While many Brits are enjoying the warm weatherand spending more time outside, it is inevitable that more of us will be opening windows and doors to help with airflow. There are also tiny pests waiting to force their ways into homes, especially kitchens and bathrooms, on the hunt for food, warmth and water. Once one ant enters and finds what they’re looking for, its not long before plenty of others invade the home.
According, to the British Pest Control Association, local councils across the UK have carried out over a huge 20,000 ant-related treatments in single year. However, a professional pest control visit can costs up to £165, with additional treatments priced at around £60. Fortunately, there is a much cheaper alternative to prevent an infestation and it most likely already in your kitchen.
Glen Peskett, DIY expert at Saxton Blades revealed that “lemon juice is a brilliant natural ant repellent.”
He explained: “The strong citrus scent distrupts their scent trails, and the acidity interferes with the pheromones they use to navigate. Just squeeze fresh lemon juice around door frames, windowsills, or anywhere you’ve seen ants coming in.”
As well as being a chemical-free and natural method to steer ants away from homes, the simple trick will also leave homes smelling fresh too, and is extremely cheap. A single lemon from Tesco costs just 30p.
The lemon juice can be reapplied daily or after cleaning to keep the effect strong, especially near entry points or food prep areas.
To use lemon juice as an ant repellent, the expert says to cut a fresh lemon and squeeze the juice into a small bowl or directly onto a cloth or cotton pad.
The juice should then be wiped around known entry points such as cracks, windowsills, doorframes, skirting boards, and under sinks. For extra strength, Glen recommends mixing the lemon juice with a little water and spray it along the trails where ants might enter.
He also offered a number of other usefully tips to keep ants away including keeping surfaces clean, storing food properly, taking the bins out every day, and seeling up entry point as the ants can fit through “the tiniest cracks”.