Get Rid Of Ants With An Ingredient That's Already Sitting In Your Spice Cabinet

Having an infestation of ants in the home is a frustrating problem to deal with. These tiny pests are attracted to areas where food may have fallen or where spills have not been adequately cleaned up. Although they don't pose any real danger to your home — unless your home is infested with carpenter ants which can eat away at the wooden structure of your house — these critters can be unseemly and even work their way into your pantry ruining your stored food items. Although there are a number of pesticides or ant traps that you can spread around to eliminate ants, you may be looking for a more green way to deter them. Especially if you have small children or curious pets, using a more natural ant control method could be a safer option for everyone in your house, except for ants that is. So, to get rid of ants or other insects that have crawled their way inside you don't have to look any further than the dried bay leaves in your spice collection.

The pungent fragrance from the bay leaves is enough to send ants packing. This natural ingredient which can be quickly grown in your home garden can be used in a number of ways to get ants out of your home and even be used on existing ant hills so that you can be rid of these pests once and for all. Let's take a look at how to prepare bay leaves as an anti-ant solution.

Whether you have dried bay leaves sitting in your spice cabinet or fresh bay leaves growing in the garden there are a few ways you can get them ready for ant control. First is to take a few dried bay leaves and cut them up into small pieces and scatter them where you think ants are getting into your home. The smell from the leaves will be released once you break them apart and the scent will help get rid of ants. To be more effective, clean up the old leaves and replace them once the smell has faded so that ants won't feel the need to return. Fresh leaves can also be mashed into a paste using a pestle and mortar or blender then mixed with water in a spritz bottle and sprayed into crevices and corners where ants are congregating.

If you've noticed anthills in your front or back yard and feel they are just a little too close for comfort, then you can create a bay leaf tea to pour directly on them. Bring a pot of water with a handful of bay leaves and two tablespoons of salt to a boil and let it simmer for an hour. The aroma of the bay leaf tea, as it boils in your home, can be both pleasant for you and deterring for ants. Allow the mixture to cool and then pour it right on the anthill.