How to Kill Ants Without Pesticides

Pesticides smell bad and are dangerous to humans, getting into ground water and contaminating wells. Here are some relatively benign way to kill ants using biodegradable materials.

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Method One: Making a Natural Ant Killer

Create an ant killer or deterrent using a common household item. The following are great options:
- Salt
- Chalk
- Lemon juice
- Cayenne pepper
- Equal parts white vinegar and water
- Orange peels pureed with water
- Petroleum jelly
- Sticky Tape
- Corn meal
- Boiling water
- Baking soda and vinegar
- Nicotine water
  - This can be made by soaking pipe tobacco in water overnight and then straining it; the leftover nicotine in the water is poisonous. Be sure to use gloves for this process. (See health warning below!)

Method Two: Using Direct Application Methods

Spray ants with vinegar water. The low Ph kills them without damaging most furniture. This is a great way to clean surfaces while you’re at it.

Arm yourself with sticky tape. When you see an ant, place the sticky tape over it and use your fingers to squash it beneath the tape. The ant's carcass will be stuck on the sticky tape, so it will be clean. Repeat until tape is no longer sticky.

Feed them corn meal. They take it back to their nest and feast on it, but since they can't digest it, it eventually kills them. Corn meal won't harm children or pets.
- Wheat flour and dried rice (any kind) also work. Like corn meal, it expands in their stomach and bursts them, resulting in a death slightly less nasty than being boiled alive.

Follow the ant trails back to their source. This might lead you through some unexpected places, but once you find the anthill(s), you can attack the root of the problem.
- Pour a liquid directly into the anthill. Nicotine water or boiling water will work well here. Powders won't be as effective, since they can’t navigate around the turns in an ant colony.
- Alternately, take a stake and stab it down into their nest. Wiggle it around until you have a fair sized crater. Fill the crater with baking soda about half way up and pour vinegar over it. It is all-natural and will totally destroy the nest. Don't worry about it leaving a crater in the ground, it mostly fills itself in and if it doesn't, just kick some dirt over it, plant grass, and you'll never be able to tell the difference.
- If you’d prefer not to hurt the ants, spread pureed orange peels in and around the anthills. They dislike citrus and might relocate on their own.

Squash ants with your fingers. Be sure to wash your hands afterwards, especially since many ants stink.

Method Three: Using Prevention Methods

Look for areas of your house that might serve as entrances for ants. These include cracks, holes, windows, and pet doors. These are often good locations to use one of the prevention techniques described below.

Sprinkle salt on flat surfaces. This is a great way to keep ants off of windowsills.

Draw barriers using chalk. The chalk will stick to vertical surfaces like walls and doorjambs. Ants don’t like the calcium carbonate in chalk and will steer clear of it.

Squirt lemon juice along outdoor edges. This will keep the inside of your house from getting sticky but deter ants with a strong citrus smell.

Sprinkle cayenne pepper out of the reach of animals. Spreading pepper along cracks and crevices will keep ants at bay, but be sure your pets won’t be able to lick or sniff it.

Spray vinegar water over larger surfaces. This will handy in places where using lots of powder won’t be efficient.

Spread pureed orange peels around the foundation of your home. Again, ants aren’t fond of the smell of citrus.

Smear petroleum jelly along edges. This is a great way to keep ants out of your pets’ bowls.

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Edit Tips

You can squeeze lemon juice into boiling water and pour it over the ant nest.

If you can't bear to kill them, leave a jar of honey up a tree in the garden at the start of summer. The ants will be happy to stay out of your kitchen.

Always check doorways and window ledges; one ant can lead to thousands. Ants leave an invisible trail that only other ants can see, so use cleaning materials designed for ants to get rid of the line.

Ants don't like peppermint toothpaste. Just smear it around where you see them, and presto, they are gone!

The best way to keep ants out is to keep your home clean. Wipe counter tops often and don't leave crumbs.

Edit Warnings

Remember: ants are an important part of the food chain. Don't try to kill all the ants in your neighborhood, only the ones in your house.

Nicotine is highly toxic; it can be absorbed through the skin and into the blood stream. In its highly purified and concentrated form it may even be fatal - make sure you use rubber gloves. Women who are pregnant and come into contact with highly concentrated nicotine put their baby at risk as well.