How to poison ants with boric acid: we act effectively and safely

How does the substance affect ants

To begin with, it should be noted that boric acid is available in the form of a powder or solution and is sold in a pharmacy. The drug is inexpensive, but it copes well with insect intoxication. The substance does not smell in any way and dissolves well in water.

The acid has a contact-intestinal effect on ants. It is capable of destroying an insect, even if it just ends up on its cover and does not enter the digestive tract. The components of the substance are able to penetrate into the body through the chitinous shell and corrode the walls of the pest's organs. If it enters the stomach, the agent causes severe intoxication, dehydration and paralysis of the body. No matter how boric acid gets into the organ systems of the ant, it will eventually die.

Several crystals of a substance hidden in a fragrant bait can infect an entire colony if they enter their lair as a tasty-smelling trophy brought by a foraging ant. Also, the likelihood of infection of the colony appears if the poisoned individual dies and is eaten by congeners.

Even a minimal amount of boric acid that has entered the body can cause sterilization of both the female and the male ant, which will ultimately lead to the destruction of the genus.

The problem of the appearance of ants in the home

Ants are insects that live according to a clear hierarchical pattern. Their colonies are extremely numerous and are governed by the queen ant, whose main activity is to breed new larvae.

On a note. If you find a sure ant path, then multiply the number of insects moving along it by eight or ten. Thus, you can calculate the approximate number of inhabitants of the nest, hidden from prying eyes.

The worst thing is that there can be from three to ten such nests near an average apartment. But if we are talking about a garden, then the number of anthills there is completely difficult to assume.

House ants living in apartments and heated residential houses reproduce very quickly. In one month, the number of inhabitants of one anthill can increase by several hundred.

Is boric acid dangerous for humans?

The main question asked by the owners of apartments infected with ants is how boric acid affects humans. The substance does not belong to the rank of poisons and is recommended for use in residential premises in order to destroy insects. However, when handling problem areas in the home, take precautions.

A small amount of the drug, even when it gets into the child's body, can only cause an allergic reaction. If a large volume of a substance enters the body, poisoning is possible. Considering that very little acid is used to fight insects, harm to the body is excluded.

Harm from red ants

A feature of red ants is cohesion, in contrast to black ones. There are several nests in one colony, the queen can be one or more than one. If any nest is endangered or completely destroyed, this place is populated by relatives who quickly restore the destroyed dwelling.

Since colonies of red ants prefer to settle in a residential or suburban area remote from the city, they can be found in places such as:

• the foundation of the house;
• behind the stove;
• behind an electric heater;
• behind the wallpaper;
• warehouse space;
• pantry.

Note. Since the red ant species, like the black one, is active throughout the year, in the cold season they need warm, humid conditions in a dark room, which is why they settle in home buildings.

Harm from red ants

Red ants are also called pharaoh ants. They are considered omnivores that do not enter into symbiosis with aphids. However, they bring significant harm to the property, settling in a house with a personal plot, eating a lot of useful vegetation, and also living in the residential building itself.

As food inside the living quarters for ants, as a rule, they serve:

• power supply;
• water supply;
• leather clothes;
• rubbish;
• woven fabrics;
• paper;
• wood;
• food products.

Due to the omnivorous nature, a person often becomes a victim of the bites of red ants. Since these insects are able to quickly adapt to an unfavorable environment, getting rid of them is a very difficult process. In addition, they can be brought into the premises of an apartment building, for example, on clothes.

Benefits of using boric acid

As a poison from ants, boric acid manifests itself in the best possible way. The benefits of the tool include:

• Low cost. For one dose of boric acid powder or solution, you will spend about 50 rubles, while you can buy the substance at any pharmacy.
• A variety of uses. Boric acid can be used to kill ants not only in its pure form, but also to prepare baits. So the effectiveness of the product increases significantly.
• High-quality result. Almost everyone who used boric acid as a poison for ants noted the excellent effectiveness of the agent and the complete destruction of colonies.
• Fast action. As soon as the poison enters the organ systems, irreversible intoxication and paralysis occurs.
• Suitable for use both in an apartment or house, and on a personal plot.
• When used in the garden, it has a positive effect on the growth of plants, acting as a top dressing.

Useful Tips

The use of boric acid is practically not dangerous to human health. However, it still remains a chemical, albeit with the lowest, fourth hazard class. This is understood to mean that there is no serious danger if large quantities of powder come into contact with the skin.

But when working, it is still advised to wear gloves and dirty clothes. After preparing the bait, they are laid out only on disposable dishes, then it is thrown away. Hands are washed with plenty of running water and soap. Small children, pets should not have access to baits and the acid itself.

A few other helpful tips:

• The baits should be laid out only in those places where children and pets will not have access to them.
• You only need to lay out the bait for domestic ants in disposable dishes. It is not worth using normal dishes for this, even after washing it is not recommended to use it.
• It is much easier to avoid insects in your home than to deal with them. To do this, you should carefully remove the crumbs from the table, any food leftovers, and carefully clean up the house.
• It will be much easier to remove pests if you start fighting them immediately.

