RepellAll - Ant repellents

7 Types of Natural Ant Repellents

Ants are a common unwanted guest in both your home and your garden - so here are some of top natural ant repellents for you to get rid of ants quickly and for good.

These tiny insects can be a nuisance, and many different ant types also bite, causing small itchy red marks on your skin. Once you have an ant problem in your home, it can be very hard to repel ants as they tend to go in very stereotyped paths and their colonies are often difficult to locate.

Much like you go to the doctor in order to prevent yourself from disease, so too should you try to prevent ants from entering your home in the first place using a variety of ant repellents that prevent them from entering your home.

These ant deterrents should only be natural repellents, because you never know when an ant colony is going to move into your home or garden, and you do not want to surround yourself with chemicals on a constant basis.

Natural Ant Repellents to Keep Ants Away

When it comes to natural methods of keeping ants away, many of ant repellents are designed to irritate ants with smell, taste, or some type of acidic ingredient that burns the insect’s skin.

· Pepper – Cayenne pepper, and other types of hot peppers, are effective ways of keeping all types of insects (and animals) away. The taste is a deterrent in its own right, but the smell can burn the sensor of insects, and most try their best to stay away when they sense pepper in the area. Pepper is a better method as a natural repellent for the outdoors because a lot of pepper can burn your eyes as well.

· Cedar Wood – Cedar is a deterrent to all types of insects, including ants and cockroaches.

· Cloves – Ants seem to be averse to areas where cloves are present. If you see an ant colony forming, sprinkle cloves around it and there is a good chance those ants will disperse.

· Citrus Fruits – Citrus fruits are highly acidic and make great natural repellents. Placing them in areas that you want to keep ants away from may do the trick, but boiling them first is a far better decision.

· Turmeric Root – Turmeric powder seems to annoy several different types of insects, especially ants. Sprinkling it around areas that you wish to keep ants away seems to work fairly effectively.

· Pine Oil – Mixing a drop of pine oil with water tends to do a good job as a natural repellent for fire ants.

· Garlic – Ants and vampires may have little in common, but they are both deterred by this common vegetable.

The only downside to the majority of these natural repellents is that they are very easily washed away by rain or water. You need to be placing them in the areas they are needed constantly if you hope to keep ants away for a long period of time.

There are other commercial ant repellents that are available that are a little more permanent. However, very few of the commercial products are natural repellents, and in general it is best for the health of both you and the ants if you start with natural repellents first before you start using chemical products.