One thing was sure: I needed an eco-friendly mosquito repellent for the yard that wasn’t going to harm me, my pets or the pollinators. Bees and butterflies are important to me, but the bugs that really bugged me simply had to go.

To protect myself, I resorted to wearing long sleeves, jeans, hats, and rubber boots up to my knees. As the summer temperatures rose, I knew this wasn’t sustainable and I needed to find a solution to my bug problem. This is where the Wonderside Flea and Tick Spray comes in the picture. 

What is Wondercide Flea & Tick Spray

Wondercide Spray kills and repels ants, fleas, ticks and mosquitos at every lifecycle stage. This yard spray also takes care of Japanese beetles, crickets and gnats without using harmful chemicals.

When you’re ready to use the eco-friendly Wondercide Spray, simply attach the nozzle to your garden hose. You’ll quickly cover 5000 square feet without having to wait for a re-entry period. It’s safe and non-toxic to wildlife, humans, pets, bees, and butterflies.

I love that a few women in Texas were on a mission to find a pet-safe alternative to the devastating side effects of pesticide exposure. They were invited to pitch their product on Shark Tank and now it’s available to us! 

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Wondercide Outdoor Pest Control Product Features

Wondercide Spray is a safe and natural product that won’t harm the environment, pets or people. It’s so safe that you can spray and play without any waiting time.

Wondercide also makes indoor pest control spray and personal insect repellent in four different scents; cedarwood, lemongrass, rosemary and my favorite, peppermint. Plus, the brand has tested their products for efficacy and they are on-par with conventional insect repellents.

The product is safe to use around lakes, ponds and creeks, but tuck your chickens in while you spray to protect their sensitive respiratory systems.

How We Tested It

The first time I ordered Wondercide Yard Spray, I also ordered sample sizes of the people and pet insect repellent as well as a bar of dog shampoo. 

As soon as the products arrived, I was chomping at the bit to try them out. Following the directions, I sprayed my entire lawn and the side of my house, including the window wells where spiders like to spin their webs. Per the instructions, I sprayed again a few days later. 

Good-bye tall boots and long pants and hello flip-flops and shorts! With a healthy coating of Wondercide Spray on my lawn, I could finally enjoy summer pest-free.

The real test, however, was at my lake cottage where the mosquitos constantly swarm. I was certain they were breeding in a massive colony under my shady deck. After spraying the Wondercide Spray, we were able to enjoy dinner on the deck without being bitten. Again, we repeated the process a few days later to take care of any stragglers, and once every month thereafter. We were impressed with the long-term results, and will continue to use the product to keep pests at bay. 

The sprayer covers a wide area, so treating your yard is fast and easy. Since it is recommended to avoid spraying while pollinators are active, I usually steer clear of the gardens and flower beds. Even though Wondercide is food-grade, I avoid the vegetable garden as a precaution.

For best results, be sure to use the product as directed, starting with two applications a few days apart. Avoid treating the area before rain, as this is a water soluble biodegradable product.

Pros

• Natural ingredients
• Repels and kills mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, gnats, chiggers, fruit flies and Japanese beetles
• Environmentally friendly
• Safe for pets, humans and pollinators
• Ready-to-use spray applicator attaches to a hose
• Quick and easy to use
• Fast results
• Immediately safe to walk on
• Smells great
• Made in the USA

Cons

• Several applications are needed

FAQ

How do I get rid of mosquitoes in my yard without harming pets?

To get rid of pests without harming pets, avoid chemical formulas with toxic ingredients. Using a natural product like Wondercide is the best option. If you’re unsure if a product is okay to use around pets, please consult with your veterinarian before using it.

Is there a lawn spray that is safe for bees and butterflies?

Yes, there is a lawn spray that is safe for bees and butterflies. The Wondercide Flea and Tick Spray does not harm birds, bees or butterflies. However, caution should be taken to avoid spraying while pollinators are active.

Can I spray my own yard for ticks?

Yes, you can spray your own yard for ticks. It is a cost-effective alternative to using a commercial pest control company. Most commercial pest control companies charge hundreds of dollars to treat your property. These companies are licensed to use toxic chemicals, which effectively kills mosquitoes and ticks.

However, these chemicals may pose a hazard to pollinators and pets. If you decide to spray your yard yourself, you’ll be able to pick a spray that meets your needs without breaking the bank or harming animals.

What Amazon Reviewers Had to Say

Jessica Seely reviewed Wondercide on Amazon saying, “I live in FL and bought this right before hurricane Ian to try to help with bugs because as I said…Florida. But THANKFULLY I waited till after the storm because we and everyone around has standing water in their yard. ABSOLUTE breeding ground for bugs. Felt very plague-ish, So yes I used double the amount needed but IT WORKS, maybe I didn’t need to go hog crazy but I am so happy with it, even having it on repeat order.”

“Works great on mosquitoes,” says SP, a verified Amazon customer. “We have a 1500 sq ft backyard with a swamp behind the yard. We get tons of black flies and mosquitoes after the sun goes behind the woods. We didn’t want to use any dangerous chemicals as we have a 7-yr old often playing in the yard. Wondericide worked amazingly. Sprayed only on the plants just beyond our yard and that itself was sufficient. For the first time in 4 years since we have been here, we were outside sitting on the garden bench after sunset.”

Michelle gave the Wondercide spray five stars saying, “This is the best product I have ever bought. I was skeptical about trying this but I’m so very happy that I did. I have 3 dogs and 1 cat and none of them have had a single flea or tick. It’s so much safer and cheaper than going to the vet for medicine for the fleas and ticks. I will definitely be buying this product again guaranteed”

Product Comparison Mosquito Repellent for Yard

You can find different types of pest repellents like sprays, candles, plants and ultrasonic devices that may help get rid of insects. However, a spray is the best option to treat the entire yard, especially if you have a lot of ground to cover.

Concerned about being eco-friendly? Wondercide encourages reusing the sturdy plastic spray bottle that the repellent comes in. Admittedly, I accumulated five empty bottles before I bought the concentrate and refilled the sprayers. I decided to bite the bullet and purchased the big 128-ounce concentrate, which lasted me through the summer and beyond.

To get started, consider buying the Refill Starter Kit bundle with the ready-to-use reusable applicator and the 16-ounce concentrate. This will give you three treatments and cover up to 5000 square feet. 

Want to save money? Shop for concentrates and bundles, or take advantage of the Chewy and Wondercide auto-ship plans.

Final Verdict

The Wondercide Spray isn’t just a mosquito repellent for your yard—it protects the entire family (including pets).

True confession: I am a Wondercide junkie. I keep a stash of my beloved spray tucked away in my basement (if you couldn’t tell by the many empty bottles in the cover image). With the help of this spray, I haven’t seen a spider in my house in a while, and I’m not afraid to show skin in the backyard. Plus, my gardens are buzzing with bees and butterflies, and the organic vegetables and flowers are thriving. You don’t have to compromise to get proper protection for your yard.

Where to Buy the Wondercide Flea and Tick Spray

I highly recommend Wondercide Flea and Tick Spray to eradicate pesky bugs in your yard. Test my favorite Wondercide product for yourself by purchasing it at retailers like Wondercide, Chewy and Walmart.

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When you have an ant problem, do you need a full array of pesticides? Or will something as simple as a homemade orange oil solution work, as demonstrated in this TikTok video?

@gardeningsimplified

Quick way to get rid of ants Naturally #tipsandtricks #antproblem #ants #gardeningtipsforbeginners #gardeningtips #gardenhacks #diypestcontrol #diy

♬ Drop It Like It’s Hot – Snoop Dogg

How It Works

The video demonstrates how to make the solution: Pulverize orange peels, mix with water and heat for several minutes. Then pour the hot orange oil mixture on the ants.

