Borax for Killing Ants
Ants are an intrusive pest in homes, particularly during the warmer months when they may invade by the hundreds or thousands. They can also prove difficult to control because they often come from outside, so when you kill a few, there are still hundreds more waiting to enter. Borax is a chemical found in insecticides and more commonly in many powdered laundry detergents. With a little ingenuity, you can also use that borax as a very effective ant killer. Does this Spark an idea?
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Considerations
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Ants are difficult to control because you can kill only a few at a time. Those you see are just a portion of the colony, which continues to produce ants that replace those you killed. Making traps with borax provides a poison that the ants that invade your home will take back to their colony and unwillingly distribute, taking out the ants at their source.
Materials
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The materials required for creating borax ant traps include several plastic bottle caps like those found on plastic bottles, some borax, a spoon, a mixing bowl and a jar of honey or some sugar. You'll also need a vacuum cleaner to clean up any borax you may spill on your carpet or dead ants you may find lying around as a result of the poisoning.
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Mixing
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Mix some borax and some honey together in a mixing bowl, making sure to keep the borax-to-honey ratio at 3-to-1. You should not need more than a tablespoon of borax per bottle cap. Sprinkle in some sugar to make the mix extra enticing for rogue ants.
Trapping
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Fill the plastic bottle caps with the mixture and place them upside down in the problem areas of your home. This could include corners of your kitchen or electrical outlets or windows where ants may enter. Look for ant corpses or ant trails to determine where to put the traps. The ants will take the bait and return it to their colonies, where it will be distributed and kill them. Replace the borax mix as needed.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit ants image by Irina Surikova from Fotolia.com
