Ants – 3 Ways to Keep Them Out of Your Kitchen

Ants are easily one of the most problematic pests you’ll find in your home. Thankfully, there are ways to prevent ants from invading your home. You can find more tips and projects at the National Pest Management Association, but here are three ways to keep ants out of your kitchen.

 

Use Natural Repellents

Chalk, flour, citrus fruits, and vinegar all make wonderful natural ant repellants. Each one can be used in a different way to prevent infestations. Chalk can either be used to draw lines around home entry points or crushed up and scattered around your home and in your garden. Both methods will discourage even the most determined ants from entering.

Flour can be used much like the chalk. All you have to do is sprinkle a small amount along the back of your pantry and at the entryways of your home.

Citrus fruits, like lemons and oranges, can be used in many different ways. First, you can squirt lemon juice around your doors and windows. You can also scatter small slices of lemon around the outside of your home.

Oranges can be used in a similar way or you can use a blender to create an orange puree to pour directly into and around ant hills. Finally, you can mix equal parts of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle to create an ant repellant. Just spray the mixture anywhere you see ants.

 

Use Powders Repellents

There is a wide variety of powders available for pest prevention. As a note, be very careful with all chemicals – most, if not all, can be highly toxic to children, especially infants, and pets. The most popular chemical used is boric acid.

Boric acid is one of the chemicals that is harmful to children and pets, so consider your household before using this. The best way to use boric acid for pet control is to use a baster to dust areas that may be appealing to ants. These areas include places like the back of your pantry, hard to reach corners, in your cabinets.

Another option is talcum powder. Talcum powder is an organic ant repellant that you can sprinkle at your doors and windows to help keep unwanted visitors out. If neither of those options will work in your household, you can also consider cream of tartar, borax, and powdered sulfur. These are all applied the same way: sprinkle at points of entry.

 

Hire a Professional

Sometimes, the best option is to hire a professional. Certified exterminators can spray around your home and help remove ant hills as they pop up.  They can also assist you in creating a plan that not only fits your budget and lifestyle but works as effectively as possible to help your home stay free of any pest infestation. If by chance your home still suffers from an ant infestation, you can also contact a professional exterminator to work on ridding your home of pests.