Bye Mice. Bye Ants. Bye Cockroaches.

Every year when the weather gets warm, you may find that you have to deal with tiny ants scurrying around your kitchen counters. These sugar ants aggressively try to find any speck of food left behind on your countertops, stovetop, and sink. Because they can eventually start getting into your cabinets and inside of your food containers, you need to take quick action to get rid of them. However, you may be hesitant to spray poisons on your food prep areas. If so, try using one or both of the following natural home remedies to help keep the sugar ants away.

1.  Spray the Counters with a Salt and Vinegar Solution

One remedy you can try to keep the sugar ants at bay is to spray your kitchen surfaces with a salt and vinegar solution. They are deterred by too much salt, which could dry them out if they consume it, and the vinegar has a strong odor that the ants detest. The vinegar will also mask the ants' scent trails to help keep others from following them.

To make the solution, pour about a half of a cup of salt into two cups of hot white distilled vinegar. If you have trouble with the odor of the vinegar, add the salt to a half of a cup of boiling water, then mix the saltwater with the vinegar.

Once the solution has cooled, pour it into a spray bottle, and spray a light mist onto your counters, floors, sink, and anywhere else you have seen the ants. Respray the solution every day or after cleaning to keep it fresh.

2.  Sprinkle Pepper in the Corners and Crevices of Your Countertops

After spraying down your kitchen with the salt and vinegar spray and allowing the surfaces to dry, the next thing you can do to keep the sugar ants away is to create a barrier using black pepper. The strong odor and flavor of the pepper are disliked by the insects.

To create the barrier, sprinkle the pepper in the corners and crevices around your countertops. If you know where the ants are coming in, lay a pile of the pepper at their entryways.

While the above home remedies can help deter some of the insects, sugar ants are quite persistent and may find other ways of invading your kitchen. If you cannot seem to get them under control by yourself, contact a pest control business that offers ant removal services to have them come to your home and take care of your unwanted kitchen guests for you.