Diatomaceous Earth (DE)
It kills all insects, ants included. Diatomaceous Earth is not a pesticide that bugs can grow immune to. It clogs their spiracles, also known as the parts that ants breathe through. Sprinkling some near hills, on your lawn, and around your home will get rid of most bugs.
Most species of ants, including carpenter ants, dislike the strong scent of vinegar, which is why mixing it with water is enough to repel them. It's important to note that while the vinegar messes with the scent trail and prevents them from returning, the solution isn't enough to kill them.
Ants hate Vinegar. The smell of Vinegar will cause them to stay away from it or permanently leave the house. Ants crawl in a straight line, marching towards the food sources. The Vinegar solution will interfere with these pheromones, and the ants will get lost.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work. Vinegar does not kill ants in the traditional sense: you spray it, and the ant dies. The only way this remedy is effective is if the ant drowns in vinegar (though water accomplishes the same thing).
Try pouring a line of cream of tartar, red chili powder, paprika, or dried peppermint at the place where you think ants might be entering the house; they won't cross it. You can also try washing countertops, cabinets, and floors with equal parts vinegar and water.
ESSENTIAL OILS
Lemongrass, peppermint, clove, cedarwood, tea tree, orange and lemon oil are all effective. Dampen a cotton ball or kitchen towel with an essential oil of your choosing; then, simply wipe down window sills, baseboards, countertops, door frames, and other potential entry points to repel ants.
White vinegar and water: Take a spray bottle and fill it with a solution of equal parts of vinegar and water. Spray the solution on the ants and their entry points. A mixture of dish soap and water: Make a mixture of dish soap or dishwashing liquid, put in a spray bottle and shake it well. Spray it on the ants.
Baking soda only kills ants when they ingest it – will quickly kill them within a few minutes if they do consume it. The tricky part is that ants instinctually know to stay away from baking soda, so it's difficult to put it somewhere where they will ingest if they are already in your house.
Instructions. Combine 1 part baking soda with 1 part powdered sugar. I used a 3/4 tablespoon of each, and mixed it together directly in the jar lid.
Straight white vinegar makes a great ant spray. You can saturate ant trails to kill on contact, or spray counters and other areas and either wipe up after a few minutes or allow the treatment to dry in place.
Salt may be harmful to certain species of ants because it may cause dehydration and harm to their respiratory system, but there is little concrete evidence that proves beyond a doubt that salt kills ants.
A sudden ant infestation in your kitchen means there is a food source somewhere. The food can be honey, sugar, syrup, meat, fats, breadcrumbs, etc.
Just Keeping Clean
Cleaning up food spills, storing ripe fruit in the fridge and keeping other foods in airtight containers and cleaning trash cans are great to-dos to ensure you don't entice ants further. Pet food can also attract ants. That's why keeping pet bowls—and the areas around them—clean is important.
For an effective organic ant repellent, scatter talcum powder liberally around house foundations and known points of entry, such as doors and windows. Other effective organic repellents include cream of tartar, borax, powdered sulfur, and oil of cloves. You can also try planting mint around the house foundations.
As any experienced homeowner knows, ants can be a challenge to dispel once they have entered your home. Similar to other woefully resilient pests, such as termites, ants form major colonies, meaning that unless you manage to eliminate every single ant, they may very well bounce right back the next week.
Improvement should be seen quickly, but complete elimination can take anywhere from several weeks to a couple of months. At Pest Control Inc., our money-back guarantee ensures we will continue to treat your ant infestation until we have exterminated the entire colony.
Ants know to avoid pure baking soda, so you can sprinkle it around doorways, window sills, and other entry points to keep them out of your home. You can also sprinkle some in cabinets, under sinks, and in other dark, moist places where ants may find shelter in your home.