Did it kill the ants as the narrator claims? Probably some.

Orange oil from peels contains a chemical known as D-limonene. When applied to ants and other insects, it removes the waxy coating on their respiratory system, suffocating them. Pouring the mixture while still hot may not have made a difference, but it sure made the person in the video happy.

How To Kill Ants With Orange Oil

You don’t have to make your own orange oil ant-killing solution. You can buy a product like Orange Guard which contains orange oil to control fire ants and other insects.

The manufacturer suggests two ways to use it. Spraying directly on ants kills them on contact. Spraying every three to four weeks in cracks or crevices where insects enter your house can prevent them from coming in. Orange Guard is certified organic by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI).

To kill fire ants, pour the orange oil down into the mound as instructed on the label. That increases the likelihood of killing the queen, effectively killing the colony.

Do Other Home Remedies Kill Fire Ants or Other Ants?

No. According to the Extension Service at Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities, most home remedies for killing fire ants don’t work. Those include anything with grits, club soda, soapy water, wood ash, baking soda, molasses or vinegar. Mixing fire ant mounds together, if you’re brave enough to try it, doesn’t work either!

Other Methods of Killing Ants

Besides orange oil products, you can also kill some ants with traps or baits.

I prefer Terro Indoor Liquid Ant Killer Baits, which contain Borax. When I see ants indoors, I place one of the baits near them. Foraging ants are attracted to the bait and carry the Borax back to their colony, killing all the ants inside. Problem solved!

If you’re using bait to kill fire ants, be sure to get one labeled for fire ants, like Amdro Fire Ant Killer Bait. Then carefully follow the instructions on the label.

Of course, to deal with a particularly bad infestation of fire ants, ants or termites, it may be time to call a professional pest exterminator. Always be sure they’re licensed and insured before signing anything.

The key to keeping firewood ready is to keep it dry, which can only be accomplished through proper stacking and storing. Here are the best ways to stack and store firewood and keep it free of moisture.

Tips for Stacking Firewood

Stacking firewood properly is essential to ensuring the wood is properly dried and seasoned. Estimates for how long you should dry firewood assume that the wood is stacked and stored properly. If you keep your firewood in an unorganized pile, chances are high at least some of the logs will remain damp, waterlogged and mostly useless. While there are many variations of firewood stacking methods, all tend to follow the same basic principles:

• The cut ends should be left out in the open and exposed to the elements.
• The wood should be kept off the ground and at least a couple of inches away from any walls.
• The wood should be stacked loosely enough that it can breathe and dry, letting out any remaining moisture.
• Position the stack in direct sunlight.

How to Store Firewood

Keep the bulk of your wood outdoors. All kinds of bugs and other small critters take up residence in firewood. Bringing a large amount of firewood into your house is basically asking for some sort of pest infestation. Instead, keep the bulk of it outdoors and only bring about a day’s worth inside at a time.

Pick a storage location close to your home so your trips out to grab more wood aren’t too much of an inconvenience. If you plan on burning a lot of wood and making frequent trips to your woodpile, consider investing in a wheelbarrow.

Don’t pile your firewood on dirt or grass. If you have to, you can always elevate the firewood by laying two to four parallel boards as a solid base for your stack. You could also buy outdoor firewood racks or even build your own.

You’ll also need to cover your firewood stack to keep it dry and safe from the elements. The simplest way is throwing a tarp over it. To keep the tarp from flying off with a gust of wind, tie it down or anchor it with bricks or spare logs. Make sure you leave the sides of the stack uncovered so that air can flow through.

Check with your city or county for any regulations concerning firewood storage. City codes can be pretty strict, so be sure you’re following those guidelines before you start stacking.

What Is a Flying Ant?

A flying ant is essentially a regular ant that’s sprouted wings.

At certain times each year, most of the 1,000 known species of ants found in the U.S. grow wings and set off into the air to engage in breeding behaviors. It may sound like a good time — unless you’re a male — in which case after you’ve fully performed your duty, the impregnated female eats you for lunch. Fluttering off post-coital in search of a suitable nesting site, the new queen chews off her own wings and begins the important work of populating a new colony. Ah, romance!

What Do Flying Ants Look Like?

Often confused with the dreaded wood-devouring termite, to the untrained eye winged ants (especially winged carpenter ants) and termites look a lot alike.

There isn’t just one kind of flying ant, explains Ed Spicer, General Manager of Pest Strategies. “Fire ants, carpenter ants, sugar ants, protein ants and any other ant type you can think of (mostly)” are all able to fly at some point in their life cycle.”

Here are some identifying characteristics to help you tell a flying ant from a termite:

Termites

• Segmented bodies of the same width;
• Straight antennae;
• Four wings of equal length.

Flying ants

• Narrow waists;
• Hinged antennae;
• Front wings are longer than back wings.

Are Flying Ants Dangerous?

It depends.

Let’s just say that swarming ants are no more dangerous in flight than they are on the ground. In other words, if a species of ant bites or stings when it’s crawling around, the same will be true of the species when it’s up in the air.

Tip: Be extra careful not to walk directly into a swarming cloud of flying ants. They might be a gang of non-combative pavement ants, or they could be an angry mob of red fire ants.

How Do You Get Flying Ants?

As with any ant, their main reason for taking up residence on your property is the existence of a steady supply of food.

Should you discover a cluster of flying ants outdoors, take heart and try to be patient. Because this is a once-a-year mating ritual, flying ants (half of whom are male and will be dead in a few short days) will eventually come in for a landing and not take off again for 365 days.

What Are the Signs of Flying Ants?

• Swarming ant sightings (around lights and near pools, ponds and other water sources);
• Ant trails (scouts);
• Piles of soil or dirt;
• The actual nest.

As mentioned above, if you discover flying ants in your yard, there’s little reason for concern. Except for destructive, burrowing carpenter or aggressive, stinging fire varieties, ants are an important and beneficial part of your garden’s ecosystem.

Do-gooder backyard ants:

• dig tunnels to aerate and till the soil;
• feed on and decompose organic waste and dead animals;
• control undesirable insects that attack plants and lawns;
• pollinate flowers and distribute seeds;
• provide a food source for birds, frogs and beetles.

What if you see a flying ant inside your home? Before you freak out: check to make sure it’s not a termite; and determine whether there are only a few swarmers, here and there. You may have encountered a couple of rogues that happened to zoom inside when the door was open.

If you do notice a large number of flying ants indoors, either you’re harboring an established colony inside the walls or foundation, or a nearby colony is about to breed.

How To Get Rid of Flying Ants

Once you’ve determined you have a flying ant infestation, there are a number of do-it-yourself things you can do.

Chemical solutions:

• Set out baits/traps;
• Hit flying ants with an insecticide spray (outdoors only).

Non-toxic home remedies:

• • Vacuum up swarms with a handheld or stick vac (dispose of the bag immediately);
  • Hang strips of sticky duct tape;
  • Sprinkle borax along ant trails and around nests;
  • Spray a solution of repelling vinegar, water and essential oils;
  • Kill them on contact with a spray that’s safe for use indoors, and around pets and kids.

Spicer suggests another method: Lifting a basin of water directly under a swarm to provide a light source to entice them.

“You can easily eliminate these annoying insects by holding a vase, bowl or any other sort of basin (half-filled with water and a splash of dish soap) directly underneath the hovering swarm. Hold it for at least two to three minutes…or until your arms get tired.” The ants, attracted by the light, will fly low enough to crash into the basin where their wings will get stuck in the suds, eventually drowning.

