Ants are just nasty little buggers! I was in desperate need of this poison ants DIY because it seems like every couple of years they find their way into my house or garage.
A few common household ingredients (water, sugar, and borax) helped me finally eliminate this annoying issue once and for all.
The best part of this poison ant DIY is that it actually keeps these pests away, unlike the store-bought stuff I had tried in the past.
Poison ants DIY to help you get rid of the little crawlers
I can’t stand having ants in my house, they make my skin crawl. I can handle snakes and lizards – they are kind of cool (I had a pet chameleon when I was young). Spiders… just grab them in a paper towel and flush them down the toilet, no big deal.
But ants, they drive me crazy!
There are so many of them, and they seem to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time, don’t they?
My usual routine was to grab the aerosol bottle of ant spray to get rid of them. It took at least 2 sometimes 3 applications of the poison ant spray to keep them from coming back. So annoying!
Here is how making this poison ant DIY went down
This year they found their way in again, this time underneath my computer desk.
As a blogger, my computer desk and surrounding area are SACRED.
Talk about invading my personal and professional space!
These guys were just begging for me to kill them!
I ran for the ant spray to stop them in their nasty little tracks. All I found was an empty can. I DID NOT have time for ants yesterday! Running to the store was not an option since I was knee-deep trying to finish my posts for this week.
I sat at my desk with my feet up and searched Pinterest for a solution. Thank you, thank you to Patricia from My Patchwork Quilt for this pin!
This poison ant DIY is exactly what I didn’t know I needed!
It was so easy to implement, the ingredients were already in my kitchen and it actually kept those pesky ants away!
Patricia, you are an ant-killing lifesaver!
Not only is this solution effective, but it also eliminates those toxic fumes from canned poisons, which is a great bonus. And did I mention how inexpensive it is? You probably already have everything you need in your bathroom or kitchen. This poison ant DIY solution is perfect all-around- fast, cheap and it works!
Poison ant DIY Ingredients
All you need to make this simple and effective poison ant DIY is:
- warm water
- sugar
- borax
- cotton ball
- wax paper (if you don’t want to put the cotton ball directly on the floor- I was so excited I forgot this step)
I love that this is so easy to make with common household ingredients and items. I mixed the warm water with the sugar and Borax until it dissolved.
How to make your poison ant DIY
It was super easy to make this poison and DIY. I soaked a cotton ball in the solution I made and placed it in a lid to one of my old medicine bottles. I made sure the cotton ball was soaked and filled the cap so a little would pour out to attract the little creepers.
If you put out sweet poison, they will come!
Sometimes it can take the ants a few hours to find it, and sometimes it can take them a few days. Keep this in mind when choosing where to put your Poison Cotton Ball. And don’t forget to keep it away from kids and pets.
Poison ant DIY Hack: Make it easy for the ants to find
Waiting for these guys to crawl up into the medicine cap was taking too long. If you are like me and don’t want to wait too long for the ants to discover the cotton ball, skip putting the cotton ball in the medicine top.
I decided to make it easier for them by placing the cotton ball directly on the floor. I was in such a hurry to see them eat the poison and head back to their colony to share with all their friends, that I didn’t think to grab some wax paper to put the cotton ball on.
Make sure to place your cotton ball near where the ants are currently hanging out/traveling. This could be on the floor, although it also works on the kitchen counter or near the sink. The faster they can find it, the faster this poison ant DIY will work.
Leave your poison ant DIY out for a while
I love the brave ant who crawled to the top of the cotton ball all by his lonesome! For a while, more ants kept coming out of the little spot in my baseboard to feast on the sweet poison. So far, it seems to be working! As you can see in the photos, the ants were happily surrounding the cotton ball. They seemed to love it!
Discard your poison ant DIY Cotton Ball
Four hours later all the nasty little buggers were gone! Once the sugar water feast was over, I went ahead and threw away the soaked cotton ball.
I threw the cotton ball away in a zip lock bag. No need to attract the ants or other critters to the trash, right?
