A. Sometimes it doesn’t take long for the one ant you notice in your home to become many ants in your home. This is because ants leave behind pheromone trails that signal to other ants where a food source is. The best way to reclaim your house is to find the opening around your patio door that the ants are using to gain entry and seal it off. Depending on the opening, it may require new weather stripping or perhaps some caulking. Also make sure that food is in secure containers and crumbs have been gathered from countertops, tables and floors. And don’t forget about pet food dishes.
If you still find ants coming into your home, below are some deterrents that people have had success with. While we can’t say they’ll 100 per cent work, they might be worth a try!
- Use water and dish soap to wipe down surfaces where ants have been spotted to help remove their pheromone trails.
- Draw a line with chalk – apparently, ants won’t cross it.
- Sprinkle a little cinnamon – they’re not a fan of the smell.
- Use your coffee grounds from your morning coffee. Just sprinkle them where the ants are coming in. Freshly brewed grounds are key! Once they dry, they’ll need to be replaced.
- Have black pepper or cayenne pepper? A sprinkle of one of these might do the trick as it’s said ants don’t like the smell. Just be careful with pets.
- In a spray bottle, mix a few drops of essential oil in a cup of water and spray around the patio door. Essential oils to try are peppermint, tea tree, lemon, cinnamon, thyme, eucalyptus or lemongrass. Be careful though – some of these oils may discolour certain materials. Also, some essential oils can be toxic to pets if ingested or inhaled so do a little research to make sure you’re comfortable using them.
- People have different feelings about borax as this product will kill ants. Another word of warning - it can also be harmful to pets and children. But if this is something you want to try (and you can ensure children and pets won’t come in contact with the stuff), make a paste with borax, white sugar and water. Place this mixture on some cardboard near where the ants are coming in. The idea is that the ants bring it back to the colony. After a few days, you should see fewer ants.
