Boric acid against ants in the garden and home - a recipe that will help 100%

You dreamed of ants - expect prosperity in business.
But if they have settled in your house or apartment, get ready for a big and long battle. After all, such a small opponent is strong; insect families belong to evolutionarily advanced colonies, which have a developed division of labor and their own communication system. Domestic red ants were brought to us on ships with fabrics and sweets from India in 1940. It was believed that red ants were Egyptian migrants, mistakenly calling them pharaohs. People call house ants ship ants, which is quite consistent with the history of resettlement.

Why do ants appear in the house?

Ants are insects that live according to a clear hierarchical pattern. Their families are numerous, they are controlled by the queen ant, which hatches the larvae of new insects.

When you find an ant trail, count the number of ants moving along it and multiply the number by 10. And this will be the approximate number of inhabitants of the anthill.

The worst thing is that there may be two or three such anthills near the apartment. But in a garden plot it’s difficult to even guess the number of nests with ants.

House creeps multiply quickly because they live in warm rooms. In just one month, their initial number increases by hundreds!

Why are ants bad?

Many people are perplexed - what is wrong with ants, what harm can they cause to a person if they do not attack him. But it's not that simple. If these insects occupy the house, you can say goodbye to your supplies of sugar, honey, jam, flour and cereals. They will eat some, drag something back to their nest, and in return leave a lot of excrement and corpses (ants often stick and drown in sweet liquids).

In the food reserves that ants store for their brood, pathogenic bacteria and fungi often develop. And these insects also run all over the house, including the toilet and garbage can. From there they can bring infections or parasite eggs into the kitchen. Pets are also unlikely to be happy with their new roommates, especially since ants bite, which is painful and fraught with an allergic reaction.

If ants have entered an apartment, they can be found almost everywhere

Ants in the garden behave no better: their vast homes can be found in any garden bed, in a flower garden and under trees. This harms plants and their roots. The fruits of soft, sweet berries, such as strawberries and wild strawberries, are also at risk: ants like their juice.

Ants are ready to go to great lengths to eat sweet strawberries.

Some species of garden ants breed aphids. And it spoils plants and is nutritious food for other insect pests.

Ants breed aphids, which harm plants.

The pestilence of red ants

Unlike black ants, red ants are united. One colony can have up to 3-5 nests. If one of the anthills is endangered or destroyed, then this nest will soon be populated by relatives and quickly restored.

At home or in an apartment, these are the insects’ favorite places:

building foundation;
behind the wallpaper;
in the pantry;
behind the stove;
in a warehouse;
behind the electric heater.

The red species of ants is active throughout the year. As the weather cools, they require moist, warm conditions and darkness. That is why they move to home buildings for the winter.

Inside the living quarters the following are used as food:

food products;
home water supply system;
garbage;
electricity supply;
leather items;
natural fabrics;
paper and wood.

People living in a house or apartment, including animals, often become victims of red ant bites.

It is very difficult to get rid of insects, as they can quickly adapt to unfavorable living conditions.

Meat balls made from acid and minced meat

To attract insects to the poison, it must be made tasty and aromatic; for this purpose, minced meat is added to the main component. The following recipe helps to remove ants from the garden:

4 tbsp. l. minced meat is mixed with acid (10 g), a pinch of salt;
mix the mass thoroughly, divide into small lumps;
the latter are distributed near the pests' home.

Meat is a delicacy for ants, so they will quickly eat the poisoned balls. After a few days, the number of pests will sharply decrease and continue to decline until they completely disappear from the garden.

How does boric acid affect ants?

This drug is produced in the form of a powder or solution and can be purchased in pharmacies. Despite its low price, boric acid is an excellent insect intoxicator. The drug itself is odorless and dissolves well in hot water.

Boric acid has a contact-intestinal effect on ants. The substance can destroy insects even if it gets on its cover. The acid components penetrate the ant's body through the chitinous shell. And then they corrode the walls of the insect’s organs.

And once in the stomach, the substance causes severe intoxication, dehydration and paralysis.

