Does anyone know of a natural/green ant killer?

Question

I have little grease ants coming into my house. I do not see where the chemical trail is, and it is just one to two every so often. I HATE these little stinkers and since I have two cats I would like a natural way to keep them outside and not in my house. I have tried chalk, ant bait...still I found them crawling on my sink. No water is in the sink...so they have no water source. No food is out...counter is spotless. All food is in tupperware or sealed containers. HELP!!! Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Boric acid is a natural toxin to certain insects, including ants.  I found this on a chemical compound website:

"WOOD PRESERVATIVES and PESTICIDES : Borates and Boric Acid are very effective in controlling and eliminating insects and fungi. Though they are not harmful to mammals, they are toxic against cockroaches, ants, scarabs, larvae, and other insects, resulting in manipulation at any location and environment."

I believe it's a white powder, but I don't know where you would buy it - hardware store?  greenhouse/nursery?.  I think all you would do is sprinkle some at the points where you think the ants are entering.  Good luck!

Answer 2

I think if you focus on the ants outside of your house entering into your house, you may resolve the issue.  One of the best natural alternatives I have seen is beneficial nematodes.  These little microscopic guys thrive in environments such as a nicely watered lawn.  Get them from your local nursery and add the package you receive into a sprayer(follow the directions!).  Make sure the lawn stays watered so they don't die from the heat.  Once they have been introduced into your lawn, they seek out all types of bugs such as ants and fleas and actually plant eggs on them.  The eggs hatch on the ants and eat their way from the inside out, spreading to the next victim.  These guys actually increase their numbers by taking out the ants.  Pretty cool, eh?

Answer 3

soapy water a la dish washing liquid soap and a little bit of water. i've used it for years with great success. it kills them immediately. allow for a learning curve from the ants. it takes a little time, but they will stop coming in.

believe it when you see it.

Answer 4

We tolerate the one or two trackers, but will use the vacuum to rid trails of our uninvited ant friends that fail to stay outdoors or undetected.

Natural...hmmm, this violates the request but a literal Q-tip application of Ant Spray at the entry location (preferable to permanently seal the entry point with caulking) will keep them out. You are doing the right things by keeping the food and water sources in check. Until I find ants actually moving away from a substance in nature (do look for this), this is the best I can do for now.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

Ground Cinnamon works great for me.

I sprinkled a liberal amount on my window sills and swept it into the cracks under my counters and along the edges next to the wall.

It makes everything smell good too.

Answer 6

I've successfully used two of the methods previously suggested in other posts - diatomaceous clay and also boric acid (found at many drug stores), but the easiest anti-insect remedy I've found is dried pennyroyal leaves. Just sprinkle around the perimeter - spread behind cupboards, etc. You could also find pennyroyal in an oil form that can be mixed with water and sprayed along baseboards.

Answer 7

I was always told to use Borax soap its in a box in the laundry soap isle. Sprinkle it around the perimeter of your home and the lil ant problem should go away.

Answer 8

I'll have to try the cinnamon &/or salt  trick--I've used ground cloves and the bay leaves and I just heard used coffee grounds work too.  You can line the outside of your home with the coffee and be enriching the soil at the same time!

My kids love play with the ants with the cloves.  The ants hate it and run the other direction.  Not the nicest thing to do...but we did it when talking about insects senses.

Answer 9

You can combine equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. By spraying the ants and their pathway, the acid in the vinegar kills the ants and the other ants lose their "path".

Its safe to use around kids and animals, as well as eating surfaces :)

Answer 10

I think it depends what kind of ants they are, but the carpenter ants are the ones that you must get rid of, and that will probably take an exterminator.  The little bitty ants are just a pain in the neck, but try a small bowl of sugar and water next to the sink....they get their fill and drown in the stuff. Make sure the bowl is low enough so they can crawl into it. Good luck on your bugs.....Been there done that!!!! LOL

Answer 11

I hear bay leaves work really well and also, a couple years ago my dorm got invaded by ants, my roommate put a thine line of ground cinnamon all along the base of the cabinets and the threshhold of the door where their little marching line started. She said she heard somewhere that the cinnamon burns their little feet and feelers so they leave and stay away. I'm not sure if that's how it works exactly but it worked and they left. after a while we just vaccumed up the cinnamon.  While it may harm them a little, it's a lot less then the agonizing death they get with any type of chemical poison.

Answer 12

There is an special way of chasing bugs away from your house. There are some supersonic emitters called Pest/Bug repeller that will chase the bugs away. I saw this thing in an airline catalog. I have never tried that but probably you can try it. I think it should be very efficient. I hope you don't have pets at home like dog, because dog can hear wider range of frequency than human, if you use that equipment, it might annoy your dog as well. I think this is natural enough as you won't kill them, but just annoy them away.

Answer 13

Two simple words; "EGG SHELLS" Yup, crack your egg open, eat your egg, take the two shells, put them out by the trail of ants and in a few hours gone, if not, then by next day all ants gone.

Don't wash the egg shells out, crack, eat the egg, put the shells down by the trail of ants.

There is something that repulses ants senses, feelers they just don't like egg shells. It's an old family secret, back to our days as Romans.

Answer 14

The best and easiest method shown below is to sprinkle salt on the path ways the ants use to enter the home. They won't cross over the salt path and the ant problems are solved. It doesn't actually kill the nest or cause any environmental problems. Salt is something everyone should already have available and is relatively cheap. Hint: I've found trails around my foundation iin the basement and sprinkled salt to keep them from climbing up through the walls into the house.

Answer 15

One great thing you can use is old coffee grinds. After you have used them in your coffee pot, take them out of the filter and sprinkle them around your problem ant areas. The smell will drive them away, and it will make your home smell like a coffee shop!

