You should know this
If you’re tired of ants invading your home or garden, try this simple, natural trick that my aunt swears by. It takes just a few minutes to prepare and works within 3 minutes of contact.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of warm water
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of borax (or baking soda as a gentler alternative)
- Cotton balls or bottle caps (optional, for placement)
Instructions:
- Mix the solution:
In a bowl, combine the warm water and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely. - Add borax:
Add the borax and stir well until fully dissolved. (Borax is toxic to ants but slow-acting, so they carry it back to the colony.) - Soak cotton balls:
Soak cotton balls in the mixture, or pour small amounts into shallow bottle caps. - Place strategically:
Put the soaked cotton balls or caps where ants are commonly seen — near baseboards, under the sink, along ant trails, or near cracks. - Wait and watch:
Within 3 minutes, ants will swarm the bait. They’ll consume it and carry it back to the colony, killing the entire nest over the next few hours or days.
Safety Tips:
- Keep away from children and pets if using borax.
- Use gloves when handling borax.
- If you’re using this outdoors, ensure it’s not exposed to rain.
Why It Works:
- Sugar attracts the ants
- Borax disrupts their digestive system
- The delayed effect ensures the queen and workers in the colony get poisoned too