Ants can be tough to get rid of, especially since they always tend to bring a few friends along for the joy ride. This week, I found out we were stricken with the little critters when I left some shredded coconut and some tea in a box…on the floor…Yikes!

All I could see was a long line of ants, proudly marching their way into our new apartment! The first thing I wanted to do was run and seek out the largest bottle of bleach that I could find. Not the best idea… After a few deep breaths,  I thought it out and decided that a non-toxic blend would be a better idea…something that would make the ants feel more like they were entering a stream room rather than a death bath… I just wasn’t quite sure WHAT I should use.

Like most people, I contacted the lovely internet. Plenty magazine’s comprehensive look at Nontoxic Ant Antidotes was a wonderful resource. Black pepper, cayenne pepper, and chalkboard chalk are all good ant deterrents… and Dr. Bronner’s peppermint castile soap. Yeah! ANOTHER use for Dr. Bronners! I checked my cabinets but all I had was Dr. Bronners Rose flavor along with a nice Basil scented Mrs. Meyers cleaner. Even though both of those options are non-toxic, the flavors just SHOUT  instant ant party.

Another option was to make an ant motel with Borax, a solution of sugar dissolved in water, some Kleenex or toilet paper, and glass jars. You can mix equal amounts of Borax and sugar water and pour over a crumpled tissue in the bottom of the glass, cover container and poke holes (i.e., ant doors) in lid.

I decided to try the black pepper since that was to most convenient option at this time. So far so good. Only time will tell…