Home remedies for ant problems are available that keep ants away while keeping your family safe. She holds a Bachelor of Science in public administration from the University of Texas at Dallas and also completed a certification course to obtain a teaching certificate for early childhood through fourth grade. To kill the ants, pour enough orange oil or an orange-oil solution over the ant bed, completely soaking it. Is Cinnamon Oil a Natural Pesticide for Termites? This can be used in lawns and gardens. Orange Oil Mixture. Apply the mixture following these easy steps: Add the orange oil and soap to the water and mix thoroughly. And better yet, these ant killer remedies are inexpensive and simple to make. Apply as a mound drench during early morning or late afternoon hours of the day, which is when the fire ants are most likely to be home. Orange essential oil is obtained from the skin of this delicious citrus and is one of the most widely used in aromatherapy,because of the magnificent properties oranges offer. 2. D-limonene, one of the main constitutes of orange essential oil , is able to penetrate the hard, waxy exterior of the ants’ respiratory system. The best homemade fire ant killer recipe to treat an ant infestation uses both orange oil and Dawn dish soap with a gallon of water. Ingredients. Audrey Pannell has been writing since the year 2000. Indoor ants can be effectively eliminated with orange oil or an orange-oil solution. Orange oil can be purchased or you can make it on your own. Orange oil has its own delightful surprise, at least for anyone with a garden full of bug-infested plants. The commercial product Orange Guard Fire Ant Killer — approved for use in organic agriculture by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) — also contains orange oil… Orange oil can be expensive, so another way to make this mixture is to use orange peels. Products with orange oil or d-limonene as an active ingredient are believed to be toxic to fire ants. Orange oil contains d-limonene which has been proven to kill fire ants upon contact. The recipe:1 gallon of water3oz blue Dawn Soap1.5oz Orange Oil Orange oil is rather strong, so it also can be used as a cleaning agent. According to the Urban Harvest website, "recent studies have discovered that orange oil solutions are effective in decimating fire ant colonies and, if the solution reaches the queen, destroying the mound for good." Its major component is d-Limonene, a compound now approved by the Environmental Protection Agency as an organic pesticide. • One cup almond or grape oil • A few whole cloves, crushed • A tablespoon rubbing alcohol or witch hazel For Judy Kilpatrick, gardening is the best mental health therapy of all. To apply this ant killer treatment, first, spray a big circle around the outer part of the ant mound. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar; 1 Tbsp Borax; 1/2 cup warm water; Instructions: Mix all ingredients together until the sugar and borax are completely dissolved. Orange oil makes a great addition to homemade cleaners for several reasons. Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap is a castile soap product that is often recommended for natural ant killer sprays. This will create a barrier that lasts for up to 24 hours. The Orkin website suggests you simmer orange peels and collect the condensation. But the best fire ant killer contains both orange oil and soap -- either horticultural soap or Dawn liquid dishwashing soap. First, it has amazing grease-cutting abilities, so you can power through tough messes and stains.Second, it has antibacterial qualities to help kill germs. I like to use mason jar lids. I am afraid of it killing the tree. It is EPA registered, OMRI listed and on the FDA GRAS (generally recognized as safe) list. Homemade orange oil pesticide has all the potency of the store-bought varieties, at a fraction of the cost. Add water to just below the fill line. Orange oil is potent, and when mixed with the right ingredients, it can act as a fire ant control. A homemade recipe containing orange oil [equal parts orange oil, cattlemen's molasses, and compost tea at 47 ml L-1 water (6 oz gal- 1)], orange oil premixed with water to form an emulsion, and the commercial product all resulted in 80% or greater control when applied in 3.8 L (1 gal) water as a mound drench. By creating an account you agree to the Hunker. Find the recipe and tutorial here… J&J Acres – Killing Ants With Orange Oil Combining her interests in both of these fields, Kilpatrick is a professional flower grower and a practicing, licensed mental health therapist. Like