Crystals of boric acid, which can be hidden in the bait, can destroy an entire colony when they are brought into the anthill by prey insects. There is a high probability of infection of the entire family if the poisoned ant dies in the nest and is eaten.

Causes sterilization of both male and female ants and even a minimal amount of the drug leads to the destruction of the colony.

Proportions - how to dilute it and prepare it at home

Before you learn how to dilute boric acid, it is important to determine the accumulation sites or entrances to the anthill. In this case, you can use the drug pointwise, which is more favorable and safe. If this is difficult, it is best to place traps throughout the garden, but in this case other insects, birds and small animals may also suffer, so it is best to consider traps of a closed type and with small entrance holes. Also, ammonia can be used not only against ants, but also against aphids.

Features of the use of boric acid:

The product can be toxic to humans and pets, so limit access to the garden or place it in remote places inaccessible to children.
Containers for poison must be disposable . When it is no longer needed, it should be thrown away or burned.
When working with the solution, you must protect your respiratory system, eyes and skin . In case of contact with mucous membranes, rinse with plenty of water. If you feel worse, go to the hospital. It will also be useful and interesting to learn about how to treat an apple tree against ants and aphids.

Despite the relative harmlessness, you should not get carried away with such processing. Boric acid can accumulate in fruits, so the solution is used spot-on.

Here's how to fight ants in garden beds using special means. information from the article will help you understand how they are called and operate.

If the anthill is located among thickets of garden or vegetable crops, the best option would be to set traps.

For an area completely populated by ants, such recipes will be ineffective. In this case, it is better to call a team of exterminators or use specialized preparations yourself.

Is boron powder dangerous for people?

This is the question that owners of houses and apartments ask themselves when they find ants crawling in their homes.

Boric acid is not classified as a toxic substance and is recommended for use in residential areas to kill pests.

But when treating problem areas in the house, you must take precautions.

If even a minimal amount of the drug enters the child’s body, an allergy will occur. Here, caring for their inquisitive children falls on the shoulders of parents. The amount of acid used to prepare bait is small, so there is no harm to the body.

Important! Animals and small children should not have access to the drug and prepared baits.

But when working with the substance, you must wear rubber gloves. Prepared baits should be placed on disposable dishes, which should then be thrown away. After all work, hands should be washed with running water and soap.

Precautionary measures

Sometimes boric acid can harm not only ants, but also pets and even humans.

With this in mind, do not use your tableware to prepare poisoned baits - in this case, it is better to specifically purchase disposable plastic utensils and use them.

In addition, when you decide to prepare bait according to any of the described recipes, before doing so, put rubber or cellophane gloves on your hands, and after preparing and decomposing the baits, be sure to wash your hands with soap.

Are there pets or a small child in the house? Then place all baits exclusively in places where they cannot reach.

While the poison is in effect, it is important to ensure that insects do not crawl on food if it cannot be washed before eating.

Don't forget to rinse dishes before using them, because ants can crawl on them.

Use boric acid powder carefully: it should not get on food, and after finishing work, wash the used equipment and surfaces on which the bait was prepared.

Advantages of boron powder in baits

Boric acid as a remedy for ants in the garden and apartment shows itself on the positive side. The advantages of the drug include:

Low price. The cost of one dose is approximately 50 rubles; you can purchase the product at any pharmacy.
There are many ways to use it; boric acid is used both in its pure form to kill ants, and as an additive to baits.
Excellent result. Almost everyone who used boron powder as a poison for pests noted excellent effectiveness and complete elimination of ant colonies.
Performance. As soon as the poison penetrates the organ systems, irreversible poisoning and paralysis begin.
Boric acid is suitable for use in a house, apartment, country house or garden plot.
The use of a substance against ants in the garden destroys colonies. But for plants, boric acid acts as a fertilizer.