After trying the above methods, if you can’t get rid of the swarm, it may be time to call in a professional exterminator. An ant expert will be able to locate the nest (often hidden) and eliminate it by injecting a powerful commercial-grade pesticide.

How To Prevent Flying Ants

Take these year-round preventative steps that can effectively mitigate or completely prevent ants — flying or otherwise — from invading and overtaking hidden places in your home and garden:

• Seal entry cracks in the foundation;
• Caulk around windows and doors;
• Create an insecticide barrier around your home and yard;
• Don’t leave pet food in the yard;
• Keep your kitchen clean and free of food morsels.

Did you know that all ants have the ability to bite but only a handful living in the U.S. ever do?

Rarely fatal and not often considered dangerous, bites mostly occur when an ant or its nest is disturbed. The resulting bite can range from barely noticeable to extremely painful, depending on the type of ant and the circumstances of the encounter. Just like human beings, if an ant feels threatened and has the wherewithal to defend itself, it will.

Do Ants Bite?

Yes. And they can also sting.

Of the ant species known to bite humans and animals, some will use their jaws to bite, while others employ stingers to deliver a noxious venom. Some ants can do both — munching down on the skin first then using their sharp stingers to inject poison into the wound.

Which Types of Ants Bite?

An ant that bites uses their mandibles and mouth to pinch the skin. Stinging ants (females only) use their stinger, located on their abdomen, to deliver their poisonous jabs.

The species of ants who both bite and sting include:

• Imported fire ants (capable of delivering painful stings multiple times).
• Harvester ants (their sting can kill small animals).
• Acrobat ants (mild reactions can be expected).
• Pavement ants (bites and stingers are rarely able to penetrate the skin).

The types of ants who only bite:

• Carpenter ants (tend to attack when threatened).
• Crazy ants (inflict a mild wound with little or no pain).
• Field ants (bite, but only if disturbed).
• Leafcutter ants (have strong jaws that can draw blood).

Note: A few ant species, such as the Western thatching ant, bite and then spray a chemical called formic acid into the wound, which can cause the skin to blister.

What Do Ant Bites Look Like?

After you’ve been bitten or stung by any type of ant, it’s typical to find a raised red bump or swollen welt at the site. This is usually followed soon after by an itching sensation.

The dreaded fire ant is highly aggressive and its bite produces a slightly more intense skin response. According to Dr. Neha Pathak of WebMD, “The fire ant sting typically causes red hive-like lesions that burn and itch. Painful pus-filled lesions can also occur.” You might also notice numerous marks forming a circle — a tell-tale sign you’ve been pricked by the nastiest of ants.

How To Handle Ant Bites

If you experience a mild local response to an ant bite (red bump or welt), you can usually just treat the site with a cold compress or take an anti-inflammatory pain reliever. If itching is persistent, applying an over-the-counter antihistamine cream can help.

For more severe skin reactions (one to two days of swelling that becomes increasingly hot and painful), contact your doctor.

Allergies to insect bites, can trigger life-threatening anaphylaxis. Serious signs of an allergic reaction include:

• Shortness of breath
• Difficulty swallowing
• Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
• Hives and/or itching throughout the body
• Weak or rapid pulse
• Dizziness or fainting

If you experience any of the above symptoms, don’t hesitate and call 911 immediately or go to the nearest hospital emergency room. If you carry an EpiPen (epinephrine), use it right away!

What Is a Fire Ant?

Fire ants are arthropods that build anthill mounds in soft soil for their colonies. Unlike other ant species, their mounds lack a central opening — you’ll see the ants entering from all directions. There are more than 20 species of fire ants worldwide. In the U.S., the two main types are native and imported.

Native fire ants consist of four major subspecies: native southern fire ants, tropical fire ants, desert fire ants and little fire ants.

Imported red fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) were accidentally transported from South America sometime in the early 1900s. These invasive pests spread like wildfire and have now become common in the Southern and Southwestern U.S. In some cases, they have displaced their native counterparts completely.

Pro tip: If you notice a native fire ant mound in your yard and it’s not causing any issues, consider leaving it alone. Removing it can make it easier for the more aggressive imported fire ants to move in and take over.

What Do Fire Ants Look Like?

Fire ants look pretty much like the other ants you find around your home or garden. What sets them apart is their bright red to black color and their antennae, which have 10 distinct segments — nine occurring after the first bend (elbow).

Here’s how to spot the difference between native and imported fire ants:

Native fire ants

• Uniform in size;
• Vary from 1/16-in. to almost 1/4-in. long;
• Range from bright red to black;
• Mound measures one-to-two feet high.

Imported fire ants

• Workers are different sizes (polymorphic);
• Red and black compound eyes;
• Two-segmented bodies;
• Stinger at tip of the black gaster (bulbous posterior portion);
• Large colonies (up to 300,000);
• Mound can be three feet high and two feet in diameter.

Pro tip: Because not all fire ants are red and not all red ants are fire ants (plus, many identifying characteristics are too small to see with the naked eye), you may want to gather a few in a jar and take them to a professional exterminator for proper identification.

How Do You Get Fire Ants?

Fire ants are found in warm and tropical climates. They need water to survive, so homes with ponds, leaky pipes and moisture issues are more susceptible to infestation.

They also like to eat. Fire ants are attracted to oily and greasy foods, other insects and seeds, as well as dog and cat food.

Are Fire Ants Dangerous?

Yes. Warns Ed Spicer of Pest Strategies, “When you approach and disturb them, they’ll bite you and then sting you with their abdomen. Their stings are painful and can sometimes feel like that part of your body is on fire (hence their name).”

Native fire ants are slightly less hostile than imported fire ants. Although rarely lethal, native and imported fire ants will swarm out of the nest in a matter of seconds if threatened. (Don’t kick a fire ant mound.) The sting, an injection of a toxic venom into the skin, has been known to trigger serious allergic reactions in some people.

If you are stung by a swarm of fire ants and experience the following symptoms, seek medical help immediately:

• Difficulty breathing;
• Trouble swallowing;
• Nausea;
• Dizziness.

Drifting Ant Alert: During floods, thousands of fire ants are capable of clumping together to form a living raft to carry them to dry ground. Should you accidentally bump into one of these floating firestorms, you could be in for a world of hurt.

Signs of Fire Ants In and Around the Home

Because fire ants mostly build their colonies outside and underground, the first sign of their presence is a mound. Fire ants prefer the outdoors and only come indoors if their mound has been destroyed by heavy rains, or they need to shelter from extremely hot, dry weather.

Other signs that indicate you have fire ants are:

• Burrowing underground (soil appears fluffy after a rain);
• Ant trails;
• Itchy and burning skin, followed by the forming of pus-filled pimples;

How To Get Rid of Fire Ants

To rid yourself of fire ants, target your elimination efforts on the mound (nest). Drenching the nest with toxic liquid pesticides is a proven way of killing fire ants. You can also use granular or powdered insecticides on the top of the hill and/or around the yard.

If you have kids and/or pets, here’s a non-chemical solution: Pour three to five gallons of boiling water into the nest. This will kill a majority of the ants and their queen without risking your health.

If you suspect there are a series of nests scattered around the property or one inside your home, baits and traps get the best results, although they take time to work. Another less effective yet viable option: Mix citric acid with hot, soapy water and pour it into the mound.

Pro tip: Just knocking down a mound is wholly ineffective. If an anthill is destroyed, the colony will just go ahead and build another.

How To Prevent Fire Ants from Getting In the Home

Take the same preventive measures to stop fire ants from entering your home as you would any other type of ants.

