Many people prefer to use safe methods to control the population of annoying ants because the use of insecticidal solutions causes damage to the environment. Accordingly, they consider disinfectants, like Lysol and Dettol, to repel or kill these tiny creatures. The disinfectants are not made for ants as they deal with germs but help them remove to some extent.
Does Dettol Repel Ants? Dettol can repel ants because it has a strong odor that causes irritation and discomfort among them and leads to quick dispersal in random directions. You can also use Dettol with asafoetida, soapy water, and baby oil to kill ants by spraying this solution.
It is better to look for natural repellents for ants and find a proper treatment to control their growing colonies in your gardens and attics. Dettol can temporarily solve your ant problem, but it cannot help you in the long term.
Its efficiency depends on the odor, as it only repels it until its odor molecules remain in the air. So, it can be a quick solution to deal with irritating insects, but you should ask for help from exterminators to remove them permanently.
Does Dettol keep ants away?
Dettol is a common disinfectant used to clean and disinfect surfaces to keep them free of germs and reduce the risk of sickness. This antiseptic liquid contains chloroxylenol, alcohol, and terpineol.
It has a distinctive smell due to strong or pungent odor, making it difficult for ants to stay there. This odor is due to the presence of chloroxylenol, which is an aromatic compound.
I used Dettol to repel tiny pharaoh ants crawling close to the kitchen sink due to moisture and found that they disappeared after some time.
Accordingly, it can keep ants away due to its pungent odor because they do not feel comfortable in places with strong smells. They usually leave the spot and move away until its odor fades.
In the same way, the odor molecules of Dettol make it difficult for ants to coordinate their activities and move in an organized trail. They cannot communicate without detecting pheromone odors.
Its odor masks the smell of pheromone secretions, and the molecules bind with their receptors. It feels irritating to these insects when they detect a pungent odor, so they move away quickly.
How do you use Dettol to repel ants?
Undiluted Dettol is more effective than the solution prepared by mixing with water.
However, it depends on the choice of methods and ease of use that you want to spray the solution of place cotton balls. You can dip small cotton balls in it and place each ball at entry points.
They usually invade properties by climbing walls and sneaking through windows and tiny cracks in the walls. Accordingly, put these cotton balls close to entry spots to create a repelling field.
In addition, you can spray the solution directly on their bodies by diluting Dettol in water. Pour this into a bottle and spray on them to break their trails.
Some people also spray the solution on surfaces, like window sill, floors, and other areas that are prone to infestation. Its odor repels ants from reaching these surfaces.
Furthermore, use asafoetida with Dettol to repel them because they cannot tolerate the odor and relate it to a threat to their survival. So, they leave their nests and disappear quickly.
Can you use Dettol to kill ants?
It has a pungent odor because it contains chloroxylenol, and other active ingredients interfere with their exoskeleton and breathing pores.
These active ingredients disrupt their respiration and damage the external skeleton when Dettol touches their body. This direct exposure kills them and leads to the decline of their population.
Some species resist the damage due to harder exoskeleton, so you can mix Dettol with other ingredients to increase its killing potential.
Mix a small amount of baby oil into Dettol solution because the oil blocks their spiracles and causes breathing problems. It is not possible for ants to breathe after drowning in this solution.
In addition, one of my friends mixed Dettol with soapy water solution to deal with the trails of ants crawling on the floor. He sprayed the solution and covered their bodies with it.
This soapy water damages their chitin layer and destroys their bodies quickly, leading to the death of ants within a short time. So, it works as an effective killing solution when mixed with soap and oil.
How long does Dettol repel ants?
The time Dettol takes to deter ants depends on the method of using this antiseptic and disinfectant. Mixing it with a soapy solution and baby oil quickly kills ants.
The repelling potential of cotton balls is different from the spraying solution. The cotton balls have a strong odor and retain the repelling potential for a long.
However, the spraying solution is the diluted form of Dettol that evaporates quickly into the air when you spray it on the spots that have a higher risk of infestation.
Generally, it keeps ants away for a short term, and they begin to reappear when their odor fades away. You have to replace cotton balls after a few days to maintain a constant repelling force.
The odor of Dettol fades within a day when you keep windows open and maintain good airflow. So, it depends on external conditions and the type of method used to repel them.
Is it safe to use Dettol to repel ants?
It is generally safe to use Dettol at home because it does not cause severe skin problems when you use it in the diluted form. You have to be careful when dealing with concentrated solutions.
In addition, do not inhale fumes of Dettol and avoid smelling this antiseptic solution. It is better to open windows and doors after cleaning surfaces to avoid inhalation of fumes.
Keep it on elevated surfaces after use because it can cause damage to pets and children. It causes skin irritation when the concentrated solution gets exposed to the skin.
Moreover, it is not considered safe to use on the kitchen countertops to deal with trails of ants because spraying of solution can lead to the transfer of droplets to kitchenware.
What type of ants can be removed using Dettol?
You can use Dettol to control the population of ants present indoors because many ant species reach inside the building to look for food and shelter.
They are responsible for causing a nuisance inside the home by reaching stored food in pantries and other products in the bathroom and kitchen.
Accordingly, you can clean the floor, windows, and other surfaces inside the home that are prone to the risk of infestation. This disinfectant can repel argentine ants, pharaoh ants, carpenter ants, odorous house ants, pavement ants, and many other species from the house.
Furthermore, it can kill small ant species by interfering with their exoskeleton when sprayed on the bodies of tiny ghost ants, but a few larger species run away.
What do people say about it?
Spraying Dettol on ants confuses them because their body odors disappear due to the pungent odor of antiseptic chemicals.
“I sprayed this antiseptic solution on the trail of ants to deal with ants’ problem in my yard and found it somehow effective because they got dispersed.”
It can kill ants by interfering with their chitin layer, but the rate of damage increases when you use it with a soapy solution.
“I used Dettol with soap solution and drown these insects completely in the solution. After some time, I found dead ants on the spot.”
It is easy to dip cotton balls in the Dettol and repel ants away, but this method needs frequent replacement.
“I kept cotton balls on window sill to control ants, but replacing them every 2 days was frustrating.”
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