How do you get rid of ants gently?
The first question that arises here is:
- Where can the insects be found?
- Is it a matter of individual animals that keep coming back or
- a whole ant colony?
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While individual animals that have lost their way into the house or crawling across the patio are nothing to worry about, they should take appropriate action on an entire state or an ant trail that runs across the kitchen.
Drive away ants in the garden
The little crawlers can often be found in the garden where aphids have also settled. The ants harvest the sweet honeydew excrement of these pests and the aphid colonies from their natural predators. In this case it is often enough to control the aphids to get rid of the ants permanently.
Relocate ants
Alternatively, you can put an empty flower pot over the ant nest. The protected space is comfortable for the animals and they move their nest right under the vessel. After a few days, you can poke deep under the flower pot with a spade, take out the entire ant colony and move it to a place where the small animals will not disturb.
Strong smells drive ants away
These insects have a very sensitive sense of smell. You can take advantage of this to persuade the uninvited guests to look for a new home with environmentally friendly means. Since, unlike in the house, you can temporarily avoid the unpleasant smell yourself, you can use strong-smelling guns in the garden.
Have proven themselves:
- Vermouth stock
- Nettle manure
- Garlic broth
- Strongly scented perfume.
These smells are so repulsive to the animals that after a few hours you can usually watch the crawlers carry their brood out of the nest and hurry away.
Ants prefer a dry place to live
Ants in flower pots or window boxes are easy to drive away with water. If you can tolerate the plants, simply water them enough for a few days so that the liquid collects in the flower pot. The animals do not like this permanent flooding and they quickly seek the distance.
Colonize predators
If ants settle in your garden more often, you should create a habitat for natural predators in it. First and foremost, these are:
- Birds of all kinds
- Millipedes, beetles and spiders.
Fight ants in the house
The garden ants, which are also common in the garden, and the notorious “termites of the north”, the ross ants, settle here.
The following preventive measures help to keep the animals out of the house:
- Always keep food in tightly closing containers.
- Do not leave any leftover food open.
- Empty the miller's bucket at least once a day, not just in summer.
- Dispose of leftover pet food quickly.
- Check potted plants that have been outdoors during the summer months and that are to be overwintered indoors for ant nests before putting them away.
Gently drive away ants
First, trace the insects' path back to the nest. If the animals only come to visit and the burrow is outside of your home, it is sufficient to interrupt the ant route and keep the insects away with scents.
Ants hate the smell of cinnamon, just sprinkle the ant trail with this spice and you can be quite sure that the little animals will no longer come into the house willingly.
But not all animals avoid this fragrance. Alternatively, it is worth trying:
- Diluted tea tree oil or lemon juice. Drop this agent on a cloth and place it in the ant path.
- Thyme, chervil, juniper, lavender or chilli also have a deterrent effect.
However, you should repeat this after a few days, as the scent disappears quickly.
In addition, seal all cracks through which the little crawlers could penetrate with silicone, plaster or acrylic.
Sometimes only a professional can help
However, if an entire ant colony has settled in the house, you should immediately entrust an exterminator with the removal. The actually useful little animals can cause massive damage here, especially if the nest is under the expensive parquet floor or in the roof structure.
Tips
Ant poison works quite reliably, but it should only be used in an absolute emergency. It also contains substances harmful to humans. Such substances do not belong in households with small children or pets. Even if natural remedies do not work as quickly as the chemical club, with a little patience you can drive away the little crawlers reliably and environmentally friendly.
