This headline sounds like a miracle cure from an online recipe book, but let’s be honest: A single drop will drive ants away in a flash, but it certainly won’t kill them instantly.

Ants are true organizational geniuses. If you use something that extremely bothers them, they’ll leave the area, but the nest with its thousands of worker ants will remain unharmed.

However, there are very effective household tricks that work on the principle of “that one drop” (or rather, an intense scent) and disorient or drive away ants. Here are the best:

Peppermint oil (The absolute winner when it comes to ant repellent)
Ants hate strong, pungent scents because they disrupt their scent trails (chemical trails) that they use for orientation.

Here’s how: Put a few drops of pure peppermint oil on a cotton swab and rub it on the areas where ants are entering the house (around windows, doors, and thresholds).

Why it works: Ants avoid these areas. Clove or eucalyptus oil works just as well.

Citric acid or concentrated vinegar
If you don’t have oil, vinegar is a good alternative.

Here’s how: Mix vinegar and water in a 1:1 ratio and spray the ant trail directly.

Why it works: The acid immediately destroys their trail markers. As soon as they lose the trail, they are lost and retreat.

Want to get rid of them permanently? (The feeding trick)
If you want to remove the ants and their nest, simply driving them away isn’t enough. You have to offer them something to bring to the queen.

Home remedy: Here’s how it works: Baking powder/baking soda with sugar. Ants are attracted to sugar. They ingest baking soda or baking powder, which triggers a fatal reaction in their bodies.

Boric acid with honey: Mix a drop of honey with a little boric acid. The ants carry this “treat” back to the nest and gradually destroy the entire colony.

One more tip: Home remedies are particularly effective at the beginning of summer or when there are few ants. Unfortunately, these home remedies are not sufficient for an infestation of Pharaoh ants (small, yellowish to reddish-brown ants). In this case, you will need special gels from the pharmacy or must call a pest control service.

Do you have ants in your kitchen, or have they invaded your garden or patio?