How to Use Borax on Ants
Borax is a chemical that is mined from underground and has numerous uses, from household cleaning to getting rid of laundry stains. Borax is also used in numerous pesticides. The boric acid in borax works to kill ants by acting as a drying agent, leading to dehydration and attacking their nervous system. You can purchase chemical pesticides that contain borax, or you can save money and environmental hazards in your home by buying straight boric acid, or borax, and making your own ant repellent. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Boric acid
- Honey
- Jar lids
- Red or green food color
- 6 small jars with lids
- Cotton balls
- Hammer
- Nail
Instructions
-
-
1
Purchase boric acid, or borax. It can be found in the laundry aisle of supermarkets or department stores.
-
2
Run a thin line of borax along known ant trails. If you know the ants crawl along the edge of your kitchen counter, stove or water pipes, line the area with a thin dusting. The ants will walk through the borax and take it back to the colony where, in time, it will affect the other ants.
-
-
3
Put 2 1/2 oz of honey in a small dish. Set the dish inside another dish that contains hot water until the honey has become softer and more of a liquid.
-
4
Add 1 tsp of borax to the honey and mix it up well until it dissolves. Add 2 1/2 oz of warm water to the mix and stir. Steven Vedten, author of "Best Control 2: Encyclopedia Of Integrated Pest Management", also recommends adding red or green food coloring.
-
5
Distribute the honey-borax mixture among two or three shallow jar lids, and set the lids in a known ant path area. Refresh the lids as needed.
-
6
Mix together 3 cups of water, 1 cup of sugar and 1 tsp of borax.
-
7
Fill the small jars half full with cotton balls. Pour 1/2 cup of the sugar, water and borax mixture over the cotton balls.
-
8
Poke several holes in the jar lids with a hammer and nail. The holes must be big enough for the ants to pass through.
-
9
Put the lids on the jars and seal tightly. Place the jars in areas where ants frequent but where children will not be able to get a hold of them and play with them. Refill the jars as needed.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If you do not have honey, you can substitute molasses or corn syrup.
Do not sprinkle borax in areas where it can be easily touched by food, children or pets. While boric acid is a natural chemical, the National Institutes of Health reports that it can act as a toxin if one is overexposed to it.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit ants image by NataV from Fotolia.com