I love that this is a set-and-forget solution. After soaking the cotton ball I set it where the ants could find it, then came back when I was done working to clean up the mess. I didn’t have to find a mask and try to figure out where I needed to spray to kill some ants.
This solution is genius since it lures the ants right to the poison! I also love that it doesn’t just work on the ants that I can see. They can carry it back and share it with the other ants I can’t see and eliminate the root of the problem instead of just the symptom.
Don’t forget to clean up your poison ant DIY area
I had such a lovely grin on my face as I cleaned the sweet poison ants DIY off the floor. There was no way I was going to let a bunch of ants slow down my day or get the better of me.
I did slow down long enough to take pictures and write this post. Just gotta say that.
The recipe makes a lot of poison, so if you would like to store it for future use, you can use either a glass jar or a plastic container. You could also make half or even a quarter of the recipe and have plenty for a batch.
This “poison ants DIY” Pin Rocks!
Poison Ants DIY
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 Tablespoons of Borax
- 3 cups warm water
Instructions
- Mix sugar and Borax with water until it dissolves.
- Soak cotton ball with solution then place cotton ball on wax paper. Place the wax paper with the soaked cotton ball near ants.
- This makes a ton of ant poison, cut the recipe to 1/4 and you will still have plenty!
Poison Ant DIY Updates
UPDATE: It is now Friday morning August 23rd and not an ant in sight! There has been a big response to this post which has generated a lot of questions. Instead of answering each question in the comments, I am listing them here for everyone’s benefit.
The original author mentioned she hasn’t seen any more ants since using this method, so I am confident they will stay away. If for any reason they do come back, I know exactly how to get rid of them quickly and easily!
Did I use Borax or Boric acid for the poison ant DIY?
My photo has a picture of a box of Borax, but I listed boric acid in the recipe. I used Borax and have updated the recipe to 3 Tbsp of Borax.
Poison Ant DIY: Are Borax and boric acid the same thing?
No. Borax is a combination of sodium, boron, and oxygen and is mined from the soil. Boric acid is a crystalline material made from borax. While Borax and boric acid are not chemically identical, one can be substituted for the other to accomplish the same thing in regards to killing ants.
How does Borax kill ants in this poison ant DIY?
Borax works primarily as a stomach toxin on ants. The worker ants will carry the bait food, loaded with Borax, back to the nest. The ants in the colony will ingest it and die.
Is Borax dangerous and/or toxic to children and pets?
Yes, you should keep both children and pets away from this bait solution, Borax, and boric acid.
Did you love this poison ant DIY tutorial? Check out more great cleaning tips and ideas from This Grandma Is Fun
- How to Clean Your BBQ Grills
- Magic Way to Clean Your Windows
- How to Remove Hard Water Deposits
- How to Clean Your Stove Burners
- DIY Dishwashing Detergent
- Miracle Wand For Cleaning Glass Shower Doors
- Super Stubborn Grease Stain Remover
- Homemade Air Freshener
- Clean Your Iron The Magic Way
- DIY Granite Cleaner
You have used the words Borax and Boric Acid in this post. I know that they are not quite the same thing. Which one is it?
Heather,
I used Borax not boric acid. Good luck! Tracy – The Middle Sister
Wow girl guess you got rid of Princess Atta and the entire ant colony huh? What I love about this method is that you don;t have that poison smell that spray poisons leave behind…I’m always afraid to use those around kids and pets! Thanks for sharing this great tip at the Fluster Buster Party! Can’t wait to see what you bring next week, Lizy Party co host
You don’t have the Health Hazards from the POISONS Either.
I had some ants early in the summer, saw this idea on Pinterest, ran out and bought Borax, and when I got back…all the ants were gone! I never got a chance to try this out. So apparently, just having a sealed box of Borax in the house is enough to scare them away 😉 Good to know it works…and I’m ready if they come back!
If you have kids(or nieces/nephews) you can make slime with the borax.
