Ant infestation can be a problem and thankfully, there are organic ways to deal with them! Check out the best Ant Killer Recipes for the Garden!
Ants carry their friends like aphids and mealybugs along, wherever they go and too much of them can be a serious problem for your plants. To prevent such an infestation, try these Ant Killer Recipes for Garden to drive those pesky pests away..
Here’s all you need to know about keeping chipmunks off your yard
How Ants Affect Your Plants?
Aphids produce a substance called honeydew after they feed on the sap of plants. Honeydue is very rich in sugar, which makes it a most favorite thing of ants. This is the reason why ants transport aphids to different plant parts and encourage them to make sure they make more honeydew for them to feed on.
This relationship between them both can wreak havoc on your plants and it becomes necessary that you get rid of both ants and aphids on time.
Also discover these 30 best remedies to get rid of ants here
Ant Killer Recipes for Garden
1. Boiling water
This could be one of the cheapest and effective ways to annihilate ants, that too, instantly! Whenever you notice some ant holes in your garden, you can simply pour boiling water into the holes.
Keep in mind that boiling water could harm the plants and grass. So, be careful to keep it away from your green friends.
2. Sugar and Baking Soda
Mix baking soda and sugar in equal parts and sprinkle it in and around ant colonies in your garden. The sugar will soon attract the ants and baking soda will mess up with their digestive systems and kill them, eventually.
Have a look at some amazing baking soda uses in the garden here
3. Cornmeal
Grind cornmeal in a blender and add 1 part of boric acid to 9 parts powdered cornmeal. Add soybean oil to make a thick paste and keep it where the ants frequent. The ants will eat the paste and will die eventually.
4. Tea Tree Oil
Add 10-20 drops of oil to 1 cup of water and pour it into a spray bottle. Shake well and spray it at all those corners from where the ants enter your garden. Also, you can soak cotton balls in the oil and put them around your home and garden.
Make sure to keep it out of reach of your pets, particularly, cats as they can get sick if exposed to tea tree oil.
5. Clove Oil
This oil is capable enough to kill ants when they come in its contact. Add 25-30 drops of clove oil to a quart of water. Spray it at the areas where ants walk often.
6. Borax and Sugar
Mix 1-2 tablespoons of borax with half a cup of sugar in a container. Stir the powder well and sprinkle it where you spot ants. The scent from sugar will attract them to the mix and borax will kill them.
7. Chilli Powder
Chilli powder could be directly sprinkled onto the ant’s nests to get rid of them. You can also add 2-4 teaspoons of chili powder in a quart of water, shake well, and spray it on ants.
8. White Vinegar
Whenever you spot ants, you can assassinate them with a mix of 50-50 water and vinegar or even directly pour vinegar on them. White vinegar is known to not only repel them but also kill them.
Check out some amazing Vinegar uses in the garden here
9. Boric Acid
It is a kind of slow poison that has been known to kill queens and the worker ants in several days. Boric acid erodes their outer shells and stomachs.
Mix half a teaspoon of boric acid with 1 cup of warm water and 8-10 teaspoons of sugar. Stir well until it all dissolves and then soak cotton balls in the mix and put them around where you spot ants.
Make sure to wear gloves and keep the deterrent away from children and pets.
10. Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil
Trans-cinnamaldehyde is a compound present in cinnamon leaf essential oil and is known to be a sure-shot ant killer, including the stubborn biting red ants.
Soak cotton balls in the oil and leave them at all the places where ants visit.
Here are some awesome Cinnamon uses in the garden
11. Salt
This is another best ant killer recipe to get rid of those critters in an organic way. Just spread some salt over the areas that the ants frequent the most as it causes dehydration in ants when they consume, eventually killing them.
You can also make a solution by mixing one part salt with three-part hot water and spray directly on the ant hills.
Learn about different ways to use salt in the garden here
12. Kerosene and WD40
Mix Kerosene oil and WD40 in equal ratios and spray the solution in ant colonies. It will kill their entire population in no time!
13. Diatomaceous Earth
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth directly on top of the ant nests or even on their trail to kill them. Be careful to not sprinkle it on the petals or it would kill the bees.
14. Cayenne Pepper
Just sprinkle some cayenne pepper in the areas that the ants visit often, including your plants. It will suffocate the ants, thereby killing them.
15. Water and Soap
Mix one part of liquid soap with two parts of water. Pour the solution into a spray bottle and spray over mounds of ants and the solution will suffocate and kill them.
16. Peppermint Extract
Peppermint extract contains a considerable amount of terpene, menthol, and alcohol that are natural insect repellents. According to research, the mint granules are toxic to ants, hence can drive them away.
Add 10 drops of peppermint oil or extract to a cup of water, pour this solution in a bottle, shake well, and spray the solution on anthills or around your plants where ants frequent to.
Here are some amazing Peppermint oil uses in the garden
17. Coffee Grounds
Coffee is an essential garden ingredient and can benefit you in multiple ways. A study by the Universiti Sains Malaysia throws light on the mortality and repellent effects of coffee extracts on ants.
Sprinkle used coffee grounds around areas infested by ants to kill those pesky pests.
Have a look at some awesome Coffee Grounds uses in the garden here
18. Talcum Powder and Gasolene
Mix talcum powder with gasoline and make its rings around ant-prone areas. As science says, talc mixed with ethanol acts as a brilliant anti-escape solution.
Have a look at some amazing Talcum Powder uses in the garden here
19. Eucalyptus Oil
Eucalyptus oil is one of the five essential oils that are proven to repel ants. The lemon eucalyptus oil contains citronella which is known for its bug and mosquito repellent properties.
Also, researchers have approved Eucalyptus globulus as a natural fumigant against ants.
Combine 10 drops of eucalyptus oil with one cup of water, pour the solution in a bottle, shake well, and spray it into the ant-infested areas.
20. Lemon Peels
Spread chips of lemon peels around the anthills and plants to deter ants. Concentrated Limonene present in the citrus peels is toxic to ants and kills them when comes in contact.
You can also squeeze lemon juice on ant-infested areas to keep your garden ant-free.
Being a bee keeper, wonder if the sugar recipes will attract the bees , bring poison back to hive, killing entire bee hive