How Can I Prevent Ants in My House?

Keeping a clean house can help prevent ants. Clean the kitchen area regularly, vacuum regularly and remove stray food crumbs from the floor. Also, store food in sealed containers to prevent ants from attracting and feasting on it.

Ants are attracted to food and water. They leave pheromone trails to attract other ants. Use ant repellants to break up these trails. You can do this by spraying a glass cleaner or liquid detergent on ant gathering areas.

Another repellant you can use is a mixture of vinegar and water. Spray this mixture on surfaces and wipe it off. This will break up the ants’ trail and force them to look for a new food source.

You can also put out a deterrent such as pepper around appliances or baseboards. Cayenne pepper is a natural deterrent.

Borax is another natural deterrent. Borax is odorless and has low toxicity. It can be purchased at a local hardware store. However, it should not be placed in areas where children or pets can access it.

Another good deterrent is talcum powder. Talcum powder clogs the ants’ airways and breaks the pheromone trail. The ants then follow the trail in single file.

Another way to prevent ants in your house is to build an ant barrier. Ant barriers are used to keep ants from entering your home and to kill unwitting ants. You can also build a moat around your pet’s food to prevent it from attracting ants.