You’ve probably seen pavement ants at some time in your life, and if they’ve made their way to your home, you’re probably seeking a way to get rid of them. Unfortunately, these pests are notoriously tough to eradicate, thriving in vast colonies with several queens, multiplying rapidly, and may readily be gaining access to our houses in quest of food. But while pavement ants are rarely harmful to humans or animals, you might want to keep them away from your home without putting you and your family’s health in harm’s way.
So how do you get rid of pavement ants naturally? Some natural ingredients you can use are water and vinegar spray, coffee grounds, peppermint, corn meal, bay leaves, or raw cream of wheat. You can also use diatomaceous earth and selected herbs and spices to eliminate the ant infestation in your space. Meanwhile, other home remedies include mixing boiling water and dish soap, or using chalk as well.
Home Remedies and Natural Methods to Get Rid of Pavement Ants
1) Water and Vinegar Spray
Natural substances may be used as a spray to eliminate pavement ants that have infested your home, much as synthetic pesticides. Mix equal parts water and vinegar in a spray bottle and spray in areas where ants are most likely to hide or travel through.
The stench of vinegar is too strong for worker ants and it can also mess with their body’s pheromones, which are important for communication. The pheromones left by worker ants who leave scent trails to the food source route are overpowered when vinegar is sprayed.
2) Boiling Water and Dish Soap
You can use boiling water and liquid dish soap to get rid of pavement ants in a more focused and natural way. However, this strategy is best used if you know you’ve caught a pavement ant invasion early, as the water won’t likely penetrate far enough into the ground to kill the entire ant colony.
To kill pavement ants using boiling water and dish soap, bring a kettle of water to a boil and add liquid dish soap. Mix until the water is sudsy, then gently carry the pot outdoors and pour it into the entrance sites of pavement ant colonies.
3) Ant Repellent Spray with Essential Oils
Peppermint oil, citrus oils, and tea tree oil are among the finest essential oils for repelling pavement ants. These oils will help repel a variety of other pests, such as ants, roaches, spiders, and other insects.
You’ll need 10 to 20 drops of one of the oils mentioned above, 2 cups of water, and a spray container to produce your own essential oil spray. Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and spray it around your home, along sidewalks, or wherever else you’ve spotted pavement ants.
If you don’t want to produce an essential oil spray, you may just soak cotton balls in one of the oils mentioned above and place them around the entry points of the pavement ant nests. You may also use cotton balls to deter ants by placing them near windows, doors, and other probable access points inside your home.
4) Coffee Grounds
The strong fragrance of coffee also deters pavement ants. If you’re searching for a natural solution to dissuade these pests without using pesticides, putting coffee immediately around your walkways may assist, as well as placing them directly on the entrances and openings to colonies you might have noticed.
Coffee grounds contain roughly 2% nitrogen, which causes the ants’ legs to burn as they traverse them. Coffee, on the other hand, may be hazardous to curious pets if swallowed, therefore if you have dogs or cats, we don’t advocate using this approach.
5) Peppermint
Peppermint has long been used as a natural insect repellent. Pavement ants despise it because, like vinegar and coffee grounds before it, it interrupts and destroys the ant track or trail left by foragers and worker ants. These plants will keep them from nesting in your yard if you put them around the perimeter of your house.
6) Chalk
Chalk includes calcium carbonate, which confuses pavement ants by masking or removing their pheromone trail. Draw lines on your windowsill, crevices, doorframe, and any other entry points they could utilize.
7) Corn Meal
Pavement ants, like other ant species, have limited vision or are entirely blind. Their antennas and smell trails allow them to communicate. Although cornmeal won’t kill the ants, it will significantly interrupt their smell path or pheromone trail. Please keep in mind that it doesn’t happen quickly as it will take a few days for the pavement ants to cease coming near your house. It’s also good to note that corn meal doesn’t make ants explode when they eat it.
8) Bay Leaves
A great way to manage ant populations is to use fresh bay leaves, but dried bay leaves can also work. Place bay leaves in any location where ants are visible, such as cupboards, countertops, and floors.
Using a food processor, grind the bay leaves into a fine powder and cover the tops of all ant mounds with ground bay leaves. Once a day, check the bay leaves and replace them as needed. When the aroma of the leaves fades, the ants may return, so be sure to replenish the site as needed.
9) Diatomaceous Earth
The usage of diatomaceous earth powder is an environmentally friendly, organic, and safe technique to keep pavement ants away from your home. To defend your home against these pests, sprinkle the powder at several access points and gaps inside the house.
10) Raw Cream of Wheat
The substance tends to expand in their stomachs when they eat it. They perish with the passage of it slowly expanding in them over time. Mix 1 tablespoon honey with 3 tablespoons uncooked cream of wheat to attract and kill pavement ants and simply place it in their habitats. Over time, your ant problem will slowly go away.
11) Herbs and Spices
To keep pavement ants away from your home, employ ant repellent spices and plants. To discourage pavement ants from colonizing, use insect repellent herbs at their colony entrance points.
Whole cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon, turmeric, cayenne pepper, citrus oil, lavender oil, and other ant repellant plants and spices are just a few examples. When the herbs or spices lose their flavor, keep replenishing them in the same location as a pavement ant deterrent.
Pavement Ants Prevention
Indoors
- Seal any holes, gaps, fissures, or other probable access points in your home for pavement ants.
- Keep areas in your home dry, cool, and clean, especially the regions where they may locate food.
- Keep your kitchen tidy by sweeping the countertops after each meal.
- Clean up spills and crumbs from the floors.
- Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink.
- Fix leaking water within your house as it can be used as a water source for pavement ants.
- Remove any building debris, bricks, or concrete slabs piled up near your home to eliminate potential nesting sites for pavement ants.
Outdoors
- Prune any grasses, shrubs, creeper, or crawler plants in your yard that might serve as a bridge for pavement ants to cross.
- Seal trash firmly and empty it on a daily basis.
- Make every effort to eliminate standing water in and around your home.
- Keep tree branches trimmed back and not touching the side of your house to prevent pavement ants from entering your home.
- Make sure that the weatherproofing in your house and its window screens are in good working order.
- Keep firewood and other yard debris at least 20 feet from your house’s side.
Call Midway Pest Management for Your Ant Problems At Home
Ant infestations inside house walls can be difficult to deal with so it’s better to leave the job at the hands of a pest management professional like Midway Pest Management. Our team of pest experts carefully examines the extent of damage and infestation and recommends the best treatment plan for your property.
Midway Pest Management is the smartest and safest choice for pest extermination in your home or business. We have the right tools, methods, and techniques to prevent and stop all kinds of pests and insects from invading and taking over your space.
Contact us today and let us help you with your pest problems.
Read More: How To Get Rid of Pavement Ants with Bait