• Seal off entry points;
• Store food and compost in closed containers;
• Keep floors clean to disrupt scent trails;
• Create a barrier around the perimeter of your property by spraying with liquid insecticide or scattering a granular version.

If store-bought treatments fail to work or if you’re concerned about applying insecticides safely around your family and pets, call in a professional exterminator. Average costs for a single treatment can range from $150 to $500, depending on the severity of the infestation. Many companies offer a discount for signing a contract for multiple treatments.

Think you might have a community of carpenter ants in or near your home? Before you panic, here are some facts you should know about these insects.

What Is a Carpenter Ant?

Related to bees and wasps, a carpenter ant (sometimes referred to as a flying ant) is a member of the Formicidae family of insects. Carpenter ants live in large colonies with workers, scouts and a queen. They can be found in wooded areas, suburbs and cities. They are one of the largest and most common ant species in the U.S.

To the untrained eye, carpenter ants and termites may look alike, but they are not the same insect.

What Do Carpenter Ants Look Like?

Here’s how to spot the difference between a carpenter ant and a termite:

Carpenter ants

The main identifying characteristics of carpenter ants:

• Measure between 1/2-in. to 5/8-in.;
• Three body segments;
• Narrow waist between the abdomen and thorax;
• Large heads with elbowed (bent) antennae;
• A pair of wings (backs shorter than the fronts);
• Dark red, black, brown or a combination of those colors.

Termites

Termites, on the other hand, are no bigger than a dime and have these features:

• Two body segments;
• Wings of equal length and longer than their body;
• A thick, unpinched waist;
• Straight antennae;
• Light in color or transparent.

What Attracts Carpenter Ants?

The first line of defense against an invading pest is to understand what it likes and doesn’t like. Here are the main things carpenter ants are attracted to:

Soft, wet wood

Carpenter ants adore dead, decaying and moist timber. It’s their reason for living.

Food

Their main source of nutrition is honeydew excreted from aphids they farm. Carpenter ants also feast on the nectar of plants and small insects. Inside homes, they’ll happily eat protein and sugary substances left out on the counters and in garbage pails. In the yard, carpenter ants are drawn to the food in pet bowls and meat juices on barbecue grills.

Damp and dark places

Along with hiding in dewy, decomposing wood, you’ll often find carpenter ants colonizing behind dishwashers and air conditioning units, in the backs of moldy cabinets or around leaky pipes.

What Repels Carpenter Ants?

On the flip side, here is what carpenter ants hate:

Dry conditions

Carpenter ants need a water source to survive and thrive. Eliminating moisture in your home and standing water in the yard is half the battle.

Strong odors

Essential oils like lemongrass, peppermint, clove, cedarwood, tea tree and citrus disrupt their scent trails, leaving them dazed and confused.

Signs of Carpenter Ants In and Around Your House

There are clues to indicate a colony of carpenter ants may be hiding somewhere on your property. Things to watch for include:

• Sawdust, insulation or wood shavings on the ground (extermination pros call it “frass”);
• Visible damage to wood (ruts or groves on the surface);
• Crackling sounds inside walls;
• Dead insect carcasses;
• Shed wings;
• Seeing the ants themselves.

Are Carpenter Ants Dangerous?

While carpenter ants do have a painful bite that can break the skin, they are generally regarded as harmless.

On the other hand, left to their devices, carpenter ants can potentially destroy your home from the inside out. Their chewing action breaks apart decaying logs. If they build a nest in a support beam of a home, it could severely weaken the structure. And just think what they could do if they get their jaws on your wooden deck!

Take it from Ed Spicer, CEO of Pest Strategies: “The carpenter ant is the ant you want to watch out for when it comes to property damage and home destruction.”

How To Get Rid of Carpenter Ants

The best way to rid yourself of carpenter ants is to find the nest and kill the queen. Here are some steps to help you find and destroy a carpenter ant nest indoors and out.

Step 1: Locate the nest. Follow a scent trail or check suspect wood for visible signs of damage, keeping in mind that ants usually forage about 300 feet from the nest. Indoors carpenter ants can often be found nesting near sinks, tubs and other high-moisture zones. Outdoors, check around tree stumps, firewood stacks and wood structures with obvious moisture damage.

Step 2: Destroy the nest. Once you locate a nest indoors, apply insecticide dust by drilling holes into the wall where the nest is suspected and inject the dust. You can also use non-toxic borax, boric acid or diatomaceous earth. You may have to repeat the treatment several times. If the nest is outdoors, drench it with a sprayer of liquid insecticide.

Note: Insecticides can be harmful to children and pets. Follow the label’s instructions carefully.

Step 3: Put out bait. If you can’t find the nest or it is difficult to access, place slow-acting granular bait (tamper-resistant bait stations, if you have children or pets) near entry points and moist areas where ants are likely to gather. You can also spray foam or gel baits into voids, through nail holes into walls, around gaps in plumbing and into ant tunnels themselves. Ants will hopefully bring the bait back to the nest and kill the entire colony, queen and all.

Note: Never spray ants with pesticides. Killing them individually defeats the purpose, because a dead worker or scout can’t bring the bait back to the colony to share with its comrades.

Step 4: If Steps 1, 2 and 3 are unsuccessful, call a pest control expert in your area who specializes in carpenter ant control.

How To Prevent Carpenter Ants From Getting Into Your Home

Carpenter ants are big compared to other ants, but they’re still ants and therefore can easily enter your home through frame joints, cracks in the foundation or gaps under doors. To avoid the hassle and expense of eliminating an infestation of carpenter ants, take the following steps to discourage them from building a nest in or around your home.

• Keep food in airtight containers and clean up spills and crumbs;
• Seal cracks and holes;
• Trim vegetation back from the house;
• Remove rotted or infested wood;
• Raise firewood off the ground;
• Spray a chemical or non-toxic insecticide barrier around your home.

Coffee Grounds

Feeders filled with sugar water attract hummingbirds. But sometimes not-so-welcome guests like ants, wasps and bees crawl into hummingbird feeders and create problems. For frustrated backyard birders, it may be tempting to use pesticides or insecticides to deter bugs.

But Emma Greig, the project leader for Project FeederWatch of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, advises against it because it may harm birds, as well as the bees whose populations are declining. “You can deter insects while remembering they’re part of nature, too,” says Greig. Instead, try some of these all-natural solutions. The birds (and bees) will thank you.

Choose Red Saucer Feeders

With their long tongues, hummingbirds can reach the nectar in saucer feeders — but insects can’t. And while hummingbirds prefer the color red, bees are attracted to yellow. Here’s the recipe to make your own hummingbird sugar water. Replace the sugar water every few days.

Attach an Ant Moat

Ant moats are typically about three inches wide and one to two inches deep. Hang them above hummingbird sugar water feeders. Because ants can’t swim, water is an effective deterrent. You can also buy hummingbird feeders with built-in ant moats. Keep the moats clean and filled with water.

Hang Feeders with Fishing Line

Fishing line is too thin for ants to climb, which means they won’t be able to reach your hummingbird feeders for a free meal. Learn how to clean hummingbird feeders.

Slip Nectar Guard Tips Over Hummingbird Feeder Holes

Nectar guard tips block insects like yellow jackets, but hummingbirds can still get to the nectar. Check out these feeders hummingbirds will love to visit.

Periodically Move Feeders

Just moving feeders three or four feet will help insects lose track of them. Birds will still find them easily, but insects often won’t.

Place Fake Wasp Nests Nearby

Remove all active wasp nests from the area where you want to place your feeders. Then hang the fake wasp nests in protected areas (away from rain) to deter real wasps, which are territorial and won’t typically venture into a place they think is already occupied.

