What Essential Oil Gets Rid of Ants? The Best Options

There are several pest control methods available commercially to eliminate ant infestations. However, the majority of them include hazardous chemicals that may be harmful to your children’s and pet’s health.

Because of their ant-repellent properties, essential oils are increasingly popular natural solutions. They’re one of the most effective organic and non-toxic ways to keep ants out. The best essential oils for getting rid of ants are peppermint, patchouli, cinnamon, cedarwood and lemongrass.

Why Do Ant Infestations Happen?

There are numerous substances that attract ants, as you may already know from personal experience. The tiny insects have an incredible sense of smell, and they may be attracted to:

• Uncovered, leftover food
• Sugars including sweet candy and jelly
• Pet food
• Water
• Flowers

These attractions combined with any cracks and holes in your walls or doors could lead to an infestation of ants looking for food to take back to their nest.

How Can You Get Rid of Ants from Your Home?

There are several techniques that individuals use in an attempt to get rid of ants since they are so annoying and bothersome. The bad news is that not all efforts succeed, and even if they do, they don’t provide a long-term solution.

However, essential oils can be a good way to get rid of ants and free your home from ant infestations. If you are struggling with this issue, this certainly is worth trying!

What Are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are concentrated plant extracts that have a host of health benefits. They are different from other oils in a way that they retain the qualities of their source plant including their smell, flavor, and medicinal values.

Essential oils are one of the main ingredients in aromatherapy. It is believed that these oils have the potential of calming your nerves, making you healthier and more at peace.

Distillation or mechanical methods are usually used to extract these essential oils which are then mixed with a carrier oil to create the final product to be used.

Though the effects of essential oils on the human body are quite well documented and are gaining more visibility as more people jump on the bandwagon, you may wonder do they work as ant repellents?

Well, apparently they do. How exactly? Let us find out!

Essential Oils for Ants: Do They Work?

Essential oils can turn out to be an effective ant repellant if used well. This is because their smell is a bit too extreme for ants and a host of other insects. Essential oils have a strong fragrance that can even be too much for humans, at times.

In the case of ants, essential oils work well because their fragrance can interfere with the pheromones ants use for coordinating with their fellow ants. If you spray your home with essential oils, you are able to break the pheromone trails. This stops ants from calling their fellow ants and attacking your home in a group.

Ant Repellent Essential Oils: What Works the Best?

Now that you know that essential oils work against ants, you must be relieved! However, do you know which ones to use and which are the best ant repellent essential oils? There are several that can help you. Have a look!

1 Peppermint Essential Oil

This oil works like magic against ants and can be called a natural ant repellant. This is because of the presence of materials such as menthone, pulegone, and menthol.

The latter has great biocidal properties that make it particularly effective against ants. Additionally, you can also get rid of other sources of nuisance such as mites and bugs by using peppermint essential oil at home.

2 Grapefruit Essential Oil

This is another essential oil that is known for its ant-repelling properties because of its distinct odor. This can be used with other essential oils to create a potent cocktail for chasing away ants from your home.

Now you know this is not just effective in reducing human stress but also keeping your home ant-free.

3 Cinnamon Essential Oil

Cinnamon is a great spice and can make a ton of difference to food. But it is a relatively lesser-known fact that cinnamon essential oil is also a great ant repellant. It works against a range of ants and not the regular ones (think carpenter ants and fire ants), so you have landed a star here.

4 Lemongrass Essential Oil

This essential oil has been a part of Ayurveda for a long time and is known for its immense health benefits for humans. The range of issues it is used in is mindboggling. Lemongrass essential oil is used in treating spasms, fevers, to increase energy levels, and more.

But do you know that lemongrass essential oil can also be a great ant repellant? The presence of citronella makes it a great ant repellant. So, if you are struggling with ants in your home, you know which essential oil you can turn to for help!

5 Cedarwood Essential Oil

As the name suggests, cedarwood essential oil is derived from the various components of the cedar tree including its bark and leaves. It has a peculiar odor that makes it an ideal ant repellent essential oil.

