People who are far from plant growing often consider ants to be cute, hard-working insects that bring many benefits to nature and cannot harm a person unless they settle in his kitchen. In fact, ants are not so harmless. Once they appear in the garden, they can cause a lot of trouble. Having discovered them near flowers and trees, it is necessary to take urgent measures to get rid of uninvited guests. The modern chemical industry is ready to provide insecticides that provide a quick effect. But not all plant growers are eager to use poisons to fight insects, which are dangerous for bees, pets, and humans themselves. Folk remedies are less effective, but harmless. These include herbs and spices. Cinnamon has helped many people solve their problem. It can be used against ants in the garden in several ways.
How does cinnamon affect ants?
Before using cinnamon against ants in your garden or apartment, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with how the culinary favorite seasoning works on parasites. The answer to this lies in the properties of the plant. For example, it has a strong odor that most insects cannot tolerate. As a result, insects simply leave the home and do not return to it for a long time.
Attention! For humans, the smell is not specific, but even quite pleasant. In addition, using cinnamon in an apartment is considered safe if there are pets in the house.
Thus, we can say with certainty that cinnamon for ants helps get rid of annoying pests. However, it often happens that after using the seasoning, insects return to a warm apartment or garden plot as soon as the smell disappears. Therefore, pest control must be done correctly to make them disappear for several months.
Precautionary measures
Muracid belongs to drugs of class 3 danger to humans. The toxic chemical is dangerous for bees and fish; Muracid should not be allowed to enter water bodies.
The following precautions are recommended:
- Do not use food-grade utensils to prepare the working fluid.
- Soil treatment is carried out in a respirator, rubber gloves, safety glasses and closed work clothes.
- After work, you should wash your hands with soap and rinse your mouth with water.
- While working, it is prohibited to eat, drink, or smoke.
- Children and animals should not be present during processing.
The drug Muracid is dangerous for fish and bees, so treatments are not carried out near water bodies.
In case of accidental ingestion of the solution, the stomach is washed several times with warm water and crushed activated carbon, after which you should contact the clinic. If you are poisoned, you should not drink alcoholic beverages or eat fatty foods. Antidotes for ingestion of diazolin are atropine and cholinesterase reactivators (2-PAM chloride).
Methods of use
In the bath
Red and black ants prefer to live in warm and dry rooms where no one will disturb them. One of the most favorite places is the bathhouse, since getting into it is not difficult. However, to drive out annoying parasites, it is enough to place a few sticks of a recently picked plant between the logs. Well, since the air humidity in the bathhouse almost always remains at a high level, this method will work for several seasons.
Attention! Before using cinnamon, it is best to heat the room as recommended so that all insects get out.
You can also prevent the appearance of ants in the bathhouse if you plant several cinnamon bushes before construction. In this case, you don’t even have to place the branches inside.
In the kitchen
Most often, pharaohs (little ants) can be found in the summer kitchen, since this is where the most delicious products are located (sugar, flour products, leftover food, and so on). However, even if there are a lot of insects in the room, you should not be afraid, since cinnamon will get rid of them in just a few days. Work to combat insects should be carried out in several stages:
- Carry out a complete hygienic treatment of the premises. It is important to remove all debris and thoroughly clean floors to prevent further ant infestation.
- Poison the parasites with dichlorvos or any other chemical that is designed to kill insects in a few hours.
- Place cinnamon sprigs in the corners of the room (you can secure them under the baseboards), as well as in those places where insects presumably enter the kitchen.
Interesting! In some cases, ants can enter through cracks between the ceiling and walls if the room has an attic.
It is important to understand that as soon as the smell of cinnamon subsides, the ants will begin to return to the kitchen. Therefore, it is recommended to regularly renew cinnamon sprigs (every 2-3 months), as well as monitor the cleanliness of the room.
Location on
Perhaps, ants cause the most inconvenience to owners of summer cottages and garden plots intended for growing ornamental or vegetable crops. Sometimes whole colonies of insects attack plants and suck out all the life-giving juices from them. To prevent this outcome, you can use a cinnamon decoction intended for shedding the earth. It is done according to the following instructions:
- Take a large quantity of cinnamon leaves and place them in a 20 liter saucepan.
