Many people know about wintergreen oil’s uses as an antiseptics and flavoring agent, but a few know about its repelling properties. It has a refreshing odor that irritates insects, relying on the odors for foraging. Its scent confuses ants because they move in trails and follow each other during foraging. Accordingly, this oil affects their foraging abilities and deters them.
Does Wintergreen Oil Repel Ants? Wintergreen oil repels ants because it has a distinctive minty odor due to the presence of methyl salicylate in higher concentrations. You can prepare a spray by diluting this oil in water to deter ants. Dip cotton balls in oil and put them at entry points to repel them. It can repel ants for 3 to 12 hours, but it can work for 24 hours when used inside the house.
Essential oils have a powerful aroma and thick consistency that is not considered good for ants and makes them feel discomfort. They have a large number of olfactory receptors on their antennae and detect mild to strong odors in their surroundings.
They consider powerful scents as threats to survival because it is not possible to detect pheromones when strong odors are present. So, watergrass oil can pose a chemical barrier to ants and keep them away by irritating their receptors.
Why does wintergreen oil repel ants?
Wintergreen is a low-growing herb, having a distinct minty odor, green leaves, and white drooping flowers. It does not belong to the genus of mint plants but has a minty flavor and smell.
Its oil is prepared by soaking leaves in warm water and processing them under steam. It contains methyl salicylate in high concentrations that range between 85% and 99%.
This compound gives the characteristic odor to wintergreen oil and makes it a good repellent against ants. These insects cannot deal with the strong odor and get affected badly.
Moreover, this minty smell disrupts the communication between ants following each other on a long trail. They cannot detect pheromones efficiently and lose their path after smelling them.
I usually wipe the hard surfaces with this oil after diluting it in water. Its odor remains at the surface for a few days and deters ants by creating a repelling field all around.
So, using it as an ant-repellent is one of the effective natural methods to control their population. It can keep ants away from the sprayed area until its odor remains.
How do you use wintergreen oil to repel ants?
Take almost 50 to 100ml of water in the spray bottle. Add 25 to 40 drops of wintergreen oil into it.
Tightly close the bottle and shake it a few times to mix these two ingredients well. Add 8 to 9 drops of tea tree oil for better results.
I always add citrus oil instead of tea tree oil, which is also a great option. Adding other essential oils improves the odor strength and allows it to last longer.
Spray the solution on the infested spot and entry points to deter ants. Wipe surfaces after spraying the solution to avoid mess and stickiness, as its odor is enough to repel them.
You can dip cotton balls into the wintergreen oil and put these balls on the window sill. In the same way, it is easy to leave a few drops on the cotton ball instead of dipping in it.
These cotton balls leave a strong aroma and keep ants away from the entry points. You can also spray the essential oil solution on their trails to disrupt communication signals.
Can you kill ants with wintergreen oil?
It is possible to kill ants using wintergreen oil when you use the highly concentrated solution. It is not a potential killer of insects because this natural ingredient does not affect the nervous system.
The insecticidal solutions usually interfere with their nervous system and disrupt the nerve signals between the brain and the body. This lack of coordination affects their activity and survival rate.
In contrast, this oil contains no harmful substances, so it does not help kill ants with a high success rate. However, it can cause blockage of pores in their exoskeleton.
You can kill them by spraying highly concentrated oily solution on their bodies because it enters pores on the outer side of their bodies.
Moreover, these pores are involved in breathing because these insects open their spiracles and allow oxygen molecules to enter the tracheal tube.
These spiracles or breathing pores get filled with the oily solution, and clogging occurs. This clogging stops air intake and causes suffocation due to lack of oxygen.
Furthermore, this killing method does not ensure a high success rate because a few close their spiracles and save themselves.
What type of ants does wintergreen oil repel?
It can repel a wide range of indoor and outdoor ants as this natural repellent does not target specific species.
The odor molecules bind with their olfactory receptors and cause irritation or discomfort. This way, it can equally affect the species of ants present inside the house or in the garden.
However, it is highly effective at controlling common household ants as its aroma is more powerful in closed spaces. The odor molecules disperse in the outdoors quickly, and oil begins to oxidize.
Accordingly, it is better to use wintergreen oil as a repellent for indoor infestations and discourage odorous house ants, pharaoh ants, and carpenter ants.
Put the cotton balls close to wooden furniture, doors, and windows if the carpenter ants’ infestation is found in the wooden material. They will leave the tunnels quickly and locate other spots.
In the same way, pharaoh ants, fire ants, argentine ants, and many other species visit areas close to the sink in the kitchen to seek moisture. Wipe the areas around the sink with oil to prevent them.
Furthermore, you can also spray the solution on the patio and garden after seeing trails of ants moving there. I used it to get rid of the pavement ants under my car.
This spraying solution allows quick dispersal of ants and stops them from reappearing for many hours to a few days.
How many hours will wintergreen oil repel ants?
It repels ants and keeps them out of the house, while it can also be used outdoors. However, Wintergreen oil efficiency varies outdoors due to exposure to air particles.
Its aroma loses strength because oil quality declines quickly when used in the garden and patios. The oxidation process changes the odor and taste of the oil and makes it less effective.
Accordingly, it can only repel ants for 3 to 12 hours, depending on the weather conditions and infestation rate. In contrast, the length of time increases when used indoors due to low airflow.
The oxidation process slows down inside the house when you keep windows and doors closed. So, this oil can repel ants for 12 to 24 hours inside the house.
Furthermore, its concentration also determines the time it can last because highly concentrated oils have a more powerful aroma than those with thin consistency.
The cotton balls can even deter them for up to 2 days when used indoors because these are dipped in the non-diluted oil. Its aroma persists for longer than the one produced by wiped surfaces.
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