Natural Ant Repellents

Cinnamon

Don't believe all the sources claiming cinnamon works as a natural ant repellent.

We have tried it a number of times, inside and outside. No luck. Just a mess. there is no really neat way to apply the stuff in the first place.

Bleach

Heavy bleach works, but you have to keep your Boxer away from where you apply it for at least 24 hours AFTER it dries.

BLEACH IS POISONOUS IF INGESTED BY DOGS.Use with caution. Besides that, bleach obviously bleaches materials out.... so be careful around your fabrics too.

After the original 24 hours bleach continues to work for 2 to 3 days but the ants seem to find their way back after that.

Vinegar

Vinegar works good, if you can spot the ants' trail. It doesn't kill them, just puts them off their scent. The problem with vinegar, is that the ants often just find another target inside to march to.

Most experts recommend mixing 50% water and 50% vinegar. We don't really know why, we just spray the straight stuff around the places ants may enter the house, and wherever we find a trail.

Borax

Borax mixed with sugar is a natural ant poison, but you have to gradually introduce the borax over days, which is not only tedious, but leads to an even greater ant invasion over the short term.

Plus Borax is poisonous to dogs, so it is difficult to see a 'natural advantage' over using it as opposed to commercial killers.

Chalk

Chalk works good, if you know where to get it. Boxers are playful enough to get a snoutful of the stuff if they see you applying it, though.

Water the Lawn

A neighbor suggests that thoroughly watering the lawn is a method of enticing ants to stay outside, as in dry spells ants often come in, in search of water.

We are actually trying this method as we speak, and will let you know how it works here. This would be the ultimate in "natural ant repellents".

Coffee Grounds

We have read that ants hate coffee, so spreading coffee grounds around places they may use as an entrance to the house can deter them.

Unfortunately, our Boxer ABSOLUTELY CRAVES coffee, so this method would probably drive her bonkers. I mean, it is difficult for us to even find a safe place to enjoy our morning java, so this solution is a non-starter for us.

Conclusion

The bottom line is we haven't found a conclusive solution to the ant invasion that is both homemade and non-toxic. I suppose one reason for this is that there are simply too many different types of ants to come up with a one size fits all remedy....

But we are here to recommend stuff, so this is our line of attack, try in this order (if one doesn't work, move on to the next):

1) Try keeping the areas around your house well watered

2) Vinegar

3) Chalk

We don't recommend trying bleach or borax options. You might as well go with a pro first, as these can be hazardous to your pet anyways and aren't long-term solutions as they need to be frequently re-applied.

Cinnamon doesn't work for our ants, if they work for yours, please let us know.

Most professional pest control companies in the States have pet-friendly anti-ant products. If our three suggestions don't work, it may be worth giving one a call.

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