How to Get Rid of Ants Naturally Without Killing Them

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! My feet went when I was young, killing all the ants that were surrounding me that summers day.

But since I’ve got older and much wiser ( I think…) I’ve come to learn that all creatures great and small, have a purpose on our planet, and ants are no exception.

These food loving manics need to be cut a break, their only doing what comes natural to them.

So instead of reaching for the flame thrower! The deathlac spray and the other million and one different chemicals you hope to kill them with.

How about you give them a break, turn them around (nicely) and send them packing back out the door using these natural, non toxic ant repelling remedies.

Just A Quickie…

I, myself have used the below methods, and always had great success.

Yes, there are other natural ways get rid of ants naturally without killing them, but I know these methods work.

How to Get Rid of Ants Naturally Without Killing Them Methods…

Squeeze a Lemon

Everybody has a lemon in the house (come on you gin lovers), Lemons are sure fire way to naturally keep ants at bay.

The acid in a lemon destroys the scent trail ants leave for one another.

Ants make a scent trail using pheromones to guide all there pals to the holy grail (food) and then back to their safe house.

Mixing the juice of one whole lemon to 3 parts water, pour the mixture into a spray bottle.

You have now made a natural (won’t hurt the ants) ants spray.

Spray the lemon mixture around the perimeter of your house and any other place you see the ants hanging out.

Also don’t throw away the squeezed lemon, the peel comes in handy too.

Lay the peel in places where the ants have been entering your home, ants don’t like the smell of lemon, so it should keep them at bay 😉

Also, if you had a large infestation and they have been running around your floors, squeeze a few more lemons into a bucket, add some warm water and give the room a good mop.

This will destroy anymore scent the ants may of left.

Pass The Pepper

Ants hate pepper! Especially cayenne pepper and black pepper.

The best thing about pepper, you can pour it to make a wall, or a small fortress to keep them from entering your home.

The thing is, it can look a little messy, so instead if you have no lemons, add pepper to some warm water and pour that mixture into your spray bottle.

You don’t need much pepper, just half a teaspoon mixed in 200 ml of water.

Again spray the pepper mixture around the outside areas of your house where ant activity is a regular occurrence.

You can just sprinkle the pepper if you find that easier and less hassle, but beware if it is windy outside, it is going to go everywhere!

Stop Chalking Around

Do you wish force fields existed?

As a kid I did!

But force fields do exist when it comes to keeping ants away, and it comes in the guise of a piece of chalk.

Yeah maybe it’s not an incredible, wow, that’s amazing , blows my mind kinda of force field! But chalk does provide a great guard against those food crazed maniacs!

Drawing a thick long line between you and the ants confuse the heck out of them, and they ain’t crossing it.

you see, chalk contains a mineral called calcium carbonate which disrupts the ants ability to sniff out and keep following the scented trail it was on, especially if the line of chalk crosses over that path.

You can test how well chalk works by drawing a circle around an ant, believe me, they wont cross it.

But the best way to use the chalk, is to draw a nice fresh thick line across the outside perimeter of your house (creating that force field 😉 )

This will stop the ants crossing and getting into your house,

The only downside, when it rains you will be back out there drawing that line again.

Please don’t buy any chalk labeled ‘Ant chalk’ or ‘insecticide chalk’, these chalks will kill the ants and also harm young children if they come in to contact with them.

Dash Of Vinegar

The ultimate ant repellent is indeed vinegar!

Ants really hate it, and I also think some of us humans do too!

The reason vinegar has such an effect on ants, is because ants can not stand the scent of strong odors.

Vinegar is like a mind drug to the ant, the smell is so strong that no matter how much pheromone that ant keeps leaving, there is no chance the others will be able to pick up the scent of the trail.

They will be running round confused and lost, and eventually end up, back at the nest.

What also makes vinegar great against the ant mafia is its harmless to the them, there is really no better option than vinegar.

Add equal amounts of vinegar and water to a spray bottle, spray all areas that are vulnerable to an ant infestation.

Kitchens would be one of the main places, so around all baseboards, kick boards, worktops and around the inside and outside of the back door.

If your concerned that the water downed mixture is too weak, pour it neat into your spray bottle.

I must warn you though, your house will smell like a Friday night in a chip shop! (hold that thought it’s making me hungry).

Also, you maybe wondering…

Does Vacuuming Kill Ants?

Using a vacuum can cause casualty’s if you suck them straight up into the pipe, I’m not sure at what supersonic speed they will be traveling at, but it’s gonna hurt when they hit the bag.

Instead, use a trick I use when hoovering spiders up.

Grab your wife, girlfriends, nan’s, or sisters tights and slide one of the legs over the hoover pipe, like this…

Then switch the vacuum on, begin hoovering the ants up, you will notice they will be all sucked to the tights covering the opening.

While the vacuum is on they wont go anywhere.

Have you partner or friend ready to collect them in a container (preferably with a lid).

Once collected, run to the bottom of the garden and release them.

Bye, bye suckers!

Can You Ask Ants to Leave?

At first when you read it, it seems funny, but apparently it can work.

There have been many people who have actually asked insects and vermin to leave them alone, and it’s actually worked!

I’m not completely religious, but there are things you can’t explain (and boy, do I have some stories…) and this is one of them.

While doing some research I did find a Buddhist discussion board, and some people go into great discussion about this method.

Wouldn’t it be great though… “Come on then lads, enough is enough, get back in your hole!”.

But…

I’m still on the fence with this one, it’s worth testing it out, you never know…Will report back to you in the near future! 😉

Did This Post Help?

Hopefully these remedies to get rid of ants naturally without killing them will give you piece of mind.

As humans we are too quick to squash an insect instead of just giving them a break.

Learning how to be more understanding about all creatures great and small should be a message we pass on to our young ones and hopefully you encourage them to help you with your ant problem.

They may even ask you for an ant farm, now that would be awesome!

Anyway (I was getting a bit side tracked then) let me know which remedy worked best for you in the comments section below.

Or you may have a another natural remedy that gave you great results, let me know below and I will add it to the list.

Each and every week I put my heart and soul into providing you with great content to help with any DIY jobs around the home.

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