now every time I start to see some ants outside or find a few in my house I water the outside perimeter of my house (which is not very big) and it works like a charm. I’m happy to report that I have not had an ant attack in 3 years which is a big deal in this area!

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    • I’m going to try this!

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78. Ants were starting to arrive in the house looking for water. I had to place some peppermint oil at the heat register (where they were coming in) twice in a week and so far all ants are gone. Now I have a problem in the garden with them and I bought ant stakes, but I’m going to try some of these other methods first. The garden ants are farming aphids and scale, so I think I’ll try the sugar and baking soda idea since they want sticky sweet. Thanks for all the tips!

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79. I live in FL and sometimes the heavy rains bring the ant inside. Like ALL of them. My regular cleaner seems to kill them on contact and then they are gone after a few days. 1 cup water (which I have boiled and cooled), 2tsp liquid Dr. Bronners peppermint castile soap, 20 drops lemon essential oil. It cleans EVERYTHING amazingly too. Best cleaner I have ever used. I don’t remember where the recipe came from but I am done experimenting with natural cleaners now that I use this.

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80. I am just recovering from a horrific ant infestation; here on the central coast of California, we have major ant attacks. The best method for me (and I have tried quite a few over the years) is to fill a spray bottle at least half full with white vinegar, add about 1/8 cup or so of Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint liquid soap and top off with water. This method is less expensive than using essential oils- which I used a lot of last year. It kills most of the ants quickly, smells good too. But be careful if you spray on the floor as it will be slippery. I have also used borax and powdered sugar in jar lids in the past and that helps but I didn’t bother this year. I also put peppermint eo on cotton balls in my cabinets, which also helps to keep mice away.

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81. someone once told me this trick tried it and it works great also keeps ants away for a couple months RID SPRAY the kind they use on furniture to kill head lice I found the spray separate at walmart for about 7 dollars

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82. Boiling water. Kills on contact. I also pour it down the ant hill, if I can find the ant hill. But I am definitely going to add vinegar and water with the peppermint oil to my attack strategy.

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83. Borax works for me. We buy a gel in a little tube that the main ingredient is borax. The brand name is TORRO. It comes with a little cardboard square with a target drawn on it. You pop the square out, put a little mound of the gel on the cardboard, and set it in the middle of their pathway. They take it back to their home and share with the other ants and they all die. Works like a charm every time.
    I sprinkled a row of powdered borax across the opening of out garage to keep ants out of there, but I have no proof that it worked. I’m sure the gel works much better.

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84. Talcum powder… Spread it around where you want to stop them… They hate it and if you keep the talc there for a few days, they won’t come back

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85. Since the places to get the oils wasn’t right I’d like to suggest the web site King Arthur’s Flour, they have all kinds of oils for cooking ect.

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86. We bought a house that we found out had a major ant problem (sugar ants localized to the kitchen). We tried all these remedies for weeks and found that they worked well for small ant problems but couldn’t kill off our major infestation. Borax bate traps would kill them back a day or two but then they would show right back up in droves. The key there is to get the poison back to the queen and we never managed that. We also tried DE everywhere and while it would kill them if they touched it, they would invariably find a new route that didn’t cross the DE treatments and they kept. coming. back. We put every morsel of food into jars or sealed bags and they still found things to eat. At one point they had swarmed on a dish sitting inside my dishwasher that had been rinsed of its ketchup from lunch. No visible ketchup remained and they were still all over. That is just one example. We were never able to find a nest inside or out to treat and in the end had to call a pest company to come out. Interestingly they like to avoid spraying inside the home and instead bated the ants but used a stronger poison than our borax traps. They sprayed the foundation externally and the ants were gone in a day or two.

    So, my hope is now that we killed off the major infestation I can keep any new intruders at bay with the natural remedies. They do work as long as the ant can’t get a major toe hold on your house!

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87. Diatomaceous Earth (DE) food grade works for me!

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88. In this case cleaning house is the best solutions if ant’s can’t find food to eat they don’t bother you than please clean don’t leave any bread or cookie crumps or any food that attract ant’s cleaning is the first solitions. Diatomaceous Earth (DE) works well but also it kills the Honey Bee wasp so on a bug that has an exoskeleton (such as bed bugs, ants or fleas,cockroach) You should try chinese chalk or chalk to draw a line where drowe pass,lime powder,traverten or marble dust,this solitions weel work well.

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89. Bay! as in Bay Leaves. Now, I recently picked up a book on Herbs from a local thrift shop and it suggested putting Bay Leaves in your sugar bowl to repel ants, which you can also do for flour to prevent weevils.
    However I am yet to try the suggestion exactly but I did make myself home made bath salts with ground dried bay leaves and dried wormwood(another great bug repelling plant) and seeing as we have had ants going after our toothpaste, scented body washes…
    They have being going for anything that smells even remotely sweet!
    So I thought I would test the Bay bug repelling effectiveness by sprinkling my home made bath salts near a couple of the ants.
    It kind of looked like some comedic horror movie parody from their reaction to the bath salt.
    Not sure if it was the Bay or the Wormwood or the combination of both but I haven’t had AS many (probably because having two young boys who always dob toothpaste somewhere in the bathroom so it’s a constant sweet supply)
    I guess it might be worth adding some Bay essential oil to whatever home made bug repellent you make 🙂

    You could always find some fresh Bay leaves and fresh wormwood and maybe soak in a combination of vinegar and distilled water or alcohol and distilled water.
    You will find it very hard to get wormwood essential oil as it too volatile.
    Bay you will find where any good essential oils are sold.
    I think though, Bay essential oil,orange oil,tea tree oil and peppermint oil would work as a great combination and would smell great too.

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    • Hi Witchy,
      I do lots of research –years — on old-time remedies. I’d be interested in knowing the title, author and perhaps ISBN of your herb book which you found in the thrift store. thx.

