Home remedies for ants: what really helps?

To what extent can ants be fought successfully and in an environmentally friendly way with household remedies such as baking powder & Co. and which remedy works how reliably?

Ants (Formicidae) can become a real nuisance. In the house, the insects are usually not welcome guests and in the garden they often turn out to be a real burden. And at the latest when ants appear in places where they limit your comfort, you will soon want a good method of combating these small pests. Fortunately, you don't have to go for the chemical club.

Some home remedies for ants can also be helpful in the fight against pests - with greater or lesser effectiveness. Basically, for a successful fight against Ants in the house or apartment the cause of the presence of the ants must be combated - otherwise even the most effective home remedies will not work long-term. If ant trails have already formed, the thorough removal of the pheromone trail, which the animals use to orient themselves, has top priority. Because once this has disappeared, home remedies against ants are also more reliable. Which home remedies work how well, how they are used and which alternatives are available are explained below. If you are looking for an easier and more effective way to control ants in your home, you can contact us here directly

Plantura ant remedy inform.

1. Herbs to repel ants

Some herbs like for example lavender (Lavandula), marjoram (Origanum majorana) or mint (Mentha) are supposed to keep ants at a distance through their scent. You can simply plant the herbs in the garden for this. If there is an existing infestation, lay out the branches of the herbs on the paths of the ants. In most cases, however, the fragrances in these herbs are not enough to actually drive away the pests. Lavender, marjoram and mint can therefore be described more as a means of prevention than as a control measure.

2. Tea tree oil to fight ants

Ants can't stand the smell of tea tree oil, which is why this home remedy can be used to fight ants quite easily. If you mix a few drops of the oil with a little water and put it on the ant route or as close as possible to the ants' nesting places, the ants will be driven away by the home remedy. Tea tree oil is suitable for very light infestations, but more severe infestations cannot be resolved with it. Of course, this method is only suitable for you if you don't mind the smell of tea tree oil yourself.

3. Cinnamon against ants

As a home remedy can also Cinnamon against ants help. The spice can scent away the nuisances. Cinnamon powder can be used just as well as ten percent cinnamon oil. A cinnamon spray, for which you mix two tablespoons of cinnamon with half a liter of water, can also be used as a natural remedy for ants. First remove the scent trail that the ants create on their streets with a strong-smelling cleaning agent - for example vinegar essence. Then a five-centimeter-wide barrier made of cinnamon powder or oil is created where the ants could enter the house. The only problem is that the effects of the cinnamon scent are not strong enough to ensure that the ants do not move to their new home in the immediate vicinity. Cinnamon is therefore not particularly suitable for keeping large areas of your garden ants-free.

4. Lemon peel as a home remedy for ants

The smell of lemons (Citrus x limon) ants also find anything but appetizing. In the case of minor pests, the lemon can therefore be used successfully as a home remedy against ants. To drive away the crawfish, lemon peel should be rubbed on the floor or even placed there. You can also spread freshly squeezed lemon juice on the floor with a cloth to scare away the ants. However, you shouldn't use sweetened lemon juice from the supermarket here, as the sugar it contains can even attract the ants. Manure can be used in the garden, which is obtained from the peels of oranges (Citrus x sinensis) or grapefruits (Citrus x paradisi) getting produced. A liquid manure from the citrus fruits mentioned should brew for about two to three weeks.

5. Baking powder against ants

Helps Baking powder against ants? The answer is a resounding yes: baking soda is an effective home remedy for ants. The baking soda it contains swells in the animals' stomachs so that they perish. But even with simple contact, the small animals usually die from the chemical burns. So that the insects do not bypass the applied powder, you can mix it with powdered sugar and sprinkle it on the ant trails. Unfortunately, other insects can also fall for the trick and eat the baking soda. So can Honey bees, Wild bees and native butterfly species also fall victim to the action. It is therefore imperative that you only use baking powder with powdered sugar indoors!

6. Vinegar against ants

Vinegar is a well-known home remedy for ants that often works well. If you wipe the floor with a mixture of 10% vinegar and 90% water, you not only destroy the pheromone trace of the small insects, but also scare them off with the smell. At the same time, vinegar can also be used selectively against ants by dripping it pure on particularly affected areas or spraying it with a bottle. Unfortunately, not only ants but also some pets and people with a particularly fine nose suffer from the vinegar smell. This can be remedied by using apple cider vinegar, which has a less intense odor, or by diluting it more strongly.

7. Avoid food sources for ants

Probably the best remedy against ants is to track down the cause of a plague. Follow the ant route and see where it leads. Food leftovers, leaky organic bins or cat or dog food are often responsible for the plague. If this is the case, the insects usually disappear as soon as they can no longer find food.

8. Common mistakes about fighting ants with home remedies

Home remedies for ants are very popular. Unfortunately, however, there are now numerous errors and myths in this area, and it must be stated that some “miracle cures” have no effect whatsoever. For example, a popular myth is that you can use a mixture of yeast and honey to control ants. In reality, however, this home remedy for ants has no effect. On the contrary: the sticky mass with its sweet smell only attracts more ants. Even normal table salt as a natural remedy against ants turns out to be ineffective - only Staghorn salt can be used to fight ants, as it has a similar effect as Has baking soda. Even oil is not a suitable home remedy for ants. The fairy tale arises from the fact that ants avoid crawling through liquids such as oil or water - but as soon as they dry off. are covered with dust, the remedy is unfortunately ineffective and the ants follow their old route again.

9. InsectoSec® as an alternative to home remedies against ants

As you saw in the sections above, there are a few home remedies that can be used to scent ants away, especially with their scent. An effective and sustainable control is unfortunately not guaranteed with these home remedies - whether one If the effect is satisfactory, it may ultimately also depend on the special circumstances or the type of ant that occurs depend. However, we cannot recommend the use of chemical biocides as these products are often extremely harmful to the environment, humans and animals and must be used with great care. In order to reliably combat pests such as ants, we have ours Plantura ant remedy developed, which takes action against the little pests with the active ingredient InsectoSec®.

But what exactly is InsectoSec® and how does it work?

InsectoSec® consists of 100% diatomaceous earth, a pure and high-quality kieselguhr. Diatomaceous earth is created from fossil deposits of diatoms and is therefore a natural raw material. Diatomaceous earth acts as a natural insecticide by absorbing the protective layer of fat on the chitin carapace, which causes the affected insects to dry out. In addition, with its fine grain it clogs the breathing openings (trachea) of the crawly animals, so that they suffocate. It is an effective way to get rid of pests like ants. When using it, you should note the following: Diatomaceous earth is incredibly useful and particularly interesting because insects do not develop any resistance to the substance. If used incorrectly, various other insects can of course also be killed by dehydration or asphyxiation. If our detailed instructions for use are observed, this will of course not occur.

Note: In some rare cases, ants use facades or other structural elements as a nesting place. If so, it is imperative to act and to combat it reliably, for example with ours Plantura ant remedy, to recommend. However, if an infestation occurs over and over again, it is better to contact a specialist.