There’s nothing worse than opening the lid of a jar of honey only to find it’s full of ants. Sometimes there’s a telltale line of marching black soldiers leading right to your kitchen, other times it seems like they came from nowhere. Either way, you know you’re in for a battle.
Here are 5 easy ways to help you win—and keep those awful ants out of your cupboard for good.
1. FIND THEIR ENTRY POINT
The easiest cure is often prevention and that’s no different when it comes to ants. If you can identify how they are getting into your house (think door jambs, window cracks) then you should be able to figure out how to get them out. Sprinkling caulk on entry points is a common method of deterring ants. However, for a more natural approach you can try spreading coffee grinds or even drawing across the entry point with a line of chalk.
2. CLEAN WITH VINEGAR
Ditch the chemical options and opt to clean your kitchen with a spray bottle filled with a 50/50 vinegar solution instead. Not only is it a great way to naturally keep your home clean and germ-free, the scent also helps to eliminate ant trails and act as a boundary deterrent. Win-win!
3. TRY ESSENTIAL OILS
Both peppermint oil and lemon oil have been shown to deter ant infestations. Whilst we love the aroma, it seems that those pesky little insects can’t stand it and tend to stay away. Consider using a damp cloth with a few drops of essential oils on it to wipe over your cupboards and bench tops. You’ll be left with a fresh, clean and ant-free kitchen!
4. THROW FOOD SCRAPS AWAY
Your bin doesn’t need to be overflowing or your bench full of last night’s dinner prep to lure an ant colony in for a feast. Unfortunately, even the tiniest crumb can act as a lure to ants on the prowl. If you’ve been battling a recurring ant infestation, cleaning as you go and keeping on top of kitchen mess can make a big difference. So, make sure your kids put their breadboard in the dishwasher and give the bench a wipe down after their breakfast each morning. Logic dictates that if there’s no food to be found, your house will be of little interest to hungry insects.
5. CONSIDER FOOD STORAGE
If you still can’t keep ants out of the cupboard, it might be time to think about how you are storing your food. Do you have appealing, sugary items such as honey and golden syrup sitting out on the shelf? Placing condiments and treacle into a sealed container can drastically reduce an ant problem (and save your morning crumpet). Use your ant infestation as an excuse to give your pantry a mini-makeover by reordering shelves and placing any open food stuffs into sealed containers. Not only will you feel more organised, by the end of the exercise you’ll be blissfully ant-free!