Hey Bob,
Hmmmm…. I’ve seen recipes for slime all over Pinterest. I’ll have to give it a try! Thanks for following us and commenting, we LOVE our readers comments, Tracy
Borax is great for laundry too-
I always have borax in the house for it is one of the ingredients for my laundry detergent.
You can get a box of Borax a lot cheaper if you look around.
Oh how I love this post. I especially like the little thought boxes in the pictures. I’ve done icing sugar and borax, but never mixed with warm water and cotton balls….thinking I might have to try that. The ants I tend to deal with are red and mostly stay around the vegetable garden, those little buggers will bit to protect “their” veggies. So I think I will be adding the warm water and cotton balls, 4 hours to death works great for me 😉
Thanks for the post.
Ricki,
You are welcome! Make sure to put the cotton balls on wax paper, Borax can be harmful to plants. Tracy – The Middle Sister
You don’t have to use cotton balls in the garden. Use waffles. Put them in containers with lids and pokes hole so the ants fit to get in. They take the waffle bits back to their mound and eventually feed them to the queen. Hopefully garden problem solved. I have cut ants that took all my watermelons this year. It was really bad.
How does it effect them though- the borax?
Borax acts as a toxin to their digestive systems resulting in death. Tracy – The Middle Sister
I sit Borax or Boric acid? You named both.
Martha,
I used Borax not boric acid. I’ve corrected the recipe to read Borax. Thanks – Tracy – The Middle Sister
Just a little confused, your ingredients say Borax but your directions say boric acid??
I used Borax not boric acid. Tracy – The Middle Sister
You are showing a box of Borax but in the instructions it says to use boric acid. There IS a difference. See here:
https://www.dodsonbros.com/blog/borax-and-boric-acid-for-insect-control-228.html
Important to know because of children and pets!
Melanie,
I used Borax not boric acid. Borax is also considered a toxic substance and should be kept away from children and pets. Thanks for commenting! Tracy – The Middle Sister
Is this toxic to cats?
Yes it would be toxic to your cat. It would be best to keep your cat in another room or outside until the ants are gone and you can remove the Borax. Tracy – The Middle Sister
I’m a little confused, in the instructions it says Boric acid. but in the ingredients it says Borax. Which did you use??
Donna,
I used Borax not Boric acid, I’ve corrected the post to avoid further confusion. Thanks for commenting! Tracy – The Middle Sister
Boric Acid found in the pharmacy department also works. I have a recipe to kill ants that you mix mint jelly with Boric acid to make a paste. It is also an effective method. I would think the boric acid would work in this instance too.
Hey Jamie,
I’ve never heard of purchasing Boric Acid from the pharmacy, nice to know of another resource. Thanks for sharing such a great tip, Tracy
I guess it would not be good around dogs either. My dog gets into everything.
Sue,
Borax is toxic to children and pets, proper safety precautions should be taken. Good Luck! Tracy – The Middle Sister
I don’t like any bugs. I haven’t really seen ants in the house in quite some time but that’s probably because we have a company come around to spray for them. Glad you got the upper hand on this one.
Annamaria
This is a great idea. Will try outside as soon as it stops raining and the solution will remain undiluted. My ants find their way in by the kitchen sink backsplash no matter how sealed it is. I put a thin line of boric acid along the back of the backsplash with an old hair coloring bottle. Has stopped the invasion cold. This is NOT for households with kids or pets. I’d use the cotton ball idea, but they haven’t crossed the boric acid line, so I’ll get ’em at the source outside. I also put the boric acid in between the windows, that’s stopped the critters also. Thanks!
wonder if this would work for earwigs to
I did some research and couldn’t fine any evidence that this and poison would work on earwigs. If you decide to give it a try we would love to hear how it turns out! Tracy – The Middle Sister
if I do try, it wil be next,for the season has past for earwigs. thank you for answering
You talk about treating ants inside the house, but what about ant mounds and trails outside? Can this mixture be put in a sprayer and used on mounds in the yard or would you suggest just dropping a cotton ball on top of mound?
