apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Hmmm, how about not leaving dirty spoons on the counter?

There is a non-poisonous spray from the store that is made up of peppermint oil, water, mineral oil, and CO2 propellent. I have been using it for three years now, and it really works well. It is "poison free" but the peppermint is a bit overwhelming if you get it too close to your eyes. The areas that were sprayed a few years back have been pest free to date. The side benefit is that everything smells minty fresh.

When my wife was pregnant we had an ant problem in the apartment we were in. I came up with a simple residue free solution that I feel is very safe. A 50-50 mix of tap water and rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. Works very well and cleans too!

I personally use baby powder. Very effective

I've had good luck with cayenne pepper.

I also use cayenne powder. I sprinkle it liberally across doorways and windows, and the ants won't cross the line of hot pepper. I also sprinkle it on any visible trails to help reroute them.

Cream of Tarter. I know it sounds weird. I read it somewhere long ago. My car was invaded with them one summer and I sprinke cream of tarter in the car and next day, ants no more.

I have a very efficient antidote to share: copper. Years ago, I bought large copper bands (decorated with ants) that were supposed to keep ants away. And they did. Each spring, ants reappear in my kitchen and my bathroom. I spot the hole where they come from, I put the copper bands next to it, and voilà, a few days later they're gone! Of course, I live in Belgium, and my ants are pretty tiny ones. I don't know if it's that efficient with giant ants! But it really works, and it's so easy and armless.

I have ants in my apartment currently and I have been looking for a good non-toxic/non-harmful way to get rid of them. Although I have plenty of cayenne and cream of tartar I worry about my 2 cats! Even with baby powder I know that the places the ants frequent would end up all over their paws and viola! perhaps no ants but 2 very miserable cats. Ideas?

I have four cats, and trust me, copper works.

I didn't know copper works on ants as well! I do know it works a treat on keeping SLUGS at bay. A tip I got from BBC's Gardeners World.

I've lined all my vegetable beds with old copper pipes I got for free from the garbage dump and haven't seen any slugs.

Next project is to pot my hostas - aka Slug Salad Bar :) - up in pots and line those with copper as well, easy enough to bend as it's quite a soft metal.

Even the old todgers on my alotment are starting to come round to the idea!

NOTE: If you want to eliminate slugs from your vegetable beds altogether you will need to use an additional treatment for the soil that's already in there. It's basically a solution of bacteria that eat the baby slugs. Needs to be repeated 2 or 3 times. Can't remember the name though...

we get big fat ants in the area every year, and if allowed they will come inside and make themselves comfortable...rather too comfortable imo. so i treat all the entrance ways with some peppermint oil. either dabbed on or sprayed on (diluted). they absolutely hate it! you can see them recoil in disgust as they try to walk around it to no avail. plus it's affordable and it makes the home minty fresh!
(do test it before applying to painted surfaces)

Through my ant-hunting experiences; I have found first hand that Cinnamon always does the trick. The sweet taste of cinnamon to ants doubles as a toxic dehydration tool that gets rid of them. When I track down where the ants are coming from--and pour cinnamon all around theant hole/hill and within 30 they all disappear. Safe for in the house especially with little ones!

I don't have an ant problem, but I've heard of rubbing vinegar in all the doorways and on the windowsills. But you have to reapply when it gets washed away. I've also had a bunch of people tell me that they sprinkle sugar on their lawn around their house and they say it works. Apparently, once the ants get all the food they need from outside your house, they assume there's none left and move on.

Cinnamon works wonders! look it up.

I use diatomaceous earth. I got mine from a place called Dirt Works. Please don't get the kind from Home Depot used for pools, get a "food grade" version that is non-toxic.

It works by piercing the exoskeletons of pests and dehydrates them. Oddly, I rarely find a bunch of dead ants in my house...they disappear before they die. Very convenient. I originally bought it to control fleas in a feral cat colony I was looking after. I spread it in their lounging areas outdoors.

You can also make a nectar out of boric acid, sugar and water. I leave it in bottle caps along the perimeter of the yard where I see ants clusters. If you get the mixture just right, the ants will carry the nectar back to their nest, share it with the queen and wipe out the colony. This is the only way to deal with Argentine ants here in SoCal. If you just go around killing them by spraying, they go into a panic mode and reproduce faster (there can be up to 7 queens per colony).