all of our products, they're 100% natural, eco-friendly and smell like fresh oranges! Question: I have a planting bed around a silver maple tree, and there is a huge fire ant bed in it that I cannot get rid of. Recipe 3: Homemade Natural Ant Killer. Environmentally Safe Alternative for Killing Fire Ants, North Carolina Cooperative Extension: Organic Fire Ant Management. Both soap and d-limonene, found in orange oil, kill fire ants on contact, according to research conducted by the Texas Cooperative Extension. Spray the ants and all surfaces they are crawling on. Hunker may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. A simple way to create a fire ant solution is by mixing 6 oz of orange oil, 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses, a squeeze of liquid dish soap and water in a gallon jug. This extract kills the ants by destroying the wax coating of the insect's respiratory system. Kill pesky ants indoors and out with non-toxic orange oil. The Garrett Juice recipe is a mixture of 1 gallon of water, 1 to 2 cups manure compost tea, 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses, 1 tablespoon liquid seaweed and 1 tablespoon natural apple cider vinegar. The scent will also deter the ants from returning. It’s all natural and definitely worth checking out. Homemade Ant Killer – The Recipe. Let’s take a look at the active ingredient of the most popular fire ant killer brands on the market: Hydramethylnon. For users dealing specifically with fire ants, you may want to consider using orange essential oil as a natural ant killer. Residing deep within an excavated mound, the queen fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) is hard to reach, and unless the queen is destroyed, the colony quickly replenishes and establishes new colonies. Use orange-oil mixture to control fire ants. DO NOT DISTURB the fire ant nest before applying the orange oil/soap/water mixture, no matter how much fun it is!! The benefit of using orange oil to kill ants in the house is that it is non-toxic to humans and has a pleasant scent. Another way to create the orange oil is by filling a container with the citrus peelings and cover them with water. Let them sit for a couple of days and then strain off the liquid for your oil. My former colleagues at Texas AgriLife Extension conducted many scientific studies on a variety of home remedies and found the orange oil/Dawn soap recipe to be the only one that actually kills fire ant colonies a good percentage of the time. Orange oil can be used to kill the fire ants that are building colonies in your yard. The soap helps the orange oil mix well in the water and stick to the ants in the soil. Find the area in which the ants are entering the house and spray it with the oil. For a safe alternative to dangerous chemicals, drench the red ant mound with a fire-ant-killer recipe containing orange oil. Mix 1.5 ounces of orange oil and 3 ounces of the Dawn into 1 gallon of water, or add 0.42 ounces of horticultural soap and 2.11 ounces of orange oil to 1 gallon of water. 1 tbsp of eucalyptus or peppermint oil Cinnamon, garlic powder or pepper (if you need more effective) Mix vinegar and water in 50/50 ratio, add 1 tbsp of eucalyptus or peppermint oil and if you want to make more effective use cinnamon, garlic powder or pepper else the above mix is enough. ALSO SEE: eHow – Homemade Citrus Ant Killer. Vinegar works in two ways against ants – a great homemade ant killer. Garrett Juice is also used as a foliage feeding spray. Homemade Ant Killer. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. And finally, it smells wonderfully fresh. Jan 4, 2014 - Orange Oil Fire Ant Killer Recipe. The popular Terro Liquid Ant Killer Bait is nothing more than a liquid containing 5.4% sodium tetraborate decahydrate, aka, borax (the active killing ingredient) and 94.6% other … I hadn’t thought about using the natural oil from orange peels to keep them away. Get in control of your indoors and outdoors with this set of our home pest control and garden pest control in 32 oz. Crumble it up, and mix 1/4 cup of soap with a few drops of peppermint oil and one quart of water. It's OK if some of the solution doesn't make it into the anthill, as it will eventually sink into the dirt. The oil's main ingredient, D-Limonene, is an extract from the citrus peel. To speed up the process, use hot water or heat it while stirring. Now, simply go on a spraying spree and see what happens. Fire ant eradication from your lawn and garden takes repeated applications of insecticide. Ants hate vinegar because it blocks their communication aids (pheromones). Mix 