Wands,
I would drop the cotton ball on top of the mound. This strength of Borax can be harmful to plants. Let us know how it works! Tracy – The Middle Child
Have you tried using this outdoors? I am interested in trying just need to figure out a way to keep it covered from the birds and other animals. I have a problem with those big red ants. OKAY. I just read your post on adding it to the top of the mound. I am going to try it. I will let you know how it works in a few days. =)
I have used white vinegar and water, with luck, just spray around where they are at and they disappear and it doesn’t hurt your pets safe for kids also
Barbara,
Thanks for the great tip on how to get rid of ants without using Borax! Have a great day, Tracy – The Middle Sister
Ants mark the trail for their buddies using formic acid (HCOOH). some species can actually spray it as a defense measure. The vinegar (.CH3COOH) is probably so close in composition that it confuses the ants and they get lost or otherwise just avoid the areas where they are blind.’- chemically speaking. I’ve used vinegar in the house and around the outside perimeter of the house as a general deterrent.
I also use borax/sugar (sometimes a drop or 2 of honey) regularly.in a small bottle cap around the yard. Never thought about the cotton ball. Great idea. going to try it today.
If anyone out there still smokes, I have had good success in controlling spiders by soaking butts in ethanol for a few days, filtering and then spraying areas popular with spiders using an old windex bottle. Seems to work for cockroaches as well. Probably a good idea not to smoke when you’re spraying though. Be careful not to spray anything that might get stained with tobacco juice.
I tried using the vinegar and water because I don’t have any borax and I use that for cleaning. It did kill the ones I have but more are coming in anyway. So that might work for short term.
Ali,
I hope your vinegar and water will work for you long term! If not the ant poison works like charm. Thanks for following us, we love hearing from you! Tracy (the middle sister)
I use full strength vinegar in a spray bottle and it works very well.
Hi Christa,
I’ve never heard of using vinegar before for killing ants. I always have some on hand so I’ll give it a try if any pesky ants show up again. Thanks for the great tip!
Does this work for in side ants only or can it be used on them big ant piles out side?? Any one try to use this outside??
Recently we moved into the home I have wanted for almost 20 years BUT IT HAD TERMITES! !! I was very nervous but we got the hose treated and continue to all year long. One day I noticed a large amount of ants on the exterior of the house near an area I knew termites had been. Worried I called our bug guy from Micks, (in St Louis Mo) our guy came out and looked and said that since the ants were only cleaning up the termite debris. He said termites and ants are enemy’s and that ants are scavengers. So why am I saying all this? It would seem to me that since the ants are coming from the wall you may have a bigger problem than you know and may need to call a professional. Ants can cause damage just like any other bug and your home is a huge investment that should not be ignored. Trust me I’m taking responsibility for the damage the previous owners chose to ignore. Thank you for your post I will be trying it if I have ants come in for the trash can or forgotten soda left in one of the kids rooms but please I beg you to get your home inspected before it’s too late and you have bad dammage. Respectfully Rachel from St Peters Mo.
Rachel,
Thanks for your insights, I’ll look into having our home inspected. Although there is also a chance the ants were after the food my son dropped on the floor while he was eating at my desk! Thanks so much for following us and commenting. I appreciate your concern and advise. Tracy (the middle sister)
I found this on another site a few years ago…. IT WORKS WONDERS! I have since then passed it on to many other people… everyone should try it, but KEEP IT AWAY FROM YOUR PETS PLEASE!!!- Amanda
Absolutely! It does work wonders but do keep it away from our beloved pets!
SO WHAT DO I DO WITH THE REST OF THE BOX OF BORAX?
Hey Lonnie!
Add about 1/4 cup to each load of laundry, it works great! Check out this post: 30 Little Know Uses For Borax (https://goo.gl/ivH8q1), from One Good Thing by Jillee. Oh, and save a little of that Borax just in case any of those pesky ants come back! Have a great day, Tracy (the middle sister)
Once you have them out of your house, a line of chalk around the windows and any cracks in the foundation will stop them from getting back in. Or coffee grounds (used, of course) will drive them away from the house and your plants will like the grounds too. Plant peonies away from the house to give them somewhere else to go, they love peonies.
