There are many types of ants that are found around gardens and, unfortunately, sometimes in our homes. Ants can enter homes in order to start a new colony if the weather outside is too hot and dry or too wet. Your house isn’t just comfortable and inviting to you.
Ants will also seek food and water inside your home. When these foraging workers are rooting around in your pantry, they leave a chemical trail to lead other ants to the food and water they have found. It is often hard to get rid of ants but there are some tried and true methods.
A good way to start your ant control in the home is by interrupting their pheromone trails. Let’s explore if this cheap and simple ‘chalk trick’ can help you begin your ant control endeavor.
What is the Chalk Trick for Ant Control?
The chalk trick is drawing chalk lines as barriers to keep ants from coming into your home. The theory behind the trick is that the line of chalk disrupts the ants’ pheromone trail and deters them from coming inside.
The key is to use white blackboard chalk which contains calcium carbonate. While more colorful and fun, kids’ sidewalk chalk will not work because it is actually made from gypsum. You can find white chalk sticks on Amazon.
Safety Note: There is also an insecticide called “ant chalk” or “Chinese chalk,” but it is not legal in the United States because it contains dangerous chemicals. Do not use this product.
How to Use the Chalk Trick
Find where ants are coming into your house and draw a line of chalk across their path. The line of chalk will throw them off their scent trail and buy you some time to deal with the larger issue.
Chalk can be an asset in natural pest control, but you also need to address what is causing the problem. It is important to clean up any food or dripping water that might be attracting them. If you know where the ants are coming from, seal any gaps or cracks they are using with a silicone caulk like this one from Amazon.
You can also purchase an ant bait trap that utilizes borax to kill the whole ant colony. Ant bait stations are cheap, safe, and very effective. You can find effective ant bait traps like these from Terro at Amazon.
Does the Chalk Trick Work?
Temporarily, yes. The chalk will disrupt the scent trails of the worker ants, but, like using lemons for ant control, this is not a long term solution. You should pair the chalk trick with other ant control methods that will fully address the problem.
Diatomaceous earth can be applied as a barrier just as easily as chalk and it actually kills the ants on contact. But if you don’t have any ant traps or DE laying around, the chalk trick can help short term.
The chalk trick can be a good starting point for ant control in the home. It is safe, cheap, and works for a short time. It will keep ants at bay while you work on a more comprehensive solution.
