Forget the bug spray, use Windex to kills ants or try a natural, non-toxic solution

By Aleza Freeman

Back in college, my apartment was invaded by ants -- lines of them, like tiny soldiers, trailing along the wall near the ceiling. My roommate and I totally freaked out, grabbed our nearest can of bug spray and sprayed the life out of those unsuspecting little dudes.

Upon following the trail of carnage back to its place of origin, we discovered they had made a humble home inside our new houseplant, Ophelia (yeah, we named our plant). Assuming we had accomplished the task of mass ant extermination, (and procrastinating on the whole ant-carnage cleanup thing) we decided to give Ophelia some TLC by dousing her in water.

As soon the water hit Ophelia, a fountain of living ants (including the queen) came gushing out with the force of the mammoth fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

All hail the Queen

Usually the mother of all the other ants in a colony, The queen ant is larger than the other ants, and (in my opinion) quite a fright-inducing sight. So when she came gushing out of Ophelia in all her reproductive glory, I screamed at the top of my lungs, grabbed the bug spray, and maniacally sprayed the plant and its ant spillage until there was no more spray to be sprayed. Strangely enough, Ophelia actually flourished after her pesticide bath.

The ant colony was officially destroyed (and I feel horribly guilty about it to this day).

A lesson learned

Later, I learned a little tip from my friendly exterminator. He said if you want you get ride of ants it's better to spray the invaders with Windex, rather than bug spray. It brings about the same results, and it's less toxic to humans.

This is of particular importance if ants invade your kitchen (as these food foragers are known to do). I mean think about it. Do you really want a toxic pesticides covering the surfaces where you cook and eat?

Added bonus: While it may not alleviate your murderous guilt, spraying Windex to get ride of ants sure does help keep your surfaces shiny and clean!

Natural Solutions from the HubPages Community

Windex really is a great alternative to bug spray when there are ants in the house, but it isn't a totally natural approach. Several Hubbers have written about the more natural (less toxic) approaches to pest control, including some home remedies for ants:

• Cook up this homemade recipe of sugar, yeast and molasses, from Hubber Marye Audet: Organic Ant Killers

• Lemons and grits (it's not just what's for breakfast), according to Hubber crazyhorseghost: Get Rid of Ants

Take a bite out of ant bites

When I was a kid, I was playing around in the dirt before dinner (as kids tend to do) and my finger was bitten by a big, fat mean ant. Boy did that sting ... and throb ... and burn! I still remember the pain to this day. I also remember the handsome waiter who brought me a cup of ice for relieving the pain of the ant bite. It worked almost instantly!

Here are some other natural solutions for alleviating the pain of an ant bite:

• Pour Lemon juice on the bite

• Rub it with Aloe Vera

• Soak it in Worcestershire sauce

• and, of course, ice

I personally say go with the ice. It's not only natural, but it's free. If it doesn't work, you can always add some vodka to your cup of ice and drink away your pain the old fashioned way.