Have ants? Fire ants? Recently we have had some 'visitors' to our home. Pesticides are absolutely forbidden, so after much trial and error I've found successful, non-toxic treatments. First, use a layering effect. Don't rely on one method. To truly rid your home of ants (or other unwelcomed guests, for that matter), you must incorporate multiple deterrents.
Start with outdoor colonies. Pour boiling water on any and all mounds, especially those closest to your foundation. Do this 2-3 times. Spray a mixture of peppermint oil, castile soap and warm water around the perimeter of your home. Plant varieties of mint (e.g. peppermint, spearmint, etc.) in containers and place them around patios. Placing potted mint close to access points (where ants enter your residence) works well, too. Indoors, clean countertops, appliances and floors with a citrus-based oil. Spray the peppermint oil mixture along access points. Peppermint and citrus will repel ants but will not kill them. To fully eradicate the colonies, pour tiny mounds of cornmeal near access points. Ants will take it back to the mound and die; they can not digest cornmeal.
I have two more remedies to try and will post about their success/failure soon.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment