‘Tis the season for ants and fruit flies! I haven’t had much of an issue yet, but I typically do have to battle this at some point during the year. I suppose we sometimes let our bananas get a little too ripe, so the fruit flies can enjoy a tasty meal. The ants typically occur in the same location and sometimes come as a full army. So, how to handle these annoying little critters?

First off, try hard to keep surfaces clean, obviously. This is difficult if you have kids (at least in my house) as I’ll spot random spots of chocolate syrup or orange juice spills in strange spots. Also, don’t let your fruit go bad on the countertop. We’ve actually switched to storing apples in the refrigerator, which I prefer anyway.

If simply cleaning up doesn’t do the trick, get a cup or bowl and fill it with apple cider vinegar. Cover the top with plastic wrap and poke tiny holes in it so the fruit flies can get in, but can’t escape. You can even put a bit of dish soap in the vinegar, it helps to trap them easier. Toss your aged fruit, clean your counters really well, and you should be good to go.

So what about ants? You’ll want to grab vinegar again, but this time go for white vinegar. Ants don’t like white vinegar, so you can mix equal parts vinegar and water and put in a spray bottle and spray the area you’re seeing the ants. The smell repels them (and possibly everyone else in your family.) They also do not like lemons, oranges, peppermint and cinnamon. You can place peels of lemons or oranges in areas where they congregate or put some juice or essential oil in with water when you clean your counters or floors.

A recipe that has definitely knocked them out for me in the past is mix 1/2 cup of sugar, 1.5 Tbsp Borax, and 1.5 cup warm water. Mix it all up and dip cotton balls into the solution and put them near the area where ants are entering. Then watch the show …. they will swarm the cotton balls, then they all disappear!

While every home has the potential for bugs, if you are looking to build brand new and start fresh, reach out to LISA or BECCA with any questions you may have about the build process with Joyner Homes. Click here to read a great article about whether you should choose a floor plan or a builder first. Fill out a Customer Worksheet if you want to learn more!