Summer's Here!

My Grandma use to use chilie powder (I think) along the door ways. I believe that's what she used anyway.

Monica,
I have also used vinegar. Drizzle it near the entrance doors and windows. It lasts for a while (maybe a day). The idea is that the ants will find another place to go and you won't have to continue putting it down.

OH MY... I have an 1850 farmhouse and everytime I get rid of ants in one spot they pop up in another... but I use essential oil of bay & bay leaves (I'll stick bay leaves in crevices and spray walls and floors with bay oil diluted with water in a spray bottle). They hate it... I also put 20-25 drops in my mop water and mop the floor with it. It smells nice to me, and is very nontoxic.

In regards to the claim that bay leaves are toxic and that's why we pull them out of soup.. I have several recipes which use "crushed bay leaves" and have never gotten sick off them. Whole bay leaves are removed because they are not especially apetizing to bite into- they do not tenderize and have sharp edges. Bay leaves are a type of laurel, and SOME laurels are toxic... but not the ones we cook with. So you might not want to leave them around where a little one could put them in their mouth, but spraying with the diluted essential oil is safe (and it just happens to be antiseptic, as well, so you are cleaning at the same time! =)

You should look into something called Riddex - I bought it online and it has worked great for all types of bugs, etc. You just plug it into an outlet and it works wonders.

My Dad always put Borax ( a kind of detergent) outside our house around the foundation. It really helps keep ants away. If you are looking for a natural insect repllant, shoo bug is a good one. You can order it online, just google it.

i'm also anti chemical and we oten get ants in the kitchen. we put a bowl of borax mixed with jelly on the counter at night, and find several trapped and dead in there the next morning. also spraying counter with windex and letting it sit all night has the same effect. good luck!

Hi, I sympathize with the ant problem. I have heard coffee grounds work, sprinkled outside the house across the path the ants take to get inside. Of course, that only works if you KNOW where the ants are getting in! On the plus side, coffee grounds are free and available daily (if you drink coffee), and fully edible (but horrible tasting, so kids usually stay away).

My MIL swears by Borax, which is a coarse white powder like Ajax soap. She sprinkles it all around the perimeter of her living room "because it's perfectly safe"...! Needless to say, I am my daughters constant companion while we visit...

Personally, I use Terro, which is NOT non-toxic, but DOES work. It usually takes daily dosing for 3 to 7 days, then they're GONE. You place a few drops of the sticky liquid on a scrap of waxed cardboard (like a cereal box), and tuck the paper into a corner near the ants, preferably right where they enter the house. The ants take away globs of the "food", which then infects and kills the whole nest. You can tuck the paper under the fridge, behind heavy furniture, etc., to keep it away from kids.

Incidentally, I'm pretty sure bay leaves ARE toxic - that's why we take them out of soup before we eat it. The oil should be fine though. I think I may try that next year...

Hello Monica,

I would have a professional come in and inspect. Carpenter Ants like to make an appearance in the summer. I don't want to cause a panic but if left untreated, they can do great damage to the wood in your home. Learned from experience.

I do not have any home-redemies (cinn maybe?) but since I have Melaleuca's products in my home - I use them. Our Pre-spot (laundry stain-remover) & our over-all cleaner Tough & Tender , kills ants w/o the chemicals. Our Tea-tree oil breaks down the ants protective barrier and then they drown in the liquid. The best part is how safe these products are - I allow my 4 & 7 yr olds to spray the ants & I do not have any worries :)
If you want to learn how to get these products for your home - let me know and I'll show you.

We spray the outside of the house foundation right where the concrete meets the wood and we're ant free every year. Much safer than spraying inside or having ant buttons where little hands can get them.

I've read that sprinkling baby powder works to rid ants; I've yet to have cause to try it personally,though...good luck!

Monica

If you can see where they come into the house you can put ant traps along the outside of your house, along the foundation wall. I have found this to be very effective.

Also, be extra careful about leaving things open especially sweet ones. Example, cereal boxes and sugar containers, rinse out soda cans and bottles. Be careful to wipe up everything well, if there is no food for them this will help also.

D.

We used to have a company put down chemicals outside four times a year and I decided to stop a few months ago. I noticed an ant trying to get inside my house the other day and found one in my kitchen yesterday. I immediately started googling for pet and child safe natural pest control. I took cinnamon and sprinkled it all along the perimeter of my house outside the kitchen. The idea is that ants wont cross a barrier of certain powdery substances. I don't know if will work but I know it is safe.

Hi,

I'd suggest checking out Mercola.com website and check the products he sells. He makes a totally safe, truly all natural bug repellant lotion amongst other things.

C.

I know, I hate ants coming into the house, too. WE live in woods and once in a while, they decided to invade our house. I buy from catalog shopping company that manufacters natural products that are safer for your home & family. I've been using their product for 5 years and they are great! If you want to get imformation, I'm happy to show you. My email adddress: ____@____.com, my ph# ###-###-####.

Hi Monica,

I read somewhere that cinnamon was good to rid ants etc. I don't know but you could give it a try.

Hope this was helpful,
G.

There is a Great Exterminating company called All County Pest Control on Cain Drive, Plainview, NY
They are cheap and trustworthy.
Barb G.

Monica,
I know this may sound crazy but my vet told me to use Borax. You can get it at the grocery stores in with all the laundry products, I think near the bleach and Clorox 2. Anyway I have sprinkled it on my carpet and around the boarders of my rooms as well as outside along my foundation. Inside I leave it down for a few hours then vacuum it up, even though the vet said to leave it down. For your bathroom and kitchen, I would wash my floors with it, I do. Knock on wood I have not had ants this year so far and usually I have them really bad. The stuff also works with fleas and ticks and other bugs and it is a lot cheaper than bug spray and safer too. My vet said it isn't toxic to the animals either. He told me to sprinkle it under the mattrices and leave it there, with the baby I wouldn't leave it down, but that is just me. Hope this helps.
Hugs,
T.

Someone told my husband to fill a spray bottle with water, then add some palmolive or dawn to it. Spray your house inside and out (it may take a few sprays over a few days). We've tried it and it usually works. Plus I figure the house is getting clean, cause what mom has time to clean? :) Good luck - I just found a few ants in my living room last week and am worried because my son is crawling all over the place!

I remember when my bos were in Boy/ Cub Scouts that they used Cinnamon infront of the doorways and window ledges to keep ants out. It worked but I don't know if your 10 month old would have any reaction to trying to eat it. I guess you could ask the doctor if it would be harmful or not.

Sorry I couldn't give you a 100% solution to your question.

Nanc