Summer is really hitting its stride, but with the sunny weather comes unwanted pests, and the most pervasive of these can be ants.
Ants travel far and wide in search of food, and they famously spread the word when they hit gold. So all it takes is an open door or some alfresco dining for ants to swarm your home, and getting rid of them can be a nuisance.
If this sounds all too relatable, you may have searched online for the best ways to keep ants away. Many of these techniques involve chemical deterrents, but seeing as ants are largely annoying instead of harmful, it's a shame to kill these garden helpers in their tracks. And according to GardenBuildingsDirect.co.uk, you don't need to.
All you need is some kitchen waste. And if you're anything like me, you'll have an abundance of it going spare in your home. For more, see why gardeners are being urged to put a bar of soap in the yard this summer.
Why ants hate coffee grounds
You might think ants would love coffee grounds, considering these crumbs are the perfect size for ants to carry, and surely offer some nutritional value.
However, sprinkling some coffee grounds outside your front door, or around whichever entrance the ants have found to your home, will actually act as a natural deterrent.
Why do ants hate coffee grounds? According to GardenBuildingsDirect, they don't like the smell.
This also applies to vinegar, which experts say you can spray outside your home as an ant deterrent. "Ants dislike strong scents, and it disrupts their trails, making it harder to find food," explains the site.
There's a second reason why ants hate coffee, and it's about the texture of the grounds. "Ants don’t like the smell and acidity of coffee grounds, and they don’t like the feeling of them underfoot."
How to use coffee grounds to deter ants
According to www.coffee-direct.co.uk, "Research shows that caffeine is effective in repelling slugs and snails when applied to foliage or the growing medium of plants. This is because of the naturally abrasive properties of coffee: soft critters tend to avoid rough surfaces."
So it's not just ants that will avoid your coffee grounds, but also slugs and snails.
To keep pests at bay, simply "create a barrier by sprinkling them around entry points and replace regularly."
However, be aware that "once they dry, they become less effective".
I'll be taking my used grounds straight from my knock box to my front yard to make the most of the residual moisture, but you could also add some water to re-hydrate grounds and get more use from them.
