How to Get Rid of Ants in Lawn without Killing Grass and Plants

To most people, ants in the front lawn means disaster since they bite and they spoil the beauty of the grass. However, there are lovers of nature and lover of animals and insects who believe that ants do to the soil some good because they aerate and make the soil more fertile.

But if you are averse to ants and they invade your lawn, you will need to take them out as soon as possible or you will have in infestation problem very soon. It is best to control them while they haven’t yet established a colony in your yard.

Is There A Way To Kill The Ants Without Killing The Grass?

But what about the beautiful grass that you have worked so hard to cultivate? Will they be destroyed if you will just use any kind of insect repellant to kill the ants? Let’s examine this subject and discover if there are ways to kill the ants without killing the grass.

Yes, There Are Several Ways To Do It.

Thankfully, there are several ways to eliminate the ants without destroying your beautiful grass. But you really need to do it fast since ants are good at breaking the good news to their colonies. If they find a good food source in your garden, thousands of them will soon crawl over your yard.

#1. Soap And Water Will Get Rid Of Ants

Soap and water are the most common cleaning substances that you can also use to clean out the ants in your beautiful lawn. Be sure to use eco-friendly soap so that your grass will not be adversely affected.

Just mix the biodegradable soap with water and put the mixture in a spray bottle and spray away. Concentrate the spray on the ant nest and spread some on their trails as well. You can also dump a good amount of this mixture into the nest to drown out the whole colony.

#2. Cayenne Can Kill Ants

Cayenne is a potent agent against insects but will not harm grass. Get a whisk and mix three tablespoons of cayenne pepper sauce with 1 quart of water and ½ teaspoon of liquid dish soap in a bowl. Put this mixture in a spray bottle.

Locate the ant nest and spray generous amounts of this mixture. You can also pour some of it into the nest. The capsicum element in the cayenne sauce and the soap components are deadly to ants and these will cause their extermination.

#3. Dawn Can Be A Potent Ant Exterminator

Dawn is a dish washing agent that can be used to kill ants without harming the grass. Mix two teaspoons of Dawn with four tablespoons of baking soda and one gallon of water. This won’t hurt the grass and other plants in your yard but is very deadly to pesky ants.

Locate where the ants are nesting and pour this mixture directly into their nest. If you want, you can hose the mixture into the nest to inundate the whole colony. This exterminator is particularly effective to fire ants – the red-colored ones.

#4. Diatomaceous Earth Can Also Kill Ants But Is Harmless To Grass

Diatomaceous earth is a substance that looks like talcum powder. It is an insecticide that is made of diatoms, an algae species that are commonly found in open water. The insect repellent made from this substance are sourced from these water plants, therefore they are natural and harmless to grass and other plants.

Diatomaceous earth is basically composed of minerals. It contains calcium, iron, silicon, sodium, magnesium and some trace minerals. Therefore it can fertilize the ground aside from exterminating the ants.

Get some diatomaceous earth and dust or spread it out on the grass. Sprinkle a generous amount of it in areas that are infested with ants. Place it around plants so that they won’t be invaded by ants.

When ants ingest diatomaceous earth, they will be dehydrated and will soon die. The sharp particles of this substance will cut through their waxy layers and penetrate their body. Once inside, this substance will absorb their body moisture which will then lead to their slow death.

But don’t just buy any diatomaceous earth. Be sure that what you are using is the Food Grade type. The other type is harmful to grass because it is composed of different chemicals.

#5. Orange Peels Are Also Deadly To Ants

Don’t throw away those orange peels once you have uncovered your oranges. These orange peels contain organic compounds that are toxic to the fungi that ants love to feed on. If they can’t find the fungi in your garden, they will look elsewhere.

Therefore, every time you eat oranges gather their peels and spread them out in your yard. Place more of them in the areas where there are lots of ants mingling around. If you find an ant nest, cover it with orange peels.

#6. Canola Oil Can Be Used As Ant Repellant

You can also use the canola oil you use in cooking for ant extermination. Get one and a half tablespoons of canola oil, one half teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap and one quart of water. Use a whisk and mix these ingredients in a bowl. Put the mixture in a spray bottle.

Spray this mixture in areas in your garden that have high concentrations of ants. Try to find their nest and pour a generous amount of this mixture into it to drown out the whole colony. The oil and soap mixture will penetrate the ants’ exoskeletons which will suffocate and incapacitate them.

#7. Combine Pepper and Peppermint To Kill Ants

Get some red pepper flakes and crush them. Mix them with spray peppermint oil or dehydrated peppermint. Sprinkle this mixture on the ant trails in your yard. If you find an ant hill in your garden, cover it with this mixture. This will irritate the ants and will force them to find another place to nest.

#8. White Vinegar Is Safe To Grass But Can Kill Ants

White vinegar with five percent concentration and the distilled type can also exterminate ants without hurting the grass. Upon contact with the vinegar, the ants will be killed because they cannot tolerate its low-pH acidic components.

As you can see, there are many ways to exterminate ants in your lawn without hurting the beautiful grass. They also cost less than the ready-made ant repellants that are sold in the market.