When ants find food, they leave behind a pheromone trail so that other ants in their colony can immediately locate the same food and bring it back to the nest. The important thing to keep in mind is that you need a variety of liquid and solid baits. On the other hand, larvae can process solid foods and turn it into a liquid that the queen will then eat.
A variety of baits will make sure you eliminate the entire colony. You can use a small plastic container, plastic lid, paper plate, or cotton ball. The only important part is to make sure the ants can easily get in and out of your bait holder. One recipe you can try calls for a half cup of sugar, 1.
I tried a different variety of it when I lived in Australia and it worked beautifully. But every brand that I have tried here in the US gave me so-so results at best. Terro was the one most mentioned as effective so I tried it.
Terro has borax as a main ingredient too. Terro was pretty good at attracting the ants, but it needed replacing daily so it was the most expensive. At this point I decided to try home made ant killer remedies. Researching all the remedies showed me one thing clearly. The main ingredient for all the home made versions of the ant killer is Borax, as in 20 Mule Team Borax which can be found in the laundry aisle of most supermarkets, or if you cannot find it, you can Buy Borax on Amazon here.
Although Borax was used in each remedy, it was used a bit differently in each test and with widely varying results. Before I got into the ant killer tests, I wanted to at least minimize the amount of ants running around. I remembered reading that white vinegar is good for cleaning up after ants. I had no white vinegar on hand but did have a big jar of apple cider vinegar. I scrubbed all the counters, the sink, appliances — even my spice jars. When I finished, there was not an ant in sight right, but I knew that cleaning just removed the ant trail.
The ants will be back. Of that I have no doubt. Oh…and my kitchen smells like a salad now, which is not so bad, I guess. I also have a nice big jar of apple cider vinegar which I have discovered makes a great, and inexpensive, cleaner.
Borax is also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate and disodium tetraborate. It is a salt of boric acid.
Powdered borax, such as that found in 20 Mule Team Borax is white and consists of crystals that dissolve in water. When ants consume a borax bait, it interferes with their digestive system to such an effect that it gradually kills them. The slow rate of kill gives the worker ants a chance to consume the bait and then head back to the nest to share it with the rest of the colony and then the queen. Since one of the main ingredients in the retail Ant Killer Terro is Borax, it stands to reason that homemakers would try to come up with a DIY alternative that features it for killing ants, as well.
The following combinations of Borax and other ingredients were those that I used to test the home made ideas. In some of them, the amount of Borax is very large, in others quite small.
I tested some combinations that are sweet and some that are protein based to see if this has an effect. I just mixed equal parts of it and place it in a condiment lid to try out tonight in my test.
This is the strongest mixture of borax, and the ants could easily detect it and stay away. Ants may be a nuisance but they are smart. It turned out, in all of my tests, that the weaker concentrations of Borax worked better than strong ones. The next home made recipe I tried was a strong combination of borax, honey, and water. A friend with a wonderful gardening blog, called Tending My Garden, swears by the honey and borax recipe.
It made a gel which reminded me of my Australian concoction and I thought Eureka! I decided that I had too much Borax in the mix and have figured out that it is pretty clear the ants will not eat it if it is too strong, so I added more honey but they still had no interest in it. I saved the mixture to test it against the other remedies in a longer test.
There are two kind of ants — protein and sugar ants. Next on my list of remedies was a concoction of a half teaspoon of Borax mixed into the peanut butter and made into a paste.
Now the cook in me hopes this one works, since peanut butter is considered part of the food pyramid to me and I hope the ants will think so too. I used low fat Jif peanut butter. I just want to kill the ants, not make them fat!
This test had so so results but did not need re-baiting as often. Once I had all my mixtures together, my test now was to place the four home made mixtures side by side with the Terro Brand, down on my clean counters. I placed them near the location of the earlier ant trail before cleaning with apple cider vinegar and gave them a good test that lasted 2 days. So I also placed five pieces of card with the mixtures on them too in case the ants were hampered by the height of the containers.
