I need some kitchen help.
Perhaps it's the warm weather....
...Perhaps it's the year...
...Perhaps it's our older house...
....whatever the case, We are being invaded by ants!
There's nothing quite like finding ants in random places all over your kitchen. Ugh! They must have a hole someplace, because when we chase them, and aren't quick enough to step on or otherwise squash them, they disappear. We don't like using chemical sprays in our house, because several of us are allergic to them. Any ideas for "organic" ways to get rid of ants?
...All that being said, I have been having good times in the kitchen lately (despite the little visitors!) so prepare yourself for some doughnut, bread, and casserole recipes to be posted soon!
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About Me
- Amber
- I am the second oldest of six children. I am interested in: serving the Lord Jesus Christ, sewing, cooking, children, gardening, history, writing, reading, and people!
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Purpose
The purpose of "The Fruit of Her Hands" is to encourage Christian women to use their hands for the glory of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. The theme of this blog is Proverbs 31:10-31, which talks about a virtuous woman, and how she uses her hands to serve her family and honor the Lord. Some of the skills that God has called me to pursue are; writing, sewing, cooking, cleaning, and gardening, and I use this blog to discuss my journey towards being a virtuous woman who is given the fruit of her hands.
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Proverbs 31:10-31
10Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
11The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
12She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
13She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
14She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
15She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
16She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
18She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
19She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
20She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
23Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
25Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
26She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
27She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
28Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
29Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
30Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
31Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
Psalm 16
1. Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
2. O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my LORD: my goodness extendeth not unto thee;
3. But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is my delight.
4. Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.
5. The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
6. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
7. I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8. I have set the LORD alway before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
11. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures evermore.
2. O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my LORD: my goodness extendeth not unto thee;
3. But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is my delight.
4. Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.
5. The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
6. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
7. I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8. I have set the LORD alway before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
11. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures evermore.
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17 comments:
We had them several months ago and it was a mess. In fact, we finally bit the bullet and called a pest company.
First thing I did was found out what attracted them - for us, it was an herb pot on the counter and honey drips in the cabinet. They make a trail, though, and follow it insistently.
I did an internet search and read that they won't cross cinnamon, so if you know where they're coming in, you can try blocking their path. Then wipe everything down using hot soapy water to get rid of their trails, and I read that regular blue Dawn is best.
Good luck! They are definitely icky!!!
We had a major problem with ants last year and we used a liquid ant killer called "TERRO". It isn't organic, but it works great. You can get it at Walmart or any number of stores. You put a few drops of the liquid on little squares of cardboard (attached to the box) and place them near the entry of the ants. We placed some by the doors and on the counter - some of the ants were coming in through an electrical outlet. (It is a safe on the counter). Hope this helps. (By the way - what happens is that it attracts the worker ants, so initially there are LOTS of ants going right to the liquid, but within a couple of days they were gone!)
I've heard that if you draw a line of chalk where the ants are entering, they won't cross the line. Another method is to sprinkle borax. You could also distract the ants by finding their entry and giving them a snack away from there to keep them busy. I do hate having ants inside, but they are so much fun to watch outdoors. Good luck!
A few years back, I found about 40 of the little creepies in my pantry. Someone suggested throwing down bay leaves. First, I cleaned out the pantry and got rid of the ants I could see. Then I threw down a bunch of bay leaves (just the dry kind). I havent' seen an ant in there since. Apparently, they don't like the smell. I've also heard they don't like chili powder.
Even though I don't like using chemicals Sam's Club has a ant killer powder that we put around the outside of the house. Try to get them before they come in. I also use the terro stuff. It comes in a sm. container so it doesn't get yucky.
Other wise I heard black pepper stops them. You want to make a thick trail/barrier for them not to cross over. A chalk line too. They don't like spice stuff I guess.
