When it gets warm again outside, not only people are happy, but more and more ants can be observed again. The small black, red or yellow crawling creatures can become quite annoying when they are looking for food. They simply stop at nothing. Although they are not dangerous for humans and animals, they should still be put in their place. The use of tried and tested home remedies can be helpful here.
fight ants
In the home garden and in the house it is mainly the black garden ant that can be found. When disturbed, they can react very aggressively. However, insects should not only be spoken of as pests, they are undoubtedly hard workers. In nature, they perform an important function in the ecosystem such as
- loosening of the soil
- fertilization of the soil
- Introduction of biomass into the soil
- Eating pests such as snails, caterpillars, spiders and wireworms
- Removal of dead animals and plants
- Improve Plant Growth
- dispersal of plant seeds
However, they can also be very annoying in the garden. The black garden ant in particular lives mainly on the excretions (honeydew) of the aphids and even breeds them itself. This is not exactly popular with gardeners, as it damages the plants. Likewise, they dig their tunnels with devotion right around the roots of the plants in the vegetable or flower bed. This makes it almost impossible for the affected plants to absorb nutrients, and they ultimately dry up over time. In addition, underground nests under the terrace and paved paths, also in the lawn can be very annoying. Due to the construction activity, an undermining takes place here and finally the slabs sink in.
But not only in the garden can ants really annoy the hobby gardener, they also penetrate the house unhindered when looking for food. This is where the creepy crawlies can get really annoying.
Formicidae in the house
Usually the nests of the little creatures are outside the house, in the open air. They can often be found under stones, in crevices in walls or damaged wooden parts. Especially when it gets warmer outside, the insects are drawn into the house, where a large supply of food is available for them. Since they love particularly sweet foods such as sugar or honey, they can get through
- open doors
- leaky windows and
- the smallest cracks get into the house.
At first there are always only individual specimens, so-called spies. In doing so, they leave a scent trail and thus communicate with other inhabitants of their colony and quickly attract them. The so-called ant trail is created.
Insects can cause a lot of damage in the house. They are regarded as storage pests and love foods that are particularly high in sugar and protein. They can transmit germs very easily, so infested food must be disposed of. Because of this, crawling animals should not be tolerated in the house.
notice: Ants have immense strength and can transport many times their weight.
Chemicals should not always be used to combat or drive away the small animals, because tried and tested household remedies such as vinegar also do a good job here. Chemicals should be avoided, especially if babies, small children or pets live in the household.
Vinegar against ants
Sometimes it is disputed whether vinegar is really suitable for combating. The effect doesn't leave much to be desired. The little crawlers have a keen sense of smell and are therefore very sensitive to smells. When searching for food, they use the smell of the food as a guide. The little animals are irritated by extreme scents. They therefore avoid foods with a strong odor of their own. The strong scent of the vinegar can be used to drive them away. There is no radical fight against the insects, they are only driven out and vinegar is also environmentally friendly. In other words, vinegar has proven itself in the fight against hymenoptera. Below are brief instructions on how to use it.
notice: Other household remedies such as various essential oils, cinnamon, garlic, cloves, thyme, lemon or marjoram can also be used.
Vinegar can be used pure or as a vinegar essence to drive away the ants. The procedure is as follows:
- Pour pure vinegar into a spray bottle
- Dilute the vinegar essence with water in a ratio of 1:4
- first fill 50 ml essence in bottle
- fill up with 200 ml tap water
- shake well
The prepared solution can now be used in different ways. Either the ant trail can be sprayed directly with it. However, the pungent odor only lasts for a short time. If it has gone, the procedure should be repeated. Only repeated spraying of the ant trail ensures that it is completely dissolved. Alternatively, small bowls filled with vinegar can also be placed along the road.
In addition, the agent can also be poured into places where the ants get into the apartment. The addition of a little washing-up liquid is particularly suitable here. This combination can then be sprayed into all corners and small gaps and cracks. It also makes sense to apply this solution in the entrance area and on windows to stop the ants from entering the apartment. Alternatively, you can also place bowls with the solution on the window sill. However, you should replace them after it has rained. You can also keep the little animals at bay when you have a picnic outdoors if you rub the tablecloth with a few splashes of vinegar solution.
Clean with vinegar
Regular cleaning of the floors with vinegar water has proven to be particularly efficient for a permanent defense against the ants. A mixture of 10% vinegar and 90% water should be used. Not only are the floors really clean and shiny, but all little animals are also driven away. The downside, however, is that dogs and cats don't love this smell either. Therefore, such cleaning should only be done when there are no pets present.
Since the scent is not very pleasant for the human nose either, it is advisable to leave the room after use until the smell has finally evaporated.
tip: The more intense the smell of vinegar, the more protection there is from the insects.
Experiences with vinegar against ants
Does vinegar really help against ants? Based on the experiences of other ants plagued, you can form your own opinion.
notice: For reasons of better legibility, small spelling mistakes (spaces, transposed letters, etc.) in the quotations have been corrected. The exact sources are linked under the indication of the respective forum.
"I use either vinegar shot into the holes with a syringe from the pharmacy, or sugar, baking soda and beer.[… ]"
Source: www.forum.frag-mutti.de, user: puschel515, 05/31/2005
“Spray with vinegar (-essence). They absolutely can't stand it and stay away. I just did it recently. And was absolutely thrilled!!!”
Source: www.chefkoch.de, user: Margie_S, 05/15/2007
"Vinegar essence was really a good tip!!!! I put it pure in a spray bottle, sprayed it and see and be amazed, all destroyed!!! The smell is really disgusting, but just open the window and ventilate it!"
Source: www.forum.frag-mutti.de, user: kuckie66, 03/26/2008
“[… ] Soak the sponge in vinegar and place it next to the ant trail, after a while, dip the sponge in hot water to kill the ants [… ]
Source: www.hausgarten.de, user: Monika W., April 23, 2009
“I would have given vinegar as a tip. That's how we got rid of our ants that were in the shower (had eaten their way in from outside). But it took a while…."
Source: www.forum.frag-mutti.de, user: shenja, 22.07.2010
“[… ] Another tip is boiling hot vinegar water, but mixed very strongly (1:1). Pour this into all the holes. But you can't do it near plants, only on the path where nobody else but the beasts will be harmed."
Source: www.forum.frag-mutti.de, user: Die Bie(e)ne, 06/15/2010
