Eco-friendly Ways to Rid Your House of Sugar Ants

If you've ever lived in North Carolina, you've probably had an ant problem. I discovered this last summer and was leery about dousing my home in poison chemicals when I had two puppies. After researching and asking my friends and neighbors I had a handful of ideas to try, here is the knowledge I have gained.

There are numerous household items that you can use to get rid of sugar ants. More importantly, these items are safe around your kids and pets. Before calling an exterminator or spraying poison around your home try a few of these items first.

Grits

We used grits when we lived in North Carolina. We would pour a line of grits all around the house and then dump any extra we had on any ant hills we would see. I heard from other users that grits has the same effect to ants as rice does to birds. After my research, I found that Cream of Wheat and Cornmeal has the same effect. You do not need to cook the grits or cream of wheat first.

Sugar and Boric Acid

Boric Acid is not harmful to humans at all and is commonly used in saline solution. Mix the boric acid and sugar or maple syrup in a small dish and sit it where the ant problem is. The sugar will attract the ants and the boric acid will eat away at their exoskeleton, therefore they do not need to eat the mixture, only pass through it.

Vinegar

Take your regular household vinegar and put it in a spray bottle and squirt all the areas you find ants. Or spray a sponge and wipe down your counters and window sills. Don't worry, the smell will go away in a few minutes!

Black Pepper

Black pepper is a cheap and safe way to rid ants from your home. Take your common household pepper shaker and sprinkle the pepper where you are finding the ants and watch them scatter away. Follow them, you may see them squeeze through small places, this is where they are getting into your home. Dump a pile of pepper where you see them escape.

Cinnamon

Use cinnamon in the same way you would use the black pepper and watch the ants scatter.

Mint

Ants will stay away from this smell. When using mint you have two options, you can plant mint around your home, especially in the problem areas or you can buy mint oil or peppermint spirits. Fill a spray bottle with water and add 10 to 15 drops of the oil and spray where you find ants. Unwrapped sticks of gum will even work if you place it near their entry point.

Cayenne Pepper

Ants will not cross a line of cayenne pepper; line your doors and window sills will this spice.

Boiling Water

Boil water in a big pot on the stove and dump the steaming water on the ant hills, trying to get it into the hole. Be careful not to splash the water back onto you.

Red Chili Pepper

Ants will not cross a line of red chili pepper as well, this goes for most hot spices.

Caulk

Ants will not cross a line of caulking. Just make sure you strategically place the caulking since it is not an easy clean up.

You may have to try many different methods before you find one that works because certain breeds of ants will react differently to these suggestions.