Plant Bee- and Hummingbird-Friendly Flowers

Give the bees an attractive alternative. Pollinators will flock to nectar-rich flowers in containers and the garden. Try colorful annuals like fuchsia and impatiens, and perennials like trumpet vine, bee balm and cardinal flower. Check out our expert tips for attracting hummingbirds to your backyard, including the best plants, feeders and other backyard features

Up next, this is what you should if you find a bird’s nest in your backyard.

So Many Species of Ants

Ants are some of the most prolific insects in the world. Their population is estimated at between 10 and 100 quadrillion, with more than 1,000 species living right here in North America. Ants may look alike, but they’re actually quite varied in their appearance and behavior.

To help you identify which types of ants you may be dealing with in and around your home, we’ve compiled a list of the 19 most common (or weird) ants found within the continental United States and Hawaii.

From their characteristics to their behaviors to their habitats, our guide contains a wealth of information about how to co-exist, control and, if need be, get rid of ants simply and safely.

What Do Ants Look Like?

Not to be confused with termites, ants are between 1/16-in. and two inches in length with big heads, elongated bodies pinched at the waist, swollen abdomens and six spindly legs. They sport threadlike elbowed antennae, come in colors ranging from white to jet black. Some have wings, and some have stingers. Most people recognize an ant when they see it. Do you?

Plus, here’s more information on how to get rid of ants, as well as other pests.

What Are the Different Types of Ants?

According to PestWorld.org, the three most common types of ants in the U.S. are carpenter, odorous and pavement. In warm tropical climates such as in the South and Southwest, you’ll find an abundance of red fire, ghost and big-headed ants. However, no matter where in the country you live, there are certain things that all ants have in common:

• They build structured nests (hierarchical colonies) with at least one queen;
• Worker ants are wingless, sterile females;
• Male ants (a.k.a. drones) exist for one purpose — reproduction;
• Ants communicate with each other through scent (pheromone) trails;
• Most species forage for food crumbs, but some feed on dead insects, raise aphids or farm fungus.

Plus, are ants dangerous to people, pets and property?

How to Identify Ants

The first step in fighting an infestation in your home or garden is to know what type of ant you’re dealing with. Identifying ant species can be complicated. Luckily, we put together a comprehensive list that explains how to identify different types of ants you may encounter in and around your home. Here’s how to identify different types of ants.

Where Do Ants Live?

Lurking inside cupboards, under rocks and in woodpiles, you’ll find ants almost everywhere — in the city and on the farm. Their nests can be found in above-ground mounds, burrowed in tree trunks or located deep underground, their extensive network of chambers unseen by the casual observer. Possessing an insatiable appetite, if food sources are plentiful, ants won’t hesitate to take up residence in your house or garden.

What Are the Signs That You Have Ants?

The easiest and most obvious way to know if you have an ant infestation is by sight. If you find live ant trails, especially inside your home, there’s a good chance you have a problem. For certain types of ants, like carpenters, you might hear rustling noises in the walls or see wood shavings scattering about.

If you smell rotten coconuts or a distinct musty scent, odorous or citronella ants may have invaded. In the yard, look out for mounds in the garden or holes in your lawn — both can be an indication of an ant infestation.

How to Get Rid of Ants

There are many ways to rid yourself of ants:

• Baits: Easy to use stations/traps and stakes are pre-filled for convenience;
• Sprays: Aerosol and pump sprays are a short-term solution that kills ants on contact;
• Gels: Potent gel can be applied directly into cracks and crevices where you see ants;
• Granules: Small pellets for spreading on lawns and around large yards;
• Powders: Ants ingest the fine powder and die;
• Home remedies: Natural and non-toxic, most home remedies are safe around kids and pets.

Experts often recommend mess-free bait stations and stakes because the poison works at the source, killing the queen and her colony.

Keep in mind that ants can build nests in hard-to-reach places, like inside walls or under foundations. If you suspect an infestation, consider calling in a professional pest control expert right away. A knowledgeable ant exterminator can quickly assess the situation and recommend a method that addresses your particular pest problem.

Ant Safety and Concerns

Many ants sting or bite, but not all. Most of the time bites and stings may be painful (from red fire and leafcutters especially) but they are rarely serious. People allergic to bee and wasp stings, however, should take extra precautions when working in the garden near mounds. Pharaoh ants, for instance, are known to carry diseases and should be dealt with at the first sign of infestation.

Most ant repellents and insecticides are made of toxic or poisonous ingredients, so it’s probably best to opt for eco-friendly, organic remedies if kids and animals are about. If you’re not sure how to proceed, contact a professional exterminator for help and advice.

How To Kill Ants

When it comes to ridding your house or yard of an ant infestation, time is of the essence. Although ants rarely cause serious problems, they have the potential to damage property, sting or bite and carry diseases.

Whether you decide to DIY with a natural home remedy or commercial product or call in a professional exterminator for help, read on to learn about the best ways to kill ants.

The Ant Life Cycle

Like other social insects (i.e., bees, wasps and hornets), ants undergo a metamorphosis in four life stages: egg, larvae, pupae and adult. The entire process can take up to 60 days from start to finish.

We explore an ant’s cycle of life, from how they reproduce to ways they function in their community. Knowing the facts about an ant’s life cycle may prove helpful in combating an ant infestation more effectively, should you encounter one.

Egg stage

White and glistening, the tiny egg is where an ant’s life begins. Fertilized eggs beget females, and unfertilized eggs males. Did you know that the queen leafcutter ant produces some 150 million workers in her lifetime, and an army ant can lay up to 300,000 eggs in a single day? Respect!

Larvae stage

At this stage of an ant’s development, the egg transforms into larvae. In constant need of nourishment, a single larva grows so rapidly that it molts (sheds its skin) several times during this phase, which lasts between seven and 14 days.

Pupae stage

In this third and final gestation period (six to 10 weeks) the pupae of some species spin protective cocoons, while others remain uncovered.

Adult stage

Once the adult surfaces from a pupa, it’s fully formed and ready to go. Because the queen can churn out thousands of worker ants, the best way to eliminate a colony is to kill the queen where she lives and breeds.

The Difference Between Adult Male and Female Ants

Queen

Every ant colony has at least one queen. Some species, such as the Argentine ant, may have two or more.

Significantly larger than her compatriots, a queen will lay eggs that hatch into new queens with wings that they use to fly out of the nest to mate (queens are the only females able to reproduce). Once a new queen locates a spot to nest, she lays her eggs, then feeds and grooms the hatched larvae until they turn into cocoons (or remain uncovered depending on the species). In a few weeks, new adult workers emerge and the colony is officially up and running.

Drones

Drones are fertile, winged males whose only function is to impregnate a queen. Once the deed is done, it’s curtains for the male, who dies usually within a few weeks.

Workers

Of the castes in the colony, the multi-tasking workers (sterile females) are the most numerous. They perform such essential duties as foraging for food, burrowing tunnels, warehousing food and tending to the larvae. Workers and soldiers (larger workers who defend nests) can survive as long as seven years.

The Lifespan of an Ant

The average lifespan of an ant can be anywhere from a few weeks to 15 years. That depends on the species, the role the ant plays and the availability of food sources. For instance, a black garden ant can live almost two decades, while fire ant workers are expected to live less than a month.

Long live the queen! In almost every species, her royalness outlives everyone else in the colony. Some queens are believed to have reigned for 28 years!

Ant Dangers to People

An annoyance more than anything else, most ants in the United States aren’t directly harmful to people. If left to run amok, however, ants can destroy structures, spread bacteria and, in extreme cases, cause serious allergic reactions. That’s why it’s best to nip an ant infestation in the bud.

