Everyone wants to enjoy in the beautiful nature, but it can become an big issue if the nature tries to come indoors. If you do not want ant’ invasion in your home, then opt for this homemade ant repellent spray. The blend of essential oils and vinegar help repel and even kill unwanted ants.
How does it work?
Ants operate by sending out scouts who then leave pheromone scent trails for the rest of the colony. Certain essential oils help to disrupt this scent trail and confuse the ants.
There are also certain pesticides that will dissolve the ants’ exoskeleton, killing them on contact. You don’t have to resort to toxic pesticides though, as certain components of essential oils will do the same thing.
Ant repelling essential oils
Peppermint isn’t just great for your hair health and morning mouthwash. This strong, minty oil disrupts the ants scent trail to confuse them. Clove is another powerful ant repellent essential oil.
Clove contains eugenol, which kills ants on contact, and also deters them. d-Limonene is a compound found in citrus oils like orange and lemon, that is also toxic to ants.
Trusty old vinegar
Vinegar has dozens of uses around the house and repelling ants is just one of them. Ants dislike the smell as its pungent scent disrupts their pheromone trails. Some people also claim that liberally spraying vinegar directly on the ants will kill them. Just spray them, leave it for 30 minutes, then wipe the dead ants up with a paper towel.
Homemade ant repellent spray ingredients:
- 30 drops Peppermint essential oil
- 10 drops Clove essential oil
- 15 drops Orange essential oil
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup water
Equipment:
- 8-ounce spray bottle, glass or metal (preferably not plastic)
Instructions:
- In your spray bottle add the essential oils and vinegar. Add water until the bottle is almost full, but not quite. Screw the sprayer lid on and shake well to combine.
- To use your spray, mist it liberally over anywhere you’ve seen ants. Use it by baseboards, in cupboard corners, doorways, window sills, anywhere ants are prone to enter.
- Reapply the spray often if ants have already invaded your home. You can also liberally spray some cotton balls and place these in the pantry or ant prone spots to help prevent them from entering.
Need more ant fighting tips?
Then have a read of our comprehensive guide to getting rid of ants and keeping them out of your home and garden here: How to Get Rid of Ants at Home Easy and Naturally
Via: NaturalLivingIdeas
