While ants are important to outdoor ecosystems, finding them marching across your kitchen counter or gathering around pet food bowls is another matter altogether. When these insects venture inside, they can contaminate food, damage wood, and even attract other pests, making prompt but mindful control measures necessary to protect your living space.
These insects heavily rely on sensory signals to navigate and avoid getting lost. Some items repel them through confusion and disorientation. Others are toxic, quickly ridding areas of the insects as they retreat from unpleasant symptoms.
Opting for non-toxic pest control is not only cost-effective but can also be just as potent as commercial, chemical-based products. This approach will leave your home pest—and toxin-free, using ingredients you likely already own.
1. Vinegar
Vinegar has a definite stench; there’s no denying it. Still, its impact is even stronger on ants. The scent interferes with the pheromone trails they leave to use a little like maps. Its acidity is also deadly to the critters (if you’re feeling a bit more sadistic).
Really, though, the aroma of vinegar alone should do it. A light surface blitz from a spray bottle is a nifty trick for keeping them at bay.
2. Coffee
Coffee doesn’t drive all ant species away, but it’s certainly not amongst their top favorite scents. Like vinegar, the potent stench of ground beans disrupts how ants navigate using pheromone.
Some types, like fire ants, are more stubborn around it, soldiering on in its presence. But, as a whole, there’s a chance a waft of coffee will send the bugs scattering.
3. Tea Tree Oil
A 2018 study by Buteler, Alma, Herrera, Gorosito, and Fernandez found tea tree oil effective at repelling leaf-cutter ants in agricultural settings. The stronger the scent, the more it confuses ants.
Tea tree oil has an extra bonus, though, as it also treats insect bites. Just call it the jack-of-all-trades in ant season.
4. Cucumber
Did you know that cucumbers have a distinctive smell? It might not rank highly as a particularly stinky food amongst humans, but amidst ants, that’s a different story. Ants despise the odor of cucumbers. Who’d have thought it?
Most people have cucumbers handy, especially for summer salads. It might be worth trying to leave out some of your leftovers to keep ants at bay.
5. Citrus
Citrus is a renowned repellent. We’ve all grown up with those orange-scented mosquito candles and lemon-smelling bug-repelling sprays. So, it shouldn’t be a shock to hear that, yes, ants also despise citrus scents.
They aren’t just being fussy; lemon peel actually kills ants if they touch it. The acidity is a no-go for their little bodies, and this is an extra motivator to steer clear.
6. Cinnamon
Cinnamon doesn’t kill ants, but they sure don’t like it. It has such a distinctive aroma that even people can detect it. For these insects, that smell really throws off their sensory mapping abilities.
Think of that next time you enjoy your morning cinnamon latte. Maybe you should leave a pile on your counter.
7. Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil is one of the best natural ant repellents. It curbs navigational powers and, overall, just stumps the little guys.
Needless to say, they hate it. The bonus for us is that mint is a hugely popular smell amongst humans. You shouldn’t mind having it around your house too much.
8. Chrysanthemum
If the primary “ant issue” is in your garden, there’s a more permanent solution. It’s not exactly smell-related, but it is likely on sale in your local garden center.
Chrysanthemums contain pyrethrins, a toxic compound that causes paralysis and death to ants. This is your most effective bet if you want nice-smelling plants that send them running to the hills.
9. Black Pepper
There are many ways to utilize this ingredient against ants. The good news is that you should already have it in your cupboard. Savvy pest controllers use it in sprays and powders on surfaces and even on plants.
Given the fact pepper makes humans sneeze, you can imagine the effect on a tiny insect. It sends their navigational capabilities haywire.
10. Lavender
Believe it or not, ants cannot stand lavender. It’s a super effective repellent and easy to decant in oil form, leaving stray cotton wool in problematic areas.
Humans might deem it therapeutic and relaxing, but there’s nothing pleasant about disorientation as an insect. The smell is so strong they can become lost or fail to find food. Lavender gets a hard pass from your nearest colony.
11. Thyme
Thyme is one of the most pungent herbs out there. While tasty for human dishes, ants and other insects don’t agree. Honestly, they hate it.
Thanks to this disdain, fresh and dried thyme both do the trick in repelling the critters. It’s easy to hang in a bunch, infuse into a spray bottle, or sprinkle dry.
12. Cloves
Clove powder smells strongly to ants. In fact, a study by Lekhnath Kafle and Jen Shih Chang found that clove powder repelled 99% of ants in just three hours. That’s an exodus and a half.
As if that wasn’t enough, the powder also has toxic properties. It’s not surprising that ants are not fans of the spice.
13. Chalk
Chalk might seem a strange addition to the list, but it contains calcium carbonate. This scent confuses their internal tracking system.
If you’ve ever seen gardeners drawing white lines around plants, that may be why. The simple boundary alone is said to throw ants off, too, dissuading them from crossing. Some species, like fire ants, are more adventurous than others, though. So you may find chalk lines don’t hold all types for long.