Sibu,
Thanks for letting me know about the chalk and coffee grinds, both are easy solutions for keeping the ants from returning. I just happen to love, love, love peonies, this is a win, win situation for ants and humans! Thank you for following us and leaving your comment. Have a great day – Tracy (the middle sister)
Will this work for fire ants in the yard?
Hi Kay!
It is harder to get rid of ants outside than inside. But yes, this should work with the fire ants in your yard, you may have to do it more than once. Best of luck, Tracy
This worked for me to get rid of big, black ants. I didn’t have cotton balls, so I soaked a paper towel. I’m glad I read this, though. I had been wondering about my cats. I locked them out of the room while I had it on the floor, but the idea on here of cutting holes in a medicine bottle so the ants could crawl in, but cats not being able to get it is great! Thank goodness we are all trying to use fewer chemicals!
Hey Julie!
I’m so happy your big black ants are gone! Great to know that paper towels work just as well if you are in a pinch. Thanks for following us and leaving a comment, Tracy
Julie,
Big black ants are probably Wood Ants and do a ton of damage to wood. You need to have your house inspected for Wood Ant damage. They are as bad as termites. They were already at a house we purchased and they killed the BIG oak trees in the yard.I never had them in our house, so the trees probably saved it. Anyway, a wind storm came through and the trees broke, one on top of our house. The trees were full of the damage these ants had caused. We had to take all the trees down. It was so heart wrenching to have to get rid of these giant shade beast. I am telling you this because if they are in your home, or outside, you have a big problem. Just thought I would tell you this so you can decided to have your foundation and trees checked out before it is too late. Wish the previous owners of our home had taken the initiative to stop the damage and I might still have a shady back yard!
Hi Shelta,
Wow, I was not aware that black ants are actually wood ants that can cause so much damage. I’ll be sure to check into this! Thanks for the great information, Tracy
I am SOOO glad to have read this today. We lost two trees over the weekend. At first I thought just due to storm damage, but upon looking at them, the bases where they broke off at were filled with ant colonies. Other than that the trees appeared to have been healthy and were putting out new leaves. Eventually they would have died out though due to all the damage not visible under the bark. Will definitely be stopping by the store on the way home to buy the supplies. And since Shelta mentioned the house, I will be making a perimeter around it first before treating the mounds in the yard and around any more trees. If anyone else has had success with treating their yards/trees, please let me know.
Well, I hope this works, I have everything I need and am getting ready to try it. I just have one question. Is the poison storable? I think I’m going to make a lot more than I need, but can I store it or should I throw it out?
Alisha,
I stored mine for a month just in case the ants came back. I ended up with some ants in the garage and it worked just as well after having been stored for a month. We would love to hear how it works for you! Good luck, Tracy
I’m so glad I found this post. I have very sandy soil in my yard and every year, despite my efforts, there are ant colonies dotted all over the yard. I’m really looking forward to trying this out and have high hopes that it will work. Short of hiring a professional I’ve tried numerous store bought solutions that either weren’t very effective, were costly, or required time and effort to distribute properly. This seems so much faster, easier and cheaper! I’m really excited (isn’t that pathetic?) to try this and am hoping it will be a simpler solution that works.
Thanks for the information!
Hi Sandra!
NO, it is not pathetic to be excited and hopeful that this method will work for you! I was thrilled when it worked for me. Outside ants are a little harder to get rid of so don’t get discouraged if you have to try it a couple of times. Good luck and let us know how it works for you 🙂 Thanks for your comment, they make our day! Tracy
I share a room with my cat , food and all, and the ants found her food, coming in through the casing in the window. I sprinkled cinnamon on the sill. This stopped most of them…but every once in awhile a scout will make it through. So I have a spray bottle of Shaklee’s Basic H cleaning mixture…which strips the oils off their body and they drown. So all non-toxic and clean walls, lol
Hi Anne!
