There is absolutely nothing worse than going to the kitchen to make your morning tea or coffee, only to find a trail of ants leading from the door or a crack in the floor somewhere, to a little crumb that you overlooked the night before. Ants ruin everything! They’re so tiny but all show up in such massive troops that they manage to take over completely.
I’m not a fan of bug sprays and the regular repellants that have such strong odors—I get nervous about all the chemicals they contain, especially with my pets sniffing around—so I’ve been looking for some natural help to ward off nature’s army. I found the answer in Borax. Borax is a natural mineral that is used in most bug sprays, so why not just go straight for the source?
All you need is one cup of warm water, half a cup of sugar, two tablespoons of Borax and some cotton balls.
Mix all your ingredients together and then soak the cotton balls in the Borax concoction. Then you just need to place those balls anywhere where the tiny soldiers seem to come in and trail along. The next morning you’ll be waking up to dead ants and a cheerful smile! Idea from yalesafe.
Here are some other easy natural remedies to keep these annoying critters out of your house:
Vinegar – Ants hate vinegar, so this one’s real easy: make a mixture of half vinegar and half water in a spray bottle. Simply spray all the areas where they come in from with your mixture and you won’t be seeing these suckers around anymore! You can also spray it directly on the ants to kill them if they’re already inside.
Chalk – A regular piece of sidewalk chalk can save your home from an ant invasion. You just need to draw a thick line with the chalk outside the door or wherever else they’re coming in from and the ants won’t cross that line.
Cinnamon – Use cinnamon just as you would the chalk – create a line of it around the outside of your house as well as any spots inside to keep them from coming in. Your house will smell nice, too!
Lemon Juice – A simple solution of half lemon juice and half water can sprayed around the inside of your home to keep the ants out – the strong citrus aroma deters the pests.
Essential Oils –These aromatic oils may smell nice to us, but ants don’t feel the same way. Make a mixture of 10 drops in one cup of water and spray that in the affected areas. You can use lemon oil, lavender oil, peppermint oil, cedar oil or eucalyptus oil. Take note: eucalyptus oil is highly toxic to cats so don’t use this is you have a kitty!
Know this trick?
Posted by DIY and Crafts – Diyncrafts.com on Monday, 25 May 2015
judee@ Gluten Free A-Z Blog says
I’ve used Borax and sugar in a bowl before. I like the cotton ball idea. Going to try it.. thanks
Nomkhosi says
Where can I can I get this Borax? I like water n viniger its an easy one
Karen says
you can find borax in the laundry detergent aisle at the grocery store
Addie Ross says
I had no idea that there are so many ways to get rid of ants naturally. With summer here, and the kids always in and out of the house, ants just seem to make their way in. But like I said, with my kids at home, I don’t want to use any harsh chemicals. I love the idea of laying out chalk or cinnamon to keep them away. Such an easy solution, thank you so much for sharing!
Barb says
Anyone of these sound great.thanks
Mariam :) says
Even cucumber slices work like a pro! Ants hate them, so just place a slice of cucumber and keep it in the corners of your room (or more likely places where ants would come).
kimmy says
i tried the cucumber , my ants didn’t seem to mind them at all.
Terry says
LOL 😀
nita booppacheun says
I really enjoy to read this web site, I hope you will send some more and thank for this.
wendy says
That worked overnight. It’s been 3 days and no ants !
Stephanie says
I have used borax and honey together every year and made it into a paste and then put into the fruit containers so the ants can get to it but other animals can’t and the ants that don’t die instantly take it back to the nest and it kills off a large portion of the colony . I use it every year!!
DELFIN P. AGUILAR says
Thanks, Stephanie. The original instruction of using borax & sugar seems not to be effected for us. I’ll try honey next time.
Tanya says
Ant colonies are massive. Thete is a video on you tube that shows where they sprayed foam into a average size ant hill and then dug it out….it was the size of the enentire cow pasture and they are super intelligent. Cold storage for food. Waste trails. It’s So very Creepy.
tammy says
Baby powder works at our house
Leah says
Cornstarch works well too.
Bonnie says
Every spring a little line of tiny ants come threw my kitchen well Thanks to you I can say byebye ants.Thanks a million.
YellowChicken says
I can’t locate the nest but the ants are always crawling on my walls where can i leave the bait?And I’ve tried a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water it doesn’t seem to work,and I’ve made a paste of cinnamon and I put it on the walls but they just walk around it or go on the roof.Can someone please help me??
Karen Ackerman says
I do want to try the cotton ball concoction, BUT I do not want to leave that lying on my granite counter tops or on hardwood floors. Erosion elements in those products;i.e., sugar and Borax. Please elucidate.
TbW says
WIndex works instantly and deters future visitors.
Rae says
yes you can kill an ant when you see it but I need help killing the Queen that continued to send ants to find food. I hired a pest company who set baits but the ants just kept coming. I have tried vinegar, winded & soap. IF i don’t get the nest I’m doomed!
Susan says
Cayenne pepper, just sprinkle on ant hills. Did this all the way down my sidewalk. Works!