It works well against ants and fleas and other small insects especially when you spray it on openings and doors and windows. However, this essential oil is not found to be very useful against mosquitoes.

6 Patchouli Essential Oil

This is another commonly used essential oil that is great at repelling ants. The key reason for its marked success is its strong and pungent odor which is a natural repellent to ants.

If you have sprayed this oil in your home, you will be able to successfully bar ants from entering your home and also repel and chide away those that are already present in your home.

Doors, windows and access points, and entry and exit hallways need to be particularly treated with this essential oil should you wish to deal with ants infestation in your home.

7 Vetiver Essential Oil

Vetiver essential oil is usually used to induce sleep and regulate one’s sleep cycle. It is also called khus oil and is derived from the vetiver plant, which is native to India. Vetiver comes from the same family as citronella and lemongrass.

It is a highly concentrated oil that is known for its holistic properties and calming effects on humans. It has a distinctive earthy odor that is a natural ant repellant and can be the solution for your woes.

How to Use Essential Oils as Ant Repellants?

Now that you know the essential oils you can use as ant repellants, do you also know what is the best way to use these oils so that you get the best results? Let us find out!

DIY Ant Spray

This is the easiest way to use essential oils to work their charm on ants and chide them away from your home. The best part is that these ant sprays are easy to make and super effective.

You can take any of the above essential oils and mix them with water. 15 drops of essential oil should work well with ½ cup of distilled water. Shake the mixture well and pour it into a spray bottle for ease of application.

You should now spray this liquid near cracks and openings in your house and on doors and windows where you see ants. Slowly, you will see ants fleeing from the spot after having a taste of these essential oils.

Scrub It Using a Cotton Pad

Another way of using essential oils, especially patchouli essential oil, is to take a few drops on a cotton swab and rub it on surfaces that are prone to attracting ants. These include areas near openings such as doors and windows and also areas in the kitchen such as cabinets, and tabletops that may have food crumbs.

You don’t have to always scrub the cotton pad. This is true for the kitchen area. You can pour some drops of the oil on a cotton pad and keep it in the kitchen area and see ants disappearing because of their smell.

Essential Oil Pesticide Can Be Your Saviour

The cocktail effect of essential oils can be a potent way of dealing with ant invasions in your home. This essentially means that you can mix two or more essential oils together and use them against ants.

This works because these oils are in synergy with each other and can together be more effective in dealing with severe ant infestations.

You Will Need:

• 15 drops of peppermint oil
• 15 drops of patchouli oil
• 15 drops of grapefruit oil
• ¼ cup of distilled water
• A good spray bottle

How to Use:

Now that you have collected the required ingredients, follow these steps to create a potent pesticide spray.

• Mix the essential oils in the spray bottle.
• Add the water and shake the mixture well. Check that the oils have integrated into each other and that the mixture looks consistent.
• Use it to spray on all necessary areas such as doors, windows, garden areas, and other openings in your home. You may need multiple applications if you are facing severe ants in your home.

Other Useful Tips to Get Rid of Ants from Your Home

We hope that you will be able to make your home ant-free by using essential oils. However, here are a few more tips to get rid of ants from your home

1. Try to ensure there are no cracks and leakages in the home especially if you live in an area surrounded by ant colonies.
2. Make sure your garden is properly maintained and regularly cleaned. Make the spraying of ant repellant pesticides a regular practice for the best results.
3. If you can’t get essential oils, try ant repellant balls for immediate relief. These can be purchased online or in-store and can be effective against ants. In the meantime, make sure to procure essential oils because they are a more effective solution against ants.

Conclusion

If you are struggling with ants in your home, we hope our suggestion on using essential oils as a solution will be of help and help you win the battle against ants.

The ant repellent essential oils we have discussed with you are all effective in shooing away ants from your home and letting you live in peace. Do not forget to share these suggestions with friends and family who are in the same situation as you!