Q.
HELP! My kitchen is being taken over by ants! I don’t know what to do, they are in my cupboards and under the sink, in fact they go anywhere there is food. I don’t want to put poison down as I have six dogs and ten cats as well as four young children. What can I do? E.D. Carn.
A.
It sounds as if you have a full house without your unwanted visitors! I can sympathise with your plight as I have been overrun with them in the past too. At one time old cottages used to plant peppermint beside the door to keep out the ants. Unfortunately these pests don’t use the regular method of coming into houses through the front or back doors. If they are in the house then at least you know they came from the garden, as they don’t make a nest in the house, so there will be an entry point of some description. Follow the ants to find out their entry point. When it is located place some essence of peppermint on cotton wool and stuff it into the hole. That should keep them out. They will also avoid turpentine and cloves. If the problem persists and you feel a need to get them away from your house then you will need to track down the nest. Once located put a branch of the wormwood bush over the nest. This will make them leave their home and look for a new site (possibly your neighbours garden!) This method is far more humane that the harsh chemicals that you can buy in the shops and far less messy that the method of pouring boiling water over the nest site (although the your neighbour mightn’t think so)!
Horticultural.
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