We can all enjoy the beauty of nature, but when nature tries to come indoors, it can become an issue. If ants have invaded your home, or you want to make sure they don’t, then opt for this spray. The blend of essential oils and vinegar help repel and even kill unwanted ants.
Further Reading: 10 Ways To Get Rid Of Ants From Your Home & Garden
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
Many essential oils have been found to be effective at repelling unwanted bugs and insects. 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
We recommend using Plant Therapy Essential Oils – all of which can be purchased from their official Amazon store here.
Equipment
- 8 ounce glass spray bottle – this one would be perfect
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: 10 Most Effective Ways To Get Rid Of Ants From Your Home & Garden.
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