Here’s the 411 on ants, ant bites and more.

Bites and Stings

Although ant bites are rarely serious, those from fire and harvester ants can be painful and may require medical attention. It’s best to avoid bites whenever possible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers ways to prevent bites altogether:

• Don’t disturb ant mounds;
• Be careful lifting items off the ground;
• Tuck pants into shoes or boots when doing yard work;
• Brush ants off immediately.

Allergies

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), allergies from insect bites or stings are responsible for about 100 deaths a year. Along with bees, wasps and hornets, fire ants are a top cause of insect stings in the U.S. Fire ants bite and sting at the same time!

Poisons

Be extra careful spraying insecticides in your backyard, especially if you have children and pets. Hire a professional exterminator or ask your local garden center for advice. Baits are the best DIY ant control solution because they eliminate colonies in a few days. Liquid bait stations like the Terro T300B Liquid Ant Bait Ant Killer are effective and simple to use.

Ant Dangers to Pets

Fire ants are a risk to pets, so keep cats and dogs away from anthills. If your pet gets attacked, wear protective gloves and remove the ants by hand. Although not usually life-threatening, if your pet receives a large number of stings, seek immediate veterinary attention. Be sure to use pet-safe ant removal techniques.

Pro Tip: To distinguish fire ants from other ant species, examine the ant trail. Fire ants have multiple-sized workers.

Ant Damage to Homes and Yards

Around homes and businesses, fire ants are known to infest and short-circuit electrical equipment. In the yard, ants can wreak havoc on landscaping by disturbing roots, burying plants with soil unearthed from nest excavation, and building anthills in the lawn.

But do not forget ants also play a critical role in our ecosystem. They aerate soil, redistribute nutrients to plant roots, spread seeds and protect against destructive garden pests like caterpillars and grasshoppers.

What to Do If You Have Ants

Dr. Scott Lingren, an entomologist and owner of Venus Pest Company, recommends these five DIY steps for ant removal:

1. Recognize signs of infestation (ant trails, wood shavings, etc.);
2. Properly identify the type of ant;
3. Stop food sources (secure food containers, sweep up crumbs, etc.);
4. Seal cracks and other entry points in your home;
5. Set out ant bait for workers to take back to the colony.

Dr. Lingren cautions patience. “Different types of ants prefer different types of bait at different times of the year, so this may take some experimentation to get right,” he says.

White Vinegar

A recipe for ant-controlling success? Three parts vinegar and one part water. Spray under doorways, in the yard or even around your picnic blanket. The pungent liquid helps cover up ant scent trails, messing with their tracking abilities. Next time you mop the floor, pour a bit of vinegar into the bucket for good measure.

Borax

Borax, a mineral used in many cleaning products, is lethal to ants, interfering with their digestive system.

Create a syrupy paste with borax, confectioner’s sugar and water. Put the mixture inside shallow containers with narrow, ant-sized openings and place them near ant mounds or wherever you see ants. Enticed workers carry the sweet substance back to the nest to share with their friends.

Note: Although borax has a low toxicity rate for humans, home expert and CEO of Pest Strategies Ed Spicer recommends keeping borax-laced bait away from children and pets.

Pepper

To be clear: Pepper doesn’t kill ants, but the strong odor will chase them away. Pour the ground black or cayenne version onto ant scent trails. Or mix pepper and water in a spray bottle and spritz your home’s entry points.

Cinnamon

The best spice for getting rid of ants in your kitchen? Cinnamon. Natural and non-toxic, cinnamon not only kills ants, but its strong smell makes it shine as a repellent, too.

According to Spicer, Saigon cinnamon can be especially effective when sprinkled around anthills, across their paths, on kitchen countertops and along floorboards. And cinnamon essential oil can effectively repel and exterminate ants, too.

Fresh Mint

Ants don’t like the smell of fresh mint, so planting it in vegetable patches and flower beds deters ants and other insects while giving your garden a lovely aroma. Minty essential oils from peppermint, wintergreen, geranium, thyme, clove and rosemary work, too!

Cornmeal & Boric Acid

Contrary to popular belief, cornmeal does not kill ants, by exploding them or otherwise. “Ants are pretty keen on cornmeal,” Spicer says, “so spreading too much of it around might worsen your infestation.”

You can, however, weaponize cornmeal in your fight against ants by mixing it with boric acid, a cousin to Borax that’s available online and at home improvement stores. Mix nine parts cornmeal with one part boric acid, adding a generous helping of soybean oil or peanut butter to create a paste. Place the homemade bait near gaps and crevices, anywhere ants are on the march.

Like borax (above), any bait containing boric acid should be kept away from kids and animals.

Flour

Stop ants in their tracks. Scatter all-purpose flour liberally at door thresholds, on window sills and across foundations. Or use a sifter to apply a dusting of flour directly along their path to disrupt their pheromone trail.

Citrus

The natural acids in tangy citrus, such as lemon, orange, lime and grapefruit, work wonders at keeping ants at bay by masking their scent trails — at least temporarily. Squeeze lemons into a spray bottle, or rub a pureed blend of orange peel and water on window sills and doors jambs to discourage the itsy-bitsy insects from crossing over.

Bonus: Toss the leftover rinds in the garden as an organic disincentive.

Coffee Grounds

This popular ant-repelling tactic has been around for years: Sprinkle coffee grounds around the stems of indoor and outdoor plants and flowers. Some say it’s the smell that repels them; others claim ants don’t like the feeling of the grounds under their feet. Either way, it works!

Sugar

If you can’t beat ’em, divert ’em! Extend a sugar trail from your house to your outdoor compost pile. Ants can feast to their hearts’ content and needn’t darken your door again.

Ant-Repellent Myth: Baking Soda

You see it all over the internet: Baking soda kills ants by drying them up or exploding them. Not true. According to Spicer, “There’s virtually no scientific evidence that supports the theory that baking soda can kill ants.” Best to save your baking soda for baking.

11 Facts About Ants That May Surprise You

What Is an Ant?

An ant is classified as a terrestrial arthropod — an invertebrate insect with exoskeletons and jointed appendages belonging to the Formicidae family. Unique in their anatomical structure, ants are distinguishable from other bugs by their large heads, elbowed antennae and powerful jaws.

Why Are They Called Ants?

The ant got its moniker from a derivative of the Old English word æmette — eventually shortened to the Middle English version, ampte — which, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, means “the biter-off.”

How Many Species of Ants Are There?

There are between 12,000 and 22,000 classified species of ants worldwide. From common field ants to exotic Yellow crazy ants, it’s mind-blowing to think that a single colony can house upwards of 250,000 members. Highly organized supercolonies are known to amass interconnected nests that span 2,500 miles. One in particular stretches from Spain to Italy.

Where Do Ants Live?

Ants live on every continent except for Antarctica and a few remote islands. Almost half of the world’s ant population lives in tropical rainforests, yet they also can be found in arid sub-Saharan Africa. This interactive online map, created by biology professors Benoit Guénard and Evan Economo, pinpoints where in the world your favorite ant resides. According to Guenard, “Work on the map is ongoing with new species of ants discovered frequently.”

What Do Ants Eat?

Generally, ants love human food, especially sugary morsels — but you already knew that! What you might not know is that some ants raise aphids so they can milk them for their sweet liquid called honeydew. Did you also know that ants have two stomachs — one for eating and one for sharing with their friends? Gluttons!

How Strong Are Ants?