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90. We use boric acid (NOT borax) mixed with mint jelly to a paste consistency. Suck it up into a plastic straw (it’s very slow,there’s no real danger of ingesting it). Cut the straw up into 1″ pieces and place where ants are. Obviously don’t put this in the path of small kids who might put it in their mouths. When we’ve had ants, they’re usually on the countertops, so it’s quite easy to put these behind the toaster oven and such, where a child wouldn’t find them anyhow.
    We’ve had GREAT success with this method!

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91. we generally trace the route of the ants and then use a drop of kerosene at the place where they come in. It stinks for a bit but keeps the ants away.
    Turmeric powder also keeps off ants

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92. Exactly Susan, generally we choose the easy and quick ways to get rid of the ants. The kerosene and turmeric powder resist the ants but after sometimes the situation has been same. The ants once more come and irritate me. So, I want a permanent solution to get rid of ants. Please help me with proper solution. Thank you!

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93. My grandma always put Avons Skin so soft on cotton balls in corners of doors and windows, under sinks in bath and kitchen. Always repelled ANY and ALL insects.

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94. I’ve found my orang power spray kills ants

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95. I have been using wet coffee grounds to deter ants and it works like a charm…..If you spread the grounds where the antes are entering it will disrupt their pheromones and they go some where else. AND….this works for years…..I did this four years ago and have not seen one since. My family and friends were also amazed when I told them. It may leave a light stain on some counter tops which can be removes by a cleaner containing bleach

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    • Are you using used coffee ground?

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    • Not sure if it disrupts the pheromones but I heard of this one.
      I was told you can take your used coffee grounds, dry them out and put around area’s to block them. (eg.like around outdoor plants). This works because the ants find it very uncomfortable to cross. also is great for slugs. but if you are someone that doesn’t drink coffee. crashed dried egg shells do the same trick.

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      • So do you have to wet the coffee and then let it dry or can you just use dry coffee?

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        • So can you just use dry coffee grounds r not. I don’t c an answer for that question. Misha

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96. Don’t put neat essential oils in gloss painted surfaces it will start to dissolve the paint and leave it matte and sticky

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97. Trying the essential oil spray out today, as I discovered ants in my bathroom (going after the cat food) and would love to avoid using chemicals to get rid of them! After reading some of the other comments, I’ll be keeping my cat’s dishes in the other room for awhile just to be safe (even though I’m spraying on the other side of the bathroom). I’m very hopeful that this will get them to leave and not come back!

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    • Also, if you will put your cat’s bowl of food in a shallow dish/bowl and pour a little water into the shallow bowl the ants won’t get into the food–they won’t cross water. We were inundated the first morning in our new apt with a crawling mess of ants all OVER the canned (or dry) food…a friend told me this trick and it works like a charm.

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      • I just did this with the honey that the ants were very keen on!

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98. Any good remedies for termites?

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    • diatomaceous earth will kill termites, sprinkle it where they have tunnels or where they enter the house

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99. Ive tried the cinnamon and vinegar, didn’t work. I tried the baking soda and sugar and the ants just separated it, took all the sugar and left the baking soda. So then I added a few table spoon of water to the baking soda/sugar. And that worked. But your have to make a new batch everyday because they will suck all the moisture out and start seperating it again

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    • actually, it is not baking soda that is used; it is Borax. This is mixed with the powdered sugar, and works.

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100. EOs: Clove, Lemon, and Peppermint

     Base: equal part ACV, Rubbing Alcohol, and Filtered Water

     Dropper makes the ant instantly done. Spraying kills them too, though they wiggle for a few seconds. Cotton ball soaks up any excess I may create and is great for cabinets, base board swiping, etc, so it’s a double bonus.

     I’ve been trying for YEARS to battle the yearly spring house ants in every home I’ve had (South Carolina, Ohio, Indiana). This is the first time I’ve succeeded with ants (though I’ve got fruit flies already figured out). I hate ants, so this feels like a day to document lol!

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     • What do you do for fruit flies?

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       • For fruit flies make a dish with a small piece of fruit or sugar water and seal with plastic wrap and poke just a couple tiny hole in it and the fruit flies will get in but can’t get out

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       • Vinegar and dawn dish detergent. Works every time for flies also. About half cup of vinegar and drop off soap in a small dish! Place it where the flies are and one they try to drink the vinegar the soap traps and kills them. I’ve tried it and it does work

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         • For fruit flies I set out a small Dixie cup with a splash of bourbon and a shot of insecticide (I just spray it directly into the cup). The bourbon attracts the fruit flies and the insecticide kills them. (For obvious reasons, this remedy is intended for an adult household; children may ingest the contents of the cup!)

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     • Thanks for the recipe! I love the smell and I hope it will rid our kitchen of these pesty ants!

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101. I am so glad that I found this site. It has been really raining in our area so ants have invaded our home for a few weeks now.I had peppermint oil so I decided to just sprinkle a little around where I saw the ants. One ant almost had a fit. He didn’t know what to do. I am going to do this each day and see what happens. My home smells great! I am so glad that ants hate it…much safer than the sprays that we were using.

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102. I loved this because ants are taking over my house. They’re getting into my laptop, purse and shoes. Raid isn’t working anymore, go figure. So I’m trying the peppermint, tea tree oil & vodka mix! I pray it works!

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     • to get rid of them in your computer shut your computer down when not in use. Do not put it to sleep – shut it down. When it is asleep it is nice and warm – ants love it.

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       • Sue’s Right — Most people forget that tip! 🙂

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         • Thank you. This is so good to know.

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     • Years ago I just used very cheap hair spray..also rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. Spray point of entrance. .trail..surface.Clean up with moist paper towel. .repeat if needed but usually once is all required. Now my only complaint is ants outside. Going to try baking soda with honey and let you know how it worked outside.