Wow, a product that is non-toxic and helps with multitasking, I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for letting me know! Tracy
You could always take an empty disposable water bottle, remove the lid, push the cotton ball into the bottle, and place the open bottle wherever the ants can access it…. yet pets & children would be less likely to come into contact with the Borax. (Or alternately, place the Borax soaks cotton ball inside the empty water bottle, SuperGlue the lid onto it, & cut a small hole in the bottle to lessen the access to the Borax even further, yet still allow the ants an open invitation to your poisonous feast!)
~Libby
Hi Libby!
Great idea to use a disposable water bottle, thanks for sharing it with us! Tracy
All you need is to soak ONE cotton ball…………………i.e. just a 1/2 TSP of sugar and 1/2 TSP of Borax and a few drops of water to moist in it………….no need for “buckets” of the mixture. Dry mix without water works as well. Just keep it even sugar/Borax and not too diluted. This recipe must have been “invented” by makers of Borax :)) If you don’t have Borax at home, use whole wheat flour or cream of wheat – no need for sugar. It works.
Hey Jay!
Thanks for letting us know that we can make smaller amounts of this awesome ant poison! No more storing the extra poison in the fridge 🙂 Have a great day! Tracy
We use Borax and Sugar every spring around the outside of the house to kill the ants before they enter. Just mix a 5lb bag of sugar and a box of Borax into a pail and walk around your home sprinkling the mixture where the foundation starts. No more ants!!!! Just make sure you do it BEFORE it rains otherwise you will be doing it again. We usually do it in the spring and maybe once in the summer.
Hi Pat,
I’ve had quite a few people ask if this ant poison will work outdoors. I will definitely be using your ant poison next year before it rains. Thanks for sharing such a great tip with us! Have a great weekend, Tracy
Tracy, I have been reading all of the comments about this age old ant remedy from “back in the day” when most of us already knew of the “homebrew” to keep ants from our doorstep. It seems to me that, with all of the grammatical changes and techno-alterations to our basic language from usage of a “smart” phone [LOL, ROFLMAO] to acronyms like [ASAP, WTF, PDQ], so many people read things but they do NOT digest what they read. Way too many questions about the pets and the placement and the toxicity which lead me to believe that we have become so alien to our very complicated English language that we possibly do not know the meaning of many words we use daily. With all the acronyms and abbreviations and “cool” words we use today that probably had entirely different meanings originally, we seem to depend on terms like present tense of the verb form of the word “pet” (to stroke or groom with the hand), which is the same spelling as the the all inclusive noun for all of the animals we choose to keep in our homes as friends/companions/sometimes toys for the kids.
I had to laugh at your remark to Pat’s post which inferred that her ant “treatment” only works in Spring before it rains! I still smile as I type this. Tracy, I doubt very seriously that ants really know which season of the year it is or whether it will rain or not if they find something that tempts their palate! I’d bet a box of Borax that, if you put this mix down around your house tomorrow, it would probably kill ants.
Thanks for the chuckle anyway, at my age I have to glean my humor from some very obtuse areas!! 😉
I had to laugh at the “cut the recipe to 1/4” comment! Are you trying to send all those folks with math anxiety into a fatal fraction frenzy? Look at the original recipe and then think thirds… am I right…or am I right!
Oh yeah Mary, ya gotta be from my age group to see the humor in that recipe breakdown!! I guess we were raised using terms like “common sense” and “don’t try to re-invent the wheel” as our guidelines for grammar.
To answer your question, yeah, you ARE ……………. “right as rain” on a Spring morning!! Ha!
I was wondering if there is something other than borax I could use with this? I cant seem to find any around my area.
Hi Hayle! They do sell it on Amazon and here’s the link for ya! https://www.amazon.com/Borax-Mule-Team-Detergent-Booster/dp/B000VCFAXO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411590417&sr=8-1&keywords=borax
Just bought this today 76 ounce of Borax at Walmart under $4.oo , Amazon Over $12.oo Plus shipping
I got mine at Wal-Mart too!
