Your old method of dealing with ants just isn’t cutting it anymore. You need new techniques
and new strategies… well we’ve got you covered… it’s time to suit up and let
the battle begin.
It’s that lovely time of year where picnic tables and food scraps are running a muck. But
you don’t have to let the ants ruin your lovely camp out or picnic.
Always bring some extra containers
with you such as Tupperware or deep disposable plates… I found some pie tins that were
perfect. By simply placing the legs of the table into the containers we’ll be able
to make an effective barrier against creepy crawlies that are trying to make their way
to the top. Just fill each one with water and they won’t get far. Your picnic moat
is complete.
Now obviously, the best way to avoid an ant infestation is to make sure you leave nothing
they want readily available. The sugar left over on something even as tiny as the lip
of a soda can, is enough to send one little soldier back to his nest for backup.
So before you toss your cans and bottles in the bin, give them a light rinse to remove any
sweet coating that might remain. And keep in mind, just because you don’t see anything,
doesn’t mean it’s not there. So make sure to always rinse your recyclables before they
get stored.
If the ants have already penetrated your defenses, you can start by making your own traps to
protect areas you suspect they might be interested in. Get some Sugar, some water and some borax.
While borax might not be in everyone’s home, it’s worth the short trip to the grocery
store to pick it up and it’s usually found in the laundry section. As far as homemade
ant killers go, borax is going to sit at the top of the list as it’s ant slaying abilities
are legendary.
Get yourself a small container and add 3 tablespoons of sugar directly to it. Now grab that borax
and add only 1 tablespoon. You don’t want the borax to overpower the sugar
or the ants won’t take the bait.
I’ll be using tiny and cheap containers to hold the mixture. Pour enough in to cover
the bottoms and you’ll need to add just enough water to make a syrup from the powders.
I simply dipped a straw into a glass of water and dripped it over the mixture. You can always
add more water later. So, go slow with this and begin mixing everything together
until it runs kind of like maple syrup.
be sure to keep it out of the reach of children and animals. While borax is a common item,
it should not be consumed under any circumstances, which is another reason why I’m using a
seal-able container and adding many access holes around it so that the ants can get in
Once you have everything mixed, just place the trap and give
it a few days to clear things out. Remember, you want the ants to come and go so they can
get back to the colony.
Don't Kill Them!
While a simple trap might work on its own you usually need to combine methods. That means, you need
to find the ant colony. If you knew where they were coming from, it would be far more
effective to destroy them at their source. Now if you can’t find a visible trail of
ants, you can simply spray a little vinegar near it which will usually send it back the
way it came so you can follow it home. Slowly and patiently follow it back.
If you want to avoid any harsh chemicals that
could harm your yard growth this is the one for you. Just run a hose up to the ant’s
home and turn it for about 10 minutes. You really want to saturate the dirt and send
the ants packing. Just do it daily until all activity ceases.
Now there is a far more effective way to do this.
Simply throw a pot of water on the stove and
mix in a healthy amount of cayenne pepper to make this more potent. Vinegar will work
too if you don’t have any cayenne. Once the water reaches a full boil, ask someone
to get the door for you and grab the container carefully with oven mitts on.
Take the boiling water over to another ant colony and slowly pour anywhere you see access
holes or live ants. The boiling water will kill them on contact and wash them away.
We need to get rid of the pheromones that the ants
left in your home for the others to follow. You do this after the problem is solved because
you want the ants to take any poison they find back to their nest.
It’s simple… get a spray bottle or container and fill it half full with vinegar, and fill
the rest with water, mix in few drops of dish soap for good measure and hit those nooks,
crannies, baseboards and entryways until you feel confident there is no trail left to follow.
If you have a strong cleaning product such as bleach or Lysol… those will work just
as well if you don’t care about the more natural mixture.
So that’s it! Remember, truly getting rid of ants is a multi-step process if you want
it to last. Just follow our tips you’ll be well on your way to winning the first battle.
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