2 Earth-Friendly Ways to Get Rid of Ants

An ant infestation usually starts out with just one ant scurrying about looking for food. You ignore it. What can one ant do, right? Well, one ant can do a lot because once an ant finds food it will communicate this to others. So, in time, you’ll observe that your ant visitors are gradually increasing in number. By the time you decide to do something about it, the problem may already be worse. That’s why it’s always better to nip a pest problem in the bud, so to speak. Once you see an ant or two, you should get rid of them right away.

There are different ways to wipe out ants from inside your home, as well as your garden too. If you think about getting rid of pests, the first thing that’ll most likely come to your mind is – pesticide. Although pesticides can help remove harmful germs and pests, these are also pretty harmful to health. Notice the words of warning on the product label? Most will state, “Do not spray directly to humans and pets,” or “Harmful (toxic) if swallowed.” If you take these warnings seriously, you’ll definitely think twice about having these chemicals inside your home where it could come into contact with you, your kids and pets. Even if pesticides are somewhat safe to use as long as you follow precautions, there’s still danger. So, what other options do you have if you find yourself in dire need of a good pest control agent?

1. Use Organic Insecticides

A lot of companies now manufacture green products. An example is EcoSmart, which manufactures different types of eco-friendly insecticides for bed bugs, wasps and hornets, as well as ants and cockroaches. Most of these types of green products are non-toxic to pets and humans.

Biopesticides or biological pest control agents are also good alternatives. These are less harmful to the environment, cheaper, and are also deemed to be more effective than other brands of pesticides. But the downside here is that biopesticides need to be very specific. This means that a certain biopesticide must target a specific pest.

2. Use Natural Remedies

You can also create your own natural remedies for ant infestations. Since ants leave scents or chemical trails for other ants to follow, you can get rid of these odors by applying or cleaning surfaces with vinegar. You can use pure vinegar, or mix this with water using a 1:1 ratio. Essential oils are also ant deterrents, specifically peppermint, tea tree oil or eucalyptus. Create mixtures using these oils and use these for cleaning.

Using diatomaceous earth is also recommended. DE is not toxic to humans, and it is eco-friendly too. Just sprinkle this near anthills or trails. DE is pretty sticky; and once this sticks onto ants, the insects will find it harder to move about.

Sprinkling coffee grounds and cinnamon near doors or windows will deter ants from entering your property too. A mixture of fine sugar and baking soda will also kill ants as baking soda is very toxic to ants. As for sugar, it serves as bait for the insects.

Image courtesy hinnamsaisuy at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Claire Pritchard is a freelance blogger. She writes for pest control websites, like AdmiralPest.com, which is a company that offers pest control services to those having problems with ants, rodents, bed bugs, and many other pests.

2 Earth-Friendly Ways to Get Rid of Ants is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag

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