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Essential oils and ants

Answered 4 years ago

Which oil do I need to deter ants? We're being overrun. They're coming inside to get to the water, and they're slowly marching towards the pantry. They've taken over the bench, which is making meal preps almost impossible. I clean and clean and clean but they're still fucking coming!
I'm going to do ANOTHER dettol and hot water mop but what kind of essential oils can I use to deter the little bastards? I'm reluctant to use bug spray as I have a baby walking around.
Fuck I hate ants!


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ANSWER
4 years ago
I have spent the last 3 days telling the kids off for eating in their room because their room was crawling with ants and I have been pulling it apart looking for the "food" and asking them what they have eaten in there and dropped. Turned out there was one of those big ass bush cockroaches had died under the bed and that's what the ants have been after 🤦‍♀️. They have a bunch of storage containers under their bed so that's why it took me so long to go through it all. So now i feel bad for.not believing them and I took them out for milkshakes to apologise.

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REPLY
4 years ago
Sorry I've got nothing for how to prevent them, just letting you know you're not alone on the ant front lol

REPLY
4 years ago
Lol. This is comforting. I thought I'd be getting reamed for having a dirty house. Knowing that others are currently going through the same thing is very reassuring

ANSWER
4 years ago
Lavender oil

ANSWER
4 years ago
If you can see where they are coming in the house, spray them out there, or put some ant sand if it's not where the kids will be. Also get the ant rid baits and pop them around the kitchen, hopefully they'll take it back to the nest and off them all.

ANSWER
4 years ago
We have some good tips here for you! https://www.stayathomemum.com.au/houseandhome/pests/preventing-ants/

ANSWER
4 years ago
I have the same problem and it’s a losing battle. All I can do is keep the bench as clean as possible to minimise their numbers but they seem to be a fact of summer. You can kill them on sight but it’s pointless when they will be replaced by the queen ant anyway. You need to find the nest and kill the queen. Pour boiling water in the nest if you find it. However, another colony will just replace that one anyway.

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REPLY
4 years ago
Unfortunately our backyard is all sandy dirt and seems to be 90% ant nests 😱

ANSWER
4 years ago
Thanks for your responses so far ladies. I just found half a sausage under the lounge out there absolutely wriggling with ants. So that's part of the mystery solved. I asked my kids who left the food laying around and apparently my toddler has been feeding the ants because they are hungry 😥
I'll give the cinnamon and peppermint a go. Haha my house is going to smell so Christmassy 🙂

ANSWER
4 years ago
cinnamon sticks at their entry points.

ANSWER
4 years ago
Peppermint

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REPLY
4 years ago
Useless in my experience