Quote:
Originally Posted by kdhawks  My mom used powdered sugar and 20 mule team borax as an ant killer when I was growing up - apparently it works, but I feel like that probably isn't very Yorkie-friendly. Good luck with those pesky pests! |
I actually watched something about this and learned you must be really careful with the Borax as it is poisonous. They aslo said if you sprinkled oatmeal the other ants would carry it back to the Queen and she would eat the oatmeal and when she drank it would swell up and kill her and so no more new ants. I just found this too.
Organic Methods: How to Get Rid of Ants Naturally
There are several ways to get rid of ants in your house naturally without having to resort to pesticides or harsh chemicals that may have undesirable effects on you, your pets, your children, or your local environment. Some of these techniques will simply repel the ants and keep them out of your house or kitchen, while others will actually kill the ants. The most effective of the organic methods include:
1. Boiling water is probably the simplest method of killing ants quickly and directly. Hot water from your faucet can be used to blast ants off your kitchen sink and counter tops, while boiling water can be poured over any ant mounds discovered in your yard.
2. Borax powder, when mixed with sugary water or syrup, can be used as a home remedy to get rid of ants. It works in the same way that more expensive, store-bought ant baits do: the sugar or syrup attracts the ants and entices them to eat the bait, while the borax acts as a stealth poison and eventually kills the ants after they carry the bait back to their colony.
3. If you need to use something that is completely non-toxic, you can try cornmeal. The ants will eat it, but their bodies are unable to properly digest it. Consequently, the cornmeal clogs up their systems and the ants eventually suffocate. Another variation on this trick is to use foods that readily expand when exposed to liquids, such as grits or oatmeal. When the ants eat these kinds of foods, the portions that are consumed will expand as they soak up the fluids from the ants’ bodies. Soon afterward, the ants die from a combination of fluid loss and severe internal pressure.
4. Several kinds of organic, plant-based substances will repel ants and can be dropped near cracks, crevices, or any other areas where you think that ants are getting into your house from the outside. These include (but are not limited to) cayenne pepper powder, chili pepper powder, laurel leaves, any variety of mint leaves, and extracts of citrus fruits. Other kinds of strongly aromatic spices such as cinnamon or clove can also work as repellents but are not used as commonly as the others.
5. Sometimes ants gain access to houses by crawling across the branches of trees or bushes. If this is the case in your situation, simply trimming back these branches away from the house can prevent future invasions.
6. Interestingly, some people have discovered that ants will not cross a line of chalk or talcum powder. This means that you can draw these “magical” lines in strategic locations to keep ants out of specific areas.
7. After you have managed to get rid of the ants in your house, an important preventive measure is to use silicon caulking to seal any cracks where ants might be getting in. If you have any drafty doors, you can apply weather strips to seal off these types of gaps.
8. Certain kinds of reptiles such as toads, frogs, and lizards will eat ants and hold their populations in check, making it less likely that ants will get into your house in the first place. I have noticed that you can encourage the population growth of these reptiles by keeping gardens and landscaped areas well-watered. You can also plant some mint in these areas as an additional homeland security measure. Mint plants tend to proliferate rapidly, however, so you may need to harvest or trim back some of it occasionally so that it does not take over too much of your garden area