10 Nontoxic Ways to Combat Ants

Hi there, we have recently (the last week or so) with these little tiny sugar ants in our kitchen. It's no surprise really we have a slab foundation and have trouble in the past, last year we had them in a bedroom outlet. Imagine going to bed and noticing a weird flicker coming from the night light- when you walk over and notice there are black spots on the night light and they are moving!!! YIKES!! Sounds like the start to an old Alfred Hitchcock movie- THE ANTS (instead of the Birds). Well that was a late night needless to say as I had to deal with killing them and cleaning them up.
This year they are in our kitchen. I suspect they are coming from the radiator in the corner of the eating area and they have been walking across the room and into the cabinets. Being that we have little kids and a dog I don't like to spray chemicals in the house- even those ones that say safe to use around kids and pets. Call me funny like that, but if it isn't NONTOXIC I don't want it!!!!
So here are some treatments that you can use that are completely safe:

1. Vinegar- pour into a new, clean spray bottle and spray on the ants and their trial. It doesn't really kill the ants, but it does clean the sent they leave in their trials. If you have them in the cabinets take everything out and spray the cabinets with the vinegar and wipe down. You'll need to do this several times a day for several days.

2. Bag Up Food- Go through your cabinets and get rid of what you don't need. What you are keeping either put in a Tupperware container or a Ziploc bag so they can't get to the food. No food- No ants.

3. Chalk- Take some plain old white chalk (chalk is nontoxic) and draw a line around doors, windows, floors, and walls- wherever you see them coming in. They don't like chalk and won't walk over it.

4. Cornmeal or Cornstarch- get some cornmeal or cornstarch and sprinkle it in the ants path. They will take it home and share it and then it will expand in their tummies and they'll die.

5. Boiling Hot Water- this works well on patios and if you can find the ant hill outside. Boil water in your kettle and pour it on the ant hill or all over your patio. The boiling water will kill them. You'll need to be diligent about this- do several times a day for several days.

6. Bay Leaves- yes the bay leaves you use to cook with- take some and put them where the ants are- it helps repel them. The only caveat is don't put them where children and pets are likely to get
them- they are nontoxic, but they may pose a choking hazard as they are stiff and a little sharp.

7. Cucumbers- Slice up cucumbers and put them where the ants are- they don't like them and this will act as a repellent. I would put them on a piece of wax paper so the area doesn't get sticky and you'll have to replace everyday or so as they spoil. You can also try using cucumber peels instead of slices.

8. Eliminate leaks/ water sources- Ants are looking for several things when they decide to invade your home; food, water and shelter. Well your house is warm and comfy- nothing you can do about that, but you can try to limit the other two items on their list. Make sure you don't have leaks. If you see them around the sink area- look underneath for any leaks. Are they in the bathroom- check for leaks. Are they on a particular wall? Perhaps you have a leak inside. They also like radiators as the condensation from the heat leaves them with enough water to survive.

9. Clean counter tops and vacuum/sweep floor- make sure to wipe all counter tops and tables down every night and vacuum or sweep up the floors. You might not see any food- but trust me- they do!!

10. Use Orange Peels- Place orange peels from one orange in a blender with one cup of water. (You can increase the amount of solution you make depending on the severity of the ant problem.) Add one cup of water for every orange's worth of peels you add to the blender. Puree the orange peels and water until they are mixed together into a solution. Pour the solution into any anthills around your home to kill the ants. Dump the solution in a spray container and spray any problem areas within your home to kill the ants. The solution also acts as a repellent. Spray the solution around the outside of base of your house to keep ants from entering. Or try Orange Guard a nontoxic insecticide made from orange peels.

Read more: How to Use Orange Peels to Kill Ants | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5541255_use-orange-peels-kill-ants.html#ixzz2MFGSuc9d

A late addition to the list-
You can also spray them with Shaklee's Basic Organic H they die immediately from the soapyness- it suffocates them.