Natural and chemical means

the essentials in brief

• Ant infestation can be significantly reduced with the help of baking powder
• Also baby powder, Algae lime and chalk keep ants away
• Ants also cannot stand strong smells such as vinegar, cinnamon or tea tree oil.

Errors revealed

The desire to fight ants naturally and without poison is great. However, many biodegradable and health-safe products from the kitchen prove to be suitable to a limited extent. There are numerous errors circulating on the net. In some cases, the actions have little or no success due to improper execution.

baking powder

Soda is a popular and at the same time feared home remedy in the fight against ants. The thesis that ants explode after ingesting baking soda and leave unsightly stains behind is persistent. However, this assumption has proven to be wrong. In addition, ants avoid dusted surfaces and do not actively eat the powder.

Researchers at the University of Georgia at Griffin have found that baking soda can still be classified as an effective control agent. In their experiments, the ant population was reduced by 50 percent after six days. However, the way in which the baking powder is used is important for success.

Conditions for a successful effect:

• Dust ants directly with baking soda so that they have to clean themselves
• Spread baking powder over a large area in the area of ​​the ant trail and nests
• Repeat the measures several times until all ants have been recorded

background

This is how baking soda works

Baking soda contains sodium hydrogen carbonate (chemically: NaHCO3). This colorless and odorless crystalline substance causes a change in the internal pH value, which means that normal enzymatic functions are no longer possible and the ant dies.

In the study, about four milligrams of baking powder were scattered per square centimeter. Effects were investigated on the red fire ant and the Argentine ant. If the ants cannot find a detour and have to crawl across the dusted area, the powder adheres to their antennae and limbs. Presumably the insects ingest the crystals when they clean their antennae.

If ants come into contact with baking soda, they die from failure of physical functions

vinegar

It is often recommended to clean the floor with vinegar water. The intense smell is said to drive the ants away. However, the vinegar aromas are extremely volatile, so that the effect is limited. To successfully drive away the insects, you need to dribble pure vinegar on the ant trail and repeat this measure every day if necessary.

Disadvantage:

• Apartment smells bad
• The floor is littered with sticky vinegar stains
• does not help with mass traffic

Relocate in the flower pot

If ants have settled in the raised bed and greenhouse or on the terrace and balcony, the resettlement method using upturned flower pots promises supposed success. It is true that the insects feel comfortable in the dwellings filled with wood wool. However, in most cases the measure does not work. It is ineffective in house ants and is only successful in ant species that build earth nests in the lawn.

When the relocation works:

• Black garden ant and yellow meadow ant can be relocated with flower pots
• on sunny days after long periods of rain with low temperatures
• Slightly moistened and crumpled newspaper provides storage space for the brood
• Release the nest at least ten meters away to prevent the ants from finding their way back

If the substrate is very soaked, so that the brood of ants is no longer optimally protected, the ants look for an alternative nest. If you are offered a flower pot at this stage, the internal structure of which has optimal climatic conditions, the insects and the brood move into the container.

Chalk and co.

It is true that ants avoid dusty surfaces. However, chalk, baby powder and algae lime are only partially effective. On the one hand, the insects quickly find a way out around the pollinated area so that they can quickly find their way onto the original ant route.

On the other hand, the funds quickly lose their effectiveness, especially if they are used outdoors. Rain or wind weaken the barrier effect within a short time. Even the smallest drafts of air whirl up dusty particles and transport them away. The insects would have to be permanently exposed to the fine dust so that they cannot penetrate this barrier.

Chalk only protects against ants to a limited extent

salt

Ants are unimpressed by a trace of table salt that crosses their path. They neither eat the salt crystals, nor do they carry them into their burrows, or let them deter them. However, salt removes moisture from the cells. If you sprinkle it directly into the ant's nest so that the brood comes into contact with table salt, these can perish. However, this does not eliminate the plague of ants, as the queen can still lay eggs.

Margarine and butter

Ant expert Daniel Chérix works as a professor at the University of Lausanne and has discovered that ants do not like the smell of butter. According to his assumption, the aroma reminds the insects of dead conspecifics, which is why they avoid the spread. It shouldn't matter whether you use reduced-fat margarine or butter.

This method probably does not achieve the same effect on all ants, as some species feed on fatty seeds and will not spurn butter either. Many forest, meadow and lawn ants eat the fatty appendage that is found on the seeds of various herbaceous plants. With these species, you can use olive oil or butter as bait.

Oil and liquid substances

Oil does not harm the ants, but the insects avoid oily or watery subsoil. Although they cannot overcome this barrier, they are looking for an alternative path. Therefore, a small streak of oil on the ant route will not bring any success. If you want to scare off the ants with oil or water, you need to create a large puddle. Regular renewal is mandatory, because water evaporates quickly and oil is made accessible by dust deposits.

What helps against an ant plague in the long term?

