Any tips for getting rid of ants?

Linda
by Linda
Help, my sunroom has been invaded with small, not tiny, black ants. I don't want to put out chemical ant killer products because of our little Shih Tzu. Any home remedies?
  9 answers
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Apr 11, 2016
    try using any essential oils,peppermint,citrus,tea tree etc. Dab on to cotton balls and wipe the surfaces where the ants are appearing. You can also keep some bowls out on your counters with the oils.
  • V giordano V giordano on Apr 11, 2016
    I use a spoon of sugar and a spoon of borax in a plastic lid. At first it attracts a bunch of ants and the next day they are all gone. I wouldn't have believed unless I tried it myself.
  • Susan Barlow Holmes Susan Barlow Holmes on Apr 11, 2016
    Used the borax with sweetened condensed milk and got rid of all my bugs..if you can find bottle caps...put it in them and hide them all over. Don't let other animals eat it...
  • Diatomaceious Earth which is not dangerous to humans and pets. You can find it at Home Depot for less than $10 still I think
  • Sherry Taylor Sherry Taylor on Apr 12, 2016
    You can sprinkle raw grits or corn meal around the exterior of your home. The ants will eat this and die.
  • William William on Apr 13, 2016
    All great remedies, but your Shih Tzu might get into any powdery mixture so try this, mix one cup warm water with ½ cup sugar and 3 tablespoons borax. Soak it up with cotton balls and place them in shallow dishes near ant trails. If you see trails of ants, place the cotton balls of the mixture directly in their path. This prevents most of them from traveling all around your house if they have easy access to this sugary treat. Resist the urge to kill all the ants you see. They will carry the bait back to the nest, unable to differentiate between the borax and sugar, and the borax particles will eventually kill the entire colony. The more ants that are allowed to find the bait and carry it back, the faster the colony will die off.
  • Johnchip Johnchip on Apr 13, 2016
    In the end, you are killing off the nest, so use a chemical that actually works. Sulpheramide is best. A small spot of it in their path they take it back to the nest and it kills them all overnight
  • Cindi Cindi on Apr 13, 2016
    AVON Skin So Soft bath oil, original. Insects don't like the smell. I spray it on the outside cat dishes, and had a big bag of dog food covered in ants once, sprayed it on the outside of the bag, and about an hour later, no ants. It works for mosquitos too. It's safe for animals, and has multiple purposes. I also use it like Goo Gone, to remove the good under labels, etc. Spray around the door frame and ants won't come into your house. The smell only lasts a few days so has to be reapplied, and it doesn't kill them, but it's great to get rid of them when they become a nuisance.
  • Mis7392217 Mis7392217 on Jun 19, 2016
    Cinnamon works