OLEASE NOTE THAT BORAX IS TOXIC TO DOGS AND CAN KILL THEM……..
Hi Brenda!
The following statement is included my post: Is Borax dangerous and or toxic to children and pets? Yes, you should keep both children and pets away from this bait solution. Further information can be found on 20 Mule Team Material Safety Data Sheet.
You can never be too careful when using chemicals around children and pets. Thanks for following us, Tracy
Sprinkling Borax along cracks, crevices, and in likely hiding places is a long-time-used, non-toxic way of getting rid of cockroaches & such as well. The boric acid in the Borax coats the insect’s outsides. They carry it away on their bodies because it sticks to them, and they spread it around their nests, and soon all the bugs die… from suffocation, not from poisoning.. An added bonus to using Borax instead of poisons: because it is NOT a poison, they do not (cannot) develop resistance like they can (and do) to poison. This method takes longer to work than poisoning. People with instant gratification issues might not like it as much. But it works, is not dangerous for pets, and it keeps on being effective from one generation of bugs to the next.
This Borax treatment sounds great for inside. I’ve used corn meal (white or yellow) sprinkle on ant mound outside,
1 Tbsp. will do the trick. It may take a week but they can’t digest it and take to the queen and the whole nest is
wiped out. Super non- toxic. Learned this when feeding feral cats and didn’t want poison near their food. Not
harmful to birds or other critters. Also Sweet & Low will poison them. Wonder what it does to us over the long
haul.
Hey Jojo,
Great tip about the corn meal, we have two cats and each year I end up with ants around their food. Can’t wait to give this a try, thanks again, Tracy
@Jojo – Yeah, one has to wonder about the alternate effects of these substances on us as humans. Going back a few years, we had a very effective rat poison around the farm which as sure to eliminate the critters from tearing holes in feed bags or getting into feed bins and cleaning them out. Then the government stepped in and banned the poison from retail sales as rat poison. It was later reinstated in a much lower dose as a rodenticide. Now, we have a “drug” which helps in thinning blood to lower the risk of heart blockage and other blood clotting medical problems. It is call Coumadin and is exactly the same strength with much less dosage than that old time rat poison. the main ingredient in Coumadin is Warfarin, the rat poison which was banned.
Check out this website: https://www.drugs.com/coumadin.html
It explains what Coumadin is in 7 short lines of script, then it goes on to explain some “Important Information” about Coumadin. That explanation will take you 5 or 6 minutes to read if you read all about the side effects of Coumadin on the human body.
So many times, it isn’t the dosage of a patent drug that will kill us, it is the SIDE EFFECTS!! Read and heed before taking any patent drug.
Sorry to derail your ant killer blog but I feel the concept is important enough to address it here.
Hi
I love your blog and read it every week. However l am really interested in getting rid of ants. I too cannot stand them and this year again they have found there way into my house. I am from the UK and so just wanted to know what the Borac would be for me in the UK as we dont have this. Many thanks and keep up the good work xxx
Hi Elaine! Thanks so much for reading our blog. You don’t know how much that means to us! So here is a link of what Borax is so that you might be able to find some locally. https://www.amazon.com/Borax-Mule-Team-Detergent-Booster/dp/B000VCFAXO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1431439093&sr=8-2&keywords=borax Hope that helps!
I’ve used the Borax,sugar and water before, with a lot of success. My way is putting said ingredients into sour cream or cream cheese containers with holes punched into the lids. This way, I don’t have to worry about my cat getting into them. Works great.
Great tip Bev! Thanks so much for stopping by!
If a dog or cat were to get a hold of this would it hurt them?