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     • From one natural girl to another I just read this article about Tea Tree Oil.

       Chemicals in lavender and tea tree oil appear to be hormone disruptors.

       Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can interfere with endocrine (or hormone) systems at certain doses. These disruptions can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, and other developmental disorders. Any system in the body controlled by hormones can be derailed by hormone disruptors.

       https://www.endocrine.org/news-room/2018/chemicals-in-lavender-and-tea-tree-oil-appear-to-be-hormone-disruptors

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103. I use borax and icing sugar for nest outside

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     • Borax is toxic to pets and people. Mix it with sugar and your pets will eat it for sure. Toddlers and children should never be exposed to it. Not a natural solution.
       http://www.sevacall.com/blog/2013/06/s/veterinarians/is-borax-dangerous-to-pets/

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104. So I just moved into a second for apartment a week ago and noticed a HUGE infestation in my kids’ room. They were crawling all over my 16 month old daughter as she slept. I mixed 5ml water, 5ml apple cider vinegar, and a tablespoon ground thyme. It killed the ants on contact! Going to check again tomorrow and see how many are left! Hopefully I killed most of them off!

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     • I really recommend Terro. I am a hard-core DIY girl, but this stuff is cheap and gloriously effective. Every spring when ants start creeping in, one dose of Terro and they are GONE within 24 hours. Then I just wipe up the sticky residue of whatever is left and move on with my life.

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       • Thank you! I have tried every remedy suggested here, and they are effective for 10 minutes to 1/2 hour. Florida “sugar ants” come in EVERYWHERE, and are really, really difficult to get rid of. Terro has been my “go-to” product for years, and is easily applied in single drops, which are simply appled where children can’t reach or would never go. Gone the ants! Only need to use it twice a year or so at entry points. It may be toxic, but once it starts to dry, you can’t smell it, and I certainly wouldn’t encourage ingestion! After spotting the first three or four ants of the season and using the Terro, it’s a very long time before we see them again–rinse, repeat, GONE.

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105. Be careful using essential oils around cats.

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106. Heather or readers, do any of these options work for spiders and/or other bugs that get inside the house? We just moved and are finding we are sharing a residence with some other critters! I’d love to find or make something safe and non-toxic that works well too. What do you recommend? Thank you!

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     • Katie, I have read that peppermint essential oil is very effective against spiders. Try this recipe: Recipe for All Natural Spider-Stay-Away-Spray
       You will need…
       -5 to 7 drops of peppermint, tea tree, citrus, lavender, or neem essential oil
       -a reusable spray bottle
       -liquid dish soap
       -warm water
       -a dash of white vinegar* (optional)

       Directions
       Put 5-7 drops of peppermint oil in a spray bottle (about 16 ounces is good), and fill mostly to the top with warm water. Add a squirt of dish soap, place the top on, and give the mixture a good shake. Before using, use the hose attachment of your vacuum to suck up any egg sacs or old webs. Test on an inconspicuous area, and then spray in the corners of window frames, along door cracks, or in dark dingy places spiders may be hiding out. You can also add a dash of white vinegar to the mixture, but keep in mind this could affect some fabrics and surfaces.
       Good luck, and let me know if it works for you! Deb

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107. I use a small squirt of original Dawn dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle filled with water. Spray it on and it kills ants immediately. You have to do it more often as the water dries up but I prefer it to oils on my paintwork and floors. An added benefit when you clean up dead ants with a damp sponge you have essentially cleaned baseboards and sills.

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108. I use cheyenne pepper sprinkle it and make a barrier, ants don’t cross it, it seems to kill them. Works on other things too to repel squirrels and such to keep them out of your garden. Just spray on plants, won’t hurt them at all!!!

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     • We had good luck with cayenne. You must be ok with the smell. After reapplying the cayenne every few days for a couple of weeks we were able to clean it up and the ants never came back

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109. You’re making this way too hard. Baking soda alone will drive off ants. Find out the path they are coming in, usually a crack along the wall, or a gap by a window, and pour down a layer of baking soda. Goodbye ants. You do that and you won’t see another ant. It will also drive off earwigs, guaranteed.

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     • I tried this in South FL for a month and it did not work.

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110. I spray windex around in the places i see ants. Or i just give a quick mop or wipe down non-porous surfaces with the windex & it seems to work. Last year my house i had just purchased was invaded with them. I guess they ran the house while it was alone. But windex seems to work for me.

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111. I’ve used plain salt for years with great success. Sprinkle a thin line along the ants’ entry point and they’re gone.

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     • How do you know where they’re entering from?

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       • They tend to move almost in single file (at least here in FL), so one may just eyeball the trail backward to the entry point, or even just make your application where you first see the ants–which you will most likely see again before too long, at which time you can repeat your treatment. I treat the area where I see the entry to a room, and then find the corresponding area OUTSIDE the house to repeat it. Incidentally, if you have any kind of trees that touch your house or roof, the ants will migrate from there. Keep ’em trimmed as best you can.

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       • just my thought! and what if the whole apartment is kinda…uh…airy and holey? im just renting here so i probably would not invest in major sealing up.

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112. Dish soap and water in a spray bottle will kill the ants instantly. If you see a group of ants spray them with that mixture and they die right then plus it is safe for children to be around and don’t leave a strong smell behind.

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113. I can’t wait to try these. Does anyone have recommendations for repelling mice?

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     • after the mice in my kitchen ran off with the sachet of Decon poison, (and retuned the next day!), i saturated a cotton ball with peppermint oil (essential oil), wiped down the cabinets and have not seen evidence of mice since. also, it smells very refreshing in the kitchen.

