How to get rid of ants
Do you have children? Are they fond of eating biscuits and sweets? If
yes then you are already familiar with the menace of ants. Most children
love to dally all over the house with a piece of biscuit in their hands
dropping crumbs all over the place. And where there are crumbs you will
inevitably find ants! Pesticides are effective methods of chasing the
ants away but too many chemicals are not good for the body at all. You
cannot keep using pesticides, as ants generally do return to the same
place for hunting. Once the ants are established in your house, it
becomes increasingly difficult to get rid of them.
Why should you get rid of ants? Not all ants are dangerous but several
are reputed to carry bacterial infections on them. For example, The
Pharaoh Ant is commonly seen in North America and has been established
in moving hazardous bacteria like Staphylococcus and Psuedomonas. As
ants move all over dirty areas and food particles, they can easily
spread bacteria into your home from other more dirty areas.
Fire ants are also a problem area in North America as they are
extremely aggressive just like the Africanized honey bee. The ants can
bite without provocation and they initiate the attacks for no reason or
provocation. A fire ant attack can cause severe life threatening
problems like pain, sweating, and anaphylactic shock resulting in death
if not treated promptly. Carpenter ants are another variant that can
destroy furniture by burrowing in it to create their nests. There is
no need to worry. By carrying out basic cleanliness processes you can
ensure that your home is clean and clear of ants. Pest control is ideal
once in a while but there are several simple home tips and tricks you
can use too.
You can start by squirting vinegar all over the affected areas. Just
fill a squirt bottle along the route of the ants or where they are
entering your home and let the solution dry. Ants don’t like the smell.
You can even try adding a few drops to your home cleaning solution to
ensure that ants don’t find another route in to your home.
Baby powder seems to work well too for some reason. Try using the
scented variant where you can try dusting the powder on the route of the
ants and around your sugar bowl and your kitchen. It works well and ants
get upset with the clingy powder that does not come off well.
You can also try strong scented spices like cinnamon and black pepper.
Dust these spice mixes along the routes of the ants or where they come
into the home to ensure that the ants don’t come back. Use these spice
mixes around your garbage bags, near pets, window sills and around food
too for best results. The powder is safe but do wash it off before using
the containers before use.
Peppermint oil is also a great alternative to rid your house of ants.
The spray can be made by mixing peppermint oil with hot soapy water. Use
the spray just as you would use an insect repellent. But please be
advised that the spray can be dangerous to pets and humans alike.
Peppermint oil is not recommended for ingestion and is extremely toxic
to pets and humans. Please do not use this combination if you have
toddlers, pets and crawling babies in the house. If you still cannot
rid your home of ants then do be careful. It can be that your home is
not really clean. Ants are attracted to food and sugar that has been
lying around. If you keep your home clean and clear of scattered food;
you will remain healthier and ant free. It’s that simple. |
