Boric acid for ants: recipes with egg, honey, sugar

How does the substance affect ants?

To begin with, it should be noted that boric acid is available in the form of a powder or solution and is sold in pharmacies. The drug is inexpensive, but copes well with insect intoxication. The substance has no odor and dissolves well in water.

The acid has a contact-intestinal effect on ants. It is capable of destroying an insect, even if it simply ends up on its cover and does not enter the digestive tract. The components of the substance are able to penetrate the body through the chitinous shell and corrode the walls of the pest’s organs. If it enters the stomach, the product causes severe intoxication, dehydration and paralysis of the body. No matter how boric acid gets into the ant's organ systems, it will die over time.

A few crystals of the substance hidden in a fragrant bait can infect an entire colony if they enter their lair as a tasty-smelling trophy brought by a prey ant. Also, the possibility of infection of the colony appears if the poisoned individual dies and is eaten by relatives.

Even a minimal amount of boric acid entering the body can cause sterilization of both the female and the male ant, which will ultimately lead to the destruction of the genus.

Is boric acid dangerous for humans?

The main question that owners of apartments infested with ants ask is how boric acid affects humans. The substance is not classified as a poison and is recommended for use in residential areas to kill insects. However, when treating problem areas in your home, take precautions.

A small amount of the product, even if it enters a child’s body, can only cause an allergic reaction. If a large amount of the substance enters the body, poisoning may occur. Considering that very little acid is used to fight insects, harm to the body is excluded.

Advantages of using boric acid

As a poison against ants, boric acid shows itself in the best possible way. The advantages of the product include:

Low cost. For one dose of boric acid powder or solution you will spend about 50 rubles, and you can buy the substance at any pharmacy.
Variety of applications. Boric acid can be used not only in its pure form to kill ants, but also as bait. This way the effectiveness of the product increases significantly.
High quality result. Almost everyone who has used boric acid as a poison for ants notes the excellent effectiveness of the product and the complete destruction of colonies.
Fast action. Once the poison enters the organ systems, irreversible intoxication and paralysis occur.
Suitable for use both in an apartment or house, and on a personal plot.
When used in the garden, it has a positive effect on plant growth, acting as a top dressing.

Properties of boric acid and principle of action

White powder is one of the most effective, safe for humans remedies against garden ants. Its antibacterial, disinfectant properties help quickly destroy entire populations of insects. Boric acid has a pronounced versatile effect. Entering their body through the intestinal contact route, the substance begins to corrode the digestive organs of the pests. In addition, the powder causes severe dehydration in the ants.

Dry baits act as a contact and intestinal insecticide. In this case, products with a liquid consistency serve exclusively as intestinal poison. To prepare dry baits, the powder is mixed with sugar. The poison spreads throughout the peripheral nervous system, leading to its dysfunction, resulting in paralysis. The death of insects occurs a couple of hours after contact with a toxic substance.

In addition to the described effects, the product also has an effect on the reproductive system of insects: it has a sterilizing effect and significantly reduces the population, leading to the natural extinction of pests. There are many options for using acid, but an important universal requirement is to maintain a poison concentration above the norm (2%). At the same time, the insect manages to bring the poison to the anthill without dying very quickly, due to which more individuals die.

The fight against ants in a summer cottage or garden involves the use of dry baits, which are scattered in a thin layer both in areas where pests accumulate and on the paths along which they move. Boric acid is also used to prepare solutions and liquid slurries, which are placed in saucers and serve as bait for pests.

For maximum effectiveness in the fight against annoying insects, it is important where the poison will be located in the garden. As a rule, in the garden, poison is placed in close proximity to anthills or next to ant paths. In addition, the preparation can be used to treat the trunks of fruit trees loved by insects.

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Secrets of proper use of boric acid

The basic rule is the correct placement of the poison with boric acid. Place clean powder or prepared baits in places where ants appear so that they come into contact with the substance. Ants usually crawl around the apartment in search of water or food, so they most often appear in the kitchen or bathroom.

When treating a room, be sure to place baits under baseboards, cabinets, stove and refrigerator. For best results, be sure to remove food and block insects' access to water.

To prevent the reappearance of ants, try to always keep your apartment clean, remove all food from public access, and throw out garbage on time.

↑ Sabotage of red ants

Unlike black ants, red ants are united. One colony can have up to 3-5 nests. If one of the anthills is endangered or destroyed, then this nest will soon be populated by relatives and quickly restored.

At home or in an apartment, these are the insects’ favorite places:

building foundation;
behind the wallpaper;
in the pantry;
behind the stove;
in a warehouse;
behind the electric heater.

The red species of ants is active throughout the year. As the weather cools, they require moist, warm conditions and darkness. That is why they move to home buildings for the winter.

Inside the living quarters the following are used as food:

food products;
home water supply system;
garbage;
electricity supply;
leather items;
natural fabrics;
paper and wood.

People living in a house or apartment, including animals, often become victims of red ant bites.

It is very difficult to get rid of insects, as they can quickly adapt to unfavorable living conditions.

Ant baits based on boric acid: effective methods

The easiest way to use boric acid is to simply sprinkle the powder in areas where ants appear, for example, under cabinets or baseboards in the kitchen. Insects will definitely appear in these places in search of food, and will bring poison on their legs and body to the nest.

To make the pest feast on the poison, make special aromatic baits. A lot of different products that every housewife has in the refrigerator are suitable for their preparation. Such options for exterminating ants are good because the bait will be transferred directly to the nests, which are most often located in places inaccessible to humans.

