Use These Pantry Items As Pet-Safe Ant Repellents
Although ants can appear in your home at any time of the year, you may notice that they become especially active in the spring. That’s because after they’ve spent the winter hiding under wood piles or yard debris, or even hiding inside your walls, the combination of warmer weather and more rain than usual is their signal that it’s time to get started. grow your colony. And for that they need food.
Luckily for ants, there is plenty of food for the colony in your home, especially in the kitchen, and they are not shy when it comes to food left on the counter, in cabinets or drawers, or on shelves. crumb floor.
If you have a pet like a dog or cat that eats from a plate on the floor, you are essentially providing the ants with a buffet of food that they don’t put much effort into. And yes, one solution is to always pick up your pet’s food plate from the floor when he’s not eating, but if you’re more of a grazer, that’s not an option.
At the same time, you also don’t want to use harsh chemicals to kill or repel ants because that would mean your pet would be exposed to them too. So here are a few household items you probably already have in your pantry that can be used to repel ants and are also safe for pets.
Cinnamon
This is perhaps the most famous of all natural DIY ant repellants. And while there is conflicting information about whether it actually works (or you need massive amounts of cinnamon to make a difference), it has been around for a long time and is recommended by many home experts, including at BobVila. com , Treehugger and Family Handyman .
To try it out for yourself, sprinkle cinnamon (or rub cinnamon oil) anywhere you’ve seen ants, including along baseboards, kitchen countertops, window sills, etc.
sugar sponge
To deal with a small ant infestation, soak a large sponge in a solution of sugar dissolved in water and place it on the floor next to the usual ant trail into your kitchen. Check the sponge after about 24 hours. Most likely, it will be full of dead ants. Rinse them off, soak the sponge again in the sugar water, place it back in or near their path, continuing to do this until the ants are gone.
diatomaceous earth
While not everyone at home always has diatomaceous earth , if you do have it, it’s a great way to keep ants away – just make sure it’s food grade. Sprinkle a thin layer of off-white talc-like powder on window sills, baseboards, or any other cracks or crevices where you’ve seen ants. The Food and Drug Administration lists edible diatomaceous earth as “generally recognized as safe” (which is a good thing, considering it is sometimes used as a clarifier in wine and beer).