Ants in the house.

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: Re: Ant Fighting Herbs?
From: normanr.primenet.com (Sharon Rust)
Date: Fri, 18 Aug 1995 23:03:03 -0700

> Is there a herbal way to get rid of small ants in the home? Bait seems not to work.

I have used cinnamon to repel ants. Dust the powder along the doorways and window sills , or other places they crawl thru. This keeps them from coming in for a few days up to a week at a time, then it needs to be refreshed. I think it messes up their scent tracking.

From: Paul Anacker <anackerp.rain.org>

Get a bunch of small peppermint plants from your local nursery. Place them where the ants are. Move then to other spots as necessary. Ants hate peppermint.

From: poppy.someherb.com

tansy (tanacetum vulgare) {NOT the tansy aggie schools are using caterpillars to wipe out in the fields} is GREAT against ants...it is a perennial herb and you just let it grow...when the flowers come, you must cut them RIGHT BEFORE they bloom...tie into a bundle, hang upside down to dry...blend them and scatter or stuff dried tansy where ever ants come in.

another is 'curry plant' named that because the leaves smell like curry powder but is NOT an ingredient in curry powder...both the dried flowers AND the leaves are marvelous against ants, even carpenter ants.

the last one i have to recommend is lavender...both the dried flowers AND the leaves are wonderful and they'll make your house smell great, too. also, put lavender flowers into some netting or cheesecloth and use in closets where you might have moths come and play in your woolens and other clothing...just hang little sachets from the hangers or stuff into bags where you have the clothing...no more moth holes and you don't hafta put up with the smell or hazards of naphtha.

From: jet.cinenet.net (Jet Silverman)

A mixture of 50/50 salt and sugar. Place some on the trail. They bring back both the salt and sugar to the nest. The salt kills them.

From: CDMYRON.azstarnet.com (Cyn D. Myron)

> I have used cinnamon to repel ants. Dust the powder along the doorways

Along the same lines, I've used cloves here in Tucson, where once a year the armies invade everything! Seems to work.

From: golfbags.magg.net (Golfbags)

>Is there a herbal way to get rid of small ants in the home?

I use lemon and water and spray (bottle sprayer) along the window sills. I assumed the acid was the magic, after reading this thread. It appears to be the smell... Hummm! Oh well.

From: ravendncr.aol.com (RAVENDNCR)

after bitching about the ants for six years, this spring I finally planted tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) to try. Before I could harvest any leaves, the ants had several new routes into my kitchen and hall way, and I caught them marching to "Burning Down the House" (Talking Heads).

Starting in early June I cut tansy leaves, placed small pieces on the window sills, hallway door, and any other holes I could see --- no more ants in the house. I replace the old leaves with new every other week, and if I miss a "route" the ants come marching back through that spot.

One plant provides enough leaf for me to use and share with two apartment dwellers. Also, it is easy to grow, does not demand a large growing area (if it is continually harvested) and is a perennial.
I have conquered the marching ants! (harhar)