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114. I just had great success killing hundreds of those tiny sugar ants with only the Spray Bottle of THE HONEST COMPANY “GRAPEFRUIT” cleaning solution (which is now available at Target, so you don’t have to order it online any longer). I normally use it to clean my kitchen and bathroom counters. so happened to have it available. It is all natural and safe for pets and children. Contains Grapefruit Essential Oil. The ants died instantly and no more ants have returned.

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115. I just whipped up a batch of your Ant Away Spray (minus the vodka) using tea tree, peppermint, and clove oil as you suggested. It has worked wonders to get rid of ants in my kitchen! I am amazed. Since I live in the Middle East where it is currently 110F on a cool day, the ants are vigilant this time of year. Your spray got rid of most of them immediately. I have been spraying today (day 2) just to keep them at bay. So far, so good. Thanks so much!

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116. We had an ant situation tonight and your spray worked out great. The only thing that I would be careful of is using something that leaves such a strong EO scent in places without good circulation if you have babies under 2. My baby is 20 months and I was willing to take the risk (especially because she’s already in bed and the scent would probably dilute into the air enough by morning), but peppermint and clove oils “CAN” be dangerous around babies under 2. I just know that I will just have to be more mindful of my babe to make sure she doesn’t have a negative reaction from inhaling the oils.

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117. Ants hate cinnamon….it won’t kill them, just repel them.

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118. Hey, I like what you’ve done here – thanks! I live alone on Sand Dune in the middle of a large Southwestern Desert in my RV – a Hermit of sorts or so ladies call me? I’ve always used Boric Acid Crystals to Ants, Cockroaches, about everything alien disappears in a short time. My small Poodle is too damn fussy about what she might eat, if she feels so disposed to eat at all? But its a good drive into a town to buy only Borica Acid, so I’m gonna give Boraxo a try and Sodium Bicarbonate to get rid of these damn little Ants that bite like hell and have suddenly invaded my house! My shotgun is slightly over-kill! If I can find your page again, I’ll let you know how it goes.

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119. I found that when I sprinkled garlic powder on my back door sill as well as on the edges of my sidewalk (which was predominately their home) I’ve had very few ants invading my house. It’s a cheap Dollar Store item that works for me!

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120. I FOUND OUT A WAY FROM AN OLD TIMER THAT IF YOU BOIL BAY LEAFS INTO A LIKE A TEA, THEN PUT IT INTO A SPRAY BOTTLE AND SPRAY THE PATHS OF THE ANTS.THE ANTS WILL NOT TRAVEL THAT PATH I HAVE USED THIS FOR MANY YEARS WITH GREAT SUCCESS

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121. This was very helpful. Thank you! (You used the word “and” twice in the first sentence section 1 “Essential oils”.)

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     • Oops! Just corrected the typo – thanks!

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122. The ants absolutely hate the vinegar plus oils and after wiping the counter and walls with this mixture to erase their trails, they have not traversed the same routes again … however, what they’ve done is simply create new trails and explore other areas. I could spray the entire cabinets inside and out and miss a spot, which would be the new trail they create. I’m purchasing Terro, as I know it works. I was OK until they found the trash and that was like the gold mine … I can’t walk into the kitchen and leave without ants crawling all over my body right now … that’s where I draw the line!

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123. Dryer sheets work for me everytime…..just put one down where they are leave it a while and then check and all ants have disappeared.

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124. what about moths my son and his wife are having a terrible time with moths!!

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125. Ants can’t cross a powder line, so I use baby powder or similar powder for your body, and block off access routes that ants use. I used it on the window where you close the window, and it worked.

     Another thing, is to block their entrance (if it’s a small place) with blu-tac, the slightly sticky white substance that you buy to put pictures on walls. When you block their entrance, they can’t come in.

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126. Great ideas here! My house gets ants EVERY year without fail and peppermint essential oil mixed with tea tree oil has been the ultimate lifesaver in the kitchen. Thanks for sharing!

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127. In south-central Florida some local ladies at the grocery store told me to try dry CORNMEAL to get rid of the ants. It seems they eat it and it blows up inside them, killing all, including the nesting ones they took it back to! I put it in the “trays” of my open aluminum windows and it did the trick. None of those ants have returned. Still see occasional carpenter-like ants, so apparently they don’t eat cornmeal, but removing bushy plants near apartment foundation helped immensely with those. Also, use essential oils like those listed in article for them. I’m gonna try that peppermint trick for mice, since I got tired of setting traps last winter when they were too smart to take the baits! Thanks for all the great hints.

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128. Fantastic tips thank you. Looking forward to trying these out to get rid of the ants that have invaded my house recently.

     Just wondering if eucalyptus oil would also be effective?

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129. Thanks for this! I have found whole cloves to be excellent for getting rid of ants. I’ve placed them outdoors around the foundation, inside of cabinets and sprinkled in areas where ants have been or may try to enter. It worked even better than vinegar!

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130. I use SPLENDA…I mean, I don’t consume it, but it is fabulous for making the ants disappear! It takes a day, but they go away! It’s good for something!

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131. So lemon juice will work? It doesnt have to be lemon oil?

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132. When I found ants in my kitchen, I had my children follow the line of ants out to the back yard as far as they could. Then we put some honey there for them. The ants must have been happy to not have to travel so far for their food because they didn’t come back into the house all summer. It was fun for the children. We did this 2 or 3 years until we moved. It always worked.

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133. I suspect an ant nest in my vegetable garden. Are any of these methods things I wouldn’t want to use where we’re growing food? And if I use lemon juice or vinegar, will it make the soil alkaline?

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134. Fantastic website. So glad I found it. I have ants in my mail box. Will be trying some of these suggestions tomorrow. Thanks.

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135. I read that these uses can harm my pets with the smells. Is there something else that won’t be harmful to animals?