Useful tips

Baits are placed only where pets and children do not have access to them.
“Dishes” for domestic ants should be laid out in disposable plates or on thick sheets of paper.
It is easier to avoid the appearance of ants in the house than to deal with them later. Therefore, if there is a problem with the appearance of “tenants”, then you cannot leave crumbs on the table and the remains of any food; you must remove garbage from the trash can more often.
Having noticed at least one ant, you urgently need to start destroying them. It is easier to remove a small number of insects than to fight an entire colony.

Indoors, bait must be placed under a gas or electric stove, under cabinets and baseboards, and under the refrigerator. To get the best effect, remove food and block the ants' access to water.

Reviews

Alena: “After purchasing a private house with a large plot, our family was faced with the problem of ants. Previously, at the dacha, I did not consider them harmful, because the truth about “forest orderlies” has been known since childhood. There were a lot of ants in our new garden; the area was almost entirely sandy, so they felt right at home. The main problem was the appearance of insects in a residential building. We bought a house in the winter, so no one took this option into account. They did not dare to use toxic chemicals; however, children and pets could have been accidentally harmed. Having searched for a suitable recipe on the Internet, we made many traps, which were laid out both in the house and on the site. I had to move to my parents for a couple of days, periodically visiting for control. The children stayed away from home for a few more days until my husband and I put the house in order. Boric acid worked perfectly, at least all the ants disappeared from the house, and there were much fewer of them in the garden. We didn’t completely destroy them, but I kept the recipe for myself just in case.”
Igor: “On the summer cottage, ants appeared suddenly and in large numbers. I don’t know why this happened, but after that aphids immediately appeared and the plants withered before our eyes. At first, I put all my efforts into destroying aphids, but all methods turned out to be ineffective. My father suggested a recipe for killing ants so that the aphids would not spread further. I used boric acid in its pure form, and progress immediately appeared. Now the area is almost completely cleared of these pests, but on his advice he did not completely remove the ants. The problem has not been completely resolved, but next year I hope to get rid of the pests completely.”

Recipe for baits for ant colonies based on boric acid

The simplest way to use boric acid is to scatter the powder in places where ants appear. For example, in cracks under baseboards or under bedside tables. Pests will definitely visit these places in search of food, and will carry the poison on their bodies and legs to the ant nest.

Aromatic special baits are also prepared. These methods of killing insects are good because the contents of the baits are transferred directly to nests in an apartment or house, which are usually located in places inaccessible to people.

Bait with egg

The aroma of the yolk will quickly attract ants. For bait you will need:

10 g boric acid;
2 boiled yolks (chicken eggs).

The ingredients are mixed and small balls are formed from the resulting mixture. Place the poisoned treat in places where ants appear.

The colony will die within 15-30 days.

There is no need to increase the amount of powder in the recipe. When there is a large amount of boron powder in the bait, the ant will die on the spot and will not bring prey to the nest. And it will take you a long time to destroy the insect colony.

"Treat" with sugar

Everyone knows that ants love sweets, so you can use sugar or powdered sugar to create bait.

Mix 2-3 tablespoons of sugar (heaped) with 10 g of boric acid. Place them on plates or on paper and place them in insect habitats. The ants will definitely try the “treat” and die.

“Dish” with minced meat

Meat attracts pests, so it is often used in making baits.

To prepare a meat “dish”, minced beef, pork or chicken is suitable. For two sachets of the drug, use 100 grams of minced meat.

The components must be mixed well so that the powder dissolves in the meat juice. Make small balls from minced meat and place them in places where insects gather.

Potato bait

For potato ball traps you will need:

2 boiled potatoes (medium);
2 boiled yolks;
1 tbsp. l. Sahara;
1 tbsp. l. butter (melt);
1 packet of boric acid (10 g).

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Roll balls from the “dish” and place them in places where ants are found.

Liquid bait

Liquid baits are prepared using sugar syrup.

The syrup is prepared as follows: 2 tsp. sugar is dissolved in 200 ml of warm water. A packet of boron powder is added to the syrup and the components are mixed well.

The liquid is poured into disposable plates and placed in places where ants collect.

