If you’ve ever had ants in your kitchen, you must be aware of the trouble already. It takes them very little time to go from a minor nuisance to a persistent problem. House ants enter kitchens through cracks in windows, doorways, and flooring. They look for food and water to reload their colony’s supply. These critters, despite their little size, cause a lot of hassle when it comes to preparing meals. Notwithstanding the ugly eating environment that prevails.
Nevertheless, the solution isn’t to kill one ant in the kitchen. There is normally a colony nearby when there’s one of them. Moreover, each ant leaves a trail of chemical hormones (pheromones) that attract others of their species in the area. You need to kill the ant colony where the egg-laying queen lives. Otherwise, she will keep reproducing and sending more worker ants into your home to feast.
Getting rid of such creatures in your kitchen might appear to be a difficult undertaking at a glance. However, a combination of household repellents and heavy-duty ant baits can effectively eliminate these creatures from your home. Hence, here are some of the best ways to kill and repel them naturally and safely.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen Naturally
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with Diatomaceous Earth
Silica is a kind of diatomaceous earth. It constitutes the fossilized remains of diatoms, which are aquatic creatures. Diatomaceous earth isn’t harmful to your health. It kills ants and other insects by absorbing the oils in their bones, causing them to dry out. Diatomaceous earth is an irritant, so avoid breathing it in or putting it on your skin.
Food-grade diatomaceous earth is available online. Follow the box guidelines for using it as an ant killer, or sprinkle the powder anywhere you notice these insects.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with Chalk
Calcium carbonate, which you can find in chalk, helps to keep these critters at bay. Spray some powdered chalk in the regions where they enter. Else, draw a chalk line across the entrance. Moreover, to keep them out of your home, draw chalk lines to stop them from entering. While it is unclear why this line prevents them from entering the house, it is undeniably effective. Nevertheless, make sure the line is out of reach of any children in the house while putting it up.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with Glass Cleaner and Liquid Detergent
Coupling spray-on glass cleaner with liquid detergent or dish soap can help keep ants out of your house. This occurs by erasing the fragrant pheromone trail these creatures leave behind while walking.
Combine the ingredients and spray in areas where ants appear to swarm or originate. After spraying, wipe clean the surface to leave a faint residue. While there are no studies to back this up, anecdotal evidence shows it’s effective at keeping these insects at bay.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with Glass Cleaner and Liquid Detergent
If the smell of glass cleaner bothers you, hand soap may be enough to get rid of these critters. Remove the aroma of ant pheromones by using soapy water of any sort. Use it to remove ant trails and entry spots in your home. They can’t communicate with each other unless they have pheromone trails to follow.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with Pepper
Since ants hate the strong smell of pepper, you can use black or red (cayenne) pepper to keep them away. The domestic spice acts as a dermal irritant to these creatures. This ant infestation treatment is 100% natural and risk-free. As per anecdotal evidence, spreading pepper around baseboards and under appliances may deter these critters.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with Peppermint
Peppermint is a natural insect repellent that is particularly effective against ants and other insects such as mosquitoes. Add 10 to 20 drops of peppermint essential oil to 2 cups of water and mix well. Spray the mixture around your home’s baseboards and windows. Allow drying.
However, like most essential oils, keep peppermint oil out of reach of pets, particularly cats. Exposure to them can lead them to become quite ill.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with Tea Tree Oil
You can repel and kill them by using tea tree oil. To make a spray, combine 5 to 10 drops of tea tree oil with 2 cups of water. Besides, you can soak cotton balls and place them around your area where you spot these insects.
If the aroma is too strong, combine tea tree oil, peppermint oil, and water in a spray bottle. Additionally, keep tea tree oil out of the reach of pets, particularly cats, who can become very ill on exposure.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with Lemon Eucalyptus Oil
Another natural bug repellent is lemon eucalyptus oil. It contains citronella, which is used in candles to repel mosquitoes and other flying insects. Besides, it is also effective at repelling such critters, as per anecdotal data.
Saturate cotton balls with the undiluted oil before using. Place where you have noticed ants. Make weekly changes though. Never consume lemon eucalyptus oil. Moreover, keep it out of the reach of children and pets.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with OLE (Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus)
Lemon eucalyptus oil is not the same thing as OLE (oil of lemon eucalyptus). The gum eucalyptus tree native to Australia is the source of OLE. It contains PMD, a molecule that has been discovered to be an efficient insect repellant.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies PMD as a bio-pesticide that is certified safe to use. Some people claim that OLE can both kill and repel these critters. Besides, you can also use it to keep mosquitoes at bay.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with White Vinegar
If you detect ants, wipe them away with a vinegar-water mix or plain vinegar. White vinegar both kills and repels ants. If you have an ant infestation, consider cleaning hard surfaces throughout your home with diluted vinegar. After the vinegar dries up, ants can smell it. However, most humans cannot smell it for very long.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with Hot Water
Pour hot boiling water into any ant holes you see around your house. Thus, this will kill any of the ants within successfully and quickly. Although ant hills appear to be small, the ant colonies beneath them are vast.
