Vinegar works because ants hate its smell, and the vinegar removes the scent trails they use to get around. The smell deters ants and its acidic property masks their scent trails. That means all around your baseboards, doors ways, windows or any other entry point into the house. It is certainly worth a try. More Posts You'll Love 25 Dawn, I would assume they would be safe as clove and peppermint herbs are naturally pollinated by honey bees, but since they are so concentrated these oils may actually repel your honey bees. If you rely solely upon this advice you do so at your own risk. In any case what deterring effect there was, was not as strong as the cinnamon. Some make it, some get lost, a couple actually died.
We all go through life accepting certain truths. The sun rises in the east, taxes are due April 15, camels carry a supply of water in their humps that allow them to go for weeks without water. Uh, about that last one. Camels have humps, and they can go for a long time without drinking, but the hump does not contain water. Camels are able to fight off dehydration because their red blood cells are oval-shaped instead of round, and their kidneys and intestines are so efficient that every bit of moisture is used by the body. We grow up believing things that turn out not to be true. I asked readers to send in some of their beliefs about animals and insects, then I put them to the test. Here are some of my favorites. Spiders Seems most people have beliefs about spiders, but the two most popular involve the deadliness of black widows and the sneakiness of spiders in general. Myth: A bite from a black widow spider is deadly to humans and animals. Fortunately, bites are extremely rare, and fatalities even more so. For them, bites can be fatal if not treated with an antivenin. Dogs and cats are protected by their thick fur, but a bite to the nose could be deadly, although the chances of that happening are unlikely. Black widows deliberately choose dark, out-of-the-way places to spin their webs; humans and animals rarely come into contact with them. If we do stumble onto their webs, they scurry quickly away and will only bite if they cinnamon and ants attacked or being squished. Myth: Cinnamon and ants sneak into our beds at night to bite us. Spiders feed exclusively on insects, not humans. When we are bitten by spiders, it is because the spider is acting in self-defense, caught between our clothing and skin, or in danger of being smashed if we roll over on them. What you think are spider bites are more likely from mosquitoes, bedbugs, fleas — or skin allergies. These insects do feed on blood. Ants At times it seems that the entire state of California rests on a gigantic ant bed. Ordinary chalk may temporarily deter or detour ants, but only temporarily. The myth may have started cinnamon and ants insecticidal chalk, illegally imported into the country from China. The pesticide in the chalk is untested, unlabeled and unregulated, making it a potential health threat, especially to children who might play with it as if it were regular chalk. Myth: A line of cinnamon will stop ants in their tracks. Researchers have experimented with cinnamon oil and found it has some insect-repelling properties. However, as one entomologist pointed out, ants can crawl and climb, and they can easily find a way around the cinnamon. It does make your house smell nice, though. Flies We have almost as many ways of keeping flies away as we do of keeping ants out of the house. Myth: Hanging plastic bags half full of water in doorways or entries will keep flies away. Some methods include adding four shiny pennies or bits of aluminum. Reality: Undetermined, but probably false. Thus far, no one has been able to replicate the purported results. Others say the sunlight refracting through the water dances off the pennies and disorients the flies. Scientists say none of those things should have any effect on flies, and one research project found that the bags seemed to attract, rather than repel them. The greatest harm, however, is that your neighbors and friends might start whispering behind your back. Cats Our feline friends have a number of stories about them, from having nine lives to being the familiars of witches. This one has some logic associated with it. Cats do have incredible senses of smell, and they mark their territories as well as their possessions you by rubbing their chins on them. Gardening Gardeners have all sorts of tricks for growing plants and corralling insects. Some of them actually work; others, not so much. Myth: Spreading broken eggshells around plants will keep the slugs and snails away. Reality: True, but its effectiveness is limited. But the barrier needs to be an inch high and 3 inches wide, and it can be difficult to maintain. A better alternative is copper tape, which reacts with the swath of slime they lay down to travel on and gives the creature a little shock. Myth: Putting pennies minted before 1982 in a birdbath will prevent the accumulation of algae. A better alternative would be to use a copper pipe or a copper birdbath. She also writes about gardening and is the founder of Our Garden, a demonstration garden in Walnut Creek. Morris started her career in 1978 as a reporter for a small New Mexico newspaper. She has lived in the Bay Area since 1988.