Superhuman strong! According to a study by The Ohio State University College of Engineering, ants are capable of supporting 5,000 times their body weight. That would be like you or me bench-pressing 150 minivans. An ant’s power is attributed to its strong neck and lightweight body which requires little energy to carry around, leaving its muscles free to do the heavy lifting.

How Do Ants Communicate With Each Other?

Ants communicate with each other through pheromones, sounds and touch. Pheromones are chemical signals that can be picked up by the ants’ paired antennae. Scents can sound the alarm if danger’s afoot or dinner is on the table!

Can Ants Smell?

Without a sense of smell, ants couldn’t survive and thrive. When they’re out foraging for sustenance, they leave a pheromone trail (see above) that works like Hansel and Gretel’s breadcrumbs, helping them find their way back to the colony.

Can Ants Fly?

Yes, but only during mating. Flying ants are referred to as alates, which consist only of ants that can reproduce. Worker ants are always female and sterile. Drones are male, charged with the job of impregnating the queen. Once her “Royal Highness” is expecting, she sheds her wings and eats them as a snack.

What Eats Ants?

Beside anteaters, other natural predators to ants include a host of insects, such as certain butterflies, flies, wasps, moths, beetles and sometimes other ants. But did you know that in Colombia, fertilized queen Leafcutter ants are served brined and toasted? Also considered a delicacy in Thailand, sautéed red ants and their eggs make a delicious side dish.

What Repels Ants?

Strong odors that mask scent trails, such as citrus, vinegar, pepper and coffee, leave ants confused and unable to find their way back to the nest. Keep in mind that repellants are a temporary fix. In some cases they disrupt the colony to the point that it splits, making your ant infestation worse.

What Kills Ants?

There are lots of homemade and store-bought products that kill ants. The best solutions, such as borax, cornmeal mixed with boric acid and ant bait stations, are simple to use. They not only kill the ants you see but get back to the queen, which eliminates the entire colony.

Ant-Proof Your Hummingbird Feeder

Your home is under attack

Your home is your castle, and unfortunately it’s not immune to attack…by a large army of tiny ants. An ant invasion is annoying, but it can also be dangerous to your health and your home, depending on the type of ant you’re dealing with. And as with any pest problem, you definitely shouldn’t ignore it and just hope it goes away. So, what can you do to stop this problem in its tracks? Do battle in the smartest ways possible. We got the lowdown from bug experts on how to get rid of ants and finally evict these unwanted visitors from your home, safely and easily. Learn how to identify ants and their nests.

How to Identify Ants

Centipedes

Centipedes don’t build nests, but they do prey on other household bugs such as spiders and ants, so never squish a centipede in your home. The best way to get rid of centipedes is to get rid of the household bugs they prey on. Do this by sealing off any cracks where pests enter your home, clean up food sources and make sure there isn’t excess moisture that many books seek out.

Ants are undoubtedly pesky pests. Seeing a swarm of them in your home is grounds for freaking out. But rather than be frustrated, be active! There are plenty of ways to get rid of ants.

You might also be interested in how to get rid of spiders.

There are many different types of ants, yet some of the most common house-invading ones include odorous house ants, carpenter ants and thief ants. To get rid of ants quickly, you’ll need to have a good eye.

For the ultimate guide on dealing with ants, as well as mice and other pesky pests, check this out.

Odorous ants like to nest indoors near areas of the house where moisture can be found. They’re often referred to as sugar ants since they seek out foods high in sugar or protein. Carpenter ants will nest indoors below baseboards and near radiators or heating ducts. This type of ant also has a sweet tooth.

Ever wondered how ants know there are crumbs on your floor? Here’s what you need to know.

Watch this video for some super-simple solutions for keeping ants out of your house:

For an army of ants seeking out sugary foods, don’t be hasty and kill them. Use them! These worker ants seek out food to bring back to the queen and her kin. They’re where the problem begins and ends. This means you’ll need to bait the worker ants. Be patient and search for the trail that they are coming from, and follow to see where they are going to.

Now, place ant bait stations along this trail. You can buy ant bait or DIY your own. One option is to mix one cup warm water with ½ cup sugar and 3 tablespoons borax. Soak cotton balls in the mixture and place them in shallow dishes near the ant trails. Once the workers find the bait, they’ll bring it back to their home base, where the queen and her kin will consume it and die, thus eliminating future populations. Just be sure to give it a few days for the entire colony to be eliminated. You can even replace the bait stations if they’re empty.

A great way to bait the ants is testing out what food they like best.

Thief ants, also known as grease ants, can be found nesting indoors in tiny crevices. Unlike odorous and carpenter ants, thief ants prefer grease and high protein foods, as opposed to sugar. To get rid of ants on the lookout for such foods, you’ll want to use the right type of bait. You can mix chemical ant baits with grease or oil, like vegetable oil or peanut butter. Try adding a single drop of grease or oil to 5 to 10 drops of bait on a piece of wax paper. Make a few of these and place along the trail you identify. Just remember, when using chemicals, you’ll want to make sure your precious pets are nowhere near the area!

Here’s more information on getting rid of pests, including home invaders like ants.

Adhesive Tape

Is an army of ants marching toward the cookie jar on your countertop or some sweet prize in your pantry? Here’s how to get rid of ants using only tape: Create a “moat” around the object by surrounding it with adhesive tape or duct tape placed sticky side up. Ants or not, it’s always a good idea to have a versatile roll of duct tape around the house. Plus: How in the world do ants know when there are crumbs on your floor?

Keep Raccoons Out

Getting rid of bugs, insects and critters in and around your home can take weeks or months of experimenting with commercial and home-brewed solutions. We asked our network of experts and Field Editors for their top tried-and-true solutions to help you finally win the war against some of the toughest pests around.

Bait is best to kill ants inside

Brian Gough on ant bait

I swear by Combat or Advion ant gel bait (commercial quality, but available online to homeowners). Ants can’t resist taking a taste. After a day or two, the invading ants (and perhaps the entire colony) are gone. I apply the gel to a piece of duct tape or inside a bottle cap for easy cleanup later.

Brian Gough, Field Editor

Field Editor

Experts agree that baits work best. Ants take bait back to the colony, eliminating thousands of ants, including the egg-laying queens. In addition to Combat and Advion gel bait, the University of Kentucky extension service also recommends Raid Ant Bait II, Terro Ant Killer II, Advance Maxforce and Optigard Gel.

Baits can initially invite more ants into the house. You may be tempted to spray these buggers with insecticide. DON’T. Let the ants take the bait back to the colony, and be patient! Experiment with different gel products if one doesn’t seem to be effective. They all have different active ingredients and food components.

Spray on a bug barrier

Tom Dvorak on Annihilator

As far as bugs, wasps, Asian lady beetles, box elder bugs, etc., there is a product called Annihilator that I’ve used with great results. I use a 1-gallon sprayer and spray it around exterior doors and windows. It can also be safely used indoors. When bugs walk across it, they drop dead.

Dr. Todd A. Sidel on Spectracide

I’ve used Spectracide Bug Stop for years. It lasts almost a year and kills all sorts of bugs. It is safe, colorless and almost odorless. It can be sprayed indoors or out, on windows and doors, on tent screens and sleeping bags too.

Todd A. Sidel, M.D.

Field Editor

Spectracide Bug Stop claims to provide nine months of indoor bug control. Annihilator Insecticide Premise Spray lasts for 30 days. Both kill bugs on contact. These products are toxic to bees and fish, so don’t use them around gardens or ponds. You can find both products at farm supply stores, home centers and online.

Hydraulic cement stops ants cold

Jeff Patterson on hydraulic cement

I used hydraulic cement to fill a large gap in our foundation wall that was allowing ants to get into the house. The cement sets up in five minutes and also stops water leaking into the basement. Double whammy!