If you want to fight ants permanently and effectively, the causes must be eliminated. The insects get into the apartment because they are attracted by smells. You will find food sources or suitable nesting sites. As long as these conditions persist, colonization cannot be ruled out, even after successful control or deterrence. In the long run, only structural measures will solve the problem.

Eliminate causes through construction measures:

• Replace infected wooden parts and insulating mats
• Avoid damp conditions in niches and cracks
• Thoroughly clean inaccessible corners
• Seal or seal gaps

Camphor

Camphor doesn't just harm ants

This colorless solid is obtained from the wood of camphor trees. When ingested, the central nervous system and kidneys are impaired, making the product suitable as an insecticide. A solution of one part camphor and ten parts alcohol is sprayed directly onto the ants using a flower syringe.

Health risks:

• psyche: Anxiety, agitation, confusion
• memory: profound disorders of short-term memory, amnesia
• body: Nausea, disorders of the respiratory center
• Nervous system: epileptic seizures

Liver sausage bait

Some species of ants are considered omnivores and eat foods rich in protein and carbohydrates. You go to different foods, with liver sausage being particularly popular. You can use the animal product as a basic substance and mix it with a toxic substance. This measure has an effect on the ants that ate the bait. It should be renewed daily so that the attraction is maintained.

How to make a liver sausage bait:

1. Dissolve one coffee scoop of baking soda in three teaspoons of hot water
2. Add liver sausage to the solution in a ratio of 2: 3
3. Mix until a creamy paste is formed
4. Fill in bait cans and place on the ant trails
5. refresh regularly if necessary

Sugar water as a bait carrier

Ants love sweets - and do not notice when they are poisoned

Sugary substances are a valuable source of carbohydrates for ants. They therefore also feed on the sweet excretions of the aphids. An aqueous solution with crystal or powdered sugar attracts the insects, which soak up the juice. You can take advantage of this and add a toxic substance to the mixture.

Effectively drive ants out of the apartment

If you find individual insects in the house, you don't need to lay out poisonous baits right away. As long as the ants have not yet discovered an optimal livelihood in the household, the risk of permanent colonization is low. Isolated insects can be brought outside by hand. If an ant trail slowly develops, you can scare off the animals.

cinammon

The intense smell of the spice powder ensures that the ants' sense of smell becomes confused. They orientate themselves based on the smells of their scent brands. In this way, the insects find their ant route and thus their way to various food sources. If the road is crossed by a trail of cinnamon, the ants have to look for new sources of food. However, cinnamon powder will only work if you use it correctly:

• avoid wastefulness and lay as thick a trail as possible
• take fresh cinnamon powder, which smells intensely
• renew daily if necessary

If the home remedy proves ineffective, consider other methods. The ants often find other ways into the house or insects have already settled in niches and cracks that cannot find a way out due to the cinnamon powder. Cinnamon turns out to be a few Ants in the house as effective. This makes it difficult to get rid of the large numbers of small insects.

Ants can't stand the smell of cinnamon

Tea tree oil

The essential oil has an intense odor that has a deterrent effect on ants. If you don't abhor the aroma, you can use a few drops of tea tree oil to create a scent barrier on the ant trail. Similar to cinnamon or vinegar, tea tree oil also has to be reapplied regularly and, if necessary, several times a day, as the scent effect quickly diminishes.

Ant species and areas of life

Red ants can cause painful stings, while black ants are classified as harmless. Yellow ants are seen less frequently in the garden and winged ants are occasionally seen. There are around 200 different species of ants in Europe with different ways of life and characteristics. Not all of them appear in the kitchen, bathroom or roof truss. Often different species settle in the pavement or in the house wall.

Do I have to fight ants in the garden?

Ants cannot be exterminated in the garden, as new insects will try to colonize them every year. The large-scale use of poison is not recommended because it not only damages nature in the garden, but also endangers the health of children and pets. Wild ants do no harm in the garden. They take on important functions in the ecosystem.

race

The insects are part of the natural fauna of a lawn. Every year ants swarm between June and September. Young queens of different ants dig themselves into the earth and leave behind visible piles of earth, which in some cases spread over the entire meadow. The ants try to build new colonies here.

Since the insects are extremely territorial, numerous young queens are captured and eaten by local peoples. Nature regulates the problem by itself. If you were to keep the lawn completely ants-free by using poison, some young queens would have the best chance of survival. The cycle starts all over again, which is why combating it is not advisable.

Vegetable patch

Yellow and black garden ants like to colonize beds in the vegetable garden. The yellow ants prefer to build their nests under stones, while the black relatives colonize the open substrate. If the insects appear in the bed, you should check the plants for lice infestation. This does not necessarily have to occur on the leaves, because the ants also feed on the honeydew of the root lice.

Here's how to scare the ants away:

• disturbance: poke the nest with a stick several times a day until the ants move
• Floods: Water raised beds heavily so that ants flee
• Dig up: transports brood to the surface, where it dries out

Flower box

The same species settle here as in the flowerbed. Since potted plants are occasionally placed in the apartment, removal measures are useful. Water the flower pot well or put it in a water bath. As a result, duct systems are flooded so that the roots are again surrounded by earth.

