You might be wondering about, does perfume attract ants because your closet or house is under the attack of ants while it has a pretty smell of fragrance.
Perfumes, air fresheners, and scented candles with sweet and floral smells can lead to attracting ants into your house or clothes. Nevertheless citrus, mint, and basil fragrances can repel the ants and other bugs.
It is not only perfume attracts ants. They can be attracted to all the other beauty products with sweet aromas. I let you know how you can use your favorite fragrance without any disturbance of ants or bugs, in this article!
Are ants attracted to scents?
Ants and some other bugs are attracted to scents depending on the fragrance they produce. Floral, Carbon dioxide extractions and expensive pheromone-based fragrances are highly attracted by ants and bugs.
Even though they have an attraction towards the perfume, they are not going all over the perfume because they can’t consume it.
So why do they attract scents and perfumes?
Once they are working on their way, they might be distracted by the sweet aroma. Then some of them are attracted to the aroma. Hence, the others follow the smell trail of the ants.
Related: Do ants attracted to vanilla?
Does perfume kill ants?
Now you know that perfume attract ants by its sweet aroma. But can perfume kill ants?
I tested it by myself. So here is what I came up with.
First I used a baby cologne, which is usually mild in chemicals. When I used it on a couple of ants, all of them died quickly. Hence, if a mild cologne can kill an ant, perfume can surely cause the ant to die or severe damage.
The reason behind this is alcohol and chemicals included in perfumes. It might burn their exoskeleton and harm their neuron structure similar to the process of pesticides and herbicides.
Can scented candles attract ants and insects?
Scented candles with floral and sweet aromas are more able to attract ants and insects. Particularly candles can bring more flying insects into your room as the smoke and the aroma remain in the air.
Can scented candles repel ants and insects?
Scented candles can repel ants as well as attract them when you use a fragrant that ants and insects hate.
Did you know that there are particularly made scented candles for insect repelling?
I have used cinnamon and citronella-scented candles on my house in the summer season to get rid of mosquitoes.
Trust me there were no bugs, mosquitoes, or ants in my room.
Actually, it is not only working for candles. You can repel ants by using ant-hated perfumes, air fresheners, etc.
Use perfumes with Citrus, Lemon, Citronella, and Cinnamon aromas. Ants and the other bugs will move away from you and your house.
Do ants bite you or your clothes when you use perfume?
Ants might be attracted to your garments depending on the perfume you are using, but they may not be likely to bite you.
But here’s the thing.
Ants are attracted to dirty clothes and sweat. If you leave your sweat clothes on the floor, there is a higher probability of ants reaching there and making tiny holes by biting your clothes.
What are the smells and fragrances that ants like?
Here are some of the smells that ants are most attracted to. Cause they have a good sense of smell, they may get into your house whenever they feel it. So it’s better to reduce these aromas if you are in a bad ant moment these days.
1. Carbon Dioxide
Mosquitoes, moths, as well as ants are attracted to Carbon Dioxide.
The thing is they don’t want the Carbon Dioxide in raw form. Ants and other insects can feel Carbon Dioxide when human exhaling and sweat. That’s the reason why there are more mosquitoes hovering over you on a sweating evening.
And also there is a fact that ants and some other bugs are attracted to the body heat of other animals.
2. Raw cooked meat
If your kitchen is prepping raw meat more frequently, the smell of the meat or the aroma of the cooking might caused to attract ants into your home.
3. Ripening and rotting fruits
If you left out some apples or bananas in the kitchen they start to overripe and rot with the time.
In the process of fruit rotting, a gas called ethylene is espoused into the air. This gas can encourage the ants to come over.
And also the fruit aroma that spreads in the air can encourage fruit flies and other bugs too.
How to keep ants away from your house?
Here are some simple steps that you can follow, that can keep the ants away from your house. Don’t panic if ants attract to your perfume. Add these things to your daily routine.
1. Cover the food and drinks all the time
You have to remind yourself that you need to prevent the food and drink from the ants in your house. So if you don’t let them feel the aroma of the food they won’t find them out.
Here’s a perfect trick that you can use to keep ants away from the sweets in your kitchen.
- Get a large pot or a bowl and pour some water on it.
- Then place a smaller bowl or a pot inside it.
- Now store the food inside the smaller pot.
Now your food is safe. Because ants have to get over a water barrier if they wanted to get into the sweets.
Cool no!
2. Stay hydrated
If you can stay more hydrated in the day, the less you sweat. The less you sweat, less ants on your clothes.
3. Don’t use too much perfumes, air fresheners, or scented candles
Since fragrances are the decider of attraction or distraction, I think you should not use more sweet-smelling perfumes.
Instead, you can use natural fragrances like Cinnamon, Citronella, Citrus, and Mint with your scented candles.
Related: Here are 12 smells that attract ants into your house