If you’ve noticed ants appearing in your home during the UK heatwave, you’re likely not alone. Ants are more active in the heat and reproduce faster when it’s warm.
Banishing ants can be tricky as they are small pests that are highly adaptable to changes in their environment.
Using harsh chemicals to deter ants can put your children and pets at risk so it’s also best to avoid using them.
Luckily, there is an eco-friendly alternative that won’t kill the ants but will deter them from coming into the home.
Laura Harnett, the founder of the eco-cleaning brand, Seep, has explained how to deter ants using several natural methods including herbs and citrus fruit.
She said: “Ants can easily be deterred from the home with strong-smelling herbs and spices, white vinegar or coffee grounds.
“The best spices are cayenne pepper, ground cinnamon and cloves. If these are spread across their routes into the home then they will be deterred and start to find new ways to search for food and water.
“The same can be done with coffee grounds or by spraying white vinegar or peppermint oil across their paths.
“These methods only work for as long as the smell remains so will need to be re-applied until the ants have been trained out towards the garden and away from the home.
“Citrus fruit is toxic to ants so the peel from oranges, lemons and limes could also be used along with the juice if they need to be completely removed from the home after they have invaded.”
Citrus fruit such as lemons can be bought for 30p each from Sainsbury’s. Aldi sells a four-pack of lemons for 65p which works out at 16p per lemon.
Laura said preventing ants is always better than trying to eradicate the problem. Ants are attracted to sweet and sticky spillages as well as water so it’s best to keep pet bowls away from ants and to clean up any sticky spillages straight away.
Homeowners should also check the inside of their bins for any spillages as these can attract ants.
To clean your bin in an eco-friendly way, boil a kettle and fill the bin with hot water to loosen any sticky substances and kill bacteria.
Next, pour away the hot water carefully and spray the interior with white vinegar to kill any of the remaining bacteria. Wipe the bin with an all-purpose cloth and leave it to air dry.
