Testing 8 Common Ways To Get Rid Of Ants (PHOTOS)

Spring is here, which can mean lovely things: beautiful flowers, nice weather and longer days. But it can also mean something not-so-lovely: ants. Especially when you live in a home that was built nearly two centuries ago, owned by a landlord whose idea of weatherproofing is letting you know that "I heard there's a storm coming." Therefore, it's possible to sit in my living room and feel gentle balmy breezes, even when the windows are closed.

And with a warmer-than-average winter, I've already started dealing with the beginnings of an ant invasion. Luckily, I had already written a handy guide about effective ways to get rid of ants using items found around the house. The problem? The most effective way was more of a coping mechanism than one that both killed the ants and kept them from coming back.

This time around, I decided to test a few common home 'remedies' that promised to do just that. (Why go the natural route? Because I have two very nosy pets.) In addition, I also had a (pet-less) volunteer in another part of the state test a few more, shall we say, stronger methods. Meaning: the top-rated ant traps.

Methodology: We both tested these methods over the course of 3 weeks. Since each of us have spotted ants in four separate areas of our homes, we had four convenient spots for testing. We measured the 'ant factor' (on a scale of 1-10) before and after the 3 weeks. The lower the ant factor, the more effective the method.

So, how did we fare? Flip through the slideshow to find out!