How To Get Rid Of Ants In House Plants

Updated June 16, 2022 by admin

Many strange things have been observed about ants. It is commonly known that ants can lift fifty times their own body weight. But less commonly known is that the biomass of all the ants in the world is roughly equal to the biomass of all the humans in the world.

This means that ants could be rather invasive if they wanted to. Not that they lack invasiveness currently.

It is just clear from what humans know about their sheer numbers compared to what is visible in everyday environments that they are cautious creatures.

Of course, they are not so cautious that they will leave your plants alone. So, how do you instill an even greater fear into these ants? In this article, I will share tips and tricks on how to get rid of ants in house plants.

How To Get Rid of Ants in House Plants

The best tool you have in warding ants off of plants is using cinnamon. Cinnamon takes advantage of the biology of the ants to convince them that your plants are somehow dangerous. And the best part is, sprinkling cinnamon on or around your plants is perfectly safe for the plants themselves.

But you are probably wondering how all of this works. Why cinnamon? How does it take advantage of ants’ biology? Why will it make them think the plants are dangerous? And is there any other way to get rid of them?

Using Cinnamon To Ward Off Ants

Like many other bugs, ants navigate by a sense that humans consider similar to their own sense of smell. Strictly speaking, it is not precisely the same sense, but it is close enough. Much of organic life has similar but different senses like this, and it really speaks to the incredible diversity of life on this planet.

The reason so many bugs navigate in this way is that it lets them know where other bugs have been. Therefore, no bug has to really think or decide for themselves in regards to where it is safe to fly and where it is unsafe. More importantly, it means they can detect food, water, and shelter with tremendous ease.

Imagine if you could always smell other humans’ breath, even up to a mile away. You would have a pretty keen idea as to what kind of food was in any given area with this ability. The downside is, if you smell the food you do not like, you might end up never going a particular direction. That is the idea behind the cinnamon solution.

Here is what you do: Start by mixing some cinnamon with some dish soap. This will create a kind of spicy gel, which you can place at the top edge and bottom edge of your houseplant’s pot. This will keep bugs from climbing up the sides, as well as keep them from trying to worm their way in from the bottom.

The mixture of dish soap to cinnamon should be three parts cinnamon and one part dish soap. The goal is to get the cinnamon to stick to the edges of the pot while still keeping the cinnamon the dominant scent.

Once you have done that, sprinkle some raw cinnamon on the dirt of your plants. This will not have any negative impact on the plants, and it will probably scare off any parasites that are currently living in the plants. The soil and the plants will eventually consume the cinnamon, so be sure to replace it every two weeks or so.

As long as you are keeping your windows closed and your plants protected, ants will eventually lose interest in them altogether. Ants do not have a good enough memory to remember that your plants tend to be covered in cinnamon, however. If you are in an environment with consistent exposure to ants, keep using this method.

How To Use Honey Traps Against Ants Effectively

Cinnamon is a common method for dealing with bugs, but it is not the most common method. Usually, people prefer to trap bugs with honey traps, which are traps that use honey to lure bugs into inescapable situations. They can be made in just a few steps using some plastic wrap, honey, and a bowl.

If you are dealing with flies, a honey trap makes sense because flies fly around (as you might have heard). Ants are a bit different, however. It is easier to construct a honey trap that catches flies than it is to construct the same trap that catches ants, as flies’ ability to fly makes it easier for them to navigate into the trap itself.

It is not that honey traps cannot work on ants, but simply that they will be relatively ineffective. This is especially true since ants usually come in larger quantities than flies, so it is possible you will need to clean the honey trap so frequently that it becomes an inconvenience.

If you want to use honeytraps, the best way to do it is by placing them where the ants enter and exit your home. This will require multiple traps, but it will almost ensure the ants will fall into them.

Related Questions

How Do You Make A Honey Trap?

The most common form of honey trap requires three things: A bowl, a plastic bottle (the bigger the better), and a small amount of honey. Cut the top off of the plastic bottle, to begin with, and you are ready to start.

Your goal is to tape it to the bowl in such a way that you are completely covering the bowl. The structure of your trap does not need to be that strong. It just needs to be airtight so the only pathway into and out of the bowl is the opening provided by the plastic bottle top.

Pour a good amount of honey into the bowl through the opening of the plastic bottle top. If you get any on the sides of the plastic bottle, wash it off with water and no soap. Part of the idea behind this trap is to use the scent of honey as a way to attract flies. That means cleaning chemicals will mask the smell, so avoid them.

Conclusion

Getting rid of ants in potted plants doesn’t have to involve nasty chemicals that can be harmful to your health. Today I shared how to get rid of ants in potted plants naturally using cinnamon and honey traps.

These techniques work great and use ingredients you already have around the house! Now you are fully equipped for dealing with ants around house plants!