Ant hills are so easily recognizable. They show up almost everywhere. I’m a little behind in my posts on this. Better late than never. there are so many good recipes to help homeowners get rid of ants. I’ve collected a few here, hope this helps.
Every year I have ants in the house and outside my yard resembles an ant minefield. It’s not hard to spot where they are because the grass stops growing and I just see lots of sandy hills.
In the summer of 2013 I tried the boric acid recipe. There are directions on the box and it’s mixed with water. I gave it a try and yes it helped. I put some of the solution on the floor by the closet and I watched as they came to gather around the drinking hole. It was very interesting. Some ants were at the boric acid solution for a while and there were other ants that came, licked a bit and went to the nest and then came back again. They didn’t even seem to notice me watching them. It really was amazing to see how they worked. It took a few hours the first night and then the next few days there weren’t very many ants and then after that they were all gone. In the winter time the ants never show up, but in the spring they start snooping around again and I am getting ready to make another batch for them. If you use this recipe make very sure your kids and animals aren’t around, if they touch the liquid and then ingest it, you’ll be running to the hospital and I mean it will be serious.
Vinegar and Baking Soda creates a volcano
I haven’t tried this one yet. I do baking soda and vinegar when I need to scrub my pots or pans after something burns. This happens a bit more often than I like to think about. Anyways when you add vinegar to baking soda, there is going to be fizz and maybe lots of fizz. This will get the ants running.
Take a stake and stab it down into the ant nest. Wiggle the stake around until you have a fair sized crater. At this point the ants will be investigating. Fill the crater with baking soda about half way up and pour vinegar over it. This is all-natural and will totally destroy the nest. Don’t worry about it leaving a crater in the ground, it mostly fills itself in and if it doesn’t just kick some dirt over it, plant some grass over it, and you will never be able to tell the difference.
.
Another recipe can be made with baking soda and powdered sugar. Mix equal parts baking soda and powdered sugar. Place small amounts in areas you expect ants to locate, including suspected points of entry or frequented hangouts. The powdered sugar is used to bait the ants, as many species of ants are attracted to sweet food sources. The baking soda is what kills the ants. Ants have an acidic substance inside their bodies, and this substance reacts with the baking soda once the ants ingest it.
The results with this method are not instant but it can be highly beneficial. Ants carry the food source back to their nest, where the queen and other ants consume it. So if you don’t get rid of all the ants,you will succeed in killing off a large portion.
Cornmeal isn’t just for cooking and baking
Cornmeal has many uses. Feeding cattle, cooking, baking, and pest control. Cornmeal is popular to control ants. Spread small piles of cornmeal near entryways, nests, and frequented food sources. Ants need to eat the cornmeal before this will work. Cornmeal disrupts the digestive process of the ant. While ants do not die immediately after ingesting the cornmeal, they die a few days later from starvation. Moreover, since the ants take the cornmeal back to their nests, more ants die off in the long run.
Usually, the cornmeal itself is tasty enough to encourage ants to eat it, but If the cornmeal remains untouched after several days, though, you could try mixing a little sugar into it.