Best Ant Repellents
By Craig Basset, Expert Reviewer for Repellent Guide
published: Apr 01, 2016 | updated: Apr 01, 2016
So you have an infestation of ants in your home or garden. Beyond taking the obvious approach and squashing them as you see them - how do you stop them coming back? There are a couple of different ant repellent types - those that attack the ant nest and those that tackle ants that enter your home looking for food. The best approach to removing a major ant infestation is to kill the queen by locating and destroying the nest. While using strong chemicals mixtures may be the best form of ant repellent, some people simply refuse to use them, for a variety of reasons. There are some relatively natural ways to go about eliminating ants, such as mixing the nests of different species or by mixing ants from different nests. Ants are very territorial and will fight with and kill ants from other nests, however the remaining ants will still need to be addressed, especially if the queen is still alive.
There are 455 known species of ants that live in North America. Each category comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. An ant repellent may not be effective on every type of species, although there are a number that will kill larger category types of species.
There are many different types of ant repellent such as naturally based, chemical mixtures, home remedies and even some plants, such as Tansy, catnip, peppermint and sage can be used to repel and/or destroy ants, although certain ones will only be effective for certain species.
Most people who opt for the organic approach will create a protective barrier around the areas they want ants to stay away from by using chalks, powders and other elements, and others will pour boiling water, vinegar or other liquids into the nest itself; however most home remedies and some natural remedies must be repeated often for effectiveness and even so, ants may relocate.
Ant bait stations are one of the most effective ways to rid your home of ants. Ant bait stations are normally a plastic enclosure containing some poisoned bait, once the ants eat the bait they won't die immediately and so have time to move away from the bait station. Because the ants don't die immediately all ant visitors to the bait station are not put off by the presence of other dead ants. Ant bait stations can be considered safe because the poision is targeted at ants and is enclosed - however still be watchful that pets and children don't play or attempt to break open the bait station.
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Natural Spray
Ease of use: 8.5
Value for money: 8.5
Performance: 8
Overall Score: 8.3
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Bait Stations
Ease of use: 9
Value for money: 8
Performance: 8
Overall Score: 8.3