The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Cinnamon
Posted by Nicky (Vancouver Island, Bc Canada) on 04/16/2021
★★★★★
Ants hate powdered cinnamon. My experience is that if you liberally sprinkle powdered cinnamon in their path they won't cross it. Apparently they don't like getting it on their feet, or maybe they don't like the smell of it (like peppermint), but they avoid it completely.
Vinegar
Posted by Zark (Emerald City) on 11/26/2020
★☆☆☆☆
Vinegar didn't work when I tried it. Don't use on varnished wooden surfaces - it managed to strip off a bit of the varnish on one piece of furniture.
Cloves
Posted by Zark (Oz) on 11/26/2020
★★★★☆
Cloves worked ok. The ants would lose their scent trail and get lost / head home. I used powdered cloves and that was very quick acting but only works for a few hours to a day max. However the ants returning wander around lost for a while and eventually find a way around it by going up a wall.. so then you need to keep applying it.
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Deneen (Kansas City, Usa) on 07/15/2018 2 posts
★★★★★
Diatomaceous Earth powder worked for removing ants from our kitchen. Ants usually find their way into our kitchen after a rain shower. In the past, we have tried Borax, peppermint oil, water barrier and glass cleaner to no avail. After sprinkling some D.E. around the floor by the refrigerator and around the sink and window sill, there have not been any ants spotted in over a couple weeks. I'm confident that is what finally worked. This is also safe to use around our dog and family. Take care to not inhale the fine powder as you disperse it.
BBQ Sauce
Posted by Mh (Washington, Dc) on 04/14/2018
★★★★★
Barbecue sauce (might just be the molasses). I foudd this out by accident. Leave a cap with Barbecue sauce in it. They seem to get stuck in it and probably loose thir scent when they walk in it. Then the others avoid the area. So, if you put it near where they enter the house it keeps them away. IT DOES TAKE A FEW DAYS TO TAKE EFFECT.
Cinnamon
Posted by Hisslv4ever (Rodeo, Ca) on 02/04/2018
★★★★★
Cinnamon will make ants leave. Sprinkle it on them and watch them run. it does not kill them but they will go away. I sprinkle wherever I see them and if possible where they are coming in from. No chemical smell and no bodies to clean up. it looks a little messy and they might find another way to get in but just sprinkle some more. sometimes I leave it for several days to make sure.
It works great and smells good too.
Baby Powder
Posted by Beth (Vista, Ca) on 09/08/2017
★★★★★
I had a bad infestation of ants a few years back. I live in an old house and they came up through the heater registers on the floor. I didn't want to use poison since I have a dog and was concerned he would sniff at it, lick it or otherwise ingest it. So I scoured the internet to find a non-toxic method to eradicate them. That 's when I came across the baby/talcum powder treatment. I poured a line about 1/4 inch think all the way around the heater registers. After killing and cleaning up the ones that were already in the house (4 hours with 2 people working to get rid of them) the ants were gone and never came back. I left the powder there for a week just so they wouldn't come back. My house was ant free for almost 6 years but they are back now, coming in through the wall sockets so I will try the vinegar or perhaps Windex as I've heard both are effective. Thanks to all who have posted!
Ants
Posted by Robin (Northern Michigan) on 06/04/2017
I have tried asking them. The first time, it worked and they stayed away for 3 years. Once I even saw one large carpenter ant on the verge of entering at the slider door and I took one look at it and wow, it scurried right back out.
This year, no luck. I spent a week asking nicely, pleading with them, explained if they did not leave I would poison them, yelled at them, no go.
They are still here and I've had ant poison out for several days.
Bummed.
Ants
Posted by Patricia (Downsville) on 08/22/2016 42 posts
Do you think fleas would be as cooperative as ants are when asked to leave my house?
Boric Acid
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 05/26/2016
Dear Namaw,
Have you tried diatomaceous earth for the fire ants?
I would be going to great measures too if they were under the swingset! My goodness!
~Mama to Many~
Boric Acid
Posted by Namaw (Bama) on 05/26/2016
Borax had no effect. that's one of the first things I've tried. I don't like using poison but, when they come up around the house (under the swingset, slide) then I use acephate powder. Kills the entire nest. But I really hate to use such a powerful poison. As to the yard, mowing over the mound breaks the cycle (have to have a mound for them to swarm).
Boric Acid
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 05/25/2016
Dear Namaw,
The borax should work for fire ants. I am not sure that they are as attracted to sugar (lollipops, coke, etc.) as they are omnivorous. (I have heard the little black ants called, "sugar ants.") If you know where the fire ants are, you can use borax in their nest. If you are trying to attract them, try something sugary, and if that doesn't work, try something else, especially anything you notice they seem to like.
~Mama to Many~
Boric Acid
Posted by Namaw (Bama) on 05/25/2016
Does this work with fire ants?
Boric Acid
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee, Usa) on 05/24/2016
★★★★★
In a house we lived in a few years ago, our mail carrier used to give my children lollipops all the time. If one happened to get left outside (opened) I would see it another day - black with ants. Ants love lollipops!
So, since we always seemed to have a lot of them (lollipops) around, I used some to make ant traps one time when we had a bunch of ants come into the house.
I put an unwrapped lollipop in the middle of a lid. I put boric acid (found at the hardware store, usually used for roaches, though I have always used it for ants - I have had the same container of it for 25 years!!! ) all around the inside edge of the lid. So, ants had to walk through the boric acid to get to the lollipop. I would leave that alone for days. Ants would come and feed and leave with boric acid on their feet.
After a few days, I would stop seeing any ants. Be warned, at first it would seem the problem was worse, but it always got better and the ants would stop until the next spring and I would repeat the process (not always with lollipops, but always with the boric acid! )
I have heard of mixing coca cola with boric acid to accomplish the same thing. I just was more likely to have lollipops than coke around the house!
