Keep Ants Away with Essential Oils

Ants are a serious pest that should be unwelcome in any kitchen. There are many ways, both professional and homemade, to exterminate an ant infestation in your home. Unfortunately, spraying harsh chemicals in your home is not an option for households with children or pets, and leaving the home to be fumigated is inconvenient. Additionally, some people may wish to avoid using chemicals in favor of more natural methods.

But after ruling out spraying, what options remain? Is there a way to keep ants out of your house naturally? Luckily, the answer is yes. Ants navigate by smell, leaving scent trails for other ants to follow. If something blocks their scent trail, they become confused and will not send the message back to the anthill for more ants, solving your problem with minimal effort. Essential oils are a great way to accomplish this goal. Here are some strategies you can use to keep ants away with them.

Step 1 - Finding the Problem

Before you do anything, you will have to find the source of your ant problem. Luckily, ants tend to form lines, so if you can find one, you can probably find them all.

If not, keep looking. Ants generally get in through gaps in floorboards or other tiny crevices. Once you have figured out how ants are getting into your house, you can proceed to the next step.

Step 2 - Spraying

Fill your spray bottle with water and add a few drops — about 15, but no need to be exact — of peppermint oil. You can spray this on any ants already inside of your house  to kill them. You should also spray any areas the ants seem to be trying to get into — your pantry, for example — just to be sure to maximize the discouragement they get.

Step 3 - Blocking the Trail

Now it's time to block off the entrance. Make a line of peppermint oil on the ground. Surround the hold that the ants are taking advantage of. You need to give them no way to get into your house without crossing the line of peppermint oil.

Now, any ants trying to enter your house will become confused and be unable to signal their friends to come help, leaving you with no ant problem.

Step 4 - Finishing Up

It is easier to prevent ant infestations than to drive them out, so once your house is ant free, you should take a few precautions to prevent any future ant problems.

First, keep the kitchen clean. Clean up all spills, keep all containers tightly closed, and give the ants no reason to want to invade. Pay special attention both to eating areas, food storage areas, and garbage. Since you have had an ant problem already, you should figure out what attracted the ants in the first place and not only thoroughly fix it, but come up with a strategy to keep it from happening again.

With careful preparation, good strategies, and the help of some natural organic pesticide, you should be able to keep your house completely ant free.