How to Get Rid of Ants: Effective Boric Acid Recipes

Brief characteristics of insects

Ants are insects that live according to the laws of a clear hierarchy. The colonies of these creatures are very numerous, they are ruled by the queen ant. Its function is the birth of new individuals.

Having tracked the ant path in the house or on the site, the number of walking insects must be multiplied by 10. This is the number of tireless workers who live in a nest hidden from human eyes.

The main problem lies in the fact that not one, but 3-10 such nests may be located near human habitation. And if we talk about the garden, then the exact number of anthills on it can only be imagined.

Insects living in homes multiply at an astonishing rate. For a month, the number of inhabitants living in the nest can increase by several hundred.

Chemicals

Many insecticides have been developed to get rid of domestic ants
Therefore, do not give up if the above folk remedies did not bring the desired result, pay attention to the chemicals indicated in the table

Table - Effective insecticides against ants

Some drugs can have negative effects on humans. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to carefully study the instructions before using the insecticide, do not forget about safety measures.

What is boric acid

Chemical manufacturers and distributors offer a variety of traps, sprays and gels to help control ants in your home and garden. But in homes where children and animals live, the use of strong insecticides can turn into a tragedy. They are also not suitable in vegetable gardens where plants used for food grow. It is ideal to fight ants with folk remedies based on boric acid.

The tool is dispensed in pharmacies and is in the form of a powder or a ready-made solution. Interestingly, for all its destructive power for ants, this acid is considered relatively safe for humans. Its use was popular in the mid-20th century as an anti-microbial agent.

A weak boron solution is used to feed plants, which helps to destroy ants and not to fear for the harvest.

Prophylaxis

To protect your garden and home from ants, it is necessary to carry out prevention methods. It is necessary:

• remove the remnants of not eaten food;
• decompose garlic and parsley, their smell repels pests;
• put mint;
• dig up the area so that the birds can eat the ants;
• sprinkle wood ash as fertilizer.

The main thing is to keep cleanliness, both in the house and on the street.Then unwanted guests can be avoided. When these insects appear, it is important to clean and treat surfaces. At the same time, do this regularly, since the ants can return.

How does it affect ants

Boric acid destroys the ant organism, causing severe allergic reactions. The insect eats a small amount of the bait "mixed" in the preparation, and pathological processes begin in its body.

The acid gradually eats away at the ant's intestines, causing severe dehydration and, as a result, central nervous system disorders. The ant gradually fades, ceases to navigate in space. The body of the insect is covered with a strong shell of chitin, but boric acid easily overcomes it. Ulcers form on the ant's shell and gradually the chitin is completely destroyed.

If the insect eats more poison (1 mg of acid is enough), paralysis breaks it.

This tool is the so-called contact-intestinal poison... If at least one ant has tasted the bait, it will bring its remains on its paws to its home. And individual foragers (foragers) go even further and deliver a tasty bait as prey to their relatives. This leads to a very early infection of the whole family.

If an insect has consumed even a small amount of acid, it is sterilized and becomes unable to reproduce. This applies to both males and females.

If an ant that has tasted the bait loses its ability to move and dies, in the anthill its brothers will eat the dead body and also die.

Precautions when interacting with the product

Boric acid is not included in the list of hazardous substances poisonous to humans, however, if ingested in large quantities, it can cause poisoning. In the twentieth century, it was considered an effective means for antiseptic treatment of the skin, but later it was proved that its disinfecting properties were not at all so great.

The main rules when using boric acid as a toxic agent for insects:

• after handling this product, you must thoroughly wash your hands and all surfaces on which it could get;
• Care must be taken to ensure that the boric acid-added food trap does not fall into the hands of young children;
• pets should be protected from eating poisoned bait;
• utensils in which a poisonous mixture with the addition of boric acid was made cannot be used for cooking;
• all surfaces treated with this product should be regularly washed with soap and soda solution.

Cases of boric acid poisoning are very rare, usually due to the substitution of one substance for another. To prevent tragedy, it is necessary to store this product separately from medicines.

It is best to store boric acid in a clear jar with a tight lid.

An absolute contraindication to manipulating boric acid is pregnancy, since when using this agent there is a possibility of developing irreversible fetal pathology.

Recipes

Boric acid baits from ants are divided into two types: liquid and dry.

The poisoned delicacy is placed in places of mass accumulation of insects. They are localized near a trash can, cutting table or sink. It is useful to place the poison near the ant paths that they follow to their home.

