Mind the gap: If cleaning isn't your thing, sealing may do the trick, and there's almost nothing better than petroleum jelly. Seal any cracks or crevices that ants can use to enter your house. In my experience, petroleum jelly will hold ants at bay for a year. You can use silicone caulk for a permanent barrier.
Since ants find it nearly impossible to cross sticky substances, use petroleum jelly as a barrier. Buy several large containers of Vaseline and, using a Q-Tip or your finger, smear the jelly around the cracks of each window of your house.
Two of the best ways to eliminate ants are Borax and diatomaceous earth. Essential oils, including peppermint and clove, are a natural way to repel and kill ants. Food and moisture attract ants, so keep your home clean and dry to get rid of ants permanently.
Peppermint
Peppermint is a natural insect repellent that may effectively deter ants and other bugs, such as mosquitoes. To use peppermint essential oil as an ant deterrent, complete the following steps: Mix 10 to 20 drops peppermint essential oil with 2 cups water in a clean plastic spray bottle.
Vicks Vapor Rub works as an excellent ant repellent because the fumes are so strong to ants that they don't dare try and walk through it. In front of their entryways, dab generous amounts of Vicks Vapor Rub, and use the substance to clog up any nearby cracks and holes.
"Believe it or not, I took a Q-tip and put a little Vicks VapoRub on it," she said. "I took a swab on a Q-tip and I put it right where the ants were headed up under the siding. The minute they started heading up in that direction, they turned around and stopped. The ants just don't like it.
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.
Better Than Hopscotch: Ants will not cross a chalk line. Draw a chalk line in front of exterior doors, to prevent ants from coming into the house. You can also draw a chalk line around tables on the porch or patio, to keep pesky ants away while dining outdoors.
Both cayenne and black pepper repel ants. Ants hate cayenne pepper. Black pepper will work just as well too. Locate the source of the ant infestation problem, sprinkle some pepper around that area and if possible, create a wall that will stop the ants from accessing your household.
Carnivorous ants show no such preference. Ants prefer salty snacks to sugary ones, at least in inland areas that tend to be salt-poor, according to a new study published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“The most effective method for controlling an ant infestation is using ant baits. Set them out anywhere you see ants and expect a party,” Gangloff-Kaufmann says. “If you still see ants around the house, try a few different brands of baits until you find one that's appealing to this particular colony.”
A line of chalk will stop ants in their tracks
Draw a line in chalk along the exterior of any external doors that lead into your home. Chalk is made from calcium carbonate, which ants hate, so they will be deterred to cross.
Flour. Wondering how to get rid of ants without dangerous pesticides? Sprinkle a line of flour along the backs of pantry shelves and wherever you see ants entering the house. Repelled by the flour, ants won't cross over the line. This is the best way to get rid of ants at home.
Ants don't need an excessive amount of water, they can often satisfy their craving for water just from the food they consume. Ants, like carpenter ants, are also attracted to damp wood and excess moisture. You can often find ants in your bathroom, or near a water leak, as these areas are usually moist.
Ants don't have complex emotions such as love, anger, or empathy, but they do approach things they find pleasant and avoid the unpleasant. They can smell with their antennae, and so follow trails, find food and recognise their own colony.
Ants like living in warm environments but do not like extreme temperatures, whether too hot or too cold. During the winter season, ants will more likely come into your home, as opposed to summer. The reason being because they cannot survive in low temperatures.
Ants become the pallbearer
After a few days the dead ant is carried off and placed on the “ant graveyard” by the other dead ants. This may seem like ants have complex feelings and need a few days to grieve before they dispose of the body, but in reality it's far more chemical than that.
What happens when she dies? The answer is obvious: the colony dies. Ants won't flee to another territory if their queen passes away. Instead, they continue bringing resources back to the settlement until they die of old age or external causes.
Fortunately, there are several defenses against these little intruders, and you probably already have some in your cupboards. Ants dislike vinegar, citrus scents, and spices, while pepper and baby powder are also repellent. Even the enticing aroma or perfume of a freshly brewed cup of coffee will drive ants away.
As a general rule, ants are strongly attracted to smells from candy, sweet-scented foods, carbohydrates, sugary drinks, fruit-scented candles, meat, perfume, nuts, seeds, grease, oil fats, and dirty laundry.
The smell of the menthol in it will repel the insects away. You can also rub it on any mosquito bites you may already have and it will relieve the itching.