How to Make an Ant Repellent from Household Items

Nothing is less appetizing than ants scurrying around the house especially the kitchen searching for food. The following is a list of homemade ant repellent methods that can be used as a substitute for chemical poisons for ant control.  

Create a Boric Acid Solution

Combine a small amount or boric acid, sugar and hot water in a spray bottle. Make sure to keep this homemade solution away from pets and children since it is hazardous. Spray effective areas liberally.

Make a Boric Ant Hotel

Consider making a borax and sugar ant hotel for controlling an ant colony. Take a plastic lid and poke holes large enough for the ant to get into and out of it. Place the holes about half way up the container.  Mix 1 cup of borax with 3 cups of sugar in a large bowl. Add enough water to make the solution pasty. Now add 2 teaspoons of peanut butter to the paste and mix it well. 

Fill the container with the paste solution, stopping just below the holes. Cover the container and place it near ant hills or where you see ants. The ants will take the poisoned sugar back to their nest, which will kill the colony.

Create a Bleach Solution

Add bleach and hot water in a spray bottle and mix it thoroughly. Keep this ant control solution away from pets and children. Spray effective areas liberally.

Ammonia Will Kill Ants on Contact

Spray ammonia window cleaner on the ants and it kills them on contact. This is a good option for short term control; however the ammonia will have to be reapplied when the ants reappear

Use grits to Control Ants

A simple way to eliminate ants, especially red fire ants, is to sprinkle the area with grits. The ants eat them, and they expand inside the ants  bodies, killing them. 

Tips for Ant Control

• To keep ants from entering the house sprinkle baby powder near the entry points. The ants won't cross and it is safe around pets and children.
• Sprinkle salt along ant trails and they will no longer enter at that point.
• Ants are constantly searching for food, the best control method is to keep the kitchen clean and make sure there are no table scraps for them.