Getting Rid Of Ants: Gently Oust These Critters

Aug 07, 2018 by apost team

Most likely, ants aren't on your list of favourite animals. Especially those you can find on your patio. But the fact is, they most likely aren't even doing harm there. Quite the contrary: Often, they are very useful. When building their nest, they spread biomass throughout the earth and fertilize the soil. They also eat carrion and take care of dead insects. And those are only some of the positive aspects of these little insects. So to make sure these ants will leave your garden at least alive and unharmed, we have collected a few ideas on how to get rid of them gently in this article.

These little critters shouldn't find their way to your patio or garden in the first place. To make sure this doesn't happen, just follow these tips:

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You should generally, but especially during the summer, make sure your house is not attracting ants. Don't leave trash cans opened or foodstuffs out in the open. Flower pots should be examined closely before moving them inside for autumn or winter. Make sure you don't carry an ant family inside your house at the same tim.

If you do notice some afterwards, react fast to make sure the little guys don't move in and spread. Take the flower pot outside with you or find some other way to get the insects back to the outside world.

Sometimes, you may notice a trail of ants going right across your patio. In order to make sure the little guys don't decide to settle there, you can easily divert this ant highway. You can use chalk or limestone for this. Ants don't like walking across such surfaces. Just spread a wide strip of it across the floor and refill it every day. The little guys will most likely soon start avoiding your patio and choosing another, easier path to travel.

Or you could use things that have an intense smell. Ants don't like intense smells. The reason for that is that they use their sense of smell to get around. Take advantage of this and use smells containing laurels, lavender or cedar aroma. This way, you can be sure the ants will start looking for a new home. Just place whatever items you would like to use along the ant trail. Just keep in mind that this isn't completely without risks. For some subspecies, these things might be poisonous. As a risk-free alternative, you should try household stuff like vinegar, cinnamon oder spring onions.

Once you've spotted the ants main hive, find a flower pot. Filll it with slightly damp wood shavings, straw or something similar. Then just place it above or directly by the hive and that's it. Give the insects a few days to move into the pot and then have a look. If all critters have made the pot their new home, you can pick it up and place it wherever you want. Of course this shouldn't be right next to you patio if you don't want another visit from them.

If you notice the ants starting to multiply inside your house again, find out where they are coming from. It's most likely that these insects are trying to find food for their colony. Is there a hole or slit where they can slip into the house?That shouldn't be much of a problem. Just get some putty or silicon and close the opening. Soon all the ants will stay out.
If you are facing a particularly large, complicated ant colony, you another not as nice method at your disposal. To get the little guys to move on, you could flood their nest with water. Just remember to only use this solution when you cannot find any other way to get rid of them. Also make sure that the large amounts of water needed don't damage the immediate surrouindings of the nexst.

Did these tips help you with getting rid of your ants as well? Show this article to your friends so that they can find a way to deal with ants and make sure they can enjoy summer fully on their patio!