Natural and Organic Ways to Get Rid of Ants

First things first: Ants and their tactics. The main thing you need to know about ants is that they leave scent trails, so no method for getting rid of ants is 100% effective. Which is to say - if you're the kind of person who wants to nuke 'em with toxins, the next ant colony will to show up tomorrow anyway.

But you're probably not that kind of person, because you're reading this article. And, fortunately, some of the best ways of getting rid of ants involve getting rid of their scent trails - something that's easy to do with natural and organic pest control methods.

Second things second: terminology. "Organic" is a misnomer - lots of poisonous chemicals are organic in the sense that they contain carbon, but that's not what this article is about either. I'm going to list some natural pest control methods that are available in your cabinets or at your grocery store, that are non-toxic to humans, that can be bought with or without "certified organic" status.

Necessary information: The first step to all of these methods is to find where the ants are coming in. It's often a little crack in the frame of a window, or by the floorboards. Ants are very small!

1. Vinegar. Use a spray bottle to spray vinegar around the area where the ants are coming in, and anywhere else you've seen them walking. Smell that funny smell? So do they, and it confuses them and removes their scent trail.

2. Black Pepper. Sprinkle around the ant area - again, it blocks their scent. The oil may also be an irritant to them.

3. Diatomaceous Earth. This is a fancy name for a kind of chalk-like powder which kills insects. The grains are sharp-edged and absorb hydration, causing the ants to dehydrate and die. For a widespread problem with ants in the floor, such that blocking one or two entrances won't remove them, sprinkle this powder over the entire area and then vacuum later. A dust mask is recommended, as breathing the powder in can be harmful, but it's otherwise non-toxic.

4. Cinnamon. This is my favorite way of getting rid of ants, though be careful, as it might stain. Like black pepper, it blocks their scent.

5. Combined methods. Wipe the area down with vinegar, getting rid of the ants that are present, and follow up by sprinkling black pepper or cinnamon over the place where the ants are getting in.