So, the theory is that baking soda will trigger a violent chemical reaction in ants when they ingest it and that it will eventually cause the pests to explode. Have babies or young children at home? The can method is a way to protect small pets or other animals outside. Discover a few you can try: Whether youre using it as a dietary aid or to kill insects, baking soda is a powerful chemical compound. Bait can become stale after a week. These are the ways you can use baking soda to kill ants and how this chemical compound actually works for this purpose. Quick Tip: Some ants can be a bit more cautious, so you might have to increase the ratio of the food ingredient. How To Get Rid Of Pavement Ants: The Complete Guide, Bed Bug Nests: What They Look Like & How To Find Them, What Scents Keep Bed Bugs Away? There are many DIY ant killers out there. Luckily, baking soda is an effective, all-natural ant killer. After you make your ant-killing baking soda bait, its time to apply it. Its cheap, readily available, and flexible enough to work on infestations big and small. Sugary Baking Soda or Borax Ant Trap Make your homemade ant trap appealing to sugar ants by using powdered sugar, but mix the sugar with another white powder that's deadly for these pesky critters. 3. If you dont have baking soda, you can still take care of an ant problem or insect-proof your house with an all-natural recipe using common home products. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then wipe clean with a damp rag. Place the mixture in strategic locations and wait for the baking soda to do its thing. That means that while it is a natural ant killer, its not only slow but also not guaranteed. The next time you see ants in your home, resist the urge to use those stinky chemicals and spray cans full of pesticide. If you still see ants here and there after a week, reapply the baking soda traps. This all has an impact on our carbon footprint. Ants know to avoid pure baking soda, so you can sprinkle it around doorways, window sills, and other entry points to keep them out of your home. You can use baking soda to keep ants out of your home or to kill the ones that have set up on your property. Although sugar is a natural ant deterrent, it does not have the properties to outright kill ants. And well tell you yes, it does. There are a variety of methods to utilize baking soda to kill ants, and it is a secure and non-toxic way to get rid of these pests. If your family frequently eats oranges or lemons, you can keep the peels and use them as an ant repellent. Many people recommend baking soda as an all natural ant killer. The ants will come by, grab the sugar and then take it back to the colony to share, but the boric acid on the sugar will kill them. But can you really use baking soda to kill ants? Powdered sugar and other attractants will mask its scent, easily fooling ants into eating baking soda. Combine baking soda and dry sweetener in equal parts and sprinkle it in a ring around any ant hills youve seen so that the lethal substance is easily accessible for the ants. In reality, it doesnt happen that violently. I used a 3/4 tablespoon of each, and mixed it together directly in the jar lid. Note that you must use confectioners sugar ants will be able to separate regular sugar from the baking soda. Borax is also used for cleaning. You can find a box of it for around a dollar! Baking soda is a chemical base compound, which also goes by the name bicarbonate of soda. That means to get the best results, ants have to eat it first. If you dont, take a trip to your local grocery store! If you dont have baking soda already, a box or two isnt expensive and you can pick up some at any local grocery store. So what makes baking soda a better alternative to pesticides and bug repellents? Cut the waxed paper into small, thin strips. Its safe to place it wherever youve seen those unwanted intruders. Mix about a teaspoon of oil with an equal amount of baking soda. BC Pest Control is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Powdered sugar is ideal since it has the sweetness that ants like and is the right texture to blend in perfectly. Its super cheap and wont break the bank to use. Theres more than one grade of DE that you can buy but for this purpose you want to look for food grade diatomaceous earth. While baking soda is a great natural ant killer, it's not your only option. Therefore, you may not want to overuse it when making your DIY bait stations or ant traps. Since its a common food item, using cream of wheat as a natural ant killer outdoors or indoors is completely safe which makes it a great option if youve got kids and animals around. It kills ants in a similar fashion and is adaptable enough to mix with different bait ingredients. The outdoor ants will bring them back to the colony all the same. A simple and natural carpenter ant bait can be made by mixing equal parts baking soda and powdered sugar. If the ants have to travel far, theyre less likely to take the bait. Place the can next to the nest and let it do its thing. Hopefully, the queen ant will tuck in too. So, if youve been noticing more than just a few ants here or there around your home, its worth finding a (safe) way to kill the ants in your home. Of course, baking soda is considerably cheaper than both. Place the soaked cotton in areas where youve seen ants. Great content and Daily Deals delivered straight to your inbox. Use a dish soap and water mixture to kill visible ants. Not only that, but when placing harsh chemicals onto the ground, there is a risk that kids and pets can touch and ingest it, and they are toxic. 1. Just mix it with something that ants love, and just like most of us humans, they love sugar. You can use the two ingredients on mounds you see near your door outside. Want to go the extra mile? Theyre even preferred in some cases as they allow homeowners and exterminators to kill ants passively. That light and fluffy texture you get from a perfectly cooked cake? Peppermint is often used to deter a range of insects and pests, and it works for ants, too. Mix powdered sugar and baking soda in a 70/30 ratio. Create some traps to put outside! The drawback is thatboric acid is toxic. Both of these products are safe to use around children and pets. Read more: Top 10 Natural Mosquito Repellents. Again, if you see any entrances to the nest, put a teaspoons worth of mix there too. Depending on the type of ants youre dealing with, you may add honey, jam, peanut butter, or another treat to make the trap more appealing. If youre using a peanut butter mixture, you should be able to stick it anywhere. Commercial