Will Sprinkling Coffee Grounds Keep The Ants Away? Here's What You Should Know

That cup of coffee you drink every morning has been said to be your newest pest deterrent. People have claimed that coffee grounds are the secret to keeping ants away from your patio. While more harmless than pests like termites, an army of ants is still a nuisance. There are many ways to get rid of ants, but we were intrigued by the idea of coffee grounds as a natural repellent and dug a little deeper into the claim. Is it a myth or is there some truth to it? A study conducted in Malaysia looked at the effects of three varieties of coffee (Coffee arabica, Coffee canephora, and Coffee liberica) on the ability to eliminate three different types of ants (Ghost, Big-headed, and Pharaoh). While the study wasn't entirely conclusive, they did see evidence of coffee's ability to repel ants.

To use the coffee ground method, you are told to sprinkle freshly brewed coffee grounds in areas where ants have appeared in or around your home. Some information says that if you put the coffee grounds directly on an ant hill, the insects will leave, and you will be rid of them for good. However, some internet users have put it to the test with lackluster results. In some cases, ants were deterred temporarily, but it did not keep them away for good. In other cases, coffee succeeded in deterring some ants, but not all of them, which is in line with the scientific evidence that observed mixed results on the long-term impact of coffee as an ant repellent.

For all the unexpected uses for coffee grounds around your home, this is a method that should probably be used sparingly. This is especially true in your garden where ants can actually be beneficial, so you may want to leave them alone if they're staying out of your way when you're on the patio. Moreover, coffee grounds carry nitrogen — a substance that is beneficial for plant growth, but can be harmful if overused. However, if they are getting into your vegetables, try sprinkling a little fresh coffee grounds around the plants that are being devoured. Then, check back the next day for results. You can sprinkle a little more coffee on for a few days, but then you may want to move onto other methods if you aren't getting the desired results. You can also put them directly on an ant hill, but you will most likely need to add more grounds on a regular basis to keep the ants away.

Basically, coffee is better used to prevent ants from breaching the borders of your patio in the first place than it is at getting rid of them once they have arrived. It won't hurt to sprinkle a few coffee grounds around the perimeter of your patio or garden if you suspect you could have a problem with ants in the future. However, if they have already arrived, we recommend trying more proven techniques. There are plenty of natural ways to get rid of ants, such as using peppermint oil or vinegar on trails.