Facts About Ant Repellent and How to Effectively Use It

Ant repellent is generally comprised of a type of mixture that is meant to prevent ants from nesting and destroying in and around the home. The best approach is to kill the queen by locating and destroying the nest. While using strong chemicals mixtures may be the best form of ant repellent, some people simply refuse to use them, for a variety of reasons. There are more relatively humane ways to go about eliminating ants, such as mixing the nests of different species or by mixing ants from different nests. Ants are very territorial and will fight with and kill ants from other nests, however the remaining ants will still need to be addressed, especially if the queen is still alive.

There are 455 known species of ants that live in North America. Each category comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. An ant repellent may not be effective on every type of species, although there are a number that will kill larger category types of species.

There are many different types of ant repellent such as naturally based, chemical mixtures, home remedies and even some plants, such as Tansy, catnip, peppermint and sage can be used to repel and/or destroy ants, although certain ones will only be effective for certain species.

Most people who opt for the organic approach will create a protective barrier around the areas they want ants to stay away from by using chalks, powders and other elements, and others will pour boiling water, vinegar or other liquids into the nest itself; however most home remedies and some natural remedies must be repeated often for effectiveness and even so, ants my relocate.

A chemically-based ant repellent may be the most effective tool for keeping ants away from certain areas of the home, however the biggest drawback is that these are often highly toxic and can be absorbed through the skin making them very dangerous if exposed to children. The same applies for pets and even certain household plants. These chemicals are also flammable and should be used with caution. It is important to check the chemically ingredients which are listed on the cans and follow the instructions carefully. There are also organic options though.

You may also be able to find and use an all-natural ant repellent that is safe for your whole family (including your pets) and highly effective. Always experiment with a wide variety of options before deciding on the ant repellent system that works best for you over the long term.

Sources:

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/980528a.cfm

http://www.ghorganics.com/page11.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf528624.tip.html