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I have entered my share of homes, containing a kitchen that has been overrun by sugar ants. It’s not pretty. And every time, I hear complaints about how the store bought ant killer isn’t doing anything to solve the problem. Well, the good news is that I have found a homemade ant killer that works.

This homemade ant killer is simple to make – you may already have all the ingredients in your home! And it is budget friendly, too. If you have to go out and buy all the ingredients, it will cost you less than $20. You can then either use these ingredients for other things in your home, or you can use them to kill ants in your great-grandchildren’s homes. Because they will last that long if you only use them for ants!

So what is this magic, homemade ant killer that manages to be cheaper AND more effective than the store bought stuff, all the while having entirely natural ingredients?

Homemade Ant Killer – How it Works

It is simple. You just need three ingredients: water, sugar, and borax.

The sugar attracts the ants. Any granulated sugar will do; the houses I have tried this at always have white sugar and that works like a charm. Because of the sugar, initially you will see an increase in ant activity. It is super gross, but don’t worry! This is a good thing. And don’t kill the ants. I’ll explain why next.

Borax is what is acting as an ant killer in this recipe. The ants pick up the borax when they take the sugar. They bring it back to their hive – this is important! In doing so, they not only tell other ants about the tasty sugar treat you have left out, but they also feed it to their queen. Eventually, the borax kills off all those ants, their queen, and the hive. And now that all the ants who knew about your awesome kitchen are dead, there are none left to come inside. Success.

Like I said, you will see an increase in ants at first. But within a few days, it should dwindle down to nothing. Less than a week after I took the above picture, the kitchen was ant free. Three months later, it still is!

Safety note: There is some controversy over whether Borax is safe or not. Whatever side you fall on, this is a homemade ant killer recipe. You don’t want your kids or pets eating this. Place it out of the way, such as up on counters. Near where the ants enter is best, but do whatever works for you.

Homemade Ant Killer – The Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp Borax
• 1/2 cup warm water

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together until the sugar and borax are completely dissolved. To speed up the process, use hot water or heat it while stirring.
2. Soak cotton balls in the mixture and place on shallow dishes. I like to use mason jar lids.
3. Place a cotton ball near each of the “high traffic” areas. Let the ants come and go as they please, as gross as it is.
4. When the cotton ball dries out, replace it with a new one until it stops attracting so many ants.
5. This homemade ant killer can be stored in the fridge. Consider giving leftovers to a friend – we certainly haven’t needed ours!

Have you tried Borax as a natural, homemade ant killer? What has worked for you in the past?

Shared on Wildcrafting Wednesday.

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