Stop ants in their tracks before they take over your yard.
Ants are a productive, essential part of the environment. They clean up food crumbs and spills, decaying carcasses and rotting vegetation. Ants are barely noticeable when they carry out their activities, which are focused on food and the continuance of the colony, away from your home. But if the ant activities have resulted in an infestation in your yard, measures must be taken to stop the infestation and prevent them from heading into your home, as well. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Keep your yard clean and free of debris that attracts ants.
Clean up your yard, garden and deck to remove empty food containers, rotting produce from the garden or dead wood laying around that attracts ants. Toss out trash in a sealed plastic trash bag.
2. Combine 1 tsp. dishwashing detergent and 8 oz. of water in a spray bottle. Observe the ants in your yard and identify any ant trails they use repeatedly. Saturate these ant trails with the soapy water to eliminate the scent they leave to help them find their trails again.
3. Heat water in a large cooking pot until it comes to a boil. Pour the boiling water down any anthills or nests found to kill the ants in the colony.
4. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around your patio and other areas of your yard where your family spends time. Diatomaceous earth is natural and safe for humans and pets but effectively kills ants.
5. Peppermint is a natural ant repellent.
Add peppermint plants to your garden or place them around your patio in large pots. Ants are repelled by the smell of peppermint.
6. Set up commercial ant bait stations in areas where ants have been seen searching for food. Keep the bait stations in areas that are unreachable by children and pets. Ants will eat some of the bait and brings some back for ants in any colonies not already exterminated.
Tags: your yard, around your, around your patio, attracts ants, bait stations