Animal Rights Community Online

[Strandysmommy]

 Ant Invasion

[Ray P.]

Suggestions from a similar topic last year:

Cinnamon / mint leaves

[Faunus]

I've tried cinnamon sprinkled in the cracks where they might be entering the house, but it didn't work at first. (It is supposed to be a repellent and not lethal to ants). Someone suggested that my cinnamon wasn't fresh enough, so I bought a new small container to replace the one I had for years. This did repel some species of ants, but it had to be freshly applied weekly. It did not work for repelling the large black "carpenter ants", just the tiny "sugar ants". (Sorry I don't have their scientific name at my fingertips).

I do not suggest using boron-based products such as Boraxo, Borateem (sp?), etc. It has been suggested on the internet for killing ants, roaches, and fleas, but the companies that produce these products will state that they also do not suggest using it for killing insects because it can be quite toxic to animals. (I know that it can be extremely damaging and even lethal to plants, even though boron is the second most used micronutrient for many plants. But we are talking about concentrated doses, not the minute doses found in fertilisers).

I have no intention of killing ants; I too just want to repel them. But I have seen where if no food is available inside the house - they will eventually leave. It's a matter of patience.

[panthera]

A lot of people use cayenne pepper, too. I've never had any luck with mint. I tried the cayenne pepper and also the cinnamon, although just around the countertop where I really didn't want them to be. It worked pretty well, but I kept wiping it up every time I wiped down the counter.

I recall someone putting cat food down right near the door, or maybe it was a trail that led to a large mound of it outside. Also, someone here said that essential oils deter ants. Not sure how you would use them, maybe spraying w/a dilute solution, or using infused rags?

[animalrightsmalta]

Just a thought...could work:

Put some sugar or other food stuff in a tipped box. When they're in the box, take it outside.

[Catawba]

IF you've the time, and want to put in the effort (as I did): Put a small amount of jam into a jar... leave said jar hanging around where the ants are... once full of ants, take them out to the garden, and replace with new jar of jam in the problem area. Leave jam in the jar when putting it out and they will prefer that jar to coming indoors again. Somewhat time consuming, but you get to know the ants almost personally this way too ;o) I enjoyed watching them, but you might want a quicker solution.

[animalrightsmalta]

[MountanMan]

How about putting food out for them away from the house about 50 yards. That way they may get everything they need without going into your house.

[Faunus]

I hope I am not violating a sound rule by posting this web site, but the moderators can feel free to delete this if appropriate!

I came across this web site regarding natural ant repellents that claim to do just that - repel and not kill. The product is using cinnamon essential oil, cassia essential oil, clove essential oil, and distilled water. View it at:

http://www.herbariasoap.com/other-products/ant-away.html?gclid=CNbasL-Zr6ICFQK1sgodZBqJQg

I am not promoting the product because I haven't used it, but I'm willing to give it a try.
I have a strong hunch that the essential oils might be the key because the active ingredients are concentrated. My using canned cinnamon for ants had only a minimal effect that was short lived as it aged.

[Beardy]

I use watered down washing up liquid, it seems to deter them. And keeping the house clear of all crumbs is essential too. Other than that, it is difficult.

[Horsefriend]

Yes, definitely keep all food off the ground. Don't give them a reason to be there. I used to live in Florida and boy did we have ants there. I saw an unopened chocolate bar wrapper with a little hole in it. All of the chocolate had been consumed, leaving the wrapper behind. It was in a desk drawer too.

[antikfc]

i have problems with that too...it is such a pain in the butt. I actually just wipe as much of them up as possible and put them outside ( I probably wind up killing some in the process but I am not sure it can be totally avoided) and than I spray the whole area that they came in from with a product called "Orange Guard". You should be able to find it at a health food store or maybe you can just google it to see where you can find it. It is supposed to be safe to use around animals but don't actually use it directly on the ants if you do not want to kill them but it i claims to repel them and seems to work alright for me.
I have tried cayenne pepper and fresh chilli powder but it did not work too great either.

Good luck

[Geoff]

Get one of these as a house mate.

[teddy bear]

[Gliondrach]

Some people claim vinegar works if you spray it where they come in.