Neem oil for ant control is an effective way of dealing with ants which are one of the most annoying creatures that intrude your homes. Neem oil has components that help in stopping the annoyance of ants by repelling and killing them.
It also stops the multiplication of the ant population by disrupting their egg laying system. If ant intrusions are giving you hard times and you are looking for solutions, see more of this useful information in this guide.
Ways to Use Neem Oil for Ant Control
Ways to use neem oil for ant control is to spray neem oil that’s been diluted directly onto the ants and even on the crops that are hosting them. Be sure to dilute the Neem oil before the application procedure. Clean off any dead ants afterwards for hygienic purposes.
– Know the Right Time to Use Neem Oil
Neem oil is usually best to use when ants get out of their holes, especially at night. You should spray the Neem oil on the ants when you see them moving around. Make sure all the visible ants are covered with the Neem oil for perfect and efficient results.
The spraying should go on as an everyday routine for about 14 consecutive days. Please avoid using Neem oil during daytime even if you notice ants on your surfaces or on plants. When sprayed on plant foliage under scorching sun,
Neem oil burns the plants. In this case, it is best to spray a Neem solution during early morning and late evening. Neem oil usage and efficiency on ants is not affected by their lifecycle stage. It can work effortlessly during any stage of ants’ development cycle.
– Make a Neem Oil Concoction
It is possible to create a Neem solution at home. You should gather a cold pressed neem oil, liquid soap, a sprinkling bottle, and a five liter bucket with water. First, you have to add a teaspoon of liquid soup to the five liters of water. Stir to make sure the water and soap are well mixed.
The next step is to add a tablespoon or two of neem oil to the solution. Gently stir again until you are satisfied that the concoction is well mixed before using it. Make sure you test the solution before going through the spraying process. When mixing neem oil with water, kindly follow safety precautions that must be taken as it may be harmful .
You should always wear protective clothing for instance, gloves, long sleeved clothes, glasses, and a face. Avoid letting Neem oil splashes to get into contact with your eyes. Also you should avoid inhaling it as it may cause uncomfortable breathing situations to some individuals.
– Prepare Your Spraying Bottle
Whether you bought a ready-made neem oil solution or you made it by your own, you still need to package the solution into a spraying bottle. Using a spraying bottle is more convenient because it makes it easier for you to target the infested areas. A spraying bottle is also not too heavy, so it is easier to manage.
Please, make sure that the spraying bottle that you use is clean and void of chemical residues from previous application sessions. Residues in spraying bottles may react with your neem oil and produce products that may have adverse effects on your plant.
To clean your bottle, use warm water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Shake these components together while the bottle is closed. If you have a small cleaning brush that can fit into the bottle, use it to scrap any chemical residues off. Be sure to rinse the bottle thoroughly using clean water.
– Clean the Ant Infested Surfaces
Before spraying Neem oil on ants, you should first clean the surfaces and remove the sand that they bring out of their holes. The most ideal time to execute this task is during the morning when you are cleaning the entire house. If you sweep or clean off the sand after spraying the Neem solution on these spots, you will remove it prematurely, which affects the results.
– Spray the Affected Areas
If the ants are affecting plants, an efficiency test has to be done. This is carried out by applying Neem oil on a small portion of the affected plants and waiting for the results. If the Neem oil does not inflict damage to the plants, then it means the mixture is safe to use on the plants. You should not apply the Neem oil that is too concentrated to plants as it can affect transpiration by closing leaf pores.
You can opt to use the Neem foliar spray on plants. When using this type of control you have to spray the ants directly. This has to be repeated until the ants are completely wiped out. This method kills the ants faster although it takes a long time to eliminate them entirely.
The second method that is also effective in ant eradication is Neem oil soil soaking. This method works by pouring about two to four cups of the neem solution around their mounds and infested plants. This should be repeated once every other month. You should know that, Neem oil stays in the soil long enough to kill current infestations as well as imminent ones.
– Soak the Whole Plant
If you are dealing with ants on plants, you might need to soak the whole plant, not just the affected areas. Doing so might help to deal with aphids that would have infested your plant. Remember, aphids produce the sticky honeydew that attracts ants to your plant. Terfore, getting rid of them is an indirect way of shooing ants off your plants.
When you spray aphids with neem oil, they will suck the pesticide. Aphids that would have eaten neem oil produce honeydew that has been contaminated with azadirachtin. When ants feed on the honeydew, they will be left with no option than to consume azadirachtin, too. The azadirachtin, which is the main pesticidal component in neem oil, will kill ant infestations this way.
– Destroy Ant Homes
You can easily identify the homes of ants by the mounds that are made by these critters. You can directly kill ants by pouring the neem oil on these mounds. Although this sounds a bit harsh, it is highly effective in eradicating pest infestations. Please, note that this strategy is necessary if ants are a problem that you are constantly dealing with.
Pour the neem oil slowly, allowing it to reach as deep as possible. This way, many ants are more likely to be affected. Moreover, you increase the chances of killing the queen, thereby completely destroying the entire colony of ants. The only challenge with this method is that there is no clear and straightforward way of determining if the queen has been reached by the neem oil.
– Spray Again
Spraying Neem oil once against ant infestations is not such a great idea. Schedule more application sessions after the first one, with time periods of about a week between the spraying times. Repeating Neem oil application gives you more leverage over the pests so you increase the chances of completely protecting your pants against these pests.
Please note that it is important for you to prioritize safety each time you spray your plants with Neem oil. We recommend that you wear protective clothing such as overalls, boots, and gloves.
Frequently Asked Questions
– How Does Neem Oil Kill Ants?
Neem oil kills ants by suffocating the adult ants. As the Neem oil is sprayed on their bodies, the ants are restricted from getting air so they end up dying. Neem oil can also affect the expansion of ant populations by breeding as it negatively affects mating hormones.
Some ants can die of hunger because their feeding pattern will also be affected. Please note that it’s not always that neem oil works as an ant killer, it can also repel ants by its strong smell.
– Does Neem Oil Solution Kill Instantly?
No, neem oil solution does not kill ants instantly. It kills insects a few hours or even days after being sprayed. To make sure the Neem oil spray works perfectly on the bugs, you have to make sure that you spray them until they are fully covered with the solution.
If you do not apply Neem oil directly to the pests, it will take some time for this solution to affect them. Remember, neem oil sometimes blocks the breathing pores on the surfaces of pests. Under such circumstances, the bugs can die faster, considering that they cannot live without proper air circulation in their bodies.
Although there are many other alternatives you can use to kill ants which include the use of other oils like peppermint, lemongrass oil, thyme oil and tea oil, Neem oil has been proved to be user-friendly and readily available.
Conclusion
Neem oil is one of the best in controlling the annoyance of ants. It is perfect in controlling ants both indoors and outdoors. Ants may destroy crops or flowers by feeding on them which may lead to unpleasant results. Here are some recap points on how to control the ants
- Ants can be killed by spraying Neem oil directly on their bodies so that they suffocate until they die.
- They can also be killed by starving them. This can be done by spraying their food source which eventually starves them.
- Neem oil has an unfavorable smell which ants do not like which keeps them away
- Use safety precautions when dealing with Neem oil as it can be toxic when ingested, absorbed into the body through pores and also when inhaled.
Get Neem oil and wipe out these annoying insects from your places and plants!
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