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136. Ohh my word I had ants invading my kitchen all over my trash can after a bad rainstorm which they are very prone to do, and I was like that’s enough it took five minutes to gather those essential oils I didn’t have vodka so just used water and la it worked on my version of wee little ants I also sprayed along where they are coming in but I think I’ll go around the house now and try the other methods of coffee grounds or other indigestibles on the ant mounds that I think are likely culprits for coming indoors. I like to see the ants studiously working just not in my home only in their home outside away from mine. Thank you sooo much for such clear concise instructions I truly appreciate it!!! Leslie in Northern VA

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137. Hi guys what about drain flies?

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138. We have ants in our yard, and we’ve found that mixing the ant piles works like a charm. 😉

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139. thank you for the excellent tips !!!!!!:)))

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140. Ants are a real menace especially when they decide to visit your car interior without being invited. Anyway, thanks God someone has done her homework really well

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141. I love DE!! Most ants have to return to the dirt every night. We put it outside around the foundation & it works perfect! Just do it when there will be a day or two of sunny days.
     Ages ago I tried the NOW peppermint essential oil which did NOTHING it was so diluted. Then I discovered Young Living oils. I have a 13’x17′ kitchen. I put 3 drops on a wet paper towel to wipe down the counters & had to leave the room because the fumes were so intense. So did the ants!

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142. I’ve used Lysol lemon spray. I’ve also used Dawn original or orange scented in a spray bottle w vinegar as well. I put salt in the cabinets around the edges. The ants eat it and dry up!! But about 3 or 4 yrs ago, the ants got so bad that I had to call the exterminator!! They were coming in through the outlet and tiny holes in my kitchen wall!! I told my husband I was going to burn the house down lol!! ???

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     • Be careful using Lysol around cats (don’t know about dogs) because I have read that if a cat comes into contact with even a minute particle of what is in it, it can cause irreparable kidney damage.

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143. There is a plant called Tansy that repels ants. Just plant it outside your house in the garden near where you think they are coming in. It gets quite tall and will get large but responds well after severe pruning. Does not spread/invade. Pretty little yellow button flowers.

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144. HI!I respect life so I do not have the right to kill .Ant is a very cute and hard working animal.
     It does not understand that “this is MY BENCH” ,this is MY MUG,this IS MY chair etc
     It’s life is so important to it, as my life is to me.I have no right to abuse this .
     So since my little friends visited me too, and that is what brings me to your page,I LIKE the essential oils method and I will definitely follow it.Thank you!

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145. Have used diatamaceous earth on ants – did not work…anyone know why?

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146. I’ve used a lot of the methods mentioned here for ants, esp essential oils. I get weirded out about lil’ critters since a [{shiver}} flea infestation about five years ago. In all the recipes for ant/bug spray that I’ve seen~I’ve spent hours searching the ‘net; I haven’t seen Cedarwood mentioned. My sister’s hubby brought bedbugs home from his road job; she was desperate. I added Cedarwood to my ‘potion’ and it worked great! They were rid of the bed bugs in just a few days. I’ve actually seen it kill every bug I’ve sprayed it on. I won’t guarantee that it will kill all bugs, and maybe I’ve just been lucky, but I won’t go without it again.

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147. My aunt had peonies near her back door.
     They are pollinated by ants, so she could have had a huge problem, especially since that was also where she dumped her compostables.
     She would just put cucumber peels (she used field cucumbers since she had a garden), and no more ants in her house! I’ve used it for years, ever since she told us about it.

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148. Several years ago, when I had just come home with our first baby, fleas were taking over the house!
     It was awful for me to find a flea bite on my precious newborn! Back then, we were having an exterminator come monthly & that did not help! A couple in our church that had a pet business, told us to use food grade DE. They said we should sprinkle it all around & after, I think it was 3 days, we could vacuum it all up. The DE worked! There wasn’t another flea after that! DE is great stuff!

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149. I’ve been using dried powdered ginger sprinkled at doorways and entry points It really repels the ants and insects I sprinkle it outside around the foundation as well and it also been keeping the neighborhood feral cat colony from using my garden as a litter box

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150. We use all those & still have ant invasions until dumping coffee grounds outside. We know a gardener who tills them in along fencelines every 2-3 weeks. And many coffee shops will give out big bags free if you’re not picky about organic!

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151. Quick and Easy Solution: I had ants like crazy in the garage and also coming in the windows in the basement…we’re talking thousands and thousands of ants! EEK! I think it was a combination of fruit flies and ants, either that or some flying ants I suppose. I mixed Dr. Brommer’s Peppermint soap with warm water, added probably 2-3 teaspoons of tea tree oil and about ⅛th cup of Borax. Shake Well. For the ants in the garage, I used a squirt bottle (opposed to a spray bottle) and within 10 minutes they were all dead! I was absolutely amazed! For the basement, I used a spray bottle since they were on the window sills, unfortunately the borax seemed to clog sprayer after a while, so for the last window I ended up using an eye dropper to put the solution around the sill. They were goners! (Note: It did leave a whitish residue after drying, but it wiped right up with a rag, if necessary use a damp rag. As for the garage, I just put an old towel down and shuffled it around with my feet! I’m sure pouring water over it would work as well.

     If they are in the house, say the pantry or somewhere it’s impractical to use a spray solution…Torro ant bait is the way to go! Get it at Walmart or Target, even grocery stores, I prefer the “houses” as they are simple and no mess. It does take a couple days to work-but they take it back to their colony and it kills them all, so they don’t come back!

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     • *It’s called Terro, not Torro!

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152. Hi, is there anything I can use to replace the vodka in the ant spray? Thanx

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     • Rubbing alcohol

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153. Any remedy for spiders? Also, please sign me up for your newsletter!

