What ants are afraid of

Ants are insects that are beneficial in nature: they eat pests, mix the soil during the construction of the anthill, thereby increasing the flow of air to the underground parts of plants. But, having settled in a house or on a garden plot, they can bite a person, get into food supplies, clothes and cause problems to useful plants in the garden. To protect themselves from them, it is enough to know what the ants are afraid of in order to successfully drive them out of the territory.

Species of ants

Domestic and forest ants are two different types of insects that differ in size, feeding methods and habitat. Red varietiesliving in the forest - these are workers who build large anthills and destroy forest pests, they have a size of 4-9 mm. Home aliens are very small, barely growing up to 3 mm, which can settle anywhere in the house, but have nothing to do with forest brothers.

On a note!

These 2 species of ants differ in character: forest inhabitants, protecting their nest, may well bite a person or an animal that has disturbed their peace, and domestic animals do not bite at all.

Black ants or garden - these are pests that cause a lot of trouble to gardeners. They settle on some plant along with aphidswhich they use for their food. After a while, a plant affected by aphids dies. Therefore, all gardeners and gardeners will have to protect their plantings from such pests so as not to lose their crops. Knowing which plants do not like garden ants, everyone can do it.

Protection methods

Ants play a large role in the ecosystem of nature, their destruction will not benefit either man or plants. Therefore, various protection methods should be applied that will create unbearable conditions for insects to leave on their own.

The following methods exist to protect the plants on the plot and your home:

• the use of plants whose smell ants can not stand;
• scaring them off with the help of essential oils;
• the use of food.

Plant protectors

Ants do not like the smell of many sharply smelling plants, so such an environmentally friendly way will allow them to be driven out of the territory by planting the following flowers and herbs in the garden or spreading out in dried form:

• marigold flowers and lavender;
• lemon balm, mint, valerian;
• nasturtium, rosemary;
• potatoes;
• dill, parsley, mustard and cilantro;
• anise, fennel.

Many gardeners use fragrant plants, planting them around the perimeter, you can plant mint or marigolds from aphids and ants in the aisles of the garden. You can also make decoctions of these herbs, and then spray them with the place of settlement of insects.

Important!

It should be remembered that the herbal odor is unstable, therefore, treatment of plants with decoctions should be repeated quite often, and dried bunches should be changed periodically.

In home or in the country aliens can be driven away by spreading bundles of dried herbs in the room and in the cabinets. Lavender flowers and mint from ants will help not only scare them away, but also create a pleasant aroma in the room.

Some plants useful for the garden are planted in tree-trunk circles of fruit trees: valerian, mint or marigold will not only drive insects away, but will also be used by the owners as medicines. Similarly, wormwood from ants is used.

Repellent Essential Oils

Knowing that ants are afraid not only of the odorous plants themselves, but also of pungent odors, aromatic oils can be used to effectively combat them:

• lavender, mint;
• cedar, coniferous or juniper oil;
• aniseed, cinnamon.

This method is rather preventive, allowing you to prevent ants from entering the house or apartment. For scaring away with essential oil, all doors and windows are treated, as well as ventilation openings, you can spray the floor with a mixture of essential oil and water using a spray bottle.

On a note!

At the same time, the owners of the house will successfully provide themselves with aromatherapy sessions, which is useful for the nervous system and strengthening immunity.

Repellent Products

One of the products that ants are afraid of is garlic and its tinctures. They are recommended apply in the gardenrubbing tree trunks, and in the house.

Other foods that repel ants and aphids:

• Onion and garlic in a cut form are laid out in the house and on ant paths, plants can be sprayed with the infusion of onion husks.
• Vinegar and essence - apply to expelling ants from cabbage beds, from the premises of the cottage or house: vinegar is bred in half with water and treated with a solution of ant trails, nests. Insects do not like the pungent smell, and they leave the house.
• Freshly brewed coffee, or rather its extraction, can be laid out near garden plants to scare away ants.
• Cinnamon, ground red pepper - used in the ground, laying out in the habitats of insects, or added to herbal decoctions.
• Sunflower oil (preferably unrefined) - what the ants in the house are afraid of is the smell of vegetable oil, so it can be used to combat uninvited guests, but the disadvantage of this method is the presence of greasy stains in the house.
• Millet - the reason why ants do not like him is unknown, however, by pouring millet into the anthill, you can definitely get rid of them.

Folk ways of struggle

Many summer residents and gardeners have tried on their sites various folk remedies for ants:

1. To drive them away from the garden, you can sprinkle ant paths and use the following substances: wood ash and soot, coarse dust, coarse salt, ground cinnamon, red pepper, a mixture of ash, lime and shredded tree bark.
2. The most humane way to clean an anthill is to shade it, which is successfully used for small settlements. Insects build their homes in warm, well-lit places to heat their pupae. Therefore, having arranged a dense shadow and blocking the access of the sun, you can force the ants to move to a more sunny place.
3. To remove from the territory of the cottage anthill, some recommend digging it out completely with a shovel and transferring it to the forest. The same method helps get rid of ants in a cemetery. Others advise to drive out insects with the help of a head from a smoked herring, which is placed on an ant house.
4. Another way to relocate anthill is carried out using a solution of molasses, sugar or jam in the ratio of 1 cup of sweets to a bucket of water. The solution is poured into the anthill and the insects go away. This is due to the fact that sweet water causes the multiplication of yeast fungi that infect ant stores. Insects have to look for another place to stay.
5. The existing anthill can be doused with boiling water, and then carefully dug up to destroy the nests, then the ants will go to a more peaceful place.
6. To protect plants from harmful insects hunting belts - wrap the trunks with foil in the form of a skirt with sharp edges, through which the ants will not be able to climb, or double-sided tape.

Methods of prevention against ant settlement

Experienced gardeners recommend regularly digging the soil on the site, destroying small settlements of ants. They will not like to build their nests when they are often disturbed, so the ants will leave to look for other places.

Knowing which ants are afraid of grass, it is recommended to grow it between plantings in your garden to protect them from pests.

Around the garden, the garden plot and the house, you can plant around the perimeter the repelling plants that were described above, or treat them with decoctions of herbs.

To prevent the ant from entering the house, you should adhere to basic hygiene rules:

• regularly clean the kitchen;
• do not leave food on the table and thoroughly wipe food stains;
• all jars and bottles from sweet foods (honey, jam, syrup, etc.) must be washed immediately;
• store food in airtight containers;
• use a soap solution to treat all surfaces and kill insects;
• for the prevention of insects getting into the house, vinegar solution is also used, periodically wiping them with all window sills, tables and baseboards, scaring away pests by smell.