Natural Ant Repellant

I have been experimenting with a lot of cheap and natural alternatives to change my lifestyle. That doesn't mean I've completely replaced everything toxic at home, but I've at least made some changes and have benefitted from it.

We have come to an era in life that we throw away valuable items and buy synthetic versions of it. For example, lemon used to wipe away oil yet we buy dishwashing liquid with lemon smell or with lemon extracts.

It was a humbling realization that we have lost touch with so many natural items around us and even make fun of people who opt to use readily available, cheap, and environmentally friendly everyday food items around us.

Anyway, let's get to it.

I was having ant problems ever since I introduced potted plants into my apartment. I usually left the catfood in the living room, but the ants would start to swarm on it and my cat would get bitten too. (This is funny when she's eating and then jumps back in surprise).

I also like to sit on the carpet in my living room and have my ass bitten by those naughty ants. I know they look delicious, darlings, but they're not for consumption!!!!

Needless to say, water used for drinking had bits of ants who had committed suicide (presumably from broken hearts trying to woo the Queen) and food kept being carried away or antsy smelling.

There were a few things that I tried, and now I have managed to eradicate them! YAY!! In a way that was least harmful to me, too!!

Tea Tree Oil
Didn't work. Nuff said.






Orange Peel
It was CNY season and I had a lot of orange peel leftovers. To dry them, simply put them in a paper bag and leave in your car during work hours under the sun. After 3-4 days the orang peel should be ready to use. It has a delicious tangy smell.. I love it!!



It worked, temporarily.

After 3 weeks the orange peels got mouldy. The ants were still there, but it still worked (I just needed to get the point across.)

p/s: also good as a drawer freshener, just remember to take it out after 2 weeks or so.






Mint Leaves
A friend was making mojitos and had so many leftovers he gave them to me. Not knowing what to do with them, I just plopped them on the kitchen counter and left them there, where they naturally dried out. It occurred to me it could be a natural ant repellant because of its tangy smell and so I placed it around the catfood, the kitchen counter and the carpet where the ants had their path.




Lo and behold! It works! And those old dried out leaves are still there for the past 2-3 months, and working just fine. No more ants at all!!!!!

I noticed the ants will fully be gone after 3-4 weeks, though. For the first week it seems like the mints are not working, but just leave the mint there and eventually the ants will be gone.

Well, just make a little bit of effort to experiment with shooing ants away in the most humane possible way for them, for yourself and for the environment! You can just google it up. I'm sharing the methods that I tried and hope at least one of them works for you.