Home Remedy: Rubber Bands That Repel Ants

Summertime is here, which means sunny days, warm water, and south swells. Unfortunately, it’s also ants’ time! I hate these little pests, which always seem to descend on my house in mass whenever I drop a crumb on the ground or leave food out. But the other day, my wife turned me onto a new way to keep ants away: rubber bands!

Apparently, during the monsoon season in Japan, ants can be a real problem. But as the monsoon season approached, her family would wrap rubber bands around the legs of chairs and tables—and just like that, their food would be protected from the ants! 

I wasn’t so sure about this remedy when my wife told me about it, but she put some rubber bands on the microwave where we usually get ants, and none ended up arriving! After doing some research, it appears that ants don’t like the smell of the rubber in the rubber bands, so they try to avoid them whenever possible.

Now, not everyone believes that this actually works. In fact, if you search online, you are likely to find more doubters than believers. But those who have been using the technique for decades swear by it, and if I’ve learned anything in my life, it’s that you shouldn’t discount the wisdom of elders. As for me, I am willing to try anything to keep ants away, especially if the remedy is cheap and non-toxic. So, next time you have some rubber bands leftover from shopping bags at the grocery store, hang onto them. They just might save you from an ant infestation! And if a few ants do stray into your house, you can always launch them out the window with your rubber band, sling-shot style!