Get Rid Of Ant Hills In Your Yard Naturally With A Few Kitchen Essentials

Ant hills: They are the thorn in the side of anyone and everyone who maintains a lawn or garden. Reasons for hating them may differ — for some, it's the threat to their children's play, for others, it's the eyesore to their curb appeal — but the goal is always the same: Get rid of them as quickly as possible. While it's worth noting that ant hills can actually be very beneficial for your garden, that doesn't change the fact that they are often a nuisance that requires action. Luckily, you can get rid of ant hills naturally with just a few kitchen essentials.

You may have heard that certain household ingredients can deter ants thanks to their strong aromas, such as cinnamon, peppermint, and citrus peels. Or perhaps you've reached for common tools to eliminate ant hills in your yard. These DIY remedies have shown varying levels of success, but they can be an alternative to try before resorting to chemical insecticides. Two essentials to add to your arsenal, straight from the pantry, are baking soda and vinegar. Similar to other household essentials, vinegar's ant-repelling abilities are primarily due to its acidity and strong smell. It doesn't kill ants, but they hate it, so they vacate the premises. Baking soda, on the other hand, is undetectable to ants, but it can be lethal to the tiny invaders. Of course, we all know what happens when vinegar and baking soda are combined, and that can also be a formidable force in destroying ant hills. Whichever way you use these kitchen essentials, they can help mitigate the unwelcome real estate turning up in your lawn.

There are several ways to utilize these household powerhouse ingredients to get rid of ant hills in your yard. The first uses the chemical reaction of combining baking soda and vinegar to destroy the hill by eroding the tunnels underneath. The goal here isn't to kill the ants, but rather to eliminate their home. Not only will they need to rebuild, but they'll also hate the smell of the vinegar, so they'll be looking elsewhere for their next construction site. As an extra defense, add dish soap and water to your vinegar and baking soda mixture and spray any known trails to and from the hill and around your home.

You can also use vinegar and baking soda separately to destroy ant hills. To use vinegar alone, whip up a solution of 1 cup of this acidic ingredient diluted with 3 cups of water and spray it straight on the ant hill. While the hill will certainly be damaged, the odor will have the biggest impact in its demise. Baking soda by itself won't do much to ants because they simply ignore it, but when combined with something that attracts ants, like sugar, it can be an effective form of pest control. The ants bring the sugary mixture back to the colony, taking out much of the population. To do this, combine equal parts baking soda and sugar (powdered sugar may work best) on a shallow lid or a disposable plate and place it by a known ant trail. Baking soda isn't as effective as Borax for getting rid of ants naturally, but it may be a safer alternative, especially for pet owners and those with small children.