You must have heard the story of the and and and the grasshopper. The hardworking nature of Ants might have also impressed you. But they are not pleasant guests to have over your food on the dining table. Because of the sour taste, you may have thought. “Does Apple Cider Vinegar kill ants?”

Well, not actually. Apple cider vinegar is a food to consume, not a poison. It cannot kill ants. However, you can use this to deal with ants. It has a sour taste and a strong vinegar smell, which keeps ants away. You can apply this on the walls and floors to keep ants away. 

Interested to learn more about the relationship between this vinegar and ants? Let’s explore why ants cannot stand Apple Cider vinegar and how you can use it to get rid of ants.  

What is Actually Apple Cider Vinegar?

You know what apple cider vinegar is, but let’s learn about it in detail. On the surface level, yes, it is only the fermented juice from crushed apples. It contains acetic acid along with vitamin B and vitamin C. This syrup is regularly used in the kitchen. But you might not know that you can also eliminate ants from your home. 

Apple, being a fruit, contains sugar. Manufacturers use yeast to convert the fruit’s sugar into alcohol. Then, they apply bacteria into the alcohol to transform it into acetic acid. The presence of acetic acid provides apple cider vinegar, abbreviated as ACV, with a tangy flavor and potential health benefits. 

How Does Apple Cider Vinegar Deter Ants?

The idea of using a food made of apples to use against ants might surprise you. Apple is one of the favorite foods of ants. They like the sweet test of it. Then how come apple cider vinegar can eliminate ants? 

Well, apple cider vinegar can disrupt other smells. Ants use scent to follow each other in their marching line. You will notice that they are marching in some corner of your house, one after another. When you apply this syrup, they find it difficult to keep track of the scent of their fellow members of the colony. As a result, they get confused and undisciplined.  

Besides, the presence of vinegar makes it difficult for ants to breathe. Vinegar blocks all of the ants’ breathing pores because of its acidic quality. Additionally, it can also go into the outer layers and cause serious burns and discomfort for them. 

Using apple cider vinegar will make your house unsuitable for ants, and they will leave. You can get rid of their presence without killing them. You can play it fair and safe with this repellant. 

How to Get Rid of Ants With Apple Vinegar

Now that you know that you have a very useful tool in the form of ACV to control ants, you can get set to work. But let’s arrange the necessary elements you will need down the line:

• Apple cider vinegar
• Water
• Dish soap
• A spray bottle

Have you managed all the necessary things? Great, then, you are ready to hush away the tiny creatures named ants and other pests.

• Mix an equal portion of apple cider vinegar and water in the spray bottle. 
• Add a few drops of dish soap and shake well. 
• Now be a spy and search for the trail of ant infestation at your place. You should find the entering point. It will help you target the source of all the problems. 
• Tracked down the trail? Great work! Now, spray the ACV solution directly on ant trails and any areas where you have seen ants. The vinegar will remove the scent trail to follow for the ants, and they will be at a loss. 
• Keep doing this a few times, and ants will not date to use your home. They might mark it a red zone for them, in their language, of course. 

White Vinegar vs Apple Cider Vinegar: What Is the Difference? 

You must have heard that white vinegar is also very effective in killing ants. Then which one should you use? Well, you can use any of them, as both are highly effective. However, there are some factors that you should consider: 

1. Effectiveness

By effectiveness, we should consider how efficient they are to eliminate ants. While apple cider vinegar is quite useful in controlling ants and pests. White vinegar is more powerful and effective. It contains more acetic acid than ACV. Additionally, it has a stronger scent that guarantees to overpower the scent trails of ants.

2. Expense and Usage

Apple cider vinegar, though affordable, is more expensive than white vinegar. However, ACV is more versatile than white vinegar. You can use white vinegar for killing ants and other pest control purposes. You can also use it for cleaning sometimes.

ACV, in contrast, can be used for multiple purposes. First of all, you can use it in your kitchen for cooking. It adds additional flavor and scent to your food and makes them more digestive. You can also use it to keep ants away from your home.

Why Should You Use Apple Cider Vinegar to Kill Ants?

Is something bothering you in the back of your mind? What is it? I know that you are wondering why you should use apple cider vinegar to kill ants while there are different sprays available for pest control. 

1. Natural and Non-Toxic Solution

The number one reason is that it is a healthy way to get rid of ants. Yes, you heard it right. It will not kill the ants, nor will it harm your health. There is no presence of any harmful element that can affect the health of humans, especially children. 

Being a natural solution and free of chemicals, you can use it anywhere. You can use the syrup near foods so that they do not get invaded by ants. You can also use apple cider vinegar near your children if you need some time off from them. It will ensure that ants will not be able to get near to them.

There are some sprays available in the market that contain chemicals that are not safe for the environment. ACV is free from any such allegation. Therefore, this should be your first choice to try when there are too many ants at your place. 

2. Effective to Disrupt Ant Trails

If you are an animal lover or an animal activist, then you will not like to kill ants. That is a sign of your good heart. But again, you need to get rid of ants for the health and safety of your family members. Using ACV is better than most other solutions.

As explained already, apple cider vinegar reduces the scent trail of ants and makes the ants confused. They lose their track and find it very difficult to reach home or find their food sources. Since your place becomes challenging for them, they soon leave your place.

3. Cost Effective

Let’s forget that there are no ants in your place. Will you buy anything such as pest control, then? No, right? But you will still have apple cider vinegar in your kitchen. Since you already have it, you do not need to spend extra money on controlling ants. This saves the money of purchasing pest control sprays or medicines.