Each test gave different results but the effect of each one allowed me to draw some general conclusions. One of the most interesting things about this test was the apple cider vinegar results. I got two completely ant free days after wiping down the counters with it. I knew they would be back but was impressed with the length of time. Just wiping the counters with the spray might be enough to deter ants in general. I would recommend this apple cider and water mixture as a good deterrent, but not a good ant killer.
The results are in! This is the way my dishes looked after three days and the thorough vinegar cleaning. All baits had some ants eating the test product and some worked better than others. The Borax mixed with honey was the least effective test. Peanut butter was better but still not too great. Neither attracted many ants even when the baits were left for several days. Since the honey mixture had a strong concentration of Borax and the peanut butter a lighter one, this made sense.
In general, ants avoided mixtures with too much Borax. The honey test formed a skin on the surface, and the peanut butter got somewhat hard. This could account for the ants not being attracted to either mixture, at least in the later days. These baits were much more effective. The sugar water and Borax attracted a good number. Not as many as the Terro bait, but still a respectable and it is a much less expensive option.
It is not surprising that it placed second, since it is closest in the texture of Terro and also had a lighter amount of Borax in it. None of the home made Borax ant killers remedies were as effective as the Terro Ant Bait. Remedies in order of effectiveness in attracting the ants from most effective to least were:. All of the liquid baits honey, sugar water and Terro formed a film on the top which required re-baiting each day. Only the peanut butter and borax in the raised cups had any effect at attracting the ants.
If it becomes too thick or dries out, the ants cannot consume the bait. When should I remove the bait stations? A: We recommend leaving the bait out for three to four days after signs of ant activity diminish.
If no more ants appear, remove the bait, relax and enjoy being ant-free! For liquid baiting tips and more information on how long it may take to control an ant invasion, read our expert indoor baiting tips!
A: Absolutely! The ant bait comes enclosed in a weather-proof station that protects the bait from the elements and prevents it from drying out. The bait stations are pre-filled and ready-to-use so you don't have to worry about drips and spills. Simply place the bait stations near ant trails or areas where ants are congregating. Replace the bait stations every 3 months to keep the ants at bay.
For more info on outdoor ant control, read our Outdoor Ant Baiting guide! A: As long as the bait is in liquid form, it should be effective, because the active ingredient does not diminish over time.
Try placing a few fresh drops of bait out in the morning and again at night for a few days. If this doesn't attract them, the ants may have found another food source, be seeking a grease-based vs. The ants consume large quantities of the bait and then return to the nest and share it with the rest of the colony. This process can take from just a couple days to several weeks, depending on the size of the colony.
Each ant that consumes the bait will die within 24 - 48 hours. It is important to leave the bait as undisturbed as possible while the ants are actively feeding on it. You should replace it only if it becomes inaccessible to the ants, or empty. Keep in mind that you'll want to monitor the bait level to ensure that ants always have a supply on which to feed. Bait placement near ant activity is also key to successful colony elimination. Q: I love your outdoor liquid ant bait, but I also have other insects invading my yard.
Do you have a product that will get rid of more than just ants? A: We do! Long-lasting and weather-resistant, the ant bait granules not only kill entire colonies of outdoor ants — including carpenter ants - but it is also is effective against cockroaches, crickets, earwigs, silverfish, slugs and snails. The granular bait, which is borate-based and formulated with a concern for the environment, has a delayed effect on ants.
The ants consume the bait and transport the food back to the colony and share it - that's how entire colonies are eradicated. Within a few days, you will see significantly fewer ants and insects in your yard. For info on other solutions that can help you keep insects out of your home, view our home insect barrier guide. A: Ants are attracted to food, water and shelter. Kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms provide at least two of these conditions, making it an ideal haven for ants to congregate.
A: It's a little known fact that adult worker ants cannot digest solid food bait. Their anatomy is designed for transporting and digesting liquids only. Solid foods must be carried back to the colony for additional processing by the larvae stage.
