Aside from garnishing your tea, lemons can also be extremely helpful when it comes to combating ants in your home. The smell of the lemons masks the scent trails that they use to get to and from food, and also generally deters them from taking up residence.
Peppermint
Peppermint is a natural insect repellent that may effectively deter ants and other bugs, such as mosquitoes. To use peppermint essential oil as an ant deterrent, complete the following steps: Mix 10 to 20 drops peppermint essential oil with 2 cups water in a clean plastic spray bottle.
Lemon is another known home remedy for ants. The thought is that the acidic property of the lemon juice will mask the ants' scent trails and, as a result, deter them. For this DIY ant control option, it is recommended to mix together one part lemon juice with three parts water and use it as an all-purpose spray.
Lemon juice and rind is an effective way of getting rid of ants in all areas of the home. Squirt lemon juice directly into know entry points and place shavings of lemon rind along the ant's pathways.
Lemon Juice
Just like vinegar, lemon juice also seems to destroy the scent trails that ants follow. Try mixing up a solution of 1 part lemon juice to 3 parts water and use as an all-purpose spray. Spray the lemon solution around entryways and the perimeter of your home, or any areas where you see ants.
The smell of the lemons masks the scent trails that they use to get to and from food, and also generally deters them from taking up residence. Try sprinkling some lemon juice in and around the area where you're seeing ants, or putting a few slices of lemon peel in your cupboard.
Natural deterrents.
Salt, baby powder, lemon juice, chalk, vinegar, bay leaves, cinnamon, or peppermint oil are a few items that you have around your home that will stop ants from coming inside. Lay these out in areas where you see ants, and they'll stop using that area as an entrance into your house.
Better Than Hopscotch: Ants will not cross a chalk line. Draw a chalk line in front of exterior doors, to prevent ants from coming into the house. You can also draw a chalk line around tables on the porch or patio, to keep pesky ants away while dining outdoors.
The lemon scent, which repels the bugs, is powerful. It rubs off very well onto the skin. Lemon balm repels mosquitoes and gnats.
Citrus Deters Ants. According to HomeTipsWorld and their article here, ants really do hate orange peel. Specifically: Did you know, mix orange peels and water, spray the solution outside your home, will prevent ants from coming in.
Sweet Smelling Things Attract Ants
It is no secret that one of the things that attracts ants more than anything else is sugar.
Two of the best ways to eliminate ants are Borax and diatomaceous earth. Essential oils, including peppermint and clove, are a natural way to repel and kill ants. Food and moisture attract ants, so keep your home clean and dry to get rid of ants permanently.
Carnivorous ants show no such preference. Ants prefer salty snacks to sugary ones, at least in inland areas that tend to be salt-poor, according to a new study published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Ants hate cayenne pepper. Sprinkle some cayenne pepper or black pepper around that area to repel ants. Make a concoction by mixing pepper + water and spray the solution at the ants.
Boric acid is a fairly common form of pest control that kills insects upon ingestion. Mixing boric acid with another substance that attracts ants, like sugar or honey, will lure them in and then shock their central nervous system.
Spiders do not like citrus, lemon is a perfect, safe solution. Rub lemon peel on your windowsills, bookshelves, or corners where spiders may like to hide. Some people even rub the lemon peel around door frames or garage doors.
Keep Bugs Away Lemon and Cloves
Bees and wasps do not like this smell combo and will stay away. Wasps can ruin outdoor entertaining in a heartbeat. Keep them away by slicing lemons in half and inserting whole cloves into the flesh. Sit the lemons in small bowls and place them on your table.
Lemons are also effective against pests like roaches and fleas.
Ants become the pallbearer
After a few days the dead ant is carried off and placed on the “ant graveyard” by the other dead ants. This may seem like ants have complex feelings and need a few days to grieve before they dispose of the body, but in reality it's far more chemical than that.
Flour. Wondering how to get rid of ants without dangerous pesticides? Sprinkle a line of flour along the backs of pantry shelves and wherever you see ants entering the house. Repelled by the flour, ants won't cross over the line. This is the best way to get rid of ants at home.
Just as humans, the ants use body language to communicate things. They can tell the other ants things by lightly touching or stroking the receiver in different ways. This way, they can combine signals of pheromones with that of touch and body language, providing an advanced form of communication.
White vinegar and water: Take a spray bottle and fill it with a solution of equal parts of vinegar and water. Spray the solution on the ants and their entry points. A mixture of dish soap and water: Make a mixture of dish soap or dishwashing liquid, put in a spray bottle and shake it well. Spray it on the ants.
Castile soap.
Make a spray of 1/4-cup Castile liquid soap and 1 quart of water. This spray kills ants on contact. It's effective against scout ants but won't kill ants back in the nest.
Ants hate Vinegar. The smell of Vinegar will cause them to stay away from it or permanently leave the house. Ants crawl in a straight line, marching towards the food sources. The Vinegar solution will interfere with these pheromones, and the ants will get lost.
Citrus fruits emit a complex bouquet that is attractive to flies, and microbes that grow on fermenting fruits also emit attractive volatiles 14, 15.