Will Scattering Citrus Peels Get Rid Of Anthills? Here's What The Science Says

Ants are hardworking creatures, but when they start building hills across your yard, they quickly shift from fascinating to frustrating. Those mounds can disturb the soil and spread into your home if left unchecked. Over the years, homeowners have come up with countless tricks to eliminate ant hills, one of the most popular being the scattering of citrus peels. The idea sounds convincing: citrus smells fresh to us, but supposedly drives ants away. But science doesn't really support this claim. There's little evidence that tossing orange peels on an anthill will actually keep ants away or eliminate their colony.

That doesn't mean the belief came out of nowhere. Citrus fruits do contain compounds known to affect insects under certain conditions, and their strong scent has long been linked to deterrent qualities. Add to that the growing interest in natural, chemical-free solutions, and it's easy to see why people have latched onto the citrus peel method. Still, separating genuine science from garden folklore matters, especially since quick fixes often spread faster than proven facts.

The reasoning behind using citrus peels to get rid of ants makes sense on the surface. Insects including ants rely heavily on scent to survive, and ants in particular build their entire communication system around it. They leave behind chemical markers that guide their fellow ants straight to food or back to the nest. Introduce a competing smell, and you'd expect their system to collapse. But science doesn't back it up.

Entomologist Gabrielle LaTora has noted that "There's not much scientific evidence that [citrus peels] repel insect pests." What research does exist often points in a different direction. A study on D-limonene, an oil found in citrus rinds, revealed that it can reduce ant activity and even lower the number of species present in a treated area. Sounds promising, sure. But that effect comes from concentrated extracts used in controlled amounts, not from tossing leftover orange peels into the yard.

In other words, citrus oils in their pure, potent form may have insecticidal properties, but your kitchen scraps don't carry the same strength. So while sprinkling fruit peel might sound like an easy and affordable solution to remove ants, it isn't going to vanish anthills. At best, the smell might cause some momentary confusion, but it won't disrupt the colony for long. In reality, those peels are better suited to enriching your compost than evicting an anthill.