Rid your home of ants without chemicals

We haven't had a problem with ants in our home for years, but it's been a wet Spring here in Northwest Ohio and we've seen a lot more of the little creatures outside. Yesterday morning, they found their way into my living room. One of my cats threw up a hairball during the night, and apparently it's quite a treat for ants, disgusting as it may be to us, as it was completely covered with the little brown critters.

Having five pets in our home, I didn't want to use any chemicals to treat the problem. I found a forum online that had many tried and true ways to encourage the ants to leave the way they came in, once the food source is removed. The method I chose was to place a container of sugar on my front porch to lure them back outside. It worked beautifully and by evening I saw no more ants anywhere. I then sprinkled some cinnamon across the threshold of our front door to keep them from coming back in, as I had read that ants hate cinnamon and won't go near it.

Here is a list of what people on the forum have used for years to eliminate their ant problems:

No-kill methods
* Ants usually come into your home searching for food. To lure the ants back out, place a container of sugar or honey outside, tipped on it's side to keep rain water out. If the sugar gets too wet, you'll need to replace it.

* Sprinkle cinnamon, cloves, peppermint oil, or coffee where ants are present. They will leave the area. (Caution - don't use coffee, cloves, or essential oils like peppermint oil around pets. Cinnamon is safe in small quantities for both cats and dogs according to the ASPCA)

* Lay cuttings of tansy around window sills or wherever ants enter to repel them.

* Set dryer sheets (like Bounce) around where ants appear - they will leave the area


Kill methods
* Place sugar on a damp sponge and set it where they came into your home. Rinse the sponge under water to drown the ants, then repeat process until there are no more ants.

* Crush a few of the ants and leave them there. The other ants determine it's hostile territory and will leave the area.

* Combine sugar and Borax or Boric Acid powder. The ants will eat it and die.

* Sprinkle cornmeal around the area. The ants will eat it, then drink water. The cornmeal will expand inside them and kill them.

* Mix water and hot sauce and spray the ants.

* Sprinkle Borax around your home's foundation.

The no-kill method worked fine for the small brown ants we had, but depending on the type of ants and the amount of infestation, you may need to resort to stronger measures. I hope you find the information helpful.