Acid and yolk

To make a bait in a pharmacy, you need to purchase powdered boric acid. It is bred with the yolk of a chicken egg and sugar (it is permissible to replace it with jam) in an amount of 1: 2: 2. A clean plastic container is suitable for mixing (after making the trap, the container must be thrown away). Tiny balls are formed from this puree.They are placed near the trash can and along the baseboards.

Foraging ants will not deny themselves the pleasure of bringing such a delicacy to the nest, where most of their congeners will eat it. As a rule, such an effective method is enough to destroy the anthill. The whole process will take 2-3 weeks.

Yeast

The bait is prepared from the following components:

• boric acid - 1 sachet.
• yeast - 1 tbsp. l .;
• honey - 3 tbsp. l .;

All ingredients are mixed in a small, clean container. The mixture is kneaded until the acid granules are dissolved.

The resulting bait is spread over the cardboard blanks. It is better to cut them in the form of long strips and spread them out in the habitats of ants:

• kitchen skirting boards;
• kitchen cabinets with supplies;
• kitchen sink;
• a place behind a gas stove;
• bin.

If the kitchen counter is not cleaned properly and food remains on it or unwashed dishes remain on the work surfaces, insects can ignore the bait. This recipe will only be effective if the kitchen and associated rooms are cleaned daily.

Sugar solution

Prepared from the following components:

• boric acid - 1 sachet;
• water - 100 ml
• sugar - 2 tbsp. l .;

The resulting solution is abundantly lubricated with baseboards in the bathroom and in the kitchen, the doors of kitchen cabinets outside and inside. Food from cabinets should be removed prior to processing. It is also permissible to smear corks with this solution. Thus, the poison is more likely to fall into the nest of ants.

The principle of operation of such a bait is simple - the smell of sugar attracts the attention of insects, and they go in search of food. Moving along the path from the sugar solution, the ants come into contact with the poison and carry it on their paws into the dwelling. The anthill becomes infected within 3-4 weeks, the number of insects is thinning. The lanes should be updated every 24 hours to keep them interesting for pests.

Minced meat bait

Meat is a particularly tasty treat for ants. The type of meat is not important - the minced meat can be beef or pork.

Important! You don't need to add spices or salt to the meat.

For cooking take:

• minced meat - 100 g.
• boric acid - 2 sachets;

The mixture is kneaded well so that the boric acid granules disappear into the meat.

Roll the workpiece into very small balls (the smaller the better).

Having discovered such a nutritious delicacy, the ants will definitely want to share it with others, in particular, with the queen ant. Indeed, to maintain reproductive strength, she needs nutrition. If the queen tastes a poisonous delicacy, the nest and its inhabitants will be doomed.

The method is suitable for dealing with indoor ants. The main thing is to place the bait where insects often appear.

Glycerine bait

The liquid trap is effective for eliminating household pests. You need a small spray bottle to work.

The solution is prepared like this:

• Pour 200 ml of water into a spray bottle.
• Add glycerin (two teaspoons), sugar (two tablespoons) and boric acid (two bags).
• Close the spray bottle, shake the mixture vigorously to mix the ingredients.

Food and dishes are removed from tables and cabinets. The resulting mixture is sprayed on all places where ants accumulate, kitchen cabinets, baseboards in the bathroom, corridor and kitchen. It is useful to treat the places behind the refrigerator and stove, under the dining table.

A similar procedure is carried out 2-3 times a week for a month.

Minced meat trap

Boric acid balls with minced meat are also very effective against such pests. They are prepared simply: 2 tablespoons of minced meat are taken, mixed with 6 grams of acid, rolled into balls and placed near places where insects accumulate or on ant paths.The principle of action of this poison is the same as that of other baits.

Important: Do not use this recipe if you have pets that eat meat. They can eat the bait before the ants.

Elimination of pests in the garden

Domestic ants are carriers of infections and harmful microorganisms. And by settling in the garden, they can destroy the crop.

Florists should also be careful, because black and brown ants are spreading aphids. The latter releases a sugar solution that the queen ant feeds on. One or two anthills are capable of growing numerous aphid colonies that can destroy all plants.

All gardeners know that when ants settled in the garden, you can forget about a good harvest. The good news is that these active insects can be controlled. Of course, by means of boric acid.

Corn mix

Ants love cornmeal. The grains of this product are transferred to the anthill, where they serve as food for the worker ants and the queen.

Corn grits are crushed with a coffee grinder or blender, then boric acid is poured into it. Once in the ant's intestines, the croup swells and grows. The insect is fatally injured. Boric acid additionally introduced will shorten the time of destruction of pests.

The trap is prepared like this:

• boric acid - 3 sachets;
• corn flour - 300 g.

