Fresh mint leaves can also be used to deter spiders, as well as ants, from entering our homes.
Once a worker ant locks onto a food source, it lays down a pheromone trail for other ants to follow. Peppermint oil repels because ants hate the smell of terpene and menthol, making it difficult for them to smell past the scent and find the trail.
Peppermint oil has been used for decades as a potent ant killer and repellent.
White vinegar, available at all grocery stores, is a cheap and effective way to kill and repel ants. It is also a natural cleaning agent. Try using a 1-to-1 vinegar/water mixture to clean hard surfaces, including floors and countertops, wherever ants are likely to travel.
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.
2. Lavender. Lavender may smell pleasant to humans but it's not so popular with ants, flies, moths, fleas and mosquitoes. A pot near your door can keep ants away; lavender in boiled water is thought to repel ants; and the oil can help to keep skin bite-free.
My favorite essential oil to keep ants away is peppermint! I have had excellent luck using peppermint oil and have never seen ants cross a peppermint oil barrier. Other popular essential oils to repel ants include cinnamon, tea tree oil (AKA melaleuca) and lemon.
Add essential oils like peppermint, lemon and eucalyptus for some extra oomph and a delightful fragrance that will only discourage ants further.
Mint (Mentha)
The scent of mint repels aphids, cabbage moths, flea beetles, squash bugs, whiteflies, and even ants.
Mint. Mint isn't just great for cooking. Its oils are proven to repel fleas, ticks, ants, mice and moths. Mint is an invasive plant, so you'll want to put it separately from your garden (unless, of course, you want an all-mint garden).
The pungent nature of mint deters bugs from making your home their home. Pests like ants, mosquitos, and mice will avoid mint plants whenever possible, and it can also help with other menaces like roaches, spiders, and flies.
Ants hate the smell of strong citrus fruits. Save your orange, lemon and grapefruit peels and scatter them around entry points. It's a natural way to deter ants without harming them.
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.
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.
Some herbs that will keep ants away are catnip, pennyroyal, peppermint, sage, and spearmint. Scattering the leaves of these plants in areas of your house where you've seen ants may keep them away. Tansy will work on sugar ants — the ones you see in your kitchen.
Step 1 - Fill your spray bottle up ¾ of the way with water. Step 2 - Add 2 tablespoons of witch hazel to the bottle. Step 3 - Add 12 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil to the bottle. Step 4 - Place the lid on your spray bottle, and shake well before each use since to make sure the ingredients are all working together.
Repel ants
Leave coffee grounds where the ants are and they will carry it home and eat it. This method takes a few weeks to see, but after a while you'll notice a decrease of the ants population.
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.
Utilize naturally deterring scents
The scent of peppermint oil, lemon, and cinnamon will deter ants. Try spraying diluted oils around your kitchen, or sprinkle cinnamon where you've seen ants congregate. "The domestic spice acts as a dermal irritant, which will keep them away," Warberg Block adds.
Simply boil a kettle of water, locate the ant hill and pour it right over the top. The water will gradually trickle through the entire maze of tunnels and flood the colony; the heat of the water will be enough to eliminate any ants that come into contact with it.
There are a range of smells that ants avoid, such as citrus, lavender and mint.