How to Exterminate Ants from Your Home
Ants are one of the species of pests that infests our homes and causes a lot of damage. To reduce the damage caused by these pests, it is important for homeowners to contact reputable pest control firms such as Ant Elimination Delray Beach FL. In this article, we are going to highlight the ways through which you can eliminate ants from your home.
Essential Oils
When an ant discovers food, it marks the pathway they used before using a pheromone trail. The trail leads the other ants to the food. Essential oils come in and misdirect the other ants by diluting the pheromone. Since ants use antennae to smell the scent, they will lack a sense of direction thus leading them back to their nests. There are varieties of oils that may be used. Peppermint oil is a good example. It produces a minty scent that dilutes the pheromone. To use the oil, place a few drops on a cotton ball and wipe all the entry points. Repeat until the ants are entirely gone. Tea tree oil is another essential component that can work wonders. Using the same methodology of blocking the pheromone, tea tree oil prevents this scent. As mentioned above, place a few drops on a cotton ball and wipe on all entry points. Also, tea tree oil can be used as a disinfectant. Clove essential oil is another substance that disrupts the pheromone trail. Cloves contain Eugenol that acts too as an insecticide. Other insects are instantly killed by the component rendering it a low-risk pesticide. If the ants are becoming troublesome, duct tape may be your answer. By placing the tape around food jars and entry points with the sticky side upwards, the ants will stick on the tape. Such methods have proved successful, as food jars will be safe from entry by the ants.
Diatomaceous Earth
As one tablespoon of boric acid is fatal to children, it is advisable to use diatomaceous earth, a white talc-like powder that is condensed remains of marine phytoplankton fossil. When it is sprinkled on the exoskeleton of the ants, it brings defects to their coats. It causes their insides turn to green matter thus eliminating the bugs. As it does not produce any smell, it is the most convenient way of removing bugs. How you use Diatomaceous Earth is by sprinkling thin layers in the entry points of the ants. Chalk contains calcium carbonate, which repels the ants. By drawing a line around their entry points, one will have solved the problem. Since the chalk is made from ground-up and compressed shells of marine animals, it is useful. Scattering powdered chalk around gardens repels the ants.
As mentioned earlier, the pheromone trail is the one that propels the ants to come in large numbers. However, limes and oranges come in and rescue the homeowner. Squirting some lemon juice around the entry points will repel the ants for good. The disruption of the pheromone trail will be sufficient. Oranges too offer the same solution, however, instead of the juice orange peel are blended. The juice then is poured into their nests whereby they leave unconditionally. Pouring equal parts of vinegar and water into a spray bottle then spaying the solution onto the nests is a proven solution. The ants dislike the smell of the vinegar as communication in the nests will be disrupted. Remember, ants use pheromone as a communicating pathway, bringing down this will make them scatter away.
