What's in My Kitchen This June ? Ants!
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We returned to our Pennsylvania home about two weeks ago, and before we had even unpacked a single box, I spotted a few ants on the windowsill and kitchen counter. I was surprised because there wasn't any food in the house.
Within a few days, those few scouts turned into an invasion. Suddenly, there were armies of ants marching across my countertops and parading along the windowsills.
My first line of defense was cinnamon.
I had heard that ants won't cross a line of cinnamon. I tries it and it seemed to work—at least temporarily. But eventually, the ants simply changed course and found a different route into the kitchen.
Next, we tried ant traps. They significantly reduced the number of ants, but they didn't eliminate the problem. We still have plenty of unwanted visitors daily.
If this keeps up, I may have to admit that the ants think they own the kitchen. No, I don't want to resort to pesticides/chemicals -at least not yet. Any ideas other than calling an exterminator?
I do have a few other things to share IMK this month:
Frozen peas and bok choy soup - a quick easy green soup
This is an antique vase that I filled with deep purple petunias from my garden and placed it on my kitchen counter.
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I've started to prep my salads in advance in mason jars again. I love having my salads prepped ahead
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Preparing the salads ahead and putting them in sealed glass jars is an excellent idea. Do they stay fresh for a few days, especially the lettuce?
ReplyDeleteYes, the lettuce must be dryand I don't add tomatoes until I serve it . It will last 4 days.
Deletethanks so much for joining in, and using my logo. Yes i know what you mean about ants; we get them often in our kitchen. In fact we have a trail of them now climbing over drawers and going out the window. Why oh why? I ask... Not much seems to deter them. Love that vase, and i adore cherries. We only get them for a few weeks in november here. Have a great June.
ReplyDeletecheers
sherry
I a little overwhelmed with those ants. We have a long summer ahead.
DeleteTry adding some mint essential oil to the water you use to wipe down the surfaces. If it is very hot here, the ants invade to come and find water :)
ReplyDeleteWill do - thank Tandy
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteSorry about those pesky ants, I feel the same way about pesticides.
Your salad in the jars look yummy. Pretty flowers.
Happy June! Take care, enjoy your day! Happy week ahead!
Yes, the salad in jars is helpful.
DeleteCinnamon is my go to for ants as well. I love ants so much, I could never harm them. White vinegar works too, they don't like that. A few people have said some overdue fruit in the garden to get them out of the house. We had a few in the house recently and I caught them and put them out near a few rotting apples.
ReplyDeleteMy goodness those cherries look amazing :-D
Well, I do not love ants and I wish they didn't love my kitchen.
DeleteWe battled ants in April here even though I keep almost everything in glass jars and never leave any food out. I don't know what they were after or what stirred them up, but it wasn't for food. I started wiping everything down once or twice a day with white vinegar and it really seemed to help a lot. Have you had a lot of rain? I think the rain is what brought them to us, but who knows.
ReplyDeleteYes we have had a lot of rain.
DeleteYikes, so sorry. They can really take over quickly. The wooden spoon is evidence of how strong their sense of smell is. Even with no food on it, they still smell food. I agree with those before my own comment that suggest mint and/or vinegar. I use a spray bottle to quickly spritz the counter and wipe it, letting it dry on it's own. Even my homemade dish soap has some vinegar in it to help, because I live in Ant Central and would be overrun daily, otherwise. That Bok Choy looks amazing,
ReplyDeleteI can't use vinegar on the granite.. so I need to find other solutions.
DeleteI usually use cinnamon or acid....but if they keep coming back, then you might need to find the source.
ReplyDeleteGood Advice. Thanks Angie
DeleteOh ants are the worse. When we first moved into this house there were ants everywhere including upstairs. We did have to call an exterminator. He told us that we had three types of ants. The ones at the window sills were water ants. His one time visit got rid of them. I've been here 17 years and have not had a problem. I just prepped lettuce in mason jars. I really love my hand held mason jar vacuum. Your mint looks wonderful. Have a good day today.
ReplyDeleteI hope I won't have to resort to an exterminator
Deleteoooooh the dreaded ants, it's that time of year and we have gotten them too. the hubs is in charge of the ants...i don't think i have seen any yet this year, we have used cinnamon!!
ReplyDeleteThey have been brutal this season for me.
DeleteI am very fond of ants, but not in the kitchen. I don’t have a quick solution to the problem. Cleanliness and not having food scraps is the best answer it seems, but you are already doing that. Good luck. I hope you are able to resolve the issue.
ReplyDeleteThanks David.
DeleteI've been hesitant to buy grocery store cherries because often they aren't great (I am spoiled by our Michigan cherries, coming next month!). But I might have to go with the Cali ones just to see. Ugh on the ants. I hear you on that and have had issues before, though none so invasive as yours. I have no good remedies apart from an exterminator or chemicals. I've tried cucumber peels (not terribly effective and they stick to the surfaces and are a bear to get up.) Same with the cinnamon you tried (and it always looks so awful! If it worked, you could go with that!) Good luck.
