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How to Get Rid of Odorous House Ants
How to Get Rid of Odorous House Ants. Odorous house ants are a common household pest that get their name from the strong smell they omit when they're crushed. They can be very difficult to remove, because once they find a food source, the whole colony is alerted. However, traps, poison, and many common household items can be used to repel or kill...
Odorous house ants are a common household pest that get their name from the strong smell they omit when they're crushed. They can be very difficult to remove, because once they find a food source, the whole colony is alerted. However, traps, poison, and many common household items can be used to repel or kill the ants. Baby powder, vinegar, pepper, chili powder, chalk, and sticky ant traps are all effective ways to get rid of them.
Things You'll Need
Scented baby powder
Spray bottle
Apple cider vinegar
Black pepper
Chili powder
Chalk
Ant poison
Ant traps
Identify ant trails and sprinkle scented baby powder along the trail and where the ants enter the house. Odorous house ants have a strong aversion to the substance, and will not use the entrance for a long time after this treatment. Repeat every time you find an ant trail.
Fill a clean, empty spray bottle with equal parts apple cider vinegar and water. Spray the mixture anywhere ants have been sighted. The smell will dissipate after a few minutes, and the ants will avoid it. Be sure to spray entrances in which you have seen the ants.
Find a large congregation of ants and sprinkle black pepper liberally on them. The ants will retreat back to their entrance to the home. Sprinkle black pepper all around this area to prevent them from re-entering the home. Do this every time ants are found inside.
Mix two parts chili powder with one part water. Locate the places the ants enter the house and apply the paste liberally, covering the holes if possible. The ants will stay far away from the chili powder, and may even give up on the house altogether.
Chalk is a lesser known odorous house ant repellant. Locate their entrance to the home, and draw a barrier around it with chalk. Odorous house ants will not cross a line of chalk, and will be forced to find another entrance. Repeat until ants no longer have any means of entering the house.
Commercial ant traps and poison can be purchased. Place the traps around problem areas in the house. Sprinkle poison where children and animals can't reach, the ants will take it back to the hive and feed it to the queen, killing her and stemming the flow of ants.
Tips & Warnings
Other strong substances such as cloves, mint, and bay leaves can be placed around problem areas to repel ants.
Do not place ant poison around food, children, or animals. It is highly toxic and can cause serious illness or death.
