Got Ants?

BY: Susan Anderson

Remember the lyrics to a song from childhood that went, "The ants come marching one by one, hoorah! hoorah!"? Well that is exactly what is playing out on our kitchen counter right now. And to say the least, I would rather have them marching to their catchy little tune outside, instead of tramping through our house.

Each summer it seems these tiny little creatures make their pilgrimage into our house. Sometimes they come by route of the front door, at other times they come from the kitchen window sill, but regardless of their point of entry, they remain uninvited. My first attempt is always to ask them politely to remain outside, but my communication skills with these insects isn't honed enough yet that they respond to my requests.

So the second try is to use non-toxic remedies. Let me clarify, the non-toxic methods are for humans and pets, but are a deterrent to the ants to keep them out. So if you have GOT ANTS too, here is a list of suggestions. Depending on your conditions and the type of ants entering the premises, different suggestions work better than others. So read on to find out what can be done to keep them marching four by four out the door.

It is always a good idea to find the point of entry and work from that direction onward:

1. White Vinegar: place in a spray bottle and squirt the area where you see the ants, let is dry. Reapply as needed

2. Sprinkle plain old cinnamon where you see the ants coming into the house.

3. Black Pepper: can also be sprinkled at the point of entry to keep the ants from marching on in.

4. Mix a 50/50 blend of apple cider vinegar and water and sray as needed.

5. Mix equal parts of Windex and Ivory Soap, then spray the problem area.

6. Keeping Bay Leaves out in the areas that are affected by the ants.

7. Mixing a bit of borax with sugar then spreading out on the counter where the ants will come for a taste.

8. Drawing a line with white chalk where the ants are entering is supposed to keep the ants from crossing over.

9. Mint: not a favorite of ants and they will stay away.

10. Diatomaceous Earth: sprinkled where the ants will be walking.

There are plenty more solutions-- this being just the short list of possibilities. This year we had the teeny tiny little black ants coming through by the kitchen window so I used a combination approach. First, I wiped down around the affected window and counter area with straight white vinegar. After that dried I then mixed cinnamon with some crushed mint leaves and spread a line of the blend right below the window on the kitchen counter, and so far so good- I no longer GOT ANTS at this point in time.

Good luck to you. Send it your suggestions or approaches that have worked for you, I would love to hear them