ReplyDeleteWow didn't know Michigan had good cherries. Thanks for the suggestions.
DeleteI don't know how much this works however, in my water, white vinegar glass spray bottle are drops of peppermint. I wipe things down with that. Ants don't like it. Not sure if that's true.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ivy..
DeleteCame back to add that we have honey with eucalyptus and the ants won't go near it. Something about the smells of peppermint and eucalyptus that they don't like (I think).
DeleteI love the way you do salad 🥗 and put it into glass jars.
ReplyDeleteYes,, It is very convenient and makes it easier to eat salad daily.
DeleteSo sorry to hear about your ant problem; they are the worst! We were told a few things by our exterminator. Borax mixed with sugar (1 part borax to 3 parts sugar) sprinkled at entry points if you have sugar ants they bring it back to the colony and the borax kills them. He also told us killing scout ants doesn't work as they'll just send more but maim a few and let them get back to the colony and they transmit the message that it's not safe to go there (just awful sounding I know! but it seemed to work). And finally scrubbing the scent trail with vinegar/water solution.. I hope they move on to somewhere else soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joanne for the suggestions.
DeleteJudee you have my complete sympathies re: the ants. So far I have only battled them trying to get to my hummingbird feeders outside, but if they came inside I think I'd be tempted to totally despair. I hate to be negative but I tend to be a realist and I don't think you will be rid of them until you call an exterminator. I would not be able to live with that so I wouldn't hesitate. I do not believe the cinnamon or mint or anything else will work for very long, and certainly won't eradicate them. At any rate, good luck! xoxo 🏴☠️
ReplyDeleteI went through a phase of mason jar salads when I lived in Canada in 2016 - the weekend before I left Australia, I had brunch with a friend in a café and I randomly picked up a cookbook on mason jar salads. I was so intrigued I ate them for like 6 months straight till winter hit! sorry to hear about your ants, they are a pain indeed.. I think they have great memory so it's hard to de-memory them. Your new food storage jars are gorgeous though ! We have this product called Ant-rid in Australia, and I think that was the only thing that worked for us, applying it along the wall where they enter.
ReplyDeleteAnts are awful! When I was having the conservatory built some ants got in and drove me crazy. Have you tried diatom powder? That worked for me. It’s lightweight enough that you can sweep it into all the cracks and crevices.
ReplyDeleteUrgh! I feel your pain with the ants - we don't have as many as you but they are pretty stubborn. We have a two pronged attack and use ant bait stations and ant powder - mainly because we have a dog and they're both safe for him. In the past we've also had good results using bay leaves and lavender oil. If you can find where they're coming in from outside, regular pouring of hot water around the entry point can also help. In other news, I love your salad jars and those cherries look divine!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about the ants.
ReplyDeleteFrom article seen here:-
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/house-and-home/household-advice/a665188/best-pest-advice-ants/
We often recommend distilled white vinegar as a cheap and eco-friendly cleaner, but there's another benefit: ants hate it! Wiping down your surfaces with equal parts vinegar and water should prevent the little pests from wanting to crawl all over your kitchen.
Ants also avoid citrus, so leaving lemon peel around areas where they are entering your home should deter them. Other natural deterrents include salt, chalk, curry powder, cinnamon and pepper – worth a try if you want to deter ants rather than kill them.
You could also use essential oils to put off ants. Peppermint and lavender are known to repel them so you could use a diffuser to make your home less appealing or simply combine peppermint or lavender essential oils with water and spritz it in areas ants are likely to frequent.
Hope the above helps, and those from others who have left you some helpful tips.
All the best Jan
We have ants being a menace in our kitchen lately - I have put out two traps because they were pretty bad - I even got one baked into a pizza and I could not find it to dig it out :-( So I feel your pain. That pea and bok choy soup looks really good and the vase with flowers is gorgeous. Cherries are the best - hope the summer is being kind to you!
ReplyDeleteAnts are a nuisance, and often worse than termites.
ReplyDeleteI've already joined your friends.
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What a pain to have so many ants. We used to get them a lot in our old house but not so much anymore!
ReplyDeleteOh, I feel your pain with those ants. They really do act like they own the place once they move in!
ReplyDeleteYour cherries look gorgeous, and I love the idea of prepping salads in jars.
I too hate the little ants that are currently considering an invasion (just one or two at a time) and the bigger ants that stray into the kitchen but don't seem to intend an invasion. I put ant traps under the sink and nest to windows and doors. No idea if this is doing any good.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, have a nice month... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I hope you can find a solution for your ants.
ReplyDelete