There are safe ways to control ants.
There are many herbs and spices odious to ants that can abate an infestation by encouraging them to go elsewhere. There are also common household products you can spray on the ants to kill them. If you want to be rid of an infestation once and for all, however, you have to destroy the ant nest. Since it is usually hard to find, the best way to do it is to feed the ants bait they can take back to the nest. There are a few bait mixtures you can make with environmentally friendly products. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Mix a solution of boric acid and water, and stir until it is completely dissolved. Start with a 10-percent solution. You can increase the concentration if needed, but making it too strong will keep the ants away.
2. Add enough sugar to make a thick syrup. Transfer the mixture to an open jar. Set the jar near the ant trail. Place a paper towel inside the jar, so part of it is immersed in the solution and part extends from the mouth of the jar and touches the floor where the ants can get it. They will be attracted to the sugar and take it back to the nest. The boric acid in the solution will kill them.
3. Make a syrup with sugar and water and a teaspoon of yeast. The ants will eat the solution and take it back to the nest. The yeast will ferment inside the ants and kill them.
4. Set a bowl of dry cream of wheat in an accessible location near the ant trail. The ants will eat the cereal and it will expand inside them, killing them -- but hopefully not before they have had a chance to feed it to the ants in the nest.
5. Follow the ant trail to its source, if possible, and dump boiling water on the nest to kill the colony.
6. Mix a solution of 2/3 cups water, 1/3 cup white vinegar, and 1 tbsp. dish soap. Put the solution in a spray bottle, and spray it on ants you see. It will kill most species on contact, but it won't prevent more ants from coming in the future. To prevent further infestations, spray a solution of 10 to 15 drops peppermint oil and 1 quart of water wherever you notice the ants coming into the house. You can also deter ants with a spray solution of 1 part apple cider vinegar to 1 part water.
Tags: ants will, back nest, kill them, take back, take back nest