products dont seem to be that fast acting either. We hope you found this guide helpful and feel equipped to tackle your ant problem with this simple ingredient. It might not smell the best, but it is a very safe solution. While we dont know that for sure, we do know that it dries out their bodies to kill them. Repeat the applications as much as you need to eradicate all the ants in the area. Place that container close to where you see (or have seen) those annoying little ants. Thats because it can broadcast or spread the poison among all the ants in a nest, all it takes is a handful of infected ants. Be aware that even though the ingredients are natural and generally safe for people, it could still cause illness if ingested because of the essential oils in it. But most important of all, it is safe for the environment and those around you. Step-4 Like we said earlier, baking soda alone isnt going to do much to attract these pests. Boric acid isnt a common household product, but some people keep the chemical around as an antiseptic or to make homemade eyewash. Subscribe to expert DIY pest control tips, pest control product reviews and information. Its a much safer alternative to chemical-based insecticides and extermination treatments. Hopefully, youll notice a steep decline in the number of ants you see roaming around. To use it for infestation prevention, you just need some baking soda. It appears to be a very fine powder to us but it has tiny sharp edges to ants and will cut them, dehydrate them, and ultimately kill those affected within a few days. Have you tried this mixture? No matter the species, signs of an ant infestation mean its time to take action. The key to success when using baking soda to kill ants is making sure its enticing by mixing it with bait food. To use. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. While there are some anecdotal reports of baking soda being used as a home remedy to get rid of bed bugs, there is no scientific evidence to back these claims. Simply because ants arent attracted to it. Do you remember when you mixed baking soda (base compound) with vinegar (acid) and created an eruption of bubbles? Understanding what kind of ant youre dealing with will give you some insight into the mixture that works best. White Vinegar Borax Pepper Cinnamon Fresh Mint Cornmeal & Boric Acid Flour Citrus Coffee Grounds Sugar Ant-Repellent Myth: Baking Soda White Vinegar A recipe for ant-controlling success? A shallow lid works best. Its scientifically known as sodium bicarbonate. So, if you think your natural ant-killing method isnt working, that might not be the case you may just need to wait a little bit longer until the entire colony is taken care of. However, its important to understand how to use it properly if you want to see success. Once she dies, the rest of the colony will soon follow. The good news is that you can easily experiment with baking soda to get things right. You can also plant flowers and herbs around your home that will actively deter ants all on their own, such as chrysanthemums, rosemary and basil. Even other natural extermination methods are more dangerous than baking soda. Combine 3 tablespoons of white sugar with 1 tablespoon of borax in a container you dont use for food. If you have a colossal nest, try placing a good inch of the mixture into an empty pop can. While its not nearly as effective as some might believe, its still useful in its way. Benefits of Using Baking Soda to Kill Ants, Vinegar can be used to repel ants naturally, enough of the natural salt to last us over 2,300 years, Which Ants Bite? Ghostwritten work for travel clients has appeared on Forbes, Bloomberg, Inc. and other top publications. Some people stock food-grade diatomaceous earth at home to use it as a digestive aid or as a key ingredient for detoxing. Mix equal parts of baking soda and confectioners sugar in a cup. Add a few drops daily until the sugar ants are all gone. However, leaving a trail of this homemade ant killer on its own won't likely be effective. Check back the next day and see how many ants you've killed. Baking powder is an excellent alternative to combatants naturally. Meanwhile, larger ones can take upwards of a week. Instead, its used for destroying nests. The first thing you should do is choose the right mixture. But, think of it this way. Edible Pudding Slime Only 3 Ingredients! If you find that it hasnt worked, the likelihood is you didnt put enough mixture down, or that you have a second ant colony somewhere. We independently select these productsif you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Toss some coffee grounds around any places where ants are likely to pop up. Mix it together. For one, its non-toxic. Scout ants can mistake the substance for food and consume some of it to check that its safe. It just wont taste very nice, but thankfully its non-toxic. A simple yet effective mixture. Its in most homes already, and many people know people who recommend using it to deal with ant infestations. By the time the first ant to eat it dies, its already spread to other ants! The water will flush out the colony and kill the ants. After all, one little ant can carry up to 50 times their body weight! You want it to be as fresh, tasty, and aromatic as possible. Theyll be attracted to the sweetness and take the food back to the colony not realizing that its poisoned. We cover topics that help you make better decisions, be more interesting and improve your quality of life. How is baking soda used to kill ants? The natural ant killer borax is a mineral that is a highly effective pest control agent used by both homeowners and professionals. However, if you have to call in a professional, then you may find that your bill runs into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars, depending on how bad the infestation is and how long it takes to treat. If you use baking soda or another one of our all-natural ant-deterrent solutions, then you may find that you can take care of your problem quite cheaply. Its a great option that is inexpensive and easy to use. 1 Cup Baking Soda Instructions Mix sugar and baking soda together in a bowl or container. Shake to combine, and spray any visible ants with the solution. So choose an option that appeals to you and give it a shot. When ants ingest baking soda, it causes a reaction in their bodies that kills them shortly after ingested but setting it out doesnt put people at risk at all. Seal all cracks and voids. The worker ants that go out to find food bring that food back to the colony to feed the other ants. 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