If you can find the hole where the ants are coming in (easier said than done!), you can stop up the hole with toothpaste or sprinkle either salt or borax around the opening. You can always try goodsearching or googling "natural" ways to get rid of ants. We had this problem before, and stopping up the opening with toothpaste seemed to work (they were coming in our window). Hope this helps!
Hello! I have heard that wiping down your counters with vinegar will help. Also a small saucer of Dawn dish soap could also help.
Hi there! I found these on the 'net. Hope they're helpful!
Getting rid of ants
boraic acid, or borox. practically harmless to people, lethal to ants. My suggestion, mix some into corn syrup and leave it out on the counter in a shallow dish. The ants will have a feeding frenzy for 3 days then suddenly disappear. A week or so later a few scounts may come back- just leave the bait out for them for around 1 month. They take the solution back to their colony and when they start to actually consume it, it kills them. Just an FYI-90% of the bait traps I found commercially available contained the exact same stuff. We struggled with ant infestations for over a year and finally used this solution (but commercially purchased) and finally are ant free. Also, make sure and wipe off your counters with a heavily soapy water every day- it wipes away their chemical trails that leads their buddies to the food sources. Best luck!
Now don't quote me on it, but I believe that they don't like cinamon. So if you ever find out where they are coming in from you can just sprinkle some in the doorways windows and stuff.
Hi,
I came here after visiting Tammy's Recipes...to get rid of your frustrating ant infestation try this "natural" remedy...mix equal parts baking soda and icing sugar together (very tiny amounts, teaspoons perhaps, they are tiny creatures afterall!!!). Place this enticing mixture onto plastic lids, such as yogurt, margarine, etc. and leave around edge of room or outside (at ground level) if you can find where your guests are entering...the little industrious pets will take this "meal" back to the nest to share with everyone and since they cannot digest it...well, let's just say they shouldn't be returning for seconds. This method may sound harsh but it is not using chemicals so is safe to use around children and pets.
Our family had the same problem last year and this really worked...good luck!
You need to find the nests (yes that is plural) sometimes they are coming from outside and you can block that route, hose the outside down with water to chase them off and distract them to going somewhere else. Do you have boards up on your walls somewhere - they love creating nexts behind them, I helped a friend remove some boards in his toilet and we found about 10nests, took all boards out hosed off - sprayed wall with stuff (really wanted to get rid of the last lot of them) left boards off for a few weeks to make sure nest wasn't rebuilt in a hurry. Find ant lines outside, trace back to nest pour boiling water into nest
We had the same problem! I also share your aversion to chemicals, so we were thrilled to find a all-natural mint oil spray that kills them dead and keeps them from coming back. It's Victor brand "Poison-free Ant and Roach Killer". If you're in the PacNW, you can find it at Bi-Mart. Comes in a big yellow aerosol can. The active ingredient is mint oil and it also contains mineral oil, water, lecithin and CO2.
I have bad lung disease and can't handle strong chemical smells, but this just smells minty and doesn't set my lungs off at all. We spray it in the kitchen and the one bedroom that gets ants and also around the foundation outside to keep them from coming in. It's totally solved our problem.
This sounds like a commercial, sorry! I just know how icky and discouraging ants can be, so I want to share our solution!
I have the same problem - just googled it and found that vinegar is supposed to deter them.
Put peppermint essential oil on a cottonball and smear it all over where they're coming in. They hate it and tell their ant buddies about it and they don't come back. I was keeping my honey, molasses, syrup, etc. in a cupboard close to the window and I just moved it to a more inside place in the kitchen and that seems to have helped too. You can also mix borax with sugar water in a container and they'll crawl in and die but I like the other method better. Hope that helps! :)
I've heard that dried/used coffee grounds are good for deterring ants.
You can put cinnamon leaf extract on a Q-tip and run it alond the edges of the counter or cupbords or wherever they are at. It not only makes you kitchen smell nice, but keeps the pests away too!A cheaper way is to put cinnamon sticks around the kitchen, but it doesen't work as well. Hope this helps!
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