Hi Shelly,
Yes, this could harm your cat or dog if they ingest it. I always lock my cats in the garage until all the ants are gone and them I am very careful about cleaning any residue left behind. Hope this helps, Tracy
the ant thing did not work it made it worse i had ante everywhere when i woke up
Hey Liz,
I had that happened once, I just put more poison out and they were all gone the next day. Thanks for giving it a try! Tracy
Why not take the spiders outside, shake out the tissue, and set them free rather than throwing them down the toilet? They don’t want to be inside any more than you want them there! No need to kill any living thing if you can avoid it. I haven’t, however, found a way to avoid ants! I’ll give your suggestion a try next time I’m invaded.
Hi Barbara,
You will be so happy to finally get rid of any ants in your house! Thanks for leaving your comment, we love our followers! Tracy
Hi there!
I was wondering if it will make it worse?
For example, if I put It in one corner of my kitchen will it make them come out stronger in another spot?
Hi Haven,
That hasn’t been a problem for me. If you do have a second occurrence use the poison at the new spot and it should do the job! Hope this helps, Tracy
Didn’t work for me. Although I didn’t know to use cotton balls. That’s what happened to me. they were coming in my kitchen window at the kitchen sink. When I set the bait, they went to the floor & in the cat food and made a trail out the back door, or maybe they were coming in. What I learned from the exterminator: If you spray or wipe them up with a wet paper towel, the little buggers send out pheromones and alert the colony. Everyone gets in a panic & comes out to find out what happened. Bait is good, because they carry it back to the colony & feed the babies, etc. Ants move their colony every 3 months. They love electricity. Not sure why. Had a mass of ants in an electrical outlet on the other side of my house. Exterminators left me little ant traps laced with their special gel. When ants show up I get the traps out. Have to keep the traps in a baggie so they won’t dry out. Only had to use them once. If I need more exterminator brings them to me, NC since I’m on the quarterly program.
Hi Joli,
Thanks for sharing the great information from your exterminator, great to hear you have your ant issues under control! Thanks for following us, Tracy
This recipe looks the same as buying “Terro” Ant killer..
I called Terro and they said its 5% Borax, and the rest sugar water. I pay about 5.00 o $6. 00 for a small bottle.
I’ll be trying this instead of Terro. Hope it works the same, and hope my ants do not come back.
The Terro Compamy told me, what they sell is Not toxic to animals or children, but I would not take that advice.
The whole idea of killing Ants in your house is, The Ants take this food back to the Queen ant. When she dies
the rest of the ants die.
That said, ant go far into the earth, and there are many colonies.
The ants that come in my house , do not come for food, they where in my walk in pantry, there is nothing they want in there, and on the bathtubs in the corner. There is nothing there for them.. Ants can eat through your Grout to get in.
I have never had ants in 50 yrs, . Now that we build a new house a few years ago, it seems we built on a Ant Hill. We should have had the
property sprayed before the slab was put down..Wish I known that before we started to build.
There is also Carpenter Ants that are like Termite Ants, and this will not kill them.
The captions on the pictures made me laugh whilst reading through the story! Thanks for sharing!
Hi WesTXGrl13,
I couldn’t resist putting a few captions on the photos, so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks so much for following us and commenting, Tracy
Thank you in advance. I will buy a Borax immediately. Those ants invader my house everyday, everytime I forgot to put food in the frigde, I even have to put the bread for breakfast in fridge.
Aren’t ants just nasty little buggers? Hope this works for you Jasmine!
what about outdoor ants, can it be effective?
Hi Vera,
There have been several of our readers who have found this works well on outside ants. Results vary depending on your climate and the type of ants. Give it a try, we would love to hear about your results. Warmly, Tracy
I was having an ant invasion inside my house, I have tried many natural homemade ant killer but they are not effective. Then I have tried a toxic ant killer and my dog almost get poisoned with that toxic ant killer, so not using anymore!!
Then I was looking for safe ant killer that are safe around kids and pets. Then I found some ant killer at https://petsafeantkiller.org which are safe around kids and pets and also very effective….after using those I have seen so much reduction of ants inside my house. And after 2 week they are completely gone. The site has very good information about the pet safe ant killer, it may help you.