Natural ant repellent

[debid]

A friend of mine swears by this.     You cut several (8-10) jalapenos long ways and boil for 3-5 minutes.  Use the jalapenos however you want.   Use the water from boiling the jalapenos in a spray bottle with about half tap water to spray where ants are getting in and spray the ants mounds outdoors.   It's cheap and worth a try 

[Judy Harder]

This is the first year I have not been bothered by ants around my computer station.
My desk is almost in the window and since I eat here, (I am messy) I usually have to
wage a war on the little varmits.

A few years ago a friend told me to plant Tansy, ( 2 years ago....she gave me a start)......and that would take care of them.

First year I saw a difference, this year, I saw one scout this ............no MORE has climbed in the window.

I planted the tansy just outside my window and close to foundation and the smell is something like
bug spray........but not bad.......and even outside I don't seem to have as many this year as last.

It does spread. Easy to grow............tolerates sun/shade and bad soil (least mine is) but a very good stand.
Tansy is a herb.
Good luck

[Teresa]

Well I am glad to hear that! I have ants on my deck sometimes
I just use Terro that Cooksons has at the hardware store.. but this would be safer to have since I have grandchildren around so much.

I'll use the Jalapeno spray too in the meantime.

Cool Ideas.. Thanks

[Joanna]

I use Terro too... It works really great for me, only I get a little crazy watching the buggers rally round to suck it down...  I get this evil little laugh going and... well...  I really shouldn't enjoy it quite so much...

I love the idea about the jalapenos, and will look for some tansy to plant too...

[indygal]

Joanna, you're just wicked! LOL (BTW, I LOVE the photo!)

[kshillbillys]

After reading this, I looked up Tansy on Wikipedia and I think I will give it a try and tell my neighbors to do so as well. I HATE ANTS! I know there are other bugs that are much worse but the ants absolutely love my house! Hopefully I can be like Judy and not have to see any more of them in a couple of years after starting this!

During the American colonial period meat was frequently rubbed with or packed in common tansy to repel insects and prevent decay. [2][5][10] Also during the colonial period common tansy was frequently worn in shoes to prevent ague and malaria.[5][10] In England tansy was placed on window sills to repel flies, sprigs placed in bed linen to drive away pests, and was also used as an ant repellent ([21]) In the 1940s distilled common tansy oils mixed with fleabane, pennyroyal, and diluted alcohol was a well known mosquito repellent, with collectors paying five cents a pound for tansy in full bloom ([22]; [13]). Common tansy was planted along side potatoes to repel the Colorado potato bug, one study finding tansy reduced the potato bugs population by 60-100% ([19]; [13]; [11]). Research has found that tansy extracts do indeed repel mosquitoes, but not as effectively as products containing diethyltoluamide

[Anmar]

Baby powder actually works really well.  For some reason Ants can't stand the stuff

[Varmit]

Get rid of ants??? shoot, thats easy,  just get a couple of uncles, I've got two and they both managed to repel aunts

[Diane Amberg]

BAD ....

[Wilma]

Hey, I need a couple of those uncles.  I have a particularly stubborn bunch of ants.  Terro doesn't work on them.   We have put masking tape over the places that they come in and that has stopped them temporarily.