Whether in your yard, kitchen, pantry, or bathroom, ants aren’t welcome guests in your home! While tiny, these pesky insects can wreak havoc in different areas on your property.
proof. Pest Control’s ant pest control services can quickly remove any tough infestation, but are there any at-home remedies you can try?
Essential oil for ants can help remove the annoying pests and may even convince other insects to head elsewhere! Keep reading to find out more about our at-home pest control recommendations!
Essential Oil Pest Control
Before we get down into the nitty gritty of ant pest control methods, let’s discuss the effectiveness of essential oils for your pest control plan.
It’s important to remember that many DIY options can’t wholly eliminate pests like specialized treatments you may receive from a reputable pest control agency. While convenient, homemade alternatives won’t work as well for larger infestations.
However, that doesn’t mean essential oils aren’t a helpful tool! From inflammation relief to sleep aids, essential oils can help you feel better fast.
While these fragrant scents appeal to us, many pests dislike the overtly strong smells. Mice and rats have uniquely powerful noses, and particularly odorous scents like peppermint tend to send them running the other way.
But what about an essential oil for ants? Surprisingly, these tiny pests have a fantastic sense of smell too! Ants reportedly have around four times more odor receptors than typical insects, letting them catch a whiff of almost anything in your home.
With their well-developed odor receptors, ants can find hidden crumbs and spills you not even notice. Remember last week’s takeout? Don’t worry; the ants have you covered.
Beyond searching for delectable treats, ants also use their noses to find scent trails left behind by other foraging colony members. Ants are highly effective at what they do and alert other ants where to go with pheromones.
While ants lack noses, that doesn’t stop them from having one of the best senses of smell in the insect kingdom! You’ll need a solid solution to keep these pests at bay and eliminate their presence inside your home.
Essential Oils to Use
Not just any essential oil will suffice. You’ll need to rely on proven methods that convince ants to turn around and head the other way. Here are our tips for you!
Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil is one of the best tried and true methods for ant control. Often the bane of various household pests, peppermint oil can help prevent severe infestations or convince creepy critters to go elsewhere indoors.
Because of its strong and often overpowering smell, peppermint oil can repel ants and even disturb scent trails they may have left behind, leading to your pantry or kitchen.
However, don’t just sprinkle essential oils randomly around your home. We recommend combining a few drops of peppermint oil in a large spray bottle to maximize your pest control efforts. Once thoroughly mixed, spray it around areas where ants are common.
Peppermint oil is a great essential oil for ants, but only if you want to repel them, of course! Plus, you can use your concoction as a DIY elimination method too! Just spray groups of ants with your mixture or apply it to ant beds.
Citrus Oil
Do you want to eliminate ants and keep your house smelling squeaky clean? Try out citrus oil as your next ant pest control option!
Many citrus fruits and oils contain d-limonene, which is highly dangerous for ants. For an easy and chemical-free pest control alternative, you can always utilize this oil for your essential oil pest control needs.
Plus, this citrus oil mixture can lend a hand whenever you need an ant eliminator in a pinch! Just get a water-filled spray bottle and add ten to fifteen drops of citrus oil. Once mixed, go ahead and spray any ants you see!
If you’re looking for a more hands-on approach, you can boil lemon or orange peels in a large pot full of water. Once thoroughly boiled, you’ll have a quick and reliable pest control alternative to use as you please!
Clove Oil
These spices work as more than just an ingredient in your favorite marinade. Clove oil is another top essential oil treatment that works well against ants.
Whenever you have a tough ant infestation in your home, stock up on clove oil and add it to a water bottle or water-filled sprayer. After using a few drops, you can easily use your spray in areas where you’ve spotted ants.
Here are some spots where we suggest spraying clove or any other essential oil treatment:
- Kitchens
- Pantries
- Cabinets
- Around cracks and crevices
- Window sills
- Baseboards
- Around the foundation of your home
- Directly on ant mounds or streams of ants
Limitations of Essential Oil for Ants
While a quick and easy alternative to most over-the-counter pest control options, essential oils aren’t always the more practical solution when you have severe infestations.
Essential oils can disrupt ant scent trails but may only partially eliminate the insects trying to gain access to your home. Plus, you need to know the location of these scent trails to find the spots where ants lurk.
These products can bother ants that stick around your home but remember that they may not convince them to head elsewhere. If the ants find another point of access to your home, they will continue to sneak in for food.
Professional pest control alternatives typically work better than an essential oil for ants or other DIY treatments because these proven methods can directly eliminate the pests on your property. If you’re looking for pest-proof ways, contact the professionals for help!
If you need heavy-duty support, give us a call here at proof.! Our trained techs can eliminate the creepy crawlers that hang around your home. Contact us today!