Jeff Patterson

Field Editor

Get hydraulic cement at home centers and hardware stores. It hardens fast, so mix it in small batches.

Kill slugs with corn meal

Ann Weisz on cornmeal

I use cornmeal to get rid of slugs. Just put some in a jar and tip the jar on its side in the garden. Slugs eat it but can’t digest it, and die.

Cornmeal is one of many pet- and kid-friendly slug remedies. Others include:

Escar-Go! and Sluggo products, which contain iron phosphate.

Crushed eggshells, pine needles, diatomaceous earth and other abrasive materials sprinkled around plants.

Tin cans filled with a few inches of beer sunk into the ground, which attracts slugs and drowns them.

Slugs will also shelter beneath a board or an upside-down pail. Set one out each evening and you can kill a bunch of slugs each morning.

Hang soap to repel deer—and squirrels?

Lloyd Lehn on soap

For the past two years, we’ve hung bars of Dial soap cut in half in cheesecloth bags around our gardens to keep deer away. We haven’t had deer problems since. I’m not sure if the deer simply went away or the soap kept them away.

We also had some unanticipated results. For years some unknown critters (probably squirrels) have been munching on our tomatoes in tomato cages. We started hanging Dial bags on our tomato cages and lo and behold, the tomato-munching critters stay away too.

Lloyd Lehn

Field Editor

Wildlife control expert Stephen Vantassel says it’s hard to know if soap causes deer to stay away.

“Soap can contain animal fat that has been shown to deter deer. But the effectiveness of repellents is related to population pressure. If there are lots of starving deer, repellents won’t work, period. If there are only a few deer, repellents will cause them to munch on the neighbors’ bushes.”

Vantassel recommends a study he found on effective deer repellents at icwdm.org/handbook/mammals/Deer.asp. His top suggestions for deer control include an electric polytape fence (available at farm supply stores and online retailers) and noisemaking devices.

As for squirrels, Vantassel thinks it’s the movement of hanging soap that frightens them away.

Got carpenter ants? Call a pro

Cameron LiDestri on pros

I’ve had trouble with carpenter ants, and frankly, I’ve had no luck with consumer-grade solutions. I finally called the pros, and one or two applications later, the problem was gone. Sometimes the best solution is to know when to call the experts.

Cameron LiDestri

Field Editor

We’re all about DIY, but carpenter ants (and termites) are pests that can cause serious structural damage to your home, and their nests can be difficult to locate. We recommend not messing around. Call a pro.

If you’re determined to try DIY termite and carpenter ant control methods first, visit bugspray.com or domyownpestcontrol.com for products and information.

Outwit raccoons

Mike Kennemer on bungee cords

The local raccoons had learned how to open my garbage containers. After unsuccessfully trying to discourage the varmints with chicken wire caps, tie-down cinch cords and ammonia liquid, I came up with a better solution. I drilled two small holes in the front of the containers and used 48-in. bungee cords to hold the lids on tight. So far, so good.

Mike Kennemer

Field Editor

Raccoons are surprisingly clever and bold. Discouraging them often takes a rotation of different deterrents.

Keep your bins in an enclosure or secure them to a metal stake or other anchor so they can’t be toppled.

Set up bright, motion-activated flood lights.

Place a heavy object, such as a cinder block, on top of trash can lids.

Get a dog!

Cedar oil repels ticks, fleas and mosquitos

Chip Leedy on cedar oil

I spray a mixture of cedar oil and water on my lawn and shrubs. It’s organic and safe for kids and pets. It repels biting insects and it also suffocates their eggs. Apply it at night, and in the morning the yard is ready for pets and kids. You can find cedar oil at local farm co-ops, pet stores, online retailers and landscape supply companies.

Chip Leedy

Field Editor

Plant oils such as cedar oil, lemongrass oil and others evolved to protect plants from insect damage. The EPA considers cedar oil a safe pesticide in low concentrations (higher concentrations can irritate the skin and be toxic if ingested). Cedar oils are also often used in flea sprays for pets.

Spraying cedar oil diluted with water on your lawn and shrubs can repel insects. However, the Colorado State University extension cautions that spraying horticultural oils might damage certain sensitive plants or trees or those under drought stress. For more information, visit www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05569.html.

Suffocate ants with soap and orange oil

Ann Weisz on liquid dish soap

I squirt liquid dish soap on anthills. It blocks their airways as they crawl through it and leaves a trail that others get caught in. I got that hint from an exterminator!

Drenching ant mounds with dish soap alone can be effective. But according to the Penn State Cooperative Extension service (extension.psu.edu), a method showing even more promise for a wider variety of ants (including fire ants!) is drenching ant mounds with a mixture of dishwashing liquid and orange oil.

Orange and other citrus oils contain d-limonene (citrus peel extract), which destroys the wax coating of an ant’s respiratory system. A Texas A&M extension study had success drenching fire ant mounds with 1-1/2 oz. of orange oil and 3 oz. of liquid dish soap per gallon of water. You can buy orange and other citrus oils at farm supply stores and online.

“Set-and-forget” fly and mosquito spray

Jordan Van Moorlegham on metered sprays

We use a special metered fly spray in our house that my parents always used on the farm. You can put the can in a dispenser and it sprays every so often. It does a great job of depleting a fly population in your home. I’d highly recommend the dispenser system for anyone.

Jordan Van Moorlegham

Field Editor

The Country Vet Metered Automatic Mosquito & Fly Spray Kit can be mounted on a wall or set on a shelf. It dispenses a pyrethrin-based insecticide every 15 minutes and is safe to use around food, people and pets. It can be used effectively in areas around the house where flies and mosquitos are a nuisance, such as sheltered porches, patios and decks. It’s available online from sources like qcsupply.com.

Seal out stinkbugs

Joseph Rocco Gualtieri on caulking

Stinkbugs have become a huge problem in my area. I was flushing between five and 10 a day down the toilet. We tried traps, but they didn’t work and instead attracted more! I finally figured out where they were coming from—my attic. It looked like a breeding ground…they were everywhere!

I got on my ladder and caulked every gap or opening around my house, especially the wood soffit. I’m proud to say we’ve had zero stinkbugs since. Sometimes the best solution is to completely prevent those critters from getting in rather than catching them after the fact.

Joseph Rocco Gualtieri

Field Editor

Stinkbugs are on the rise in many areas and causing serious damage to fruits and vegetables. They don’t bite or cause structural damage, but in the fall they seek shelter indoors.

According to the University of Maryland extension experts, sealing your home is the best control: caulking, foundation sealing, weather stripping, door sweeps and other measures. If they do get inside, experts recommend vacuuming them up (although your vacuum may stink for a few days afterward).

Repel wood ticks with dryer sheets?

Barry Shoultz on dryer sheets

To repel wood ticks and deer ticks, I unfold clothes dryer sheets and wrap them around the top of my socks and secure them with rubber bands. Not a great fashion statement, but it prevents ticks from clamping onto your pant legs in grassy areas (where they primarily are).

Barry Shoultz

Field Editor

We can’t confirm whether this works. Maybe the ticks are laughing so hard at the getup shown in the illustration that they can’t get a good grip on your leg when you pass by.

If you continue to struggle with pests in and around the home, check out these additional DIY pest control strategies.

Required Tools for this Project

Have the necessary tools for this DIY project lined up before you start—you’ll save time and frustration. [project-tools] Insecticide sprayer
Metered bug spray dispenser

Required Materials for this Project

Avoid last-minute shopping trips by having all your materials ready ahead of time. Here’s a list. [project-materials]