Ants in the soil of your potted plants can be particularly annoying. They build their colonies on the surface of the pot and surrounding the base of the plant roots. Ants excrete a sweet substance that attracts their species, but also entice other small insects. Sooner or later, you will realize ants are hindering your ability to water your plants from outside. Or worse, killing your plants because they eat them from within. But luckily for you, there are a few effective and natural alternatives at hand, which will help you protect potted plants from ants without harming these little creatures. Ants are among the most common pest to homes, they can make life miserable for people due to their habits. They can emerge when you least expect them and destroy your home as well as plants. Ants have an insatiable appetite for sweet things such as honey, jam, jelly and more. Some species seem to especially love aphids, which tend to be plant suckers. Other ants feed on living matter – like seeds and dead insects particularly. In this short article we will look at different ways of keeping ants at bay and out of your home or away from potted plants in the yard or garden.

Ant Pesticide For Plants

Getting rid of ants inside the house can be quite a challenge; but getting rid of them in the garden is even harder.

You may not be aware of this, but there are many species of ant, some with different characteristics and habits. Ants are strong and determined, and they can forage for food from a long distance. If you have ants in your garden, they can destroy plants by hollowing out stems or leaves to use as nests. You also don’t want them to carry away aphids and other bugs that can harm your plants.

Fortunately, there are several ways to get rid of ants in the garden without destroying the vegetation you’ve worked so hard to grow.

Here are some ways you can use regular household items to make homemade ant pesticide for your plants.

Mint, eucalyptus, and tea tree oils: Ants hate the smell of these essential oils, which is why many commercial ant killers include them in their ingredients. Mix 20 to 30 drops of each oil with a cup of water in a spray bottle, then spray areas where ants are known to congregate.

Cinnamon: This sweet-smelling spice is an irritant for ants and will ward them away from your plants and gardens if you sprinkle it around the soil and around entry points into your home. Sprinkle cinnamon directly on ants to kill them as well.

Ground coffee: If you’re a coffee drinker then this one’s easy! Just sprinkle some old coffee grounds along ant trails or near entry points into your home to keep ants away.

How to Make Natural Ant Pesticide

Here are some ingredients you can use to make an ant pesticide:

• vinegar: mix one part vinegar and three parts water in a spray bottle. Spray the ants directly to kill them, or spray it on surfaces that they walk across.
• soap: mix equal parts water and liquid soap in a spray bottle, then spray it on the ants that you see. The soap will dissolve their protective coating so they will dry out and die.
• baking soda: if you’ve seen ants near your plants, sprinkle some baking soda on the soil around your plants. It’s particularly effective for small fire ants.
• cayenne pepper: sprinkle this along any areas where you’ve seen ants coming in from outside of your house. You can also mix two teaspoons of cayenne pepper with two cups of water and apply it as a spray directly onto the areas where you see the most ants coming through, or onto individual bugs to kill them immediately.
• mint: plant some mint around your garden or inside pots that contain plants that are prone to pests like aphids, as this will help repel these pests from eating all of your plants’ leaves without harming any beneficial insects like bees who might be attracted to those plant species otherwise. If this doesn’t work well enough alone, try using crushed sprigs instead!

If you want to keep ants out of the garden and away from your plants, you can make a natural ant pesticide using ingredients that you may already have at home.

Vinegar is a diluted form of acetic acid that ants hate, so you can use it to create an ant pesticide. There are several different types of vinegar, including white vinegar and cider vinegar. White vinegar is recommended for making an ant repellent, but any type will do.

Mix 2 parts water with 1 part white distilled vinegar in a spray bottle and use the solution to wipe or spray down countertops, floors and other areas around your home where you see ants coming in. Spray the solution on ant trails as well; this will kill the ants that smell it and help prevent others from following their trail into your home.

Mixing up a batch of natural pesticide is an easy process, and it will help keep ants out of your garden so they don’t destroy your plants or carry off aphids and other bugs that can also harm your plants.

Mixing up a batch of natural pesticide is an easy process, and it will help keep ants out of your garden so they don’t destroy your plants or carry off aphids and other bugs that can also harm your plants. You can make this by mixing equal parts of sugar and borax in a bowl. Sprinkle the mixture near the plants where you’ve noticed the ants. The ants will eat the sugar and take it back to their colonies, where the borax will kill them.

One way to eliminate ants in the garden is to make a homemade ant pesticide with vinegar. Vinegar can be used as a natural herbicide, and it’s one of the best ant killers that you can use in your garden. Vinegar kills ants by dehydrating them, so it’s great for keeping ants away from the base of plants, too. To make an ant pesticide using vinegar, all you need is white vinegar and water. Fill a spray bottle with equal parts white vinegar and water, then spray it around your plants. Keep ants away by spraying frequently and generously around the baseboards, doorways and windowsills. You can also spray diluted white vinegar on potted plants as well since it won’t hurt them at all.

For a simple vinegar-based ant pesticide, mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture liberally around your plants as well as potted plants to keep ants away. Vinegar is also safe to use on most outdoor plants, so you can spray it generously near baseboards or doorways and windowsills.