~Mama to Many~
Grits
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 03/14/2008
★★★★★
I have read that if you sprinkle quick cooking grits on regular or fire ant hills, the workers will carry it home to feed their queen and eat one themselves, causing them to swell up and burst. Ants who died from this should not be harmful to any birds who eat them."
Ants
Posted by KT (Usa) on 05/19/2015
The lemon juice in windowsills and cloves on the counter work great but I do use "Terro" in our downstairs bathroom (that area is on a concrete slab). There are plenty of ants "out there" to take care of any ticks.
Terro works great but when you first use it, ants will appear to come by the hundreds and you think you're feeding them...well, you are, but after about three days they are all gone.
Ants
Posted by Trudy (Al) on 05/18/2015
We have fire ants. Have you ever been bitten by one? They call them FIRE ants for a reason. Can you imagine your little child falling into a pile of them? One bite can kill you, and they burn for days and cause blisters. I'll chance it with the ticks.
Ants
Posted by Yvette (Germany) on 05/18/2015
Killing ants is bad stuff, since its one of the two, insects natural enemies that kill/destroy TICKS, if u want to have a garden free of Ticks, "plant" ants or pray to God to "send" some. Ants eat the eggs and the larvae. In my garden I had lot of ants and no ticks, all the other neigbours had ticks because they killed the ants. So think twice before u kill the ants around you. Then getting Lyme is worse then having some ants on your property.
Ants
Posted by Om (Hope, Bc, Canada) on 08/24/2014
Hi Du-oh, thanks for your post; it made me crack up and chuckle that day. Namaste, Om
Ants
Posted by KT (US) on 08/23/2014
Placing whole cloves on your kitchen counter in the corners, behind cookie jars, coffee makers, canisters, etc. DOES, in fact keep ants away. I started to see them this year on my kitchen counter. I remember reading about the whole cloves and tried it and they left! I was amazed. KT
Ants
Posted by Duh-oh (Virginia) on 08/23/2014
★★★★☆
I decided to try the "tell the ants to leave" tactic because I found it interesting. So when I saw the ants and approached, I was surprised when said ant instead turned and asked ME to leave! I now have 30 days or I will get evicted. Thanks alot guys...
Ants
Posted by KT (The Usa) on 05/21/2013
I remember reading to put lemon juice in the corner of windowsills to keep ants out of the house.
Ants
Posted by Deanna (Ewa Beach, Hawaii, Usa) on 05/21/2013
There was an ant running down the side of my bathtub yesterday. After reading here I sternly said to him "get out of here or I'm going to kill you! " He screeched to a halt and ran out of my house. I am truly stunned at his reaction.
Ants
Posted by Polly (London, England) on 04/15/2013
I'm going to try this when the first little critturs come marching in when the weather warms up! At the moment I don't kill, them I use rotten lemon peels put down where they come in and it takes a little while but they certainly don't like the smell or taste of rotting lemon peels. I don't eat oranges so I haven't tried them maybe someone else could try that?
Ants
Posted by Sarah (Lehi, Ut) on 04/14/2013 4 posts
I'm going to try asking them to leave. I like that idea, it certainly makes me smile. Wonder if it works on spiders too. :) I don't like killing anything, I figure they have a right to be here as much as we do and obviously there's a natural purpose for them.
Ants
Posted by John (Rumson, Nj Usa) on 04/11/2013
I thought I was the only one in the world that knew "tell the Ants to leave" actually works. It really does work. And it makes you laugh because it's so simple.
Ants
Posted by Mia (Ukiah, California) on 02/19/2013
I had such fun reading the progression of the posts. It was delightful. I love how we the people are taking back our rights & being good hearted & sensible.
Ants
Posted by Teresa (Auckland, New Zealand) on 12/08/2012
Before resorting to killing ants why not ask them to move? Tell them that they have so many mins. to go outside or you will kill them. And if they are outside why kill them? They have a purpose. It works, try it.
Ants
Posted by Elizabeth (Oceanside, Ca) on 10/22/2011
You might want to determine why the ants are there in the first place. We discovered that the place we were renting had termites and the ants were eating them.
Ants
Posted by Sheila (Cork, Ireland) on 09/22/2011
Peppermint essential oil is a good way to deter ants; they just turn right around and head away when they're near it. I prefer it, then I don't have to worry about having harmed them.
Ants
Posted by Patricia (Gulf, North Carolina) on 08/28/2011
Do you think the borax would work on getting rid of Fire Ants as well?
Ants
Posted by Westsound (Vancouver, Vancouver Canada) on 08/16/2011
★★★★★
Borax works for killing ants. I found ants in the kitchen, didn't know where they were from. Read online and tried putting borax along the kitchen counter, the edge of the sink etc. Then I went to Seattle with my doggy. Couple days later we got home, cleaned up the borax with a vacuum cleaner. I haven't seen any ants since. It works wonder :)
Ants
Posted by Dave (Battle Ground, Washington State, Usa) on 08/30/2010
★★★★★
I went out one morning to see thousands of small black ants outside our garage door, where the car drives in, all along the edge of the door. My first thought was to get some insecticide and spray but I don't like killing living things no matter what they are. I read a post somewhere saying 20 Mule Team Borax makes insects go away. So I sprinkled some across their path and went to the grocery store to shop. When I came back every single one of them had left, none were killed, and they went elsewhere.
Ants
Posted by Dyna (Portland, Oregon, USA) on 08/04/2008
★★★★★
We put Borax in the cracks about the kitchen to feed the ants. They carry it back to their nests, they cannot digest it and they die. We seem to go for 1 to 1 1/2 years without being bothered by them now.