As a result, we can say the following. Boric acid is one of the best options for fighting ants, if they appear in the garden, garden, apartment. The almost complete absence of influence on the human body, availability, low cost and a strong detrimental effect on the pest's body made H3BO3 the best remedy.

Secrets of Proper Use of Boric Acid

The basic rule is the correct placement of the poison with boric acid. Spread clean powder or prepared baits in places where ants appear so that they come into contact with the substance. Usually ants crawl around the apartment in search of water or food, so they most often appear in the kitchen or bathroom.

When processing a room, be sure to lay out the baits under the baseboards, cabinets, stove and refrigerator. For best results, be sure to remove food and keep insects off water.

To prevent the reappearance of ants, try to always keep the apartment clean, remove all products from open access, and throw out the garbage in time.

Boric acid based ant baits: effective ways

The easiest way to use boric acid is to simply sprinkle the powder in places where ants appear, for example, under bedside tables or baseboards in the kitchen. Insects will definitely appear in these places in search of food, and will bring poison on their paws and body to the nest.

In order for the pest to feast on poison, make special fragrant baits. For their preparation, a lot of different products are suitable that every housewife has in the refrigerator. Such options for exterminating ants are good because the baits will be transferred directly to the nests, which are most often located in places inaccessible to humans.

Egg recipe (with yolk)

The smell of egg yolk attracts ants very well. To prepare the bait, you will need 1 packet of boric acid and 2 boiled egg yolks.

Mix the ingredients and form small balls from the resulting mass. Spread poisonous treats in the ants' habitats and wait for the result. Usually, with the help of yolk balls, the entire ant colony is killed within 2-4 weeks.

Do not exceed the amount of powder used in the recipe. If there is too much boric acid in the bait, the hunting ant will not carry the ball into the nest, but will die on the spot. As a result, the congeners living in the nest will not feast on the poisoned "delicacy" and the colony will be exterminated longer.

Sugar recipe

As you know, ants love sweets, so granulated sugar or powder is perfect for making the bait. Mix a few tablespoons of sugar with a packet of boric acid and scatter over the ants' habitat. The insects will definitely try the "delicacy" and will soon die.

Minced meat recipe

Meat and its juice are excellent at attracting insects, therefore they are often used as a substance attracting ants. For making the bait, chicken, pork or ground beef are suitable. You will need 100 g of meat delicacy and 2 sachets of boric acid. Mix the ingredients thoroughly so that the acid dissolves in the meat juice and roll into small balls. The smaller the lumps, the better. The foraging ants will bring them to the nest, which will poison other relatives as well.

Potato recipe

To make potato balls, you will need:

• a few boiled potatoes;
• 2 boiled egg yolks;
• 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sugar;
• 1 sachet of boric acid;
• 1 tbsp. a spoonful of melted butter.

As in the previous versions of baits, connect the components together and mix. Roll into balls from the resulting mixture and arrange on the ant paths.

How to make liquid baits

Liquid baits are usually made with sugar syrup.

You can pour the liquid into small containers or apply it to the floor surface right in the habitat of ants. Just dilute 10 g of boric acid powder and 2 teaspoons of sugar in one glass of warm water and treat the surface.

If you have access to pest nests, you can prepare a more aggressive product by replacing warm water with boiling water. After mixing the ingredients, immediately pour the hot syrup into the nest and wait for the result.

Yeast mix recipe

This method is considered one of the oldest. Prepare small containers for bait, such as plastic bottle caps, before making. You will also need 1 tbsp. a spoonful of yeast, 4 tbsp. tablespoons of sugar and a little water.

Dissolve the yeast in water, and then add sugar and 1 bag of boric acid to the resulting dough. Pour the fragrant poison into containers and place in the ants' habitat.

Glycerin bait recipe

Boric acid dissolves well in glycerin. On its basis, you can make a liquid poison and spray it from a spray bottle in the habitat of ants.

Dissolve a sachet of boric acid in a glass of water and add 2 tbsp. tablespoons of glycerin. With the resulting mixture, treat all surfaces in the kitchen, after removing all food and kitchen utensils.

You can also make bait balls from glycerin and boric acid. To do this, prepare a pulp by mixing:

• 2 tbsp. tablespoons of glycerin;
• 2 tbsp. tablespoons of sugar;
• 1 teaspoon of honey;
• 1/3 teaspoon of boric acid;
• 1 tbsp. a spoonful of water.

Spread the finished balls in all possible habitats of the ants.

Recipe with honey, jam

Any sugar-containing products, such as honey or jam, are often used as bait. Their smell attracts insects well.