The hot water alone will not be sufficient to wipe out the entire colony though. Henceforth, be careful to treat any ant holes you come across near your house.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with Cornstarch
If you come across a huge number of ants, then you can smother them with cornstarch. Pour corn starch liberally over their entire colony, then top with water. This will be a mess, but the result will be a lot of cornstarch-encased dead ants.
Instead of using water, you might coat the ants with cornstarch and vacuum them up. Nonetheless, be careful to toss the sealed vacuum bag outside as soon as possible.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with Cinnamon Leaf Oil
Compounds in the cinnamon leaf essential oil, such as trans-cinnamaldehyde, are efficient in killing and repelling ants. Additionally, powdered cinnamon is also good at repelling ants. Soak cotton balls with the oil and place them where you have spotted ants. Else, you can also sprinkle the powder on window sills and baseboards.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with Neem Oil
The neem tree, which is native to India, is used to make neem oil. Many people believe that neem oil, when taken at full intensity, keeps ants out of their homes. It has been noted that diluted neem and items containing neem extract do not work as effectively as full-strength neem.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with Coffee
You need to first brew the coffee for this anecdotal ant repellant. Seemingly brewed coffee grounds strongly repel these critters.
Sprinkle the coffee grinds on disposable surfaces like index cards. Furthermore, place them near ant-attracting items like pet bowls and plants. Besides, you can also place the grounds on window sills. Once dry, they may lose their power. Hence, make sure to replace them often.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with Boric Acid
Boric acid is a poison that kills worker ants and their queen after 3 weeks of exposure. It does so by degrading the exterior shells and guts of the creatures.
It is vital to keep boric acid away from pets and children. Moreover, while working with it, make sure to put on a pair of gloves. Make a boric acid, sugar, and warm water solution. Stir until all of the sugar and boric acid have dissolved. Soak cotton balls in water and place them in areas of your home where you have noticed ants.
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Likewise, you can also put the mixture in containers and leave those out. However, remember to wash the containers thoroughly after use or discard them.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen with Borax
Borax and boric acid are not the same chemical substance, contrary to popular perception. Both may be equally successful in killing ants in the home, as per anecdotal evidence.
Use borax baits in places where children or pets can get them, just as you wouldn’t use boric acid baits. After making borax, sugar, and warm water solution, follow the same steps as you would, for boric acid. The poison starts to take effect as fast as 24 hours up to 48 hours.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen By Giving Your Houseplants an anti-ant advantage
Check your houseplants for ant swarms. These could suggest the presence of nests beneath the soil. Furthermore, discard any plants that seem to be affected. In addition, make sure that there is no standing water around your houseplants. Surround your plants with citrus rinds from lemons or oranges to deter these critters from setting up homes.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen By Keeping Outdoors Shut
Maintain a debris-free yard. Remove any vines or foliage that is touching or leaning against your house’s or windows’ external walls. Ants may find it easier to enter your home if you don’t use these methods.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen By Cutting Off Their Food Source
These critters will often have field days in your pantry. Therefore, the easiest technique to get rid of them is to stop the problem before it starts. Do this by ensuring that no food sources are readily available for them. Take preventative precautions by putting items in your kitchen in reusable, sealed containers where they won’t be able to reach. Furthermore, start firmly sealing food in containers or plastic bags. Remember that sweet and starchy foods like sugar, honey, and cornmeal attract these bugs.
Remember that these insects not only prefer human foods but also pet food. Hence, remove the dog and cat food from the package and place it in airtight containers. Make sure the space around the pet bowl is also clean. Subsequently, rinse the bowls thoroughly to remove the scent of the food. This will help avoid major rodent and cockroach infestations in your kitchen, in addition to ants.
Moreover, to avoid a swarm of these pests, store ripe fruits in the fridge. Don’t leave them out on the kitchen counter. In addition, keep an eye out for crumbs throughout the house. Don’t forget to clean under and around standing appliances in your kitchen. Be careful about garbage pails and areas where your family dines or cooks food.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen By Avoiding Moisture
Keep in mind that these bugs enter your home in the hopes of finding shelter, food, and water. Moreover, they do not require a lot of water to survive when it comes to fetching their water. Likewise, a damp dish towel or kitchen mat will suffice to keep them running.
If your kitchen has a fan, keep your dish towel and mat close by to speed up the drying process. Otherwise, throw them in the dryer for a few minutes. In addition, look for and fix any faulty pipes that may be attracting these critters. Further, to be extra safe, place a cup over the drain in your kitchen sink. Thus, this prevents them from coming up or hanging out in the vicinity.
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Kitchen By Detecting Their Entry
Although it is quite difficult to cover every nook and cranny, look for cracks in the walls. Also, keep an eye out for gaps around floorboards and radiators. Thus, fill or treat them with repellent. Besides, check for rips in window screens that you can repair. Caulk small holes, repair broken window and door screens and replace any rotten wood surrounding entry points. After dealing with these critters, sterilize your kitchen and make sure you keep on top of it.