Using Borax Powder to Kill Ants
February 22, 2022
What Are Floating Fire Ants?
February 22, 2022Ants, when observed in their natural habitats, are remarkable insects that positively contribute to the environment. They provide many other creatures with a sustainable food supply, help keep the forest floor clean of debris, and create fertile topsoil. Ants are also highly adaptable and can be found across the globe in some of the harshest environments.
The line between positive and negative is crossed by ants when they begin to invade your property, garden, or home. When this line has been crossed, they become a threat that you must deal with to protect your family, pets, and home. Using preventative methods, ant baits, and traps such as ant glue traps can help you keep them out of your house and off your property.
How to Prevent Ant Infestations
Image via Flickr by csakkarin
Ants can be one of your worst enemies if they find their way onto your property and into your home. Ants are always in search of water, food, and shelter, making your property and home likely targets as they forage. It may be impossible to eliminate the threat of ants finding their way into the remote areas of your property or even your home. Still, there are measures you can take that will significantly reduce the chances of having an ant infestation.
Preventative methods you can use to avoid an ant invasion are as follows:
- Outdoors:
- Keep your lawn trimmed and clear of debris.
- Remove large debris such as firewood, logs, and large rocks that provide ground cover.
- Keep landscaping plants trimmed away from the sides of your house.
- When using mulch, keep it away from the foundation of your house by at least 1 foot.
- Indoors:
- Clean your house and keep it free from clutter.
- Seal any, and all crevices, cracks, or gaps ants could use to enter your home.
- Repair faucets or pipes that may be leaking.
- Correct any humidity issues your home may have.
- Water damage should be repaired quickly.
Utilizing these methods can help keep ants where they belong and out of your personal space. If you find that you are experiencing an infestation of ants and can’t seem to get a handle on the situation, a professional pest control agency can help. They will be able to evaluate the situation and develop a plan to rid you of ants and prevent future intrusions.
What Are Ant Baits?
Ant bait is a form of insecticide that is easy to use and is highly effective for eliminating entire colonies of ants and controlling ant infestations. Slow-acting liquid ant baits are by far the best as ants can drink their fill of the bait and quickly distribute it to the rest of the colony. Powdered and granular ant baits are effective but may take longer to work due to the ants having to take the bait back to their nest in a solid form.
You may want to make homemade ant bait out of everyday household items you may already have available. Preparing and distributing ant bait can be inexpensive and highly effective for eliminating ants. A couple of examples of DIY ant baits are:
- Borax and sugar: Mix 2 tablespoons of Borax, 1 cup of water, and 2 cups of sugar in a saucepan, boiling them for at least three minutes. Once it cools into a paste, you can place it directly to areas where ants are active.
- Baking soda and powdered sugar: This combination includes one part powdered sugar and one part baking soda. Baking soda disrupts the digestive system of ants, slowly killing them. The powdered sugar is used to attract the ants to the bait and to mask the baking soda, as the ants won’t be able to distinguish between the two ingredients. Place this bait directly in the path of foraging ants for it to be most effective.
What Are Ant Glue Traps?
Ant glue traps are products designed to attract and capture ants, ultimately killing them. These traps are made of cardboard with a layer of sticky glue that has been embedded with an aroma to attract ants. The cardboard trap is designed to fold into a tent as a means of protecting the sticky surface from dust and dirt. The majority of glue traps don’t have insecticides in them but are still effective at killing ants by permanently trapping them.
Glue traps, in general, are used to monitor what types of insects are in your home, including ants. They allow you to detect pests that may otherwise go unnoticed. This information is valuable and gives you an advantage when developing a plan to get rid of pests, like ants, in your home. Glue traps are not meant to be used to control invading ants or to get rid of a full-blown ant infestation but are great for alerting you to the presence and number of ants you may be dealing with.
Placement is everything when it comes to glue traps. Most insects and pests travel in dark, secluded areas and along edges, making the glue traps more effective when placed in these areas. The open ends of the trap should be parallel to the wall they are against to ensure that ants and other pests have easy access. The only limit to how many ant glue traps you can use is how many convenient places you have to place them in your home.
If you decide to use ant glue traps, you will need to consider that they aren’t designed to deal with an ant invasion but are only meant to be used as an early warning system. Using ant glue traps in conjunction with ant baits is a more effective way of eliminating the threat of ants in your home. Learning all you can about preventative measures, ant baits, and ant glue traps can help you to protect your family, pets, and house from the ill effects that come with an ant infestation.
