You will need: 2 tablespoons of borax/boric acid 1/2 cup of sugar 1 1/2 cups of warm water It is a sugar-based ant bait and it uses borax as an active ingredient to kill ants. It has sweet, and sour tastes, … MMPC's work has been featured in CNN, NPR, and ABC News. In an old container, mix together 3 parts sugar and one part borax. How does Borax kill ants? References The worker ants carry the bait back to the nest before they eat. Place blobs of the peanut butter bait on the counter or place the whole container in an area where ants are spotted. Affiliate Disclaimer: Tipsbulletin.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, Using a Solid Borax Ant Bait Trap Outside, Killing Large Ants with Peanut Butter and Borax, Using Borax Ant Traps in a Home with Pets, Privacy Policy – GDPR – Medical Disclaimer – DMCA. Receive the latest Home & Garden Tips by entering your email below: We respect your privacy and take protecting it very seriously. The easiest way to mix up this simple ant-killing solution is by stocking up on borax crystals and sugar. ", "Pics and great explanation - above the rest. It may even be beneficial, as it is a really good antifungal. That one will get the worker ants. Thanks. Kevin Carrillo is a Pest Control Specialist and the Senior Project Manager for MMPC, a pest control service and certified Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE) based in the New York City area. Ants will try to dig a separate tunnel to escape, but the borax will probably kill around 100 within 24 hours. humans). You can find boric acid in either your local grocery or hardware stores. Shake the powder together to distribute the two ingredients evenly. Borax powder is also a natural roach killer. Don't put it off, first sign of ants, do it. Place this mixture where the ants travel. Sugar is what the … How to Get Rid of Sugar Ants In The House With Vinegar. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Soak cotton balls in the solution, storing them in a plastic container. Roaches can’t resist this delicious bait either and share it with others, soon eliminating a roach infestation. What Borax Does to Ants. This article was co-authored by Kevin Carrillo. If you only need to keep ants out of pet food, indoors or outside, put the food dish in a container of water. 7 expensive beauty products you can make yourself. Break off small pieces of bread and dip them into the solution. I have carpenter ants attacking the cabinet that houses my wall oven. I see sawdust on the floor, but can't see where they are. Soak several cotton balls in the borax solution, then set the cotton balls near where you’ve been seeing the ants. ", "I was skeptical, but tried the borax & sugar water method. This Borax solution works well to eliminate pavement ants, big-headed ants, and black ants. Borax Ant Bait Traps 1 cup of sugar 5 tablespoons of Borax Honey Water Short container with lid Once you discover that you have an ant problem in your home, it’s necessary to take care of the issue right away to prevent an ant infestation. Mint Jelly and Boric Acid If you are not having success with Borax and sugar, then mixing up some boric acid and mint jelly may be your best course of action. Although they’re both used as a pesticide, boric acid … Stir well to make sure it’s completely mixed. The ants disappeared overnight! This article received 23 testimonials and 96% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. I learned some new information as well. So as long as the pet doesn't get it in its eyes, nose, or mouth it should be fine. No spam! Both ingredients contain boron and are effective for all types of ants. Borax, or sodium borate, is a mineral salt that interferes with an ant’s digestive system and kills them after consuming it, but not before they head back to ant colony nest and share the Borax bait with fellow ants. Combine the peanut butter, honey, and Borax in a small shallow container. Keep it away from children, pets, and food. This article was, "I used both methods last evening. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 690,727 times. Is it safe to use borax in an area that my cat can get to? If my pet accidentally touches the borax solution, will it get injured? Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. By letting the ants spread the Borax around, you can get rid of them in no time at all. ", is a perfect contradiction to the more detailed (with steps) explanation above. Sugar ants find their way to where sweet stuff can be found. These little insects produce some sweet food for sugar ants. Kevin Carrillo. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Set the jar in an area where there is a suspected ant infestation. One and a half cup of warm water.Then, soak a few cotton balls in the borax-sugar-water mixture. Mix 2 tablespoons of borax with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. To use this ant killing recipe, begin by locating the ant trail. Unlike food grade diatomaceous earth, which compromises the exoskeleton of insects, Borax internally poisons ants and their colony. As one of the best home remedies for sugar ants, this recipe is both simple to make and use. It should be kept in mind that the ants won’t get attracted to the Borax. The ants don’t see borax as a food source, so, won’t even come near it. Adult ants are only able to digest a liquid diet, so it’s essential to set up both liquid and solid Borax ant bait traps. 3. Add a small amount of honey and stir the solution until everything dissolves. Mix ¼ cup of powdered sugar with a tablespoon of borax to sprinkle near the areas where the ants come into your house. For tips on using borax to kill the entire colony, keep reading! To get rid of sugar ants effectively, pour sugar and Mule Team Borax into a container that is large enough to hold the ant bait yet short enough to enable ants easy access. Take a solution (1 part boric acid and 10 part sugar mixed well) and form a paste or a tablet and place them in the ares where you see sawdust. Fill tiny containers (such as bottle caps) with this homemade ant bait and place them as close to the place where you suspect ants are entering your house. Where do I put the mix? How does boric acid kill ants, and is it the same thing as Borax? MMPC's work has been featured in CNN, NPR, and ABC News. Borax can be dangerous or even toxic if it is ingested by pets. Kevin Carrillo is a Pest Control Specialist and the Senior Project Manager for MMPC, a pest control service and certified Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE) based in the New York City area. 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. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Using a Borax mixture as ant bait is the easiest way to get rid of ants without calling in an exterminator, whether you are dealing with fire ants, carpenter ants, sugar ants, or worker ants. Making a Borax and Honey Ant Trap. This ant killer can be applied in both indoor and outdoor areas. Get rid of aphids. 22 October 2019. I ordered a large amount of borax, and have shared with all my neighbors. The borax/sugar works, thank you for posting! You should mix it with sugar in order to attract and kill the ants by using the bait. How long does this take to kill the ants? Put it along the trail away from food to attract them to it. Before using Borax to eliminate ants, establish where they are coming into your home and how big your ant problem is. ", "I have had trouble controlling ants. Mix boric acid with sugar until it turns into a paste and then place small amounts of the paste around the entrances to the ant nest. ", "Borax and sugar worked wonders. Borax will kill odorous house ants, and powdered sugar will attract them. This article has been viewed 690,727 times. There are a variety of methods and products for getting rid of the sugar ants in the house. Fill up small plastic lids with the mixture and leave them on the ant trails. Expert Interview. If I put plain borax on the floor of the car and in the trunk, will that work? An infestation of ants in the home is almost as bad as cockroaches. 1. They will pick up the borax and sugar mixture and take it back to the colony where it will exterminate the ants when they ingest it. Mix the two ingredients and add just enough warm water to form a pasty consistency. Ants are a problem in many homes, especially in the springtime. They are climbing on my wall and across the top cabinet. One and a half tablespoon of Borax. Your nice illustration really did the job, thanks! My mother used it but I never asked for the recipe/method. Borax powder is the perfect solution for eliminating any type of ant because of it’s low toxicity to animals and people in the home. What can I do? You will be making a liquid solution using borax, sugar, and water, and then soaking cotton balls into this solution. Once the other ants have ingested the poisonous bait, they’ll slowly begin to die. It's comparable to saying don't touch sugar because nitric acid is toxic. The answer is yes, but it depends on whether you use a liquid or solid Borax bait. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Look for the lowest point of the trail. Ants drown when they attempt to reach the food. If you can't find the nest, place the bait where you see the ants. Place the soaked cotton balls in the areas affected by the ant infestation.The sugar that you have added to the mix will attract the ants to the cotton balls. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/99\/Kill-Ants-Using-Borax-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Kill-Ants-Using-Borax-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/99\/Kill-Ants-Using-Borax-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/aid1132123-v4-728px-Kill-Ants-Using-Borax-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"