If there is access to insect nests, then prepare a more aggressive bait, replacing warm water with boiling water. After mixing the ingredients, the hot syrup is immediately poured into the nest.

Yeast trap

The proposed method is one of the oldest methods of pest extermination. Before preparing the bait, prepare small containers for the yeast mixture, for example, collect caps from plastic bottles.

Ingredients for one serving of the mixture:

1 tbsp. l. dry yeast;
4 tbsp. l. granulated sugar;
1 sachet of boric acid;
2 tbsp. l. water at room temperature.

Yeast is dissolved in water, granulated sugar and boric acid are added to the dough. Stir well and pour the poison into the lids. Baits are placed in areas where pest insects are located.

Glycerin "treat"

Boric acid powder is highly soluble in glycerin.

A liquid poison is prepared on a glycerin basis and sprayed from a spray bottle where the ants live.

Dissolve 10 grams in 250 ml of warm water. boric acid. Two tablespoons of glycerin are added to the composition. Use the resulting solution to treat all surfaces in the kitchen, hiding kitchen utensils and food in advance.

You can make balls from boric acid and glycerin as bait. For this you need the following components:

2 tbsp. l. granulated sugar;
1 tsp. liquid honey;
2 g boric acid;
1 tbsp. l. water.

The formed balls are laid out at all locations where the ants are located.

Honey bait

They lure ants with any sugar-containing products, for example, jam or honey.
Their smell quickly attracts pests. A little jam is poured into a small bottle or jar and left on the floor near where the insects reside. The neck, surface of the jar or bottle, and ant trails are treated with boric acid.

The smell of sweets will definitely attract ants in search of food. Along the poisoned path, the powder will fall on the legs of insects, which will cause their death.

Alcohol trap

Ants also do not refuse alcoholic drinks, so beer serves as an excellent trap. Drink bottles are sprinkled with powder and placed in areas where insects are located.

To get rid of insects in your garden or vegetable garden, you can:

Pour one tablespoon of yeast into 4 tbsp. l. water (warm).
Add one tablespoon of sweet jam and 1 tbsp to the dough. l. boric acid.
Mix the ingredients well, distribute them into containers and place them in places where ants gather.

What you need to know about garden ants

The ants themselves in the garden are beneficial, by the way. But many species of ants feed on honeydew, which is secreted by aphids that feed on plants. Ants protect aphids from other predators, such as ladybugs, to provide a reliable food source. Increased aphid activity in your garden, especially when they have bodyguards, can have disastrous consequences for plant life, as aphids can move unhindered through your garden, sucking all the juices out of your plants.

Before you turn into Rambo and unleash righteous fury on the unsuspecting ants in your garden, ask yourself these questions:

Are they in an isolated area of my garden?
Are they a threat to me or my family?
Are they threatening my home?

There is no need to fight just for the sake of fighting. Now that the moralizing is taken care of, let's get down to business. A fairly simple and effective way to get rid of ants is to spread baits with boric acid. Boric acid can be found at your pharmacy as an ingredient in some medications, including eye drops. You can also find boric acid powder in the fertilizer section of large garden centers. We will be happy to tell you how to make an effective remedy against garden ants from boric acid powder.

Ant traps made from boron powder for a summer cottage

Harmless-looking small ants in your garden should not cause trouble. But, in addition to benefits, they also cause a lot of trouble. Ants, for example, attract huge swarms of aphids. And these pests destroy both plants and crops in the beds and garden.

Before starting to destroy insects in the garden, determine the location of the anthill.

There is no need to worry that boric acid will negatively affect plants: on the contrary, it enhances the development of green spaces and serves as a fertilizing agent.

Corn bait

Cornmeal is harmful to ants in itself. When eating a corn treat, the insects' digestive tract swells and they die.

For effectiveness, you can add boric acid to the flour.

For 100 grams of corn flour, take a bag of powder and mix.

The dry mixture is scattered along the ant paths, not forgetting to scatter it around the anthill. The procedure is performed as often as possible. At least 4 times a week.

