How to Get Rid of Ants With a Borax Ant Trap
If you need to get rid of ants, try a less toxic homemade bait. Usually drawn to something sweet such as honey or syrups, ants can usually be kept at bay with some basic pantry hygiene. But even if your pantry and kitchen are spotless and your dry goods are in sealed plastic containers, you may still have ants. Borax is a poison to ants. The object of the ant trap is not so much to trap them as to get them to eat the sweet mixture and take the borax back to the nest, where it kills the rest of the ants. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Mix 1 tablespoon hot water with 1 tablespoon honey. Stir together well.
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Add 1/2 teaspoon borax to the mixture and stir to combine.
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Place the mixture on the plastic lid.
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Put the lid in a place you've seen ants, but out of the way of children or pets that may also be attracted to the sweetness of the mixture. If you don't have children or pets, you can place the lids under appliances or in places where the ants are traveling to and from your kitchen.
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Monitor the traps. If you see dead ants at the trap, reduce the amount of borax or add a bit more honey, as it is killing them too soon for them to return to the nest. If you are still seeing ants away from the trap, increase the amount of borax, as it is not enough to kill them.
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Tips & Warnings
Borax is usually found in the laundry products aisle. It's a laundry aid that whitens and freshens clothes. So if you have borax left over after the ants are gone, you can use the remainder in your laundry.
Borax is far less toxic than most commercial pesticides, but can still be toxic to pets and children, if ingested. Keep the ant trap away from areas where children or pets can get at it.