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154. But what do you do about the ants that have already invaded your room and are all over? How would you make them get out without destroying their entire population? After getting rid of any food, when they are still there, there is really no natural option. You must kill them and move their bodies or forcefully move them.

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155. It has been raining these days and these ants are always around my kitchen! I’m really upset about it and don’t know what to do! Your tips are very useful! I’ll try using all of them and hope that I can get rid of them as soon as possible!

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156. I don’t know if it’s known or mentioned already..but today I laughed for 5 minutes watching the ants jump in fright and scram as fast as their lil legs can let them ..reason ? I was cleaning my garlic cloves and noticed a few ants hanging around the sink …i don’t know why but placed one of the pealed cloves next to them and couldn’t believe when the they lit jumped and ran away and disappeared in a blink …i then cut a clove in half and rubbed a bit where I saw ants coming in and actually saw a few trying to come take a sniff and run backwards lol

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157. When I was younger, my grandma used to put baking soda in the sink and other kitchen surfaces to prevent ants from appearing. The ants would eat the baking soda, and it killed them somehow.
     I thought this method had died out and people only used products bought from the store which had thousands of chemicals in them. So I was pretty surprised when I read http://ohealthyeah.com/how-to-get-rid-of-ants-naturally/ that baking soda is still used in different combinations as a method to kill ants.
     I wanted to try other ways that are natural and non-damaging to surfaces since I have a new house and small children, so I wouldn’t want anyone of them sticking their hand accidentally into the baking soda and eating a hadfull of dead ants…so do you have any suggestions?

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158. I used a solution of equal parts vinegar and water with a few drops of essential peppermint oil to douse Mt concrete patio tiles after Hurricane Harvey. Now there is a white residue around the edges of some of the concrete tiles. Did the vinegar solution cause this and are the tiles damaged?

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159. I had an infestation of ants in my kitchen and one bathroom. I have severe allergies and did not wish to use pesticides. After some research, I found that regular alcohol would kill them instantly. I keep a professional spray bottle handy in case they come back. The outbreak lasted three days. Now I spray to disinfect. Win-Win!

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160. Several comments mentioned fruit fly problems.

     For those who have chronic fruit fly problems, they breed in the sink drain. To get rid of the fruit flies permanently (except for those brought in in fresh fruits), the eggs and larvae in the drain need to be destroyed. One remedy that ALWAYS works for me is to mix one cup of bleach into a 3qt. pan of boiling water, then immediately pour it down the drain. If you have a double sink, pour half the solution down each sink drain. Boiling water alone, or bleach alone do not work; but mixed together it does the trick–and it cleans out your drains, too.

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161. Thank you for your great tutorial!
     My house was full of ants, but now they’re gone! I think essential oil is the best way to get rid of them!

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162. How about the ultrasonic bug repellents that plug into an outlet?

     https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07494TB3X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=mommypotamus-20&linkId=75a9c936570054daebc7174b0ca26aa2&language=en_US

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     • I haven’t done any research on those, sorry!

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163. Just read this article and tried wiping the floorboards where ants tend to come in with peppermint oil on a cotton ball. Not long after, I noticed my cat being drawn to the peppermint and rubbing his face along the floor board. So, I quickly googled it to see if it’s safe. It’s NOT. Peppermint oil and almost all essential oils are very toxic to cats, even if they just inhale it. I quickly dampened a cloth and wiped his face and nose.

     So, PLEASE be aware if you have a cat and are using any of the essential oils along the floorboards or in a spray. Every article I find said the same thing – they are very toxic!

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     • Hi there. Essential oils can be toxic to cats if overdosed, and toxicity can build over time. So yes it is important to be cautious when using them, and always allowing the cat to leave the room. However cats will inhale essential oils on a self-selection basis, and this is okay if they are allowed to only inhale as much as they want. So you did the right thing to wipe your cat’s face clean of the oil (use vegetable oil or milk). But if he is seeking the peppermint oil, I would allow him to take a sniff at a distance. Peppermint is popular with cats for inhalation as it can help with digestion and respiration. Hope that helps.

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164. For a few days there have been a troop of ants coming in through my kitchen windowsill. I found your article today and tried wiping the sill with peppermint and lemon essential oils……and it worked!! Hurray!! Just one word of caution for cat owners. Cats are sensitive to essential oils so always make sure your kitty can leave the space while the oil aroma is still potent. I have shared a link to this article on my website blog. Many thanks.

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165. Most of the recipes say to spread inside the house (baseboards, cabinets, refrigerators, etc.) I have one exterior part of the house (I’m sure they are underneath the house) that is plagued with ants. Do any of these recipes work on the exterior of the house.

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166. Wow the ants seem to be liking you! I’m not sure which of those oils would be toxix to cats. Do you have any idea what I could use? I have a problem with them getting into my cats food that sits in their food bowls. Any idea of what I can use I don’t want to make my for babies sick!

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167. I don’t know if anyone mentioned that you can sprinkle red pepper in powder or flake form anywhere where you find ants and they will move. It doesn’t kill them but they don’t like it and they will move elsewhere, which is handy if you don’t want them near your garden or your trees. I have used it many times and they always move away from the red pepper.

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168. Will any of the indoor recipes work for fire ant? I hate using the poison from the store, but am allergic to their bites.

     Thanks,
     Joyce

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     • Teaspoon of dish soap in a spray bottle filled with water
       Kills ants flys mosquito s
       You won’t be able to live without it
       Pay up for a quality trigger

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169. Will this work on red ants? Is it safe for dogs (peppermint, clove – any of the oils – I read about cats and do not have any)? I live in Florida and am trying to get rid of them in my yard. I know… I have a big sprayer and just want to hit the mounds. The red ants keep attacking one of my dogs.

