5 Effective Ways to Get Rid of Ants Naturally

Ants can be a real nuisance in your home-an army of insects head deep in any leftovers you accidentally left out. But spraying ants down with pesticides does more harm than good; that’s why it’s best to attack your ant problem without the chemicals. Here are some simple and effective ways to get rid of ants naturally.

Prevention is Your Best Defense Against an Ant Problem

If ants have nothing to snack on then they won’t attack in the first place.
That means keep your house as clean as possible.
Don’t let water gather in and around your home because it supplies ants with a place to drink, one aspect of their survival.
Never leave dirty dishes in the sink.
Don’t leave any food uncovered on the counters.
Keep trash bins as far away from the house as possible.

How to Stop an Ant Infestation

Once you see where ants are entering your home, you have many options to get rid of them naturally, so they don’t make it into your home. Here are five that work really well:

Sprinkle cayenne pepper around the entry point.
Lemon juice is another natural ant repellent. Fill a spray bottle with lemon juice and soak the ant entry point.
Water and white vinegar (1/2 water and 1/2 white vinegar in a spray bottle) can also be sprayed at the ant entry point.
A few drops of cinnamon essential oil at the ant entry point can also be effective.
Coffee grounds seem to repel ants without killing them. Sprinkle a few used coffee grounds at the point of entry and any other place that they’re mingling.

Give these natural remedies a try and you’ll find that pesticides are unnecessary. Not only are they poisonous, many pesticides actually make ants more aggressive. Neonicotinoids, one of the most popular pesticides used, makes some species of ants much more aggressive.