- Pour boiling water over the plants and cover the container with a lid for infusion.
- Let the broth cool until it cools completely.
Once the folk remedy is ready, you need to strain it and use the liquid to spill the soil. This cinnamon for garden ants will work for several months, so it is recommended to repeat the procedure as soon as insects begin to appear on the site again.
Interesting fact: cinnamon decoction helps get rid of not only ants, but also many other pests, such as whiteflies. Therefore, it can be used both in the garden and in the greenhouse.
How the drug works
As soon as the active substance diazinon enters the body of an ant, the following symptoms begin to occur in its body.
- Chemical reactions occur in the insect's body that cause convulsions.
- Diazinon affects the intestinal tract.
- Paralysis of all organs occurs and the insect dies.
The poison is also transmitted to the entire colony through infected ants (including the queen). Therefore, after a day the colony is completely exterminated.
Over the next few months, the area treated with Muracid becomes a killing field for ants and, possibly, other pests. But the residual effect does not pose a threat to people and animals. The poison is dangerous only in concentrated form.
Tests also showed that the pesticide Muracid is absorbed by the roots of plants and does not reach the green parts and fruits. And since it is harmless to plants, while the aphids, which are bred by ants, also die.
But at the same time, it can pose a threat to bees (only the first three days after pollination). Therefore, it is best not to use it near flowering plants.
More information about the drug and methods of use here:
About the effectiveness of the method
According to online reviews, cinnamon helps get rid of ants in the garden and home in a short period. However, it is important to understand that in particularly advanced cases the plant may be useless. Therefore, to enhance the effect, many people also began to use parsley with orange seeds. Both of these ingredients combine with cinnamon and also repel ants.
The effect of the method directly depends on how many anthills were filled with the broth. Insect homes can be recognized by the characteristic loose soil that they leave behind during their life activities. You can also lure the parasites out with some kind of treat and exterminate the insects using a decoction (the procedure is repeated several times).
Cinnamon is one of the cheapest, but extremely effective means of fighting ants. The effectiveness of the method is evidenced by the large number of online reviews left on various thematic forums and websites. In addition, gardeners recommend using this plant because it prevents ants from returning to the treatment site for several months.
What is dust
Initially, dust was the name given to the substance dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), which was a powerful insecticide. Several decades after its invention and mass testing, it began to be abandoned due to the danger to humans and the presence of toxic substances in its composition.
In modern language, the concept of “dust” means a poisonous powder, the composition of which may vary. Some manufacturers add small amounts of DDT to their drugs, but its content is not dangerous to human health. You should be wary of uncertified drugs of Chinese origin. It is in them that a high concentration of DDT, toxic and poisonous to humans, is possible.
The certified dust contains the following components:
- karbofos;
- boric acid;
- pyrethrum;
- malathion;
- cypermethrin.
Another important component of such drugs is the synergist piperonyl butoxide (PPB). It is capable of increasing the duration of exposure to toxic substances. Talc, chalk, solvent and flavor are added as auxiliary ingredients.
Dust is used to kill parasites, ants and rodents. However, it is ineffective in the fight against bedbugs and cockroaches. When using, special attention should be paid to its dryness. The effectiveness of the drug directly depends on it; this is the only way the powder particles are attached to the ant’s body. Therefore, the most effective form of use is powder. Solutions are used less frequently because they are less effective.
Why are ants dangerous in the garden?
Only novice plant growers can calmly look at ants crawling around garden plants. Experienced gardeners know that these insects can cause significant damage.
- If ants appear in the garden, the appearance of aphids cannot be avoided, which affects many fruit trees and flowers, and can completely destroy young plants. The fact is that ants feed on the sweet substance secreted by aphids during their life processes. For this reason, ants take care of aphids, transferring them to fresh leaves, hiding them in an anthill for the winter. Fighting aphids will not bring long-term results if you do not drive away the ants - they will breed new colonies of aphids.
- The ants themselves are also not averse to eating the sweet fruits of garden trees and their unopened buds. Some flowers also suffer from their love of sweets.
- By making paths in the trunks and using wood chips as building material, ants make the tree bark rotten. This greatly weakens the plants, making them vulnerable to various diseases.
