Are ants making lots of tiny troubles in your kitchen and pantry?  Well, you are not alone. Many of us are having problems with ants crawling in and feasting on our precious food stocks. What is worse – they can bite you like crazy. Here are some tips to keep these tiny pests off your space.

  1. Block their entryways. It can be a bit tricky to find these entryways, but if you follow their march, you can quickly spot them. Perhaps it is a crack in the concrete or a gap in the windows, wherever it may be, try to block these passages.Argentine_ants_accessing_trap
  2. Clean surfaces with vinegar. Ants hate vinegar. Place a vinegar and water (1:1) solution in a spray bottle and spray away. The smell can be somewhat overpowering, so use it sparingly in well ventilated areas, and those that are not vulnerable to acetic acid.
  3. If the smell of vinegar is too overpowering, use lemon juice or peppermint oil instead. It functions the same way, and the smell is even better.
  4. Sprinkle coffee grounds in the garden. Coffee grounds are not only great at reviving the fertility of the garden soil, they also deter ants from living in your home and surrounding areas.
  5. Sprinkle chalk or talcum powder in affected areas. If it does not bother you, you can use chalk or talcum powder along the ant lines to prevent them from coming back. Talcum is a natural ant repellant, but may cause allergies, so be careful.
  6. Place a thin film of dish soap in possible entryways such as windows, doors, cracks and crevices. The soap deters ants from coming inside your home.Soap_in_blue_dish
  7. Keep food inside airtight containers. Of course, ants are attracted to food, so be sure to keep them locked in sealed containers so they do not get attacked by horrible ants.
  8. Dispose of garbage frequently and properly. Ants attack the garbage most of all because it contains food scraps and leftovers that they like to hoard. Dispose of garbage as frequently as you can to discourage ant attacks.