The Cheap Kitchen Ingredient That Can Get Rid of Ants in the Summer
How to get rid of ants with baking soda and sugar / Weekend Home Projects
Summer is almost officially here, and many of us are already in the middle of picnic season, barbecues and evenings on the balcony or in the garden. But for all the warm weather, there are few things more frustrating than sitting outside and discovering long lines of ants searching for your food scraps. Even if you manage to drive them away in one spot, they will probably be back in large numbers fairly quickly.
Summer is exactly the time when ants expand their colonies, which means they need more food to support new workers. Once they find a rich food source in your home or yard, they leave behind a scent trail. That trail allows them to communicate with one another and makes them especially persistent, one lone ant can lead hundreds of its companions to the exact same spot.
Many people tend to deal with the problem using chemical sprays and toxic pesticides, but it turns out there is a completely different solution. Heather Desingner, a home maintenance expert, shares a particularly clever trick that requires no dangerous materials. Her secret relies on one simple ingredient that most of us already have in the kitchen cupboard.
The sweet, deadly bait trap
"Powdered sugar attracts the ants, and baking soda kills them," Desingner explains. Her instructions are very simple, mix equal amounts of powdered sugar and baking soda, one part to one part, and place the mixture on shallow lids, bottle caps or pieces of cardboard anywhere you have spotted ant activity. If you do not have powdered sugar, regular sugar will also work.
It may sound strange to anyone who has never tried it, but a little baking soda can not only eliminate the local ants, but wipe out an entire colony. Ants are unable to digest the acidity and moisture in baking soda. Once they consume it, a chemical reaction occurs that causes carbon dioxide gas to build up inside their digestive system.
When you mix the baking soda with something sweet, the ants happily eat the bait, and more importantly, carry it back to the nest. That quickly damages the entire colony and prevents it from recovering. If you see ants gathering around the trap you made, just leave them alone. Within a day or two, the area should be completely clear.
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A little baking soda can not only eliminate the local ants, but wipe out an entire colony / ShutterStock
Advanced upgrades and natural solutions
However, it is important to understand that baking soda alone will not do the job. Pest control expert Nicole Carpenter and pest specialist James Agardy explain that ants are attracted to sweetness and will not stop to taste a salty-bitter powder without a significant lure.
If you need an even stronger mixture, you can add boric acid, equal parts boric acid, baking soda and powdered sugar. Boric acid is highly toxic to ants, but note that it is also mildly toxic to humans and pets, so it must be kept away from children and animals.
If the baking soda method is less suitable for you, Carpenter offers additional natural solutions. "You can use food-grade diatomaceous earth, which is easy to use and environmentally friendly," she notes. Sprinkling it, or even plain baby powder, around door and window openings will harm ants as soon as they walk over it. Boiling water can also do the job if you pour it slowly and carefully directly into the ant nest in the garden.
When should you give up and call for help? If you have tried baking soda, talc, boiling water and every other possible trick, but the ant trails keep marching on, it is probably time to call a professional exterminator. According to pest control expert Garrett Thrasher, there is no reason to fear excessively toxic materials: "Ask the exterminator for an environmentally friendly solution, ask which materials he plans to use, and do not be embarrassed to ask to read his material safety data sheet."
