homemade ant traps
The ants are starting to make their way into the house as they do every spring. I made an ant trap last year that was pretty successful and was pet proof (at least for my pets).
All you need is a squat wide mouth canning jar, a sprouting lid, some powdered sugar and borax. The jars that I have are from Ball and they are labeled "Collection Elite Design Series half pint jars". Make a mixture of mostly powdered sugar with a tablespoon or so of borax thrown in. Fill the jar and put the lid on. At first you will see a lot of ants, but they will take the borax back to their nest and soon all will be quiet, at least as far as ants are concerned.
Comments
-
@Gail H This could not have come at a better time for me...I found a huge ant hill levied up against the side of my house. And they are in my growing tubs.
Questions: Will the borax hurt the plants? Or is there an indirect way to kill them in the soil I grow in (tubs) and still use the soil with the residual borax?
Also, is the jar to be placed unside down for them to enter in through the lid (it has holes in the lid for entry of the ants)?
Thanks for this post.
-
I leave the jar upright and the ants crawl right in and help themselves.
Regarding plants: I think it's a case of "the dose makes the poison." This article says it is both a fertilizer and a weed killer.
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/borax-uses-vegetable-gardening-27721.html
-
@Gail H Thanks, I just read the article in your link and had no idea to use it to clean rust off tools lol.
Have you ever used the stuff, can't think of what it's call, the stuff that destroys the exoskeletal structure of insects, is hazardous to your lungs and comes in pool grade and food grade?
-
We found that this dry mix didn't work for our ants. We added a bit of water. That worked like a charm!
@silvertipgrizz You are thinking of diatomaceous earth.
-
@Laurieloveslearning Yes, de. Do you know how to use de against ants that are in my large growing tubs without damage to my plants?
This info is worth 10 🦋 's to me (many more if I could catch them)🤣
-
@silvertipgrizz Have you looked into rhubarb tea? Someone suggested this to me years ago. You could most likely find instructions online.
-
@Laurieloveslearning No never heard of it but will check it out. Thanks!
Butterflies coming shortly 🙃
This Week's Leaders
Categories
- All Categories
- 36 Our Front Porch Welcome! (Please Read Before Posting)
- 29 Introductions & Region-Specific Discussions
- 372 Educational Opportunities & Resources
- 468 Current Events & Breaking News
- 54 Emergency/Disaster Preparedness & Resiliency
- 1.4K Our Garden: Growing Food
- 1.8K Our Apothecary: Natural & Home Medicine
- 517 The Back 40: Animal Husbandry & Harvesting
- 40 The Bush: Wild Game and Survival
- 547 Our Kitchen Table: Food Prep
- 402 The Homestead: DIY
- 1.2K Personal Journals
- 111 The General Store: Sell, Buy, & Barter