This Morning: Expert on how to 'banish ants for good'
During the summer months, Britons may have noticed convoys of ants going to and fro in the garden.
Some may have even made it into the home in search of sugar or anything else they can get ahold of.
Ants can be somewhat beneficial to a garden. Since they are predators, they hunt other insects that live on lawns and can aid pollination while they are foraging.
However, these pests like to build nests around the root system of plants, which can stunt growth and leave plants more vulnerable to disease.
If ants have become a nuisance, experts at Fantastic Gardeners have shared a few effective ways to get rid of them naturally.
READ MORE: ‘Effective’ natural method to ‘eliminate’ a bed bug infestation in ‘30 minutes’
They said: “When it comes to ant infestations, it’s never about simply sporadically spraying their seemingly endless trails with an ant killer weapon of your choice.
“No, to eradicate the entire ant infestation in your garden, you have to go straight for the source. The following methods have been proven to eliminate ants both outside and inside the ant nest.”
Boiling water
The most widely known natural ant extermination method is to use boiling water.
Simply locate as many entrances to the nest as possible and pour boiling water inside. Gardeners may have to do this repeatedly until all of the ants are dead.
Don’t miss…
Three gardening ‘mistakes’ that ‘attract rats’ and ‘bigger pests’ to your garden[EXPERT]
‘Brilliant’ 19p kitchen scrap to make plants ‘thrive’ – ‘deters rats and cats’[TIPS]
5 natural methods to ‘effectively deter’ slugs – they ‘can’t get to your plants’[INSIGHT]
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
Washing up liquid and oil
The experts claimed that this “cheap method” has quite a high success rate as the washing up liquid and oil soak into the ant exoskeletons and “suffocates them instantly”.
To use this method, mix half a teaspoon of washing-up liquid with one and a half teaspoons of cooking oil (olive oil works best) with one-quarter of a gallon of water.
Once the mixture is ready, pour some into a spray bottle to take care of ants outside the nest and then pour the rest directly into the nest and it will “eradicate” the infestation.
Baking soda and sugar
Possibly “the most effective home remedy” for getting rid of ants, this method will draw in the pests as ants love sweet things.
They will eat some and carry the rest back to the nest for the queen. Shortly after eating the sweet paste, the queen and other ants will begin to die due to the baking soda.
To make the remedy, mix baking soda with sugar until it turns into a paste and then place small amounts of the paste around the entrances to the ant nest.
White vinegar
Pouring around one litre of white vinegar directly onto the nest can “work wonders”.
It is not harmful to the ground, but it “will kill the ants on contact”.