Does Dettol Kill Ants?

There are many DIY homemade remedies to kill ants. One that often comes to mind is Dettol. It’s used to get rid of a number of odours, bacteria and pests. But does Dettol kill ants successfully?

No, unfortunately, Dettol does not kill ants. It can be used, however, to deter ants from certain areas.

If you have an ant problem in your home, using Dettol and expecting good results will only lead to disappointment.

Dettol does not kill ants, but the smell is so strong it prevents them from coming to the area. However, once the smell effects go away, the ants will come back again.

Therefore, if you are looking to kill ants, you should adopt methods other than Dettol. 

Can Dettol Kill Flying Ants?

It can be alarming to spot flying ants in your home. Ants without wings are already a handful to deal with, and once they have sprouted wings, it only means double-trouble.

Many people believe that flying ants are a different species than the regular ones you spot. However, flying ants are only ants that have sprouted wings for the mating season. 

Many sources on the internet indicated that using Dettol against flying ants can be effective. However, while Dettol may kill a few flying ants on the spot, it only serves as a short-term solution.

Dettol does not have any qualities that make it a good ant-killer; however, the smell is so strong it keeps the ants away.

The only way to use Dettol in killing flying ants is if you mix it with soapy water. Soapy water has proven to be an excellent insect killer, and people like to mix the two. The Dettol in the mixture will help repel ants, and the soapy water will kill them on the spot. 

Does Dettol Destroy Ant Nests?

If you spot one or two ants in your home, that is a natural occurrence. However, if you have trails of ants in your home or garden, they can be annoying. If you wish to get rid of ants completely, it is helpful to destroy the ant nest. 

The queen ant is the one who reproduces. For people who are unaware, the queen ant is rarely seen outside the nest. It is best to get to the queen ant to stop the colony from spreading rapidly.

You can find the ant nest by following the trails of ants in your home. To get to the ant nest, it is best not to destroy the trails of ants but rather follow them. Ants like to build their homes inside the soil, so look for soil mounds in your garden.

Also, you can look for ant homes inside garden sheds and wooden floorings.

While Dettol deters ants, many people assume that using it will kill ants. However, if you use Dettol on its own, chances are you will not be achieving much. Instead, you can try mixing Dettol with soapy water, or many sources claim that Dettol mixed with baby oil is also great at killing ants. 

Create your mixture and spray near or on the ant trail in your home or garden. If you spot multiple trails, you should spray on each of them.

Finally, when you reach the ant nest, you can pour the mixture in and kill the ants. While the soapy water will kill the ants, the smell of Dettol will prevent any new ones from entering your home and garden. 

What Does Not Kill Ants?

Killing ants is an important step to making your home pest-free. Therefore, if you want to kill ants, you must only go for tried and tested methods that do not waste your time.

The best thing to do is go for commercially available pesticides to help you tackle the ant problem. However, sometimes, you need a quick solution, and you have to resort to home remedies.

There is also a chance that the pesticide you buy is full of chemicals that are not just harmful to ants but also to other insects, such as bees, as well as any pets you may have.

Here are some things you must avoid spending time on because they do not kill ants:

Chalk

People like to use chalk to kill ants; however, little do they know it is only a short-term solution. Chalk has calcium carbonate in it, which only messes with the scent trail of the ants.

If you sprinkle chalk on the trail of ants, you will notice that they disperse quickly. Unfortunately, after some time, the ants will come back in their respective trails. 

Boiling Water

Many people advise on using boiling water to kill ants. While boiling water is more effective than using chalk, it still does not eliminate the problem. There is no guarantee that boiling water will kill all ants in the ant nest.

Moreover, boiling water also does not do anything to get rid of the mask trail. The ants will come back again after some time.

Also, if you use boiling water, you are at the risk of burning yourself and those around you. You’ll also find that you burn the lawn and plants that get hit with boiling water.

Spices

Using strong spices such as pepper and cinnamon have been long used by people to deter pests from the garden. However, all these spices do is mask the scent trail only and do not kill any ants. 

This applies to any strong smells you might use to deter ants such as coffee grounds.

Summary 

A common misconception that people have is Dettol killing ants. The strong smell of the Dettol will only mask the ants’ scent trail and cause them to not come back for a short while.

In addition, you also cannot kill ants with wings using Dettol. However, if you mix Dettol with other things such as soap and baby oil, it has proven effective.

Like Dettol, other remedies people adopt also do not kill ants. For example, using spices, boiling water, and chalk. Again, these methods only mask the ant trail for a short period and do not kill them or destroy their nests.