1.5 ounces of orange oil and 3 ounces of the Dawn into 1 gallon of water, or add 0.42 ounces of horticultural soap and 2.11 ounces of orange oil to 1 gallon of water. Biodegradable Fire Ant Control Orange Guard Fire Ant Control will eradicate fire ants without risking the health of your family, pets or the environment. This water based contact insecticide and repellent can be applied full strength or diluted 1:3 for increased coverage. A simple way to create a fire ant solution is by mixing 6 oz of orange oil, 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses, a squeeze of liquid dish soap and water in a gallon jug. In this video I show how effective a bit of Orange Oil mixed in about two gallons of water is against a bed of ants and other bugs in the area treated. When sprayed directly on the ants, it can kill them instantly. The Urban Harvest website suggests that molasses or compost tea may enhance the effect of orange oil on fire ant mounds. Locate the anthill outside and pour the orange peel ant killer directly into the top opening in the colony. You can also spray on the bed bug trails, entry points, and emerging points to deter them. Shake and spray around ants to kill them. Add enough peelings to fill the jar halfway. Do this procedure when you notice the ants are in the mound and not crawling about searching for food. Poison-free ant traps: Are inexpensive and generally safe to use around pets and kids. Fill the jar with water and put on the lid. It's not easy to get rid of a colony of invaders whose queen can lay 1,600 eggs per day for two to seven years. Mix the water and the oil in a spray bottle and mix thoroughly. Products sold to kill and prevent ants in your home are full of chemicals that may be harmful to you, your family and your pets. One home remedy involves using orange peels. An example is a substance found in orange oil (called d-limonene) that can make a DIY fire ant killer. It's not easy to get rid of a colony of invaders whose queen can lay 1,600 eggs per day for two to seven years. Orange oil is effective in killing ants, both inside and outside the house. Essential oil (choose anyone that is your favorite: Peppermint, Lavender, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree Oil, Witch Hazel Extract) – 1 tbsp; Water – a few cups; Spray Bottle; Procedure. I'm not sure why--I only know that they have done controlled experiments on fire ants and the orange oil works best when used in conjunction with an insecticidal soap. Either purchase or make your own orange oil solution and put it in a spray bottle. There is also a Phorid fly from S. America that is a natural predator of the fire ants, but studies are still being done. (Did you know the scent of citrus can actually help boost your mood and energy? You can actually also throw in some lemon and lime peels as well, but I would say go for at least 50% orange peel. Garden “Agent Orange” Oil Ant Killer • One orange peel • Crush all seeds from the orange and add to a small bottle. J&J Acres tried it and is believing for good results. When sprayed, the chemicals in the soap can cause the exoskeleton to degrade, leading to the ant dehydrating and dying. The orange oil does, though, it is toxic to the ants. She has written for AOL and eHow. Mix ingredients well, seal sprayer, then prepare sprayer by pumping. sizes. In a spray bottle, combine one-quarter cup of white vinegar with 15 drops of peppermint essential oil, five drops of clove essential oil, and ten drops of orange essential oil.Shake well, then add one-quarter cup of water. Making a mound drench by adding 2 ounces of orange oil to 1 gallon of Garrett Juice, is one of the alternative methods for ant control described in a review by the Department of Entomology of the Texas A&M University. If you are using it to kill ants in your kitchen, go ahead and clean your countertops while you are at it. Spray this on the ants and watch them suffer. Vinegar and Water Ant Spray. Add more water to the orange peel insecticide about a tablespoonful at a time until the mixture is an easily poured liquid. If you would like to make a homemade ant spray to use outside your home to repel and even kill ants, try this mixture. Hydramethylnon is an organic compound commonly used as an insecticide for cockroaches and ants. Brown bottles are the best, but any type will do in a pinch. To prepare the fire ant killing spray, just pour 1/4 cup orange oil and 1/4 cup molasses into a 1-gallon pump sprayer. The roots of the tree are so thick that it is impossible to dig the ant bed out. 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