- Holidays in the garden, especially with small children, can be marred by the presence of ants, which may covet your food or even bite you. Ant bites are not only painful, but also itchy. Scratching can cause long-lasting, non-healing ulcers on the skin. It happens that ant bites are accompanied by a severe allergic reaction, which is fraught with even more serious consequences.
Ants that have settled in the garden can also occupy the garden house, which is even more unpleasant.
Peppermint oil against spiders
I managed to learn about this method of pest control while living in a hostel. It is recommended to combine a glass of clean water, 5-10 drops of mint essential oil (can be replaced with eucalyptus, lavender or tea tree essential oil) and 1 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent. Shake the mixture well and spray it in the corners where spiders usually hide.
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Boric acid against ants in the apartment, recipe and instructions for use
The simplest recipe is to sprinkle the powder in places where you most often find ants, as well as under cabinets in the kitchen, under baseboards and under the trash can, since insects will probably wander there in order to look for something tasty, edible and you will definitely come across spilled boric acid.
And yet, there are more reliable and effective ways to force ants to eat the bait or take it to the anthill, so that all relatives of the insect can feast on the poison at the same time. How to prepare boric acid for ants?
So, one of the following recipes will do:
Sweet poison for ants from boric acid
For 100 milliliters of water, take only 5 grams of the drug, add another 40 grams of regular sugar and 10 grams of honey, then mix all the ingredients and place the mixture in some flat container (for example, a saucer).
Place the bait container near the trash can in the kitchen and wait. The ants will definitely come to the bait you leave because it has a very strong sweet smell. Cockroaches will not bypass such bait with boric acid.
Boric acid with ant eggs
Mix two egg yolks and half a teaspoon of boric acid until the consistency is more like dough.
From the resulting dough you need to roll several small balls, which should be placed near the ants’ nest and on their paths.
If you like, roll the balls in powdered sugar to make them more attractive to insects.
Glycerin with boric acid
Take two teaspoons of glycerin, add to it a tablespoon of clean water, a teaspoon each of honey and boric acid and one and a half tablespoons of sugar.
Then mix it all thoroughly, and then roll out small baits. When the balls are ready, place them where the insects run.
Dangerous minced meat balls
If the room is very heavily infested, use the minced meat recipe. You will need any minced meat (raw, of course) and about 5 grams of powder.
It is also necessary to roll balls from this composition, which are then laid out near the nest or near the trash can.
If you want to get rid of ants in the garden, then put the bait on a piece of cardboard and place it near the anthill.
Boric acid with honey
To prepare this bait, you will need honey, but it must be liquid. If the honey is candied, try melting it first in a microwave oven or in a water bath.
Mix a couple of tablespoons of honey, 10 grams of boric acid and add enough flour to create a mass from which you can make balls.
The finished bait is also laid out near the nest and on the trails.
It is important not to overdo it with the amount of boric acid when preparing the bait, because if the concentration of the substance is too high, the ants will begin to die almost immediately after they try the poisonous treat and will not carry the substance to their nest. If you notice dead ants near the baits, reduce the amount of boric acid added to them, as this is a sure sign that you have overdone the drug. The point is not only to destroy pests here and now, but to oust the colony from the house completely and forever
The point is not only to destroy pests here and now, but to oust the colony from the house completely and forever
If you notice dead ants near the baits, reduce the amount of boric acid added to them, as this is a sure sign that you have overdone the drug. The point is not only to destroy pests here and now, but to drive the colony out of the house completely and forever.
Boric acid
The drug is sold in the form of a white, odorless powder. To get rid of ants, you need to make sure that the pests get dirty in it or eat it.
Boric acid has been observed sprinkled on paths in places where ants like to be.
Having become soiled with boric acid, the ant will try to remove it from its legs and body; it will do this with the help of its mouth. This way the poison will get into the stomach. In addition, having soiled itself, the ant will drag the poison into the nest with the queen.
As a result, everyone will gradually become infected with boric acid. After some time, a series of deaths will follow. There is another way to get rid of ants using boric acid. It works a little faster. Baits are prepared with the addition of the product.
Products with a strong odor are used as bait. For example, a boiled egg is mixed with potatoes and sugar is added. You can use honey syrup. The ant will taste the poisoned food and take it to everyone else.
