by Stephanie | Feb 23, 2020 | Simple Living | 13 comments
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It never fails, every year in the late winter, early spring – or February/March, we get ants. They primarily show up in our kitchen and I hate them.
They are the most annoying thing when you are trying to cook. Dodging the ants when cutting vegetables and having to remember to wipe down counters after doing ANYTHING is just plain annoying!
I really try not to use any toxic chemicals when cleaning my house but when it comes to pest control, I have a hard time resisting the urge to wipe them out with whatever means are necessary.
A few days ago, I had just had it with the ants that had started showing up in my kitchen. For a few weeks I dealt with them but I just couldn’t take it anymore.
I searched for natural any killer and found a few solutions.
This easy solution worked wonders for me. A few days later and I have yet to see a single ant. This beats calling an exterminator any day!
When I first found this solution, I was a little worried about using borax because it can be toxic in large doses.
For this reason, I try not to use it in cleaning solutions and for other purposes that extend to rooms and surfaces that my kids have access to. However, this recipe calls for a small amount and since I will only (hopefully) be using it once a year, it is definitely worth it.
Borax, also known as sodium borate, can be found in cleaners such as laundry detergent boosters. It can be toxic in very large dosages.
For more information about the safety of borax, this article from Wellness Mama does a good job breaking down the reality of using borax so that you can make the best decision for your house.
Grab the Printable Ant Killer Recipe
This Ant Killer is SO effective, you WILL want to share it with a friend or use it for future outbreaks!
Get the printable version delivered right to your inbox so you don’t have to find it again!
Step 1. Mix together a 3:1 ratio of sugar to borax
I do not like making more than I need and you really don’t need to much. I used 3 tablespoons of sugar to 1 tablespoon of borax. You can find borax in the grocery story or any at drug store and it is relatively inexpensive.
Step 2. Add a little water at a time to create a paste like consistency.
I did not really measure the water before adding. I simply added a little at a time until I got a consistency that was paste like but could be soaked up my the cotton balls.
Step 3) Soak Cotton balls in the solution
Step 3: Soak cotton balls in the solution. Make sure they are covered in the paste. I did four cotton balls so that I could test where the ants were coming from.
Step 4) Place cotton balls on plate or other surface that ants can easily get to.
Place cottonballs on plate or other surface that ants can easily get to. I place several in different areas of my kitchen counter. I even put one in my dishwasher because I could swear that was where they were coming from.
Step 5) Determine where the ants are coming from
After maybe a couple of hours, you should start to see the ants swarming. It is pretty gross but luckily ants pretty much stick to a single file line. The idea behind this method is that the ants are attracted to the sugar but will take pieces of borax back to the nest and feed to to the others, this should kill the entire nest.
Once the ants start to swarm, it should be pretty easy to determine where they are coming from.
I could have sworn that our ants were coming in from around out dish washer but we could quickly tell that they were actually coming in through a crack in our wood floor.
Step 6) Plug their entryway with cinnamon
I know.. it sounds crazy. But it really works!
Cinnamon repels ants so if you plug thier entryway with it, they won’t return.
We found that the ants were coming in around trim of a doorway where it meets the floor boards. I just spinkled some cinamon into those cracks and it worked like magic!
A week later and I haven’t seen a single ant! What a relief, hopefully the results are long term but even as a short term fix, this method really works!
Ultimate Homemade Ant Killer Recipe
Directions
Step 1: Mix together a 3:1 ratio of sugar to borax.
I do not like making more than I need and you really don’t need to much. I used 3 tablespoons of sugar to 1 tablespoon of borax.
Step 2: Add a little water at a time to create a paste like consistency.
Step 3: Soak cottonballs in the solution. Make sure they are covered in the paste.
Step 4: Place cottonballs on plate or other surface that ants can easily get to. I place several in different areas of my kitchen counter. I even put one in my dishwasher because I could swear that they were coming in through it.
Step 5: Determine where the ants are coming from.
Step 6: Plug their entryway with cinnamon.
Grab the Printable Ant Killer Recipe
This Ant Killer is SO effective, you WILL want to share it with a friend or use it for future outbreaks!
Get the printable version delivered right to your inbox so you don’t have to find it again!
Stephanie
Welcome to Wingin’ it on the Homestead! My name is Stephanie Leaf. I am a wife to a can-fix-anything husband, mother of two boys under 3, future expert gardener, lover of anything old and dusty, and inspiring homesteader. My family and I are new to this journey and loving every minute of it. Please join me in embracing a simpler life!
We participate in the Amazon Associates Program. Please assume that all Amazon links are affiliate links. Affiliate links are links to third-party products and services. If you use those links and make a purchase, we will receive a small commission. Using these links will not cost you any extra money. An affiliate relationship does not change or influence the nature of the recommendation or opinion.
Bon July 2, 2021 at 9:10 am
How long do you leave it out?
Reply
Stephanieon July 2, 2021 at 10:05 am
You should see ant activity on the borax mixture within a few hours. I leave that out until I see the ant activity stop, which for me was about 12 hours. Then I left the cinnamon out for about 24 hours before sweeping it up.
Reply
Heatheron July 26, 2020 at 1:25 pm
Does this work for fire ants? The pictures look like you have sugar ants. We’re being attacked by fire ants! 😭
Reply
Stephanieon July 26, 2020 at 11:14 pm
I am not sure, do fire ants take food back to the nest? It is worth a try! If they take the sugar back to the nest that it will work! Let me know!
Reply
Krissyon August 23, 2020 at 12:43 pm
Thank you thank you thank you! Less than 24 hours. Ants are at bay. Seriously I had doubts. I’m super happy. The results are mind blowing. I have swept up tons of ants.
Reply
Stephanieon August 25, 2020 at 6:47 am
I am so happy to hear it worked for you! I was shocked at quickly it worked also. Ants are the worst!
Reply
Jennyon January 14, 2021 at 11:02 am
How long until I sweep up the cinnamon??
Reply
Stephanieon January 19, 2021 at 12:18 pm
Hi! The cinnamon is there to deter more ants from coming in. I would give it at least 24 hours.
Reply
Maryon June 12, 2020 at 6:51 am
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Reply
Stephanieon July 16, 2020 at 6:43 am
My Pleasure! I hope it works well for you!
Reply
Tiffanyon September 11, 2020 at 9:01 pm
Do you microwave and use super hot water to Melt the sugar or does that not matter?
Reply
Stephanieon September 11, 2020 at 10:20 pm
Hi Tiffany, The sugar should dissolve eventually with stirring,so no you do not have to heat it, but heating it would help speed up the process.
Reply
Jenevaon December 30, 2020 at 6:32 pm
This really works! Thank you so much for sharing this. This was so easy!
Reply
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