Folk remedy for ants. How to remove ants in an apartment and on a property
If you notice the appearance of ants in your apartment or country house, it’s time to sound the alarm. These seemingly harmless creatures are capable of causing significant harm and irreparable destruction. Therefore, the effectiveness and speed of combating these insects depends on how quickly you react and begin to take the necessary measures.
There are ants in the apartment. What to do?
The appearance of ants in an apartment is an alarming sign. This indicates that they have already built a nest for themselves and are determined to share their home with you. There are many ways to remove ants. Some are more effective, others less. Based on the type of impact, they can be divided into several types:
- repellent;
- physically destructive;
- destroying in the nest.
Modern science has developed special means to combat ants, but they are not always effective. The fact is that insects can get used to and develop immunity to toxic substances. But from time immemorial, people have used various folk methods of getting rid of small pests. Fighting ants is a rather complicated matter, so it is recommended to use several methods and combine them until the insects disappear.
It is unlikely that you will be able to physically destroy the nest. It is securely hidden from prying eyes somewhere under the floor, in the wall, and so on. In addition, if you notice a chain of ants crawling into a crack on the floor, you should not start active actions. This may just be the entrance, and the nest itself is located in a completely different place.
Chemicals
If you are infested with insects, and you have tried all known methods, but to no avail, then you should use chemicals. They protect more effectively from ants and are suitable for combating large colonies. They can be made in the form of aerosols, gels or granules. Aerosols are not very effective. They destroy only a small part of the insects that appear in the action area. Others, including larvae, remain alive. Baits have a higher degree of destruction. They contain special substances that attract ants. Then he carries this poison to his nest, thereby poisoning other insects. But it’s better to use environmentally friendly methods, so it’s important to know how to get rid of ants using folk remedies.
Water with sugar
One of the simplest and most primitive methods of fighting ants is to trap them using honey or sugar placed in water. The insects will react and crawl to eat the sweets. But in this case they will simply drown. This method is ineffective, since it can be used to lure out and destroy a certain number of working ants. The nest, queen and other insects will not go anywhere and will continue to disturb you in the future.
Chamomile
A folk remedy for ants is chamomile, for some reason ants cannot tolerate it. Maybe it's the smell - these insects don't like strong smells. Therefore, ordinary chamomile, which is sold in abundance in pharmacies, can serve as a means of fighting insects. The advantage of this method is that chamomile can be placed in the closet, among clothes, in the kitchen near dishes and food. Unlike various poisons, it is not harmful and toxic, and therefore can be used without restrictions. The disadvantage of this method is its low efficiency. In some cases, the ants develop immunity; chamomile may not have an effect on them.
Garlic
A folk remedy for ants is garlic. You can also use it to repel ants. They don’t like it, like chamomile. Therefore, try to anoint the places where insects appear and routes with garlic. Garlic is good at repelling ants. But it is effective at the first stages of their appearance. In addition, the disadvantage of this method is the strong, persistent smell that will linger in your apartment. If this doesn't bother you, then you can try.
Boric acid
If the ants have already become accustomed to your apartment and feel like full-fledged owners, then the above methods will not be effective. You won't be able to cover every corner of your home with repellents. In this case, it’s time to move on to radical measures. People have always used boric acid to combat various insects. Ants are no exception. This acid must be mixed with something edible: dough, potatoes, egg yolks and others. Next, you need to form balls from the resulting mass and place them in places where ants accumulate. In this case, hardworking insects take the “treat” prepared for them to the anthill, where they eat it as a whole colony and accordingly die. This method is quite effective. Its great advantage is that not only random insects that find a poisonous bait are destroyed, but the entire colony from the inside (including the queen).
Soap
A folk remedy for ants is soap; it contains substances that negatively affect the insect. They destroy the waxy layer on the shell, which leads to dehydration and death. It is enough to grind the soap and scatter it in places where ants accumulate. If you find their nest, you can treat it with a soap solution.
How to deal with ants in the countryside
Apart from our apartment, ants can cause a lot of trouble if they appear in your dacha. Here they will show themselves as real pests. The fact is that they enter into symbiosis with aphids, promoting their reproduction. They feed on its secretions, which contain sugar, and therefore actively “graze” it. Ants also like to make their nests under the roots of trees; their burrows disrupt the normal circulation of moisture in the soil. Therefore, if you want to have a good harvest, you will have to start a war against the ants. To get rid of them, you need to know how to treat the area for ants.
Ammonia
Ammonia is very often used to kill ants. It is a very effective remedy. To eliminate them, it is necessary to prepare a solution that consists of ammonia and water. The anthill is treated with this solution. You should not be shy, the more abundantly you pour it, the stronger the effect will be. If insects harm plants, then you can make a solution of low concentration and treat the plant itself - the leaves, the stem - with it. This method of processing will not harm the plant, but it will be harmful to the ants. As a preventative measure, you can water the plants with a weak solution of ammonia. This will help you prevent these insects from appearing. At the slightest appearance, use ammonia against ants. This is a simple and affordable method, because ammonia can be found in every home in the medicine cabinet.
Lime
The method of treating the lower part of tree trunks with lime solution is still a popular and effective method. This method is simple and effective. Lime is mixed with water and applied to the bottom of the trunk and the ground around the tree. This scares away the ants; they don’t bother the tree. Sometimes tar is used instead of lime.
Boiling water
If the ants have already settled densely in your area, it’s time to turn on the heavy artillery. In order to get rid of annoying insects, it is not enough to scare them away or selectively destroy them. It is necessary to destroy the queen and larvae. Then you will achieve your goal. For this you can use regular boiling water. The anthill must be stirred throughout its entire depth, and then pour boiling water generously. It is advisable to repeat the procedure after some time. This will kill the insects.
Ash
A simple and ecological folk remedy for ants is ash. It is necessary to take still hot ash (for example, from burnt leaves) and sprinkle it on the anthill. It is recommended to initially stir up the anthill. Hot ash will penetrate all entrances and kill insects. In addition, it will block the access of air inside, thereby ensuring greater effectiveness of the attack.
Smells
To repel ants in the area, all kinds of products that have a strong smell are used. This could be tobacco dust, tomato tops, garlic, wormwood, parsley, black pepper and others. To do this, the anthill is sprinkled with these products. This will repel insects; under their influence, the ants will soon leave your area. Many summer residents specifically plant plants around trees that repel ants, such as parsley. This has a preventive effect.
Bait
Ants in the country can be destroyed with the help of certain substances, similar to apartment ants. For bait, boric acid is often used in combination with something edible. The ants take away the poisoned bait and take it to their anthill. An important aspect is that the poison gets inside the anthill, thereby destroying those hiding in the ground.
Forest ants
An interesting way to remove ants is to use forest ants. To do this, you can go into the forest, dig up an anthill with forest insects, bring it to your site and place it on top of the nest of country ants. Forest insects will drive out the dacha residents, and soon they will leave on their own.
If everything is clear with the ants in the apartment - you are unlikely to be able to get along, then before destroying the ants in the country, you must first determine whether they are pests. Not all ants show interest in aphids and harm your farm in other ways. If you decide to fight these insects, then it is better to start doing this early, before they infest the entire area. In addition, it is better to give preference to traditional methods that use less chemicals, and use chemical preparations for ants in extreme cases. This will cause less harm to you and the environment. Try to use several methods, combine. Repeat the procedure. After a while you will forget about your little annoying neighbors.