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170. The formula with water + vodka + peppermint + tea tree oil + citrus oil works GREAT. I have used it for years to spray on kitchen counters, rugs, flooring—-anywhere ants might trek. BEST WAY to GET RID of ants is to be proactive and not encourage them in the first place. Police your family and yourself and keep crumbs and any sugary or oily foods off the counters—anywhere ants might find food. Keep dog kibble in a large tin and surround the tin with a line of your homemade ant spray or even a light line of olive or other oil. COMPOST your kitchen scraps. Why put potentially smelly food stuff in your trash when you can put it back into your garden? We keep our kitchen scraps bucket in a large bowl with a watery moat. So far this summer——brushing ants off surfaces before they can report back to their pals and spraying any potential trails, along with preventative measures listed above has solved our ant problem just fine.

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171. Pine Sol. At least 50/50 mix with water to Pine Sol. It works to back them off and it works to kill other insects. I know, it is not all natural but pine oil is a good repellent and killer for many insects. Ammonia mixed with water not only kills weeds but insects as well. Just another idea, if anybody finds that they need a cheaper solution to certain insect problems. And, going after ants in cooler months, winter if the ground is not frozen too hard, will aide in ridding your home and yard in coming seasons. Spraying the sides of and around the skirting down low around your home with Pine Sol or Windex can also be helpful with controlling insects. Always test in an inconspicuous spot before applying directly to surfaces you are not sure can tolerate the substances. Cheap window and pine cleaners do work as well as the name brand kinds which will save the pocketbook for the budget minded. Eucalyptus, sage, cedar, thyme, mint and garlic, as oils, raw/chopped, or added into water to make a tea of sorts for a spray make great insect repellents. Not sure which one to use, just test by putting out saturated cotton balls or fabric softeners and give it a week or two. Re-wet the balls as necessary during the test phase.

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     • Like Lysol, Pine Sol has an ingredient in it that can cause irreparable damage to a cat’s kidneys if they smell even a minute particle of it. I would not use around pets. Why can’t people just use plain old white vinegar mixed with water? I use this to wash my linoleum floors and it gets them clean………….bacteria cannot thrive in vinegar………..even some foot doctors will tell you to soak your feet after surgery in a mixture of water and white vinegar.

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172. You could also apply to cotton balls, say three in a glass dish, small one, cedarwood oil, peppermint extract or oil, eucalyptus oil and rosemary oil and set it up close to their paths along your walls, in the corner where your bath sink is, under your bath and kitchen sinks. Maybe spray or wipe where you notice them going along and reapply about every five to ten days. The oils should be tested especially on painted or paper surfaces in inconspicuous locations, even wood surfaces should be tested, just in case. If you have tried the oils already, please excuse. The use of Murphy’s Oil Soap is used by a relative of mine and they told me it contains pine oil or something good like that and it seemed to work for them. Murphy’s is pretty safe stuff to use as I have been told. Some spiders, the skinny cellar types can be slowed and stopped with really sticky hair spray. It takes a short bit to dry and therefore cause their legs to get all funky on them but, with the right spray and a little waiting, you will get those little buggers. Not sure about hair spraying ants but, if one showed up in my bathroom while fixing my hair, I would unload the whole can on him and hope he headed back to the nest and on his passing others, cause a sticky chain reaction, maybe a few stuck jaws and upset tummies. Lol, you never know but anything is worth a try, particularly when a showdown is in progress and you do not have a second to waste and risk losing to the opposing force.

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173. I have peppermint essence for 30 odd years reontly I have only been able to get the American peppermint oil sill in the baking Isle. I do wonder if the is a little more waterproof if I put it out side but I do prefer the essence. It makes it safe for kids too (my cat used try licking it up ?) I’m only on this site today (now to spread the cheep word) and I have flying ants starting come out and our local shop has stopped selling it. I’ve always believed it deters them rather than killing them.

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174. Try Vervain who works wonders on those little vampires

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175. I made the essential oil spray for my bathroom shower. Darn ants just keep coming back and cannot detect where they are coming from. I made the spray without the tea tree oil and I don’t know if I misunderstood the instructions or not. I increased the peppermint oil to 30 drops and followed the rest of the instructions as written. WOW! After 24 hours no ants!

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176. Yes, a natural bug repellent to the rescue. Oh, I should mention… it’s super easy, quite cheap to create, and highly effective.

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177. Thanks you, I tried it and it prettied worked. I used lemon juice to get rid ants because it is so easy to do

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178. Yo big thanks this is helping my friend and me for a science project!

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179. Looking for something natural that the ants will take back to the queen for her to ingest and hopefully get rid of the nest and all the ants. We have had an exterminator come but they always seem to come back.

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180. Thanks for the tips! I just crush up some bay-leaves (preferably dried) and scatter them in the cabinet below the sink. For whole house protection just scatter the small broken pieces around the house. We had an ant problem in Las Vegas during the summer heat and they would come into the house seeking water. The only thing that stopped them was bay leaves.

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181. I used the vinegar, essential oil, water spray yesterday where I saw ants- After the exterminator was unable to take care of the problem. I never had a trail just a few wandering around and maybe 20 over the course of the day.

     Today I vacuumed up the dead ants from yesterday and again sprayed the floor and baseboards. however four hours later they were 5-10 ants crawling over the same area again. Does this really work?

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182. I have a great and very effective way to deal with fire ants.

     The most important thing is to use organic methods in your landscaping. I swear, this alone, after a few seasons pretty much banishes them from even coming into your yard.

     Until they are gone, I have a great formula to kill fire ants. They don’t just move somewhere else, they just die! I’ll give you my paired down version of his recipe that has always worked for me.

     I don’t measure amounts, so I’ll approximate as best I can.

     1 gallon of compost tea
     1 cup of molasses
     1/2 cup of orange oil

     There are many other things some people will say you have to use for it to be effective, but I’ve always had luck just using these 3 simple things.