The ants should flee and find another nesting opportunity. If you are unsure, you can repot the plant and completely replace the substrate. Take this opportunity to check the roots for lice as well.

Ant plants

Some species of ants colonize plants that have been attacked by aphids or root lice. These provide the insects with energy-rich food. In return, ants care for the lice and protect them from enemies. It is therefore possible that you can also observe ants on indoor plants. This does not harm the plants, however, and the ants disappear if they lack the food source. You should therefore strengthen the plants and prevent aphid infestation instead of fighting ants with poison.

Fighting aphids and getting rid of ants:

• Garlic drives away pests
• Coffee grounds aromas have a deterrent effect
• Wipe the juice extractor with washing-up liquid and water

Chemicals

Chemical agents are often less effective than promised

Insecticides promise a professional and effective way of combating an ant plague. But apart from the health risks for humans and pets, many bait bases are ineffective. Antifouling properties and the distribution of toxins in the nest play a major role here.

Fipronil

The biocide is used in many insecticides because it acts as a contact poison against numerous pests and ants. The period of time between the absorption of the active ingredient and the first symptoms of intoxication is comparatively long. The first ants die after three to four days. Complete elimination of the ant colony can be expected within four weeks. Fipronil is often used in self-made bait with liver sausage.

Dangers and disadvantages:

• Substance is not soluble in water
• is suspected of causing cancer
• can be fatal to children and pets in high doses

borax

This rare mineral is used in many ant baits for its insecticidal properties. Most products are not convincing, however, as a concentration of around four percent cannot achieve an effective effect. Agents with higher concentrations, on the other hand, have a feeding-repellent effect and are spurned by the ants. Borax can impair fertility and cause malformations in the embryo.

Ants are useful

The insects occupy an important position in the ecosystem. They are not only food for birds and other insectivores, but also ensure that they function properly in the forest habitat. Ants loosen up the substrate, accelerate decomposition processes and transport dead insects into their burrows to feed them to their larvae. There are numerous symbioses in which ants are involved:

• Epiphytic plants provide ants with nesting opportunities and receive nutrients in return
• Plants provide ants with juices and are therefore protected from predators
• some insect larvae are fed in the ant nest, which gives ants nourishing glandular secretions

Nest types

Ants build their nests from pieces of wood and plants that they mix with clods of earth, resin, and other natural materials. They are built in different cavities or erected freely. Free nests are mainly built by tropical species of ants.

frequently asked Questions

Are ants harmful to my roses?

Ants do not feed on plant tissue or sap. They do, however, suck up the secretions left by lice. If ants have settled on peonies, they can be infested with root lice. The ants' burial activities loosen the roots so that the trees can no longer absorb sufficient water and nutrients. Trample the earth regularly to stop digging. Make sure you have enough water and nutrients to keep the roses from wilting.

Why do ants colonize my strawberries?

If ants romp among your strawberry plants, there can be two causes. Check the leaves for lice infestation. Once the pests have settled on the parts of the plant, ants are usually not far away. If you don't see any aphids, check the surrounding area. Ants often live on the trunk of fruit trees. If overripe fruit falls from a cherry tree or apple tree, ants like to pounce on the sweet fruit.

Why do ants crawl on the cherry laurel even though there are no aphids?

The cherry laurel has two glands at its leaf base from which it excretes sugary plant juices. Ants are attracted by the sweet aroma and it is not uncommon for the cherry laurel to be attacked by ants. In truth, the ants protect the tree from pests that eat the leaves. This is why the nectar is also known as policeman food. In the first few weeks after the buds have sprouted, nectar production is particularly high, so that ants, in particular forest ants, are attracted on a massive scale.

Why do ants like butter?

Most forest and garden ants, as well as some lawn ants, have a wide range of food and some plants know how to use this. violet and Larkspur develop seeds on which a fatty appendage grows. This attracts different species of ants, which transport the seeds away and eat the appendage. In return for this seed distribution, they are given food. Such species will not disdain a piece of butter. Margarine, on the other hand, is not readily accepted.

How can I fight ants in the room?

Basically, you should first try to identify the specific species. Find out about the insects' way of life in order to be able to carry out a meaningful control measure. Often no control is necessary and in some cases only arranging with the ants helps, unless structural measures are taken. If ants have settled in the wooden house, in the wall or in the basement, nesting opportunities should be eliminated. It is important that you deprive the insects of their livelihood.

Which ants are there in the house?

The most commonly reported ant in homes is the brown garden ant, which naturally nests in deadwood. Occasionally it settles in built-in wood or in plasterboard. EPS and XPS thermal insulation panels in particular have a material quality like dead wood, which is why the ants create extensive corridor systems and chambers here. An infestation is usually only noticed when the building material piles up in the apartment in the form of flour.