Ants can be a serious nuisance, and dealing with them using chemicals can be harmful. Here’s how to get rid of ants with essential oils!
Even when you try to keep your home clean all the time, pesky ants can sometimes win and create a nuisance. While your immediate reaction may be to spray them with chemicals, don’t! These might kill the ants but will pollute your home. In this article, you will learn how to deal with this problem the natural way, i.e, how to get rid of ants with essential oils.
Essential Oils To Get Rid of Ants
1) Peppermint
A 2020 study concluded that peppermint oil was effective against the invasive European red ant Myrmica rubra (L.). To prepare a peppermint spray that deters ants, mix in 10 to 20 drops of the oil with 2 cups of water in a clean spray bottle. Spray this mixture around the windows and baseboards of your home and let it dry.
Note: Keep the mixture away from pets, especially cats, as they can become seriously ill if exposed.
2) Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is effective against both flies and ants. In a clean spray bottle, mix 5 to 10 drops of tea tree oil with 2 cups of water. Spray the mixture in any part of your home where you might see ants. Alternatively, you could saturate some cotton balls with this mixture and place them around your home where you normally see ants.
If the scent of tea tree oil is too strong, you can try mixing peppermint oil with tea tree oil and water.
Note: This mix, too, should be kept away from pets.
3) Lemon Eucalyptus Oil
Another natural insect repellent is lemon eucalyptus oil, which contains citronella. Citronella is often used in candles to repel mosquitoes, and several studies have shown that it can also help repel certain types of ants.
To use it, soak cotton balls with undiluted lemon eucalyptus oil and keep them in areas where you have seen ants. Replace the cotton balls weekly and keep them out of reach of children and pets.
4) Cinnamon Essential Oil
A 2008 study concluded that cinnamon essential oil, which contains trans-cinnamaldehyde, can not only repel ants but also kill them. Follow the same procedure for using lemon eucalyptus oil, and remember to replace the cotton balls weekly. As with other essential oils, this one should also be kept away from pets.
5) Neem Oil
Neem oil is extracted from the neem tree, native to India, and is a naturally occurring pesticide. It can repel all kinds of insects, including ants. If ants have been bothering your indoor plants, neem oil can be the best option to eliminate them.
Full-strength neem oil, when rubbed on home surfaces or plant parts, can easily reduce insect feeding like aphids and ants, repel them, and prevent them from reproducing.
Note: Diluted neem and products containing neem extract may not work as well as full-strength neem oil.
6) Cedarwood Oil
Struggling with fire ants in your home? They can be quite scary but cedarwood essential oil is the perfect option to disperse them. The thing about cedarwood essential oil that deters ants is its strong odor.
Spray some cedarwood essential oil along entry points or in areas where you have seen ants. On regular use, you will find your home free of these pesky insects!
7) Citronella Oil
While lemon eucalyptus oil contains citronella and effectively repels ants, original citronella oil can be even more effective. And that’s not all!
Citronella oil is also effective against other bugs, such as mosquitoes and wasps. Not only do ants stay away from citronella oil because of its odor, but it can also kill them on contact.
8) Clove Oil
A warm, spicy scent that contains a compound called eugenol, clove oil is yet another effective ant repellent. Compounds like eugenol in clove oil have neurotoxic properties which can even kill ants on contact.
9) Lavender Oil
If you do not want your home to smell weird but also want to eliminate all the ants bothering you, lavender oil would be your best choice. While this oil calms and relaxes you in your daily life, the same can’t be said when used against insects like ants. Lavender oil is quite a powerful deterrent for ants without leaving your home smelling unpleasant.
10) Lemongrass Oil
Similar to lemon oil or lemon eucalyptus oil, lemongrass oil not only has a strong citrus scent that angst hates but also citral and citronella compounds. These compounds are great at sending pesky ants out of your house.
11) Orange Oil
Now that it has been established that ants hate citrus scent, that gives you yet another option to get rid of them in the form of orange oil. It has a sweet citrus scent that is absolutely repulsive to ants. Plus, this oil also contains certain properties that can suffocate and kill ants on contact.
Note: Orange oil won’t be effective against fire ants.
12) Patchouli Oil
If you are dealing with hordes of black ants, patchouli oil can be your best friend in getting rid of them completely. You will often find patchouli oil listed as an active ingredient even in commercial ant repellants.
Besides that, patchouli oil can be a one-stop solution for you to get rid of flies, bed bugs, and other insects as well.
13) Thyme Oil
You may be surprised to know that the oil extracted from the common culinary herb thyme can be greatly effective in keeping ants away. But that’s not all! If you find your deck or patio attracting a lot of moths at night, thyme oil can even keep those away.
14) Spearmint Oil
Unable to find peppermint oil and need to get rid of ants urgently? Well, you can always use spearmint oil, which is just as effective! While its strong scent may be pleasant to you, ants will definitely hate it and will keep away from it.