Potato and yolk trap

And even though the ants always have something to snack on in the garden, they never refuse a treat.

They prepare such a fragrant bait. Boiled 2 medium potatoes are mixed with two yolks. Add 2 tbsp to this mixture. l. granulated sugar and two bags of boric acid. Mix everything well with a fork.

Make small balls from the mixture and place them where the ants crawl.

Lures need to be updated every week. After 2-3 weeks there will be much fewer insects.

Bait with ash

To make a poisonous mixture you will need wood ash. It can be purchased at grocery stores or hardware stores. And if you are preparing barbecue at the dacha, then it is enough to collect the remains after burning branches and firewood.

For the trap, take 1 kg of wood ash and three bags of boric acid (10 grams each). Mix the ingredients and sprinkle the mixture over the anthill. The effect is enhanced when it rains after the procedure, then the poison penetrates the nest.

Sweet treat for ants

And yet, sugar baits remain the most effective in killing ants, because they love sweets very much. To prepare dry poison you will need:

powdered sugar;
rice flour;
soda;
boric acid.

All components are taken in equal quantities. Combine, mix and scatter near and on the anthill. The composition is harmful to insects not only due to intoxication and paralysis from boric acid. Also, rice flour swells greatly in the ant’s digestive system and leads to death.

Powdered sugar acts as bait; its grains are so small that they are easily carried by insects into nests.

Despite the fact that the pharmaceutical drug is safe for people, safety rules are followed when using it. It is important not to handle baits without gloves. All containers for preparing mixtures must be either disposable, glass, or ceramic. After manipulation, the containers are thoroughly washed.

When using boron powder in the garden, the remains of the traps are buried deep in the ground.

In order for the destruction of uninvited “tenants” to be successful, it is advisable to update the bait once every three days. Otherwise, they will lose their “aroma” and attractiveness to ants.

It is worth noting that insects cannot be quickly destroyed using boric acid. At a minimum, the war with ants will take two to three weeks.

Dry bait

To prepare them, the powder is mixed with sugar, after which the dry bait is scattered along ant paths and places of increased pest accumulation (near fruit crops, anthills). The dry poison acts somewhat slower than the solution, but is very effective. After just a week, there will be almost no insects left in the garden, and within a month they will disappear completely.

How to prevent infection again?

No one is immune from the appearance of impudent ants in the house, but if you follow certain rules and conditions, you may never see them or prevent re-infestation.

What is needed for this?

Firstly, you probably guess that ants come to your house in search of food, and therefore you must always wipe off crumbs from the table, stains from cooked food (especially sweet ones) and throw out garbage in a timely manner.
You should also not leave unwashed dishes in the sink for a long time, because they contain leftovers from your lunch or dinner.
Don’t forget that pets also have the right to cleanliness, and if you try to keep your furry pet’s bowl clean, you will protect your home from insects. Uneaten food, porridge, etc. – all these gifts from your cat or dog will appeal to the ants.
And be sure to store food in closed cabinets, boxes and bags (especially sweets). And if you notice the first signs of the appearance of ants, immediately take measures to exterminate them.

Reasons for the appearance of ants in the apartment

Ants are quite hardworking living creatures that are useful, but when they appear in a person’s home, ants become harmful creatures. In nature, ants can be found everywhere, and in fairly dirty places, such as trash cans, various landfills, etc. Moving into human housing, they carry pathogens of various ailments on their paws. When they appear in an apartment, they can be found in various bulk food products, which does not bring much joy to the residents.

Ants are attracted to a person’s home by a number of factors, such as:

The presence of bread crumbs, spilled tea, compote, jam or honey on the dining table.
Storing bulk food products in accessible form.
The apartment is warm and humid.
Free access to water.
The ants wait out the winter in the apartment.

Good to know! Determining the place where the ants' nest is located is not at all difficult. As a rule, a living path of ants stretches from food to the nest, carrying food to the nest for their relatives. The task is also simplified because these insects are diurnal and rest at night.