Let's be honest, no one wants to see ants marching across their kitchen counter. You can use the peel from your morning grapefruit to naturally repel ants. The secret to repelling ants naturally lies in a naturally occurring compound in the fruit, d-limonene. This naturally occurring compound overwhelms ants' sense of smell, causing them to lose their sense of direction. While d-limonene is present in lemons, limes, and oranges, grapefruit peel oil has been shown to contain more of it, making it a more effective choice to kick those ants to the curb.