Pour some jam into a small bottle or jar and leave it on the floor. Treat the surface and neck of the bottle, as well as ant paths with a solution of boric acid. Ants will surely be attracted by the smell of sweet and will go in search of food. On the poisoned road to the fragrant delicacy, boric acid will get on the legs and body of insects, which will lead to their death.

Beer trap

Ants will never give up alcoholic beverages, so beer can be a great bait. To get rid of pests in your garden, you must:

• 1 tbsp. l. pour yeast 4 tbsp. l. warm water;
• add 1 tbsp. l. jam and the same amount of white powder;
• Stir the mixture and pour into several small saucers, which are then set next to anthills, other places of accumulation of insects.

Boric acid baits for home garden use

It would seem that the seemingly harmless ants that appeared on the personal plot should not bring much trouble. However, insects can attract huge flocks of aphids, which spoil garden and horticultural plants.

Determine the location of the anthills before starting to fight the ants in the garden. This way you will know for sure where to place the bait. Do not worry that boric acid will negatively affect horticultural crops, on the contrary, the effect of the substance enhances plant growth and performs an additional function of fertilization.

Corn mix

By itself, cornmeal is already fatal to the ant. Attracted by the aroma of corn treats, the ants eat the product, which swells up in the digestive tract and causes fatal injuries.

To enhance the action, you can add a little boric acid to the product. Prepare the required volume of the poisoned mixture at the rate of 100 g of cornmeal per 10 g of powder, and scatter over the ant paths and around the nest. Please note that the procedure should be performed as often as possible, at least once every 2 days. Otherwise, the product will not work due to high humidity and the influence of various physical phenomena.

Potato and egg bait

Although there is always something to feast on in the garden, ants are still attracted to additional fragrant foods.

Boil a few potatoes and 2 hard boiled eggs. Mash the boiled potatoes and yolks with a fork and mix. Also add 2 tbsp to the mass. tablespoons of sugar and 20 g of boric acid powder. Make balls and arrange them around the nests. Renew the bait about once a week. After 14-20 days, you will notice that there are fewer insects in the garden.

Wood ash mixture

You will need wood ash to craft the bait. You can buy it ready-made at a hardware store, or simply take the remains of burnt wood after cooking a shish kebab or from the oven.

For 1 kg of ash, you need 3 ten-gram sachets of powder. Mix the ingredients and sprinkle directly on the nest. The effect will increase if after the procedure a light rain falls and the poison penetrates deep into the nest.

Sweet potent bait

Sugar baits are one of the most effective remedies against ants, since insects are very susceptible to sweets. To prepare dry poison, you will need:

• powdered sugar;
• soda;
• rice flour;
• boric acid powder.

Combine the ingredients in equal proportions and sprinkle on the nest. The remedy is detrimental to ants, not only because of its poisonous effect, but also due to rice flour, which swells strongly in the insect's digestive system and causes irreparable damage. Powdered sugar acts as a bait, the grains of which are very small and are easily carried by the foraging ants into the nests.

Safety rules when using boric acid

Despite the fact that boric acid is considered safe for humans, be sure to follow safety rules when using it.

• Do not contact the substance without gloves.
• Protect the airway with a cotton-gauze bandage.
• Choose for mixing either unnecessary utensils that can then be simply thrown away, or glass or ceramic, which are not influenced by chemical reactions. After all manipulations, wash the used container thoroughly.
• If you use napkins, paper or plastic lids, discard the bait after use.
• When using boric acid in the garden, bury the remains of the poison deep in the ground.
• If children or pets live in the house, choose inaccessible places for laying out baits. If a pet or even a child eats one ball of poisoned bait, most likely nothing bad will happen. With the systematic use of the substance, severe poisoning of the body is possible.

User feedback on the results of using the tool

Everyone who has tested the effect of boric acid on ants in action leaves mostly positive reviews. Many people note that the tool copes with the destruction of insects not only in apartments, but also in personal plots. Most housewives are very pleased with the result, while they note that the complete destruction of the entire colony is carried out in about 30 days.

Rarely, but still there are negative reviews, which are based on the fact that the treats mixed with boric acid do not touch the ants. Perhaps, in this case, the recipe is violated and the content of the poison in the bait is simply exceeded, which leads to a negative result.

Boric acid has shown itself to be an effective means of killing ants. You can use the substance both in its pure form, scattering it in places where ants congregate, or by preparing fragrant baits for further transportation by the ants that deliver the poison to the nest. The tool works both in apartments or houses and outdoors, for example, in a garden or vegetable garden.

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What do ants eat?

Ants are insects that are almost omnivorous. The remnants of any food, crumbs, particles of fruits, meat and cheeses - workers will drag everything to the place of settlement. The basis of the diet is proteins and carbohydrates.Therefore, the most delicious dish is sweets, eggs, meat products. They also do not disdain garbage from the trash can. To stop these voracious insects, you need to prepare a special remedy. Remember: boric acid helps to get rid of ants in the apartment. Its recipe is simple. Preparation of the drug does not require expensive components.