Having ants in your home can be annoying. On a sad note, getting rid of the ants is not always a short and an easy task. You may opt for some dangerous chemicals to kill the ants. But there are safe ways to kill the ants and one of them is vinegar. Does it really work to kill the ants?
The question is does vinegar kill ants? Vinegar will not kill ants but it will help in getting rid of the ants. How? It repels them away from your home. Ants or pests can’t stand the smell of vinegar. It also disrupts their pheromone trails which makes it hard to communicate with other ants thus keeping the ants away.
If you intend to use vinegar, you should know the types that can get rid of the ants. Read more to understand how to use vinegar to repel the ants.
How does Vinegar Kill Ants?
As mentioned earlier, vinegar doesn’t kill ants but it helps to keep the ants away from your home. Why most people use vinegar as the solution to get rid of ants at home is because it is safe to use around your family more so if you have kids or pets.
The strong smell of vinegar is what cause the ants to stay away from your house. Ants crawl picking senses on the floor. So when they come in contact with the smell of vinegar, they tend to keep away. To get rid of ants and their colony, sprinkle vinegar on the ant trails and follow the pheromone trail until you locate their colony and sprinkle more of the vinegar. Ants will generally avoid the place where vinegar has been placed.
How Long Does Vinegar Keep the Ants Away
Vinegar is one of the simple but effective natural home remedy to get rid of ants. How long does it keep the ants away? The smell of vinegar is intolerable not just to ants but to some people as well. The smell can last long enough to repel the ants even after it dries. When using vinegar, other than being safe to sue, it is a long – term solution. Just wipe the surface of the floors with vinegar or you can use the spray a few times in a week.
Types of Vinegar for Ant Control
Whenever you are faced with ant problem, think of vinegar. But the question is, what type of vinegar is effective for ant or pest control? Among many other home use of vinegar, use it to deal with ants’ infestation. It is excellent in repelling ants. But if you are dealing with a severe infestation, you may to use other home remedies combined with vinegar.
Unlike chemical pesticides, where you have to be cautious or at time leave the house, vinegar is safe to use. You don’t have to leave your house when applying vinegar. There are a number of vinegars. Their strength tend to vary but they all work perfectly fine.
Take your time to find the best solution that works for you. Keep in mind that any type of vinegar labelled above 10% acidity level, is just too strong to be used at home. This shouldn’t bother you much. You can dilute the vinegar and still use it to repel ants.
Does Apple Cider Vinegar works- does it kill ants?
As discussed earlier in the post, vinegar or any other type of vinegar doesn’t kill ants. What apple cider vinegar does is that, it repels the ants. It is the smell of the vinegar that deter the ants from invading your home.
Here’s how to use apple cider vinegar to get rid of ants:
- Mix equal proportion of water and vinegar in a spray bottle
- Shake the mixture
- Spray the solution anywhere you notice the ants.
- Spray on the ants’ trail
You can spray the solution on the ants as well. Better still, spray the solution on the windows sills, kitchen cabinets and baseboards. You can also use the solution to clean the floors and surfaces in your kitchen.
The smell of apple cider vinegar is strong enough to repel the ants in your home. The ants can’t stand the smell of apple cider vinegar. Some people consider apple cider vinegar stronger compare to white vinegar. Just pick what works for you.
Does White Vinegar Kill or Repel Ants?
Generally, ants will not die from vinegar. The type of vinegar you pick will not kill the ants. What vinegar does is to repel the ants and drive them away from your home preventing an infestation. White vinegar works on fabrics such as carpets. So, if you ants on your carpets or fabrics, go for the white vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is not recommended for use on fabrics. But both work best on floors and tiles.
Is it possible to Kill Fire or Flying Ants with Vinegar?
Vinegar as pointed out earlier doesn’t kill ants. What it does it repels the ants due it strong smell that keeps the ants away. If you want to kill the ants, you can mix vinegar with other home remedies that can kill the ants. For instance, combine vinegar with baking soda and water. Pour the mixture directly into the ants’ nest. The mixture will disrupts the ants’ movement making it hard to infest your home.
Be it fire ants or flying ants that you want to get rid of, none of them will die from vinegar. It will just help you to keep them away from your home. All you have to do, is to locate where the flying or fire ants nest are and wipe the surface with vinegar solution. If you find the nest, the better. Getting rid of the nest means you are stopping an infestation that can be hard to deal with just vinegar alone.
How to Get Rid of Ants with Vinegar
Among many household use of vinegar, you can use to get rid of ants. It works amazingly as it is safe to use. You can use vinegar solution to get rid of the ants’ trail. Since ants can’t stand the strong smell of vinegar they will be forced to leave as soon as possible.
To make it work even better, mix vinegar with water and other natural home remedies. Use the mixture to wipe surfaces in your house including window panes, floor tiles and kitchen surfaces. Here is a stipe by step instruction on how to get rid of ants using vinegar:
1. Vinegar Ant Spray
This should be the simplest do it yourself remedy to get rid of ants in your home. You can either use white or apple cider vinegar. They both work fine. Although a lot of people prefer white vinegar as it is colorless. Here’s how to make vinegar spray:
What you need:
- Vinegar
- Spray bottle
- Water
Procedure
- Mix equal parts of vinegar and water
- Shake well to mix the solution
- Pour the solution in a spray bottle
Spray the mixture where you suspect ants are and on their trails. You can spray the mixture in all ants’ access points such as cracks and crevices.
Homemade Remedy Ant Killers with Vinegar
You can combine vinegar with other natural home remedies to get rid of ants and prevent infestation. Some of the natural home remedies to use alongside vinegar include:
2. Vinegar and Dish Soap
A mixture of vinegar and dish soap is effective in getting rid of ants. It doesn’t just get rid of ants but also the ants’ trails.
3. Baking Soda and Vinegar
Try this combination and see the perfect results you’ll have. Baking soda is safe to use and when mixed with vinegar, it will get rid of these ants. Just sprinkle the mixture on the ants and their trails and leave it for some. Within a couple of hours, no ants will be visible in your house and particularly the area where the ants were seen.
If you mix baking soda with sugar, the ants will consume the bait and carry some of it to their colony. Unlike vinegar, the baking soda will the ants and its entire colony.
4. Boric Acid and Vinegar
Boric acid is excellent in dealing with an infestation of ants. To make boric acid and vinegar ant killer, mix 1 teaspoon of boric acid and an ounce of vinegar. You can add a few granules of sugar to the mixture to act as a bait.
5. Borax and Vinegar ant Killer
Borax is perfect ant bait killer and when mixed with vinegar, it will not only kill the ants but stop infestation. You can mix borax with certain food source that attract ants
6. Lemon Juice & Vinegar Ant Killer
You can also combine lemon juice and vinegar to make an amazing product that gets rid of ants in your home. The citrus in lemon juice works like vinegar. You can apply the mixture directly on the ants or spray into cracks and crevices in your home and kitchen.
7. Tea Tree Oil and Vinegar for Ants
Make a mixture of tea tree oil and vinegar to repel ants in your home. Mix 5 – 10 drops of tea tree essential oil with diluted vinegar. Soak cotton balls in the mixture and place them around the infested areas.
8. Peppermint Vinegar Ant Spray
This mixture is amazing if you have an infestation in your home. Mix 10 – 15 drops of peppermint oil and dilute vinegar in a spray bottle. You can add orange juice. Spray this solution in areas infested with the ants such as your kitchen counters, cabinets. Wipe your floor tiles and surfaces with the mixtures. Peppermint naturally leaves a nice smell in your house other than getting rid of ants.
