Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Anyone else have some serious ant trouble? What natural ant control methods have you tried to discourage them?

Here's what I have to try so far:

Vinegar, Cinnamon, Cayenne, Clove, Pepper, Borax, Mint, Corn starch.

My best friend's house was completely overrun with ants and they weren't even going into those awful traps his parents set out. A few weeks ago, I soaked a sponge in lemon juice (nothing fancy, just the supermarket kind) and wiped down the cupboard doors, counter tops, all of the surrounding wood molding and any cracks and corners that an ant could hide in. I haven't seen any since, but someone should probably go over everything again just to be safe. I know anecdotal evidence isn't that great, especially when it's from a guy this person on the internet knows, but the guy who told me this is a former chemical engineer who once worked with pesticides at Monsanto.

My mom would put out grits on the ant piles. I don't think it made much of a difference though.

My house seems to have some serious ants outside already, but they're making their way in. Last night I tried a few things around the kitchen. Bay leave, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, and cloves. There actually seems to be less today, but I'm not sure which item worked the best. Also, I noticed a trail of them outside and followed them to my window sill (opposite of kitchen side of house!) where they seem to be nesting inside a crack in the stone wall!

I'm trying to be nice here but they need to ease up! I noticed in the yard there's these Raid ant spike things from someone who lived here as some point. So I guess ants have been a problem for quite some time.

Thanks for the lemon juice tip, chatter710.

Maybe spray some peppermint tea around baseboards, doors, windows, and any other openings or problem spots?
The cayenne/cinnamon combo has always worked for me, though.

Ants are a pain in the house, but beneficial in the garden. Like most insects, they are not fond of citrus scents, so orange oil will do the trick. Keep your floors swept, and if you have pet dishes out, surround the pet food with a moat of water.

Sweeping and dusting seem like it wouldn't make a huge difference, but you'd be surprised. My mom lives in S. FL and if she doesn't stay on top of dusting or sweeping, it becomes antapalooza in her tiny home.

My grandma puts cucumber peels in cupboards, under the sink, and under her fridge, and she's been doing it for 60+ years and it keeps the ants away. My brother also started doing it recently and he said it has made a big difference in the # of ants in his kitchen.