Answer 16

Simply, and naturally, by using mint oil.  You can find it in a spray can in any home improvement store in the bug killer aisle.  It smells great, and is child and pet friendly.

Answer 17

That's an easy one. Leave them alone. Ants only have a two week life span and they will die off naturally. There IS water in your sink. It is in the pipes and faucet. It only takes a small amount to keep them happy. The best defense is to keep the amounts of ants small by keeping food away. Other than that just kill the ones you see. There is no such thing as true infestation unless you breed them. The pest companys want you to believe that it will hurt you!!!!!

Answer 18

The best way to kill the ants organically is with "FOOD GRADE" Diatomaceous Earth (DE). I emphasized food grade because you do not want the pool grade DE which has been heated and has chemical additives. Do Not Use Pool Grade DE.

This organic powder feels similar to talcum powder and is only dangerous to creatures with exo-skeletons like ants.  You can sprinkle it in your kitchen, and around the border of your home this will prevent them from ever getting in.  The DE has tiny razor sharp edges that cut into the ants and causes them to dehydrate.  DE is also ingestible and is a natural way to fight internal parasites.  I buy my DE at a local farm animal supply store.

Answer 19

some people say

1) Cinnamon- supposedly its a natrual irritant.

2) Boric acid- Although it is a natural ingredient, it may cause irritation to your cats (and is a "no no" for children for sure).

3) Chalk- a) Some people also say if you draw a chalk line (yes chalk like school chalk) they wont cross it.

Chalk -b) use the chalk dust like boric acid. Make a line of it where you dont want them to cross

4) Baking soda- use in the same manner as boric acid

5) Baking soda/Cinnamon mix- non hazadous for everybody same strategy

6) see this site for more! http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Ants-N...

7) Stay clean! See below

Keep your space clean. i had the same problem. I kept saying, "WHAT IS THE PROBLEM!!?! THERES NO FOOD, CRUMBS, WATER NOTHING! EVERYTHINGS COVERED!WHY DO THEY KEEP COMING!?!" I stayed vigilant and kept the kitchen SPOTLESS for a while (like two weeks) and made sure there were no crumbs water  jelly marks whatever around and  they stopped sending scouts (those one or two you see every once in a while).

Hope this helps.  Vote me best answer! :)

Answer 20

You could try to stop them before they come into your home by placing a few drops of natural pepermint oil (non diluted) around windows, doors, sinks, drains, and along baseboards.  Most bugs, and spiders do not like the oil, and will stay away.  Bonus.... your house will smell great!

Answer 21

I have tried lots of things for ants however not chalk as its kind of hard in a 2nd story condo lol...one thing that DID work was bay leaves and fresh are best but dried do help too. You can place them around food items but also where you find the ants and along the perimeter.

To the person recomending Lantana (correct spelling), I have never heard it good for repelling ants however if anyone has issues with deer eatting their plants it is one the deer will not touch. Lantana is a tropical plant used as a ground cover here in the states and once established can be quite hardy. Also never heard of using cinnamon, not sure on that one... try the bay leaves!~ they smell good too eheh

www.raynfallcreations.com

Answer 22

Put "Bay Leaves" around the counters and in food canisters (sugar jar, flour jar, etc.)  I am not sure what it does but it works my grandma has used it for years and I have started since I have my own place.  I haven't had any ant problems since.   i.e. make sure that they are whole bay leaves not chopped or anything.

Answer 23

A magnifying glass and the sun. You want to kill harmless ants but you want to do it in a green way. That makes a lot of sense.

Answer 24

EVERY YEAR AROUND THIS TIME MY MOTHER GET ANTS. I KNOW SHE HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS NOW AND IT WORKS EVERY TIME.

SHE ACTUALLY PUTS DOWN BABY POWDER AROUND THE EDGES OF THE WALLS SHE GETS ANTS THE MOST.

THIS METHOD ACTUALLY WORKS AWESOME.

GOOD LUCK.

Answer 25

Use baby powder! Yes, spread the baby poweder along the doors, windows or any entries the ants may come in.  It works for me and no harm to the environment.

Answer 26

Rice, the workers don't eat it, instead they bring it to the queen to feed her, but when she eats it the rice expands in her stomach killing her and in effect killing the colany.

Answer 27

Your answer will be to get an Anteater.  We have one in Australia called the Echidna. You will have to get a special permit from the State Authorities to keep an Echidna.

  The other thing you can do is move to another house without dirty neighbours or ant nests nearby.

  The actual question you are asking for, a method to kill a natural part of the ecosystem, is a contradiction of the environmental green ethic.

Answer 28

Simple Green, It is a non-toxic cleaning product, but it kills ants and other bugs on contact and you can spray it all over. The smell is minty pine like, so it is not offensive and my cats do not care about it one way or the other, the label says it is pet safe. So you can clean the area and kill the bugs too. http://www.simplegreen.com/

Answer 29

Someone once gave me the advice of putting out bay leaves (in my case around the sink and kitchen window) and the ants disappeared within a day. Don't know how it works but it worked for me. Good luck!

Answer 30

The following URL lists a 2 prong approach to killing the ants.  First, diatomaceous earth spread in a band around your house. (this works by cutting the ants bodies as they walk over it, and drying them out.) and second making an ant bait using boric acid to kill the colony.

If using the two methods together, I think it would be better to place the bait outdoors away from the band of diatomaceous earth.  This gives the bait a better chance of being brought to the colony.

Answer 31

A flower I believed is spelled llantana (related to the mint family) is very useful for insects and pests. It keeps them out of your immediate house area if planted around your house. They come in different colors and have a mint shaped leaf and grow and spread like ground cover or bushes depending on variety and how maintained. I have had much luck with them as well as the boric acid and also plain old Windex sprayed on their trail stops them in their tracks.