Suffering from an ant control problem in your garden? This homemade ant killer is as effective as it is 100% safe and natural! No need for chemicals or expensive treatments – this homemade ant killer recipe is super cheap and it actually works better than most store bought traps. This DIY bait station is also safe for your plants.
Kill the ants once and for all using borax and sugar! Yep, you heard right – a simple combination of borax (sodium tetraborate), sugar, and water will exterminate ants and other small insects that may have taken up residence in or around your home. Ant colonies (even fire ants) will completely disappear after just one application. But how exactly does this borax ant killer work?
It's pretty simple actually? The mixture is borax and sugar, and so naturally, ants are attracted to the sugar. Worker ants will quickly find the sugar mix and carry it back to the rest of the colony. The ant queen will then ingest the sweet (but poisonous boric acid) mixture and she will die, as will the rest of the colony. The active ingredient in Borax, which is boric acid, is what actually poisons and kills the ants. Although these food sources attract the ants, their digestive system cannot handle the Borax. After a few days, your ant infestation should be a thing of the past.
This is an easy and inexpensive way to control ants and also prevent them from popping up in your home. This DIY ant killer will also work on bigger ants, such as carpenter ants.
Homemade Ant Killer With Borax
You'll Need:
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp Borax
Directions:
Mix the borax, sugar, and water together until well dissolved. There are 3 different ways you can apply this DIY ant killer, which is actually a great pest control solution not only for ants, but for other insects as well such as cockroaches, fleas, and silverfish. But it's best for controlling ant activity, whether it be regular ants or carpenter ants.
Using the Homemade Ant Killer:
Method 1: Cotton Balls
Soak cotton balls into the Borax mixture until well soaked and place the cotton balls where the ant trails may be. This can be in your home, around your garden, or literally anywhere you have ants! Be sure to place the soaked cotton balls at any entry points where ants may try to come in.
Method 2: Spray
Pour the Borax mixture into a spray bottle and spray onto the ant paths. This will prevent ants from ever coming back, and if they ingest the mixture, they will die. This method is safe for pets and children as well, so no need to worry about harmful chemicals.
Method 3:
Pour the mixture into different corners of your home or your garden (especially around where you think they ants may come from). The ants will ingest the mixture because of the sugar and carry it back to their colony, which will kill them.
This Borax mixture is 100% safe for kids, pets, and plants!
Other Ant Killer Recipes
If Borax is not your thing, or perhaps someone in your home is allergic to it, we have a few other favorite homemade ant killer recipes we'd like to share with you! These recipes are all cheap and easy to make, and best of all, they're effective at combating an ant infestation!
#1. Vinegar Ant Killer Recipe
This simple recipe requires only two ingredients: vinegar and water! It's cheap, it's easy, it's fast, it's safe, and best of all, it works! Mix equal parts water with equal parts vinegar and pour in a spray bottle. This recipe is good for a quick elimination solution. Simply spray directly onto the ants and wipe up the mess!
#2. Dish Soap Ant Killer
This is another simple ant killer which again, is cheap and quick to make. Simply mix equal parts dish soap with water and mix in a spray bottle. Spray directly onto the ants and wipe away!
#3. Essential Oil Ant Killer
For a more heavy duty ant killer, try essential oils. Essential oils will not only kill ants on contact, but they can also destroy an entire colony. Mix 1 cup of water, or half water and half vinegar, with about 40 drops of any of the following essential oils:
- Tea tree oil
- Clove essential oil
- Peppermint essential oil
Mix all ingredients thoroughly and pour into a spray bottle. Spray directly on the ends, or anywhere where you think the ants may be entering, such as doorways.
#4. Peanut Butter Ant Trap
Some ants, believe it or not, are not as attracted to sugary substances as others. Some ants actually prefer a more savory meal, such as peanut butter. Mix a tablespoon of peanut butter with one teaspoon of Borax. Now grab a straw, and push that mixture into the straw using a wooden stick. Once the straw is nice and full, cut it into smaller pieces and place where ants may enter, such as doorways.
#5. Cornmeal Colony Ant Killer
If you're serious about killing an entire ant colony, this cornmeal method is the way to go! But, surprisingly enough, it's not the cornmeal that kills the colony – it's a little hidden surprise that's INSIDE the cornmeal mixture, which is Borax. Ants are attracted to cornmeal, so just like the Borax and sugar mix recipe above, they'll carry it back to their colony. Onto a small plate, add 70/30 ratio of cornmeal and Borax and wait for the ants to come!
Homemade Ant Killer
Equipment
- Spray Bottle
- Cotton Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp Borax
Instructions
- Mix the borax, sugar, and water together until well dissolved.
- Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray directly onto ants for a quick, instant fix.
- Soak cotton balls in solution and place near entryways such as doors and windows.
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what is the best homemade ant killer from this list would u say?
Hi Peter,
The best homemade ant killer is definitely the sugar and Borax mixture. Boric acid is deadly to ants, so once the ants carry it back to their colony (because of the sweet sugar), all ants will die off.
How long does it take for borax to kill ants?
Hi Derrek,
It all depends on how bad the ant infestation is, and how many Borax traps you’ve seen. For a smaller infestation, you can expect the ant colony to die within 48-72 hours. For larger colonies, however, you may need to set up multiple traps for several weeks until you see no more ants.
what happens to the ants when they eat the borax?
Hi Kynthia,
Once the ants carry the Borax and sugar mixture to their colony, they will eat it, and disrupt their digestive system, and eventually kill them off.
is borax safe for pets?
Hi Daniela,
If ingested, Borax can be very dangerous to pets. If possible, keep pets away from Borax, although most animals will naturally stay away from it.
will borax kill the queen ant?
Hi Sergei_Lam,
Yes, absolutely! The worker ants will take the Borax mixture to the colony, where the queen and the other ants will ingest it.
Great recipe, works at killing ants almost instantly, thx for sharing!!
You’re welcome Trina 🙂
Good recipe! I tried it on these really large ants we had that were coming in through the doorway. All I did was spray around the doorway and the windows and they stopped coming in all together!!
So happy to hear that J Horner 🙂
What I did, was soak a bunch of paper towels in the borax solution, and lined them up all along my windowsills and doors. By the next morning, I had hundreds of dead ants on top of the paper towels, so I’m pretty sure this worked! Now to wait and see if they come back…let’s hope not 🙂
Can happily confirm that it works! Thank you for sharing!!
So glad it worked for you Jeyda, thank you 🙂