Moving here in October I didn’t see a darned ant anywhere. All throughout the fall season we were ant free. Oh, we had our share of stink bugs… but not a single ant. Here it is winter and those little suckers expect me to house them, feed them, and keep them warm.
I thought I was doing all the right things.
I keep my dishes done and don’t leave food out. Heck, with Merida the counter surfer, food left out lasts no longer than it takes me to avert my eyes from her for a millisecond. Still, every 3 or 4 days those annoying little insects show up just to hang out. Their playground is only on one side of the kitchen.
How do I get rid of ants once and for all?
I have no clue. I do know they HATE clove oil — I read that someplace and found it to be accurate. I put a drop on a facial cotton pad and wipe around the sink, dishwasher, and the under lip of the counter tops. I then just drop that pad under the sink. The ants either run or die. Sometimes both. But in 3 or 4 days, their family shows up on behalf of their deceased or missing loved ones. We’ve tried spray with basically the same results only stinky.
I worry how safe essential oils are for the puppies and try to justify that clove oil with the fact they spend little time in the actual kitchen. They spend most of their time where the food is being eaten and where they can sleep and still keep an eye on the humans.
Many of the remedies I’ve found online talk about an “ant trail” but I can’t find where the assholes are coming in.
My Google search produced the results below:
- Dawn dishwashing liquid. Some say to mix up water and Dawn in a spray bottle and spray the areas where the ants are — they say ants won’t walk through the residue left. Others say put the dawn in a bowl of water and let them drown.
- Mix equal parts of powdered sugar and baking soda and set the mixture out in a bowl. They say the baking soda makes the ants explode. That’s all I need! A bajillion exploding ants! Others say that’s a myth and baking soda doesn’t work.
- Sprinkle a line of cinnamon or cayenne pepper where they’re entering. How can I do that when I don’t know where they’re gaining entrance? Besides, Merida eating cayenne pepper doesn’t sound like fun. Other “experts” say a chalk line works well too.
- And the remedy I’m going to try next… equal parts vinegar and water sprayed all around the places they’ve been seen.
Stay tuned for the outcome of the trial vinegar remedy.
I’ll let you know how this works when they come back in 3-4 days. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions insofar as getting rid of ants in a pet friendly way, please pass them my way.
TIL (Today I Learned): Cats are more vocal with humans than they are with other cats.