Get rid of ants 'permanently' with 1 natural but very effective kitchen ingredient
You can deter ants from the home with a natural repellent that won't harm the environment.
This Morning: Expert on how to 'banish ants for good'
Ants typically find themselves in your home to find food or to seek warm shelter, but the insects might make your skin crawl.
These opportunistic feeders may congregate along your paving stones and create a distinctive mound of sand near their nests.
Ants inside the home will always come from a nearby colony, so it's the ant nest you need to target.
Merry Maids services revealed a natural way to deter ants from entering your abode "permanently".
"Pull out the ground black pepper and start sprinkling it around your home as an effective ant repellent that won’t create health issues for pets or loved ones in your home," Merry Maids noted.
"Ants are irritated by the smell of black pepper, and it’s very effective at killing them when mixed with water in a spray bottle.
"The mixture of black pepper and water has been known to work within 24 hours of application to eliminate ants."
Boiling water on its own, however, is unlikely to prevent an ant infestation; while it does kill ants on impact, it won't eradicate the intricate series of tunnels created underneath the mound of sand.
Other ineffective strategies include the application of white vinegar and pesticides.
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Instead, the use of black pepper can also be amplified by the use of peppermint and/or tea tree oil.
Merry Maids explained: "If you’re looking for a natural ant repellent that makes your home smell amazing, try 10 to 15 drops of peppermint essential oil in a spray bottom with water.
"The minty aroma interrupts the chemical signals ants leave behind when they walk, telling their colony where to go."
Tea tree essential oil is a ghastly scent for ants, so it's recommended to soak cotton balls in tea tree oil and place the soaked cotton balls at entry points around the home.
These natural methods with essential oils will help your home smell lovely while deterring ants from coming inside.
It's also good housekeeping to make sure no fallen food remains on the floors for too long.
One of the best defences against an ant intrusion is to make your home seem less appealing to the insects.
This means they are unlikely to find bits of unsealed food they can carry back to the colony.