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183. One year we had tons of huge ant hills in our tiny yard. No idea why but they started coming in the house. I tried several natural methods What worked was sprinkling corn meal on the nests. They were gone quickly.

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184. Hi. This is a long comment post! I have tried many, if not all of these remedies, and some have worked, temporarily. Vinegar and soap, borax and sugar, cornmeal and sugar, essential oils, all of them, etc., etc.,. I had tiny ants that didn’t seem interested in sweets, but rather meat: left some chicken bones out overnight once…and that was it for years. I tried everything in and under the house. Finally, since I really couldn’t find where they were coming in from ( 1945 year old house, lots of cracks and openings) I finally stumbled on this by accident. Grabbed for my blue glass spray bottle of essential oils and water, picked up my blue glass bottle (yeah, it was labeled, I just didn’t read it!!!) of straight hydrogen peroxide. Sprayed the tiny suckers, and voila! DEAD. Instantly. This works for spiders (based on size, you may need to do several sprays), and seemingly all other bugs. After awhile, they stopped coming in. I haven’t had issues for two years now, and for the past 15 or so, would always get them in the summer and winter when it rained hard.

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185. I had some mct oil that wasn’t being used and I remembered a lady telling me that coconut oil dissolved lice’s exoskeleton. I’m not sure if it was the oil dissolving the ants exoskeleton or that it was just too hard for the ants to move through it. But about once every other day I’d spray the oil around the top of my kitchen sink. I was having a hard time keeping food out of the sink (we have three kids and we homeschool and are home all day), but that trick kept the ants away from the food in the bottom of the sink!

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186. Most baits are borax based ones. It’s fun (in a cruel way) to watch them swarm around the sweet death, then go back to the hive. Find the nest and you’ll find them hauling carcass out until there’s no one left.

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187. Thank you so much for sharing all those great recipe!
     I’m a new user and I’m ready to learn more about all what concerns essential oils.
     My friend has a problem with silver fish in her apartment …. would you have a recipe or know what else she could do ? She tried cinnamon and cloves but it doesn’t work 😕
     I wish I could help her but I can’t find anything.
     TY for your help

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     • I’m sorry, I don’t have any experience with silverfish directly, but I just did a quick search and noticed that some people use tip #3 (diatomaceous earth).

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188. Fire ants! Best way to get rid of them is to move and not take them with you.

     But if you can’t move, there are two ways I’ve found to deal with them.

     First way is to liberally sprinkle the mound with grits (from the cereal aisle in the grocery store). Theory is that the ants eat the dried grits, consume water, grits swell and kill the ants.

     Second way is much more fun. If you have two mounds in close proximity, take a shovel (wrap the handle above the blade with a rag that has gasoline/kerosene/diesel on it to keep the ants from climbing the handle to your hands) of mound #1 and dump it on mound #2. Then quickly take a shovel full of mound #2 and dump it on mound #1. This begins an ant war, which the ants will fight to the death, thereby killing both mounds.

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189. 
     Thank you for sharing.

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190. Do any of these work with Fire Ants? They are the only ants that give me problems and I fight constantly to keep them out of my garden. Most ant killers/repellants don’t work with Fire Ants, or aren’t safe to use around vegetable plants.

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191. Thank you for sharing these tips…

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192. Plant peppermint outside your house near the foundation, particularly near water sources. After we did this, no more ants.

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     • Just wondering how that would work if you have ants UNDER your house? Wouldn’t it make them stay there?
       That is why I have been reluctant to plant plants that deter bugs…..if they are under your house it means they STAY there…??!!

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193. To emulsify any essential oil into a spray bottle of tap water ( preferably Soft n Style spry bottles on Amazon. They won’t tip over because they are the shape of the nations capital dome ) , well add a teaspoon of salt.

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194. 
     Cinnamon has worked wonders, for me! Sprinkling it on the outdoor patio pavers, scatters the ants, every which way–and they don’t seem to return.

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195. 
     After wasting a lot of time on Google, I came across this article. It’s been a lifesaver.

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196. I might have missed it but did not see if which or if all ate pet safe. We have dogs.

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197. Hi I’m wondering how long does it take the sugar and borax water stuff to work?…I have ant’s in the wall of my bathroom and..would kind of like to use my bathtub again…^_^’

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198. You are great I check my e mails on Sundays just to read your writings in here I been looking for these recipes for years sometimes I want to cry just seeing all the ants invading my house specially my kitchen and bathroom Thank you you make my day see you soon

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199. 
     Greetings to you, Heather!

     Thank you for this post.
     I have a very tried and successful solution for you name it, it will send these varmits packing. I will be back tomorrow to post the recipe.
     It kills mosquitoes, ants, wasps, Yellow Jackets, if a mosquito gets inside, I spritz the carpets, floor a few places and don’t see them anymore.
     I am allergic to everything and it does not bother me.
     I have ant bed around a plum tree, He put 2 Andro pellets near this tree cause I reminded him about the tree he kills with Andro.
     Do you have any idea if boiling water would kill or harm this plum tree?
     Thank you so much.

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     • I have no idea, sorry.

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200. Any tips on outdoor ants? My lawns are over run and they get on everything outside! Looking for something I can use to treat a large surface (back yard needs to be dog and child friendly, front yard not so much – and it’s worse than the back yard). I also don’t want to damage what little grass we have.

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     • Sorry, I don’t have any experience with outdoor ants. 🙂

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201. 
     Spray for Wasps, Mosquitoes, and everything els by Bright Side on YouTube:

     Add in order, I use a metal funnel. move bottle from side to side to mix
     32-oz spray bottle
     1/4 cup any dish soap 2 squirts more if needed
     10-12 drops peppermint essential oil
     2 cups water

     Thaks for everything you share and for all you do.
     Take care…

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