The mixture is kneaded and scattered around the nest.

Important! Care must be taken to ensure that the bait does not get wet before exerting its toxic effect.

Such processing is done every other day, since in the garden it can quickly lose its strength due to moisture.

Potato and egg mixture

There is no doubt that there is always something to eat in the garden. However, the ants are unlikely to skip the extra food. An egg and potato delicacy is prepared like this:

• two large potatoes are boiled in their skins;
• the tubers are cleaned, cooled, kneaded;
• 2 hard-boiled egg yolks, 2 tbsp. l. sugar and 2 sachets of boric acid.

The mixture is mixed, cakes or balls roll out of it.

The bait should not be stored for too long - it is immediately placed in the areas where ants accumulate.

The treat is updated several times a week. After a month, the number of garden ants will decrease significantly.

In the process of preparing traps, it is imperative to observe the accuracy of the recipe. The amount of boron in a toxic delicacy should not exceed that specified in the instructions. If the ants die before they enter their home, the benefits of acid will decrease significantly.

Wood Ash Bait

This method of killing ants has been known for a long time and is famous for its effectiveness.

You can buy ready-made ash or make your own from charcoal. It often remains in the grill after frying meat or after cleaning the oven. You will need 1 kg of ash.

Three sachets of boric acid are combined with ash and scattered over the anthill. Three of these treatments are enough to kill most of the insects. The rest immediately leave the garden.

Advice. It is recommended to carry out a similar procedure in the evening, as it often drizzles with light rain at night, and dew falls in the morning. Moisture helps the bait to penetrate the nest faster.

Sweet bait

In some cases, gardeners note that harmful insects seem to get used to the boric acid treat. For "biting" ants, you can prepare a special treat.

In a plastic bucket, mix equal amounts of rice flour, powdered sugar, boric acid, and baking soda. The mixture is stirred and poured near the nest.

This powder helps to get rid of most of the garden ants. Powder is a welcome treat for them, just like rice flour. Swelling, it tears apart the insect from the inside. Brothers in the nest begin to devour his body and die from the toxic effects of acid and soda.

Soda

In the absence of rice flour and powdered sugar, you can use boric acid and soda. Mixing in equal amounts, they enhance each other's action and help to quickly destroy ants. A similar treatment of anthills is carried out 2-3 times a week. The result is visible after 2 weeks.

Testimonials

Georgy, Khabarovsk: “Ants appeared on the site, did not know what to do. At first I thought of just ruining their logs, but then I decided to prepare a mixture with boric acid. I read a lot of options, as I did. I didn’t dwell on one. I mixed it with sugar, and an egg, and made it with water to pour it directly. As a result, a month of battle and the site is clean. I read some useful information and now I also started adding ash to the ground so that they would no longer appear on the site. "

Dmitry, Volgograd: “I found an ant on my baseboard, I thought I just ran in. It turned out that from the neighbors, they just took them out and they immediately ran to me. Didn't know what to do. I decided to buy boric acid and follow the instructions. At first I doubted the dosage, did not know how much to add. Then I realized that you can simply set traps on them at will. For one room, it took me about 5 lids with the mixture. I brought it out, I hope I won't see more ants in the house. "

Boric acid is used against ants both in the house and in the open area. It usually takes about a month to get rid of the ants completely. All this time it is necessary to alternate ways to eliminate them. After the completion of the case, it is necessary to carry out preventive work on the territory. It should be used with caution to protect yourself and your home.

Ants won't come back if you clean up and warn the neighbors. You can also regularly inspect the places of their probable appearance and carry out a thorough cleaning there.

Security measures

Any substance with boron, though weak, is poison. When using it, you must observe the following precautions:

• store out of the reach of children;
• do not use where the bait can be swallowed by animals;
• if powder gets into your eyes, rinse them with cold water;
• make sure that the drug does not come into contact with food.

Poisoning in humans can occur only with the purposeful use of the drug: systematic little by little or one-time in a large dose.

Attention! Boric acid has a cumulative effect: with prolonged use inside, it can cause poisoning.

Symptoms depend on the way the acid enters the body.

If in contact with the skin, the substance can cause eczema, epidermal exfoliation and total or partial hair loss. In case of poisoning through the gastrointestinal tract, the symptoms are manifold:

• nausea;
• pain in the stomach;
• vomiting;
• tachycardia;
• drop in blood pressure;
• convulsions;
• psychomotor agitation;
• anemia;
• disruption of the brain;
• others.

There is no specific treatment. Shows the lavage of the stomach and mucous membranes with a 4% solution of baking soda.