Cheap, Natural Ant Control for Lawns & Gardens

Chopped orange and lemon peels scattered on the lawn repel ants. Cinnamon works too. Better: build a "lawn livestock" herd—toads, lizards, grass snakes—that eat ants, grubs, slugs, and pests. Cedar bark mulch in spring (light cover yard-wide, 3–4" band around foundation) deters termites, fleas, ticks, and ants.

For fire ants: blend 2–3 large oranges + 2 lemons (peels) per gallon of Epsom salts, steep overnight in glass, scatter. Or spray 1 oz orange oil + ½ oz lemon oil + 2 tbsp agricultural soap per gallon water. Fresh peels + Epsom salts cheaper than essential oils. Kids and pets safe immediately.