Getting rid of Ants!

This is only my second summer in Texas and I’ve got to admit, I’m not loving it! It’s hot, miserably humid, and worst of all there are an insane amount of bugs. We’ve got tarantulas walking around, wasps making nests, spiders sneaking into the house and maybe worst of all tons of ant hills all around the back yard and they keep getting into the house! As much as I love Fort Worth it’s almost enough to make me pack my bags and move back to the East Coast.

Annabelle was out in the yard barefoot yesterday afternoon and came back in with a foot full of ant bites. 7 ant bites on one tiny little foot. GGGrrrr! Now I’m on a mission to destroy every ant hill in my back yard. And to make sure I’m fully armed for any future bites!

Here are some tips of getting rid of ant hills and keeping the little stinkers from coming into your house:

• Pour some coffee grinds right onto the anthill
• Pour a few drops of Eucalyptus oil onto the anthill
• Ants don’t like the smell of peppermint so drop little bit of peppermint oil around the areas you think the ants are getting into the house from. If you make homemade cleaning solution make peppermint oil the main (or only) essential oil you use in them during the summer

If you do happen to get some bites over the summer here are some natural remedies to make them better:

• Aloe is anti-inflammatory and helps relieve itching, pain and swelling.
• Lavender helps calm inflamed skin. Lavender oil can be applied directly to the skin.
• Peppermint oil can help numb the skin and reduce the itchiness, use just a drop on the bite.
• Rub a slice of yellow onion on the bite, the onions sulfur compounds will help reduce itching and inflammation. You can also hold the onion in place over the bites by using an ace bandage.
• A few drops of tea tree oil mixed with a carrier oil (any vegetable or nut oil) will help detoxify and reduce itchiness.
• Baking Soda helps relieve pain and inflammation. Make a paste with 1 tsp. baking soda and a few drops of water, add a few drops of lavender if you have it, cover the bites and reapply every few hours.

There are lots of great insect repelling natural sprays out there. We sometimes use California Baby sunscreen with insect repellant in it. You can also make your own all natural bug repellant at home.

• Mix 10 drops of pennyroyal with one ounce of almond or coconut oil and apply it to wrists, ankles, neck, and hair. It won’t last all day though so make sure you re-apply every 2-4 hours while you’re out and about in easy access to bug bites!