4. Easy to Apply

Using ACV for ant control is very easy. All you need is a spray bottle. You do not need to use an expensive mask to cover your face. Just use your hands to protect your eyes. You have seen that preparing ACV to kill ants is quite easy. Anyone can do this, including you.

5. Health Benefits

The pest control spray bottle you will purchase, most probably, you will not use the full bottle. What will you do with the remaining product then? But when you use ACV, you can consume it. It also has some health benefits. It can also make your food smell better and yummy.

6. ACV Repels, Does Not Kill

White vinegar is much stronger than ACV and can kill ants. It can block the breathing pores of ants and suffocate them to death. There are hundreds of thousands of ants in a colony. Do you want to exterminate a whole colony of them? If yes, then white vinegar can be your deadly weapon.

On the other hand, ACV only makes your place difficult and challenging for ants. They will simply leave your house and relocate their colony somewhere else. ACV hardly kills them. This sounds more humanistic, doesn’t it?

Other Uses of Apple Cider Vinegar

It has already been mentioned multiple times that you can use ACV for multiple purposes. This might make you curious about what other reasons you can use this product. Here is a list of things you can do with apple cider vinegar:

1. Using as Medicine

Apple cider vinegar has many health benefits. For example, it can lower your blood pressure. Doctors often suggest using apple cider vinegar with food for patients who suffer from high blood pressure. Additionally, it can make you feel full and help you eat less. If you are looking to lose some weight, then adding ACV can be an effective option. 

2. Preserving Food

Any vinegar has a reputation for saving food for a longer period of time. ACV is no different from the others. As it has acetic acid, ACV turns the food into more acidic. Therefore, enzymes get deactivated, and bacteria get killed. 

3. Cleaning Agent

Ran out of washing powder? You do not need to hurry to the stores if you have apple cider vinegar at home. It is a natural substance to clean several other objects. However, you should not use ACV for cleaning daily. It is not as effective as commercial cleaning agents when it comes to cleaning. 

4. Facial Toner

You can also use ACV to preserve the grace of your youth when you are already kneeling down to the elderly. However, you should know about your skin. Is it sensitive skin? Then, you should consider before using diluted solutions. 

5. Washing Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits are important to lead a healthy life. However, the problem is that you have to purchase them on a regular basis. You cannot save them for long. One option is using pesticides, which is not a healthy option. However, using apple cider vinegar is a healthier option to preserve fruits and vegetables. 

You should use 1 part ACV with 3 parts water. Make a solution. Submerge the produce, agitate gently, then rinse thoroughly. This helps remove contaminants and extends freshness. 

Alternatives to Apple Cider Vinegar for Killing Ants

Though ACV is a very effective and healthy way to deter ants from your place, there are some other alternatives to it as well. In case you do not want to use a food to fight with ants, here are some alternatives to apple cider vinegar:

1. Lemon Juice

We humans love lemons- their taste and smell, both. But not all animals have to essentially like them. Ants are one such animal that does not like or stand the scent of lemon juice. You can use some lemons to make juice out of them at home and keep ants away from coming back.

2. Cinnamon

Cinnamon is widely used for culinary purposes around the world. It has an attractive scent. However, ants do not match the same taste as we humans do. They can hardly tolerate the scent of cinnamon. You can make powder out of them and spread them in different places in your house, and ants will flee away from your house.

3. Borax, Water, and Sugar

Borax is highly effective at fighting ants. However, borax will not kill ants instantly and make your place a national morgue for them. Instead, they will be poisoned and die after some time. You should mix sugar and water to create a solution. The sugar will attract them near the solution, and the borax will do the rest of the job.

4. Baking soda and powdered sugar

Prepare a mixture of equal amounts of baking soda and powdered sugar. Baking soda is enough to kill ants and make them flee from your place. Adding some sugar will attract ants from different corners of your house. 

FAQ

What kills ants instantly?

 You can use a mixture of white vinegar and water to eliminate ants quickly. You can spray the solution on their paths or nests, disrupting their pheromone Thales and killing them on contact. You can also use commercial ant killers. However, they are not always a healthy option. 

What is the best homemade ant killer?

Making a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water is a very effective ant repellent. However, they usually do not kill ants. You can instead use white vinegar with water to kill them instantly. 

Will Red Wine Vinegar Repel Ants?

 Red wine vinegar is not a good option to repel ants. They have a very sweet taste that will attract them even more. Though it has a strong odor, it cannot repel ants. You should try white vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead for better results. 

Will Vinegar kill Ants in the Yard?

 Using vinegar to kill ants in your yard can be challenging. While vinegar can kill ants on contact, it’s less effective outdoors due to rapid evaporation and dilution in open spaces. Using professional pest control is a better alternative. 

How to get rid of house ants?

To get rid of ants in your house, you should keep your house clean and free of debris. You can also use apple cider vinegar along with water to make their source trail will make them leave your house. 

What keeps ants away?

You should maintain a clean environment to deter ants. Keep your food sealed, wipe down surfaces, and fix leaks. If there are still ants in your places, then you can use a mixture of water and ACV. 

Conclusion

Does apple cider vinegar kill ants?  Hopefully, you have understood that they do not. However, they can repel them. Their strong odor overpowers the scent of ants and disrupts their communication. It makes it difficult for them to live in your place. Since it is a healthy and safe option for both you and the ants, you should consider it before going for deadly options.