Liquid baits exploit this unique physiology by making it easy for ants to transport the liquid bait back to the rest of the colony, including the queen, larvae and other workers. A: Sometimes you will see ants depositing material near the bait stations. The ants could be attempting to protect or hide the bait for later use or establishing a nest closer to the bait itself.
It is nothing to worry about when you see the ants doing this. Is this normal? A: The dead ants you are seeing are called "midden piles. This means there are still a few ants remaining in the colony so continue to use the ant bait until there are no new piles.
A: Sweet eating ants are easiest to control with sugar-based baits; they include big-headed ants, little black ants, pavement ants, argentine ants, and odorous house ants. Big-headed ants, little black ants and pavement ants consume grease and protein and respond to those baits as well; however all of these ants can be controlled using sugar-based baits. Carpenter ants and certain other species will be attracted to grease, but will eat sweets at certain times throughout their feeding cycle.
A: Often a gnat, drain fly or other type of nuisance fly invasion is mistaken for a fruit fly invasion. As their name suggest, fruit flies are attracted to fruit - they're small, winged insects typically found around ripe produce in your kitchen, near garbage cans and open bottles of wine.
Can you explain why? Within a few days of placing the trap near a breeding source, you will see a significant decrease in the number of fruit flies. A: We recommend replacing the traps every 3 months or sooner if they become dusty or full of moths.
A: Pantry moths — often referred to as grain, flour or meal moths - are attracted to whole grains, flour, cereal and dry pet food that are typically stored in kitchen pantries.
Placing these types of dry foods in tightly sealed containers and keeping pantries clean and free of crumbs will help prevent moth infestations. Indoors, the spray can be used in attics and anywhere nests are built. A: Spray nests with at sunrise or dusk when insects are least active. To use, spray the nest opening until it is soaked and then spray the rest of the nest.
After spraying, wait up to 24 hours before removing the nest and discarding. And better yet, these sprays are also effective against cockroaches, spiders, crickets, scorpions and other unwanted insects. The ants will consume the bait and carry it back to the nest to feed the Queen and the rest of the colony. While the insecticide in the bait will ultimately kill the worker ant, it works slowly enough that the worker has time to get back and share the bait with the colony.
The granular ant killer kills pests on contact and provides long lasting residual repellency. The Ant Killer is packaged in a shaker bag for easy application- no spreader is needed.
After applying the granules around the foundation of your home, water in lightly. To treat fire ant mounds, sprinkle approximately one tablespoon of the Ant Dust over the top of each mound. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Things You'll Need. Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1.
Gather your supplies. You will be making a liquid solution using borax, sugar, and water, and then soaking cotton balls into this solution. Pour the sugar and borax into the jar. The borax is what will kill the ants, and the sugar is what will attract them to the borax. Ants don't see borax as a food source, so they won't come near it—the sugar will be an effective bait. Close the jar and shake it. You are doing this to mix the borax and sugar together.
Open the jar and add the water. You can use any temperature water, but warm water will help the sugar and borax dissolve better. The water will turn the borax and sugar into a liquid solution, which will make it easier for you to dip the cotton balls into.
Mix everything with a spoon, fork, or stick. Keep stirring until all of the sugar and borax are dissolved—or at least most of it. Soak cotton balls in the solution.
How many cotton balls you use will depend on how bad the ant infestation is. If you have any of the solution left over, you can save it simply by putting the lid back on the jar and storing it in a cool, dry place. Start setting out the soaked cotton balls. Focus on the ant trails; you want to place the cotton ball right onto the trail itself.
If you can find where the ants are coming from, you can set the soaked cotton balls near there. This will help them find the poison even sooner. If you don't want to get your floors or window ledges dirty and sticky, you can place the soaked cotton ball in a small container first, and then set the container out. You can also use a shallow dish or a jar lid. Whatever container you chose to use, make sure that you don't use it for food purposes again.
Borax is very toxic to humans and pets as well. Consider blocking the ant nest. If you have located the hole where the ants are coming from, you can seal it with some epoxy putty or sealing paste. This will prevent the ants from coming back.
Do this after you have killed all of the ants, and not before. Method 2.
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