Recipe with egg (with yolk)

The smell of egg yolk is great for attracting ants. To prepare the bait you will need 1 packet of boric acid and 2 boiled egg yolks.

Mix the ingredients and form small balls from the resulting mixture. Place poisonous treats in ant habitats and wait for the results. Usually, using yolk balls, the entire ant colony will die within 2-4 weeks.

Do not exceed the amount of powder used in the recipe. If there is too much boric acid in the bait, the mining ant will not carry the ball to the nest, but will die on the spot. As a result, the relatives living in the nest will not feast on the poisoned “delicacy” and the colony will be exterminated longer.

Recipe with sugar

As you know, ants love sweets, so granulated sugar or powdered sugar is perfect for preparing bait. Mix a few tablespoons of sugar with a packet of boric acid and sprinkle it in the ants' habitats. The insects will definitely try the “delicacy” and will soon die.

Recipe with minced meat

Meat and its juice are excellent at attracting insects, so they are often used as an ant-attracting substance. Minced chicken, pork or beef is suitable for making bait. You will need 100 g of meat delicacy and 2 bags of boric acid. Mix the ingredients thoroughly until the acid dissolves in the meat juices and roll into small balls. The smaller the lumps, the better. Foraging ants will bring them to the nest, thereby poisoning other relatives.

Potato recipe

To make potato balls you will need:

several boiled potatoes;
2 boiled egg yolks;
1 tbsp. spoon of sugar;
1 sachet of boric acid;
1 tbsp. spoon of melted butter.

As in previous bait options, combine the components and mix. Roll the resulting mixture into balls and place them on the ant paths.

How to make liquid bait

Liquid baits are usually prepared using sugar syrup.

You can pour the liquid into small containers or apply it to the floor surface directly in the ants' habitats. Simply dilute 10 g of boric acid powder and 2 teaspoons of sugar in one glass of warm water and treat the surface.

If you have access to the pest's nests, you can prepare a more aggressive remedy by replacing warm water with boiling water. After mixing the ingredients, immediately pour the hot syrup into the nest and wait for the result.

Yeast mixture recipe

This method is considered one of the oldest. Before making, prepare small containers for bait, for example, plastic bottle caps. You will also need 1 tbsp. spoon of yeast, 4 tbsp. spoons of sugar and a little water.

Dissolve the yeast in water, and then add sugar and 1 packet of boric acid to the resulting dough. Pour the aromatic poison into containers and place them in the ants’ habitats.

Bait recipe with glycerin

Boric acid is highly soluble in glycerin. Based on it, you can make a liquid poison and spray it from a spray bottle in the habitats of ants.

Dissolve a packet of boric acid in a glass of water and add 2 tbsp. spoons of glycerin. Use the resulting mixture to treat all surfaces in the kitchen, after removing all food and kitchen utensils.

You can also make bait balls from glycerin and boric acid. To do this, prepare a soft mass by mixing:

2 tbsp. spoons of glycerin;
2 tbsp. spoons of sugar;
1 teaspoon honey;
1/3 teaspoon of boric acid;
1 tbsp. spoon of water.

Place the finished balls in all possible habitats of ants.

Recipe with honey, jam

Any sugar-containing products, such as honey or jam, are often used as bait. Their smell attracts insects well.

Pour some jam into a small bottle or jar and leave it on the floor. Treat the surface and neck of the bottle, as well as ant paths, with a solution of boric acid. Ants will definitely be attracted by the smell of sweets and will go in search of food. Along the poisoned road to the aromatic delicacy, boric acid will fall on the legs and bodies of insects, which will lead to their death.

Recipes for poisonous mixtures and balls

There are many ways to get rid of parasite infestations using boric acid. Some of them appeared relatively recently, others have been tested for more than one generation. Decide for yourself what to prefer.

Yeast

Peculiarities. This is an old recipe that remains effective to this day. This poison has a liquid consistency, so you need to stock up on “dishes” in advance. These can be disposable plates or old iron lids left over from preservation.

Compound:

sugar - 25 g;
water - 40 ml;
yeast - one tablespoon;
boric acid - 10 g.

What to do

Initially, prepare the syrup by combining sugar and water.
Add yeast to the resulting mixture.
Add boric acid.
Stir and distribute among “plates”.

To give the bait an attractive aroma for insects, add a spoonful of honey or any jam to it. You can sweeten the “dish” with vanilla.

Sugar

Peculiarities. The recipe does not require special preparation. But you can resort to it only if there are no children or animals in the house.

Compound:

sugar - 50 g;
water - half a glass;
boric acid - one packet.

What to do

Prepare syrup by adding sugar to water.
Place a glass of sweet water on the paper.
Sprinkle crystalline powder around the glass.

Egg-honey

Peculiarities. Boric acid and eggs effectively get rid of ants. This bait has the consistency of soft plasticine. Therefore, it is recommended to roll it into balls and place it in ant habitats.

Compound:

egg yolks - three pieces;
honey - one tablespoon;
boric acid - one third of the package.

What to do

Mix boiled yolks with boric acid.
Knead the mass thoroughly.
Add honey, stir.
Roll into balls the size of a walnut.

Potato

Peculiarities. Boiled potatoes and eggs can be used to make quite effective bait. But such poison has one significant drawback: it dries out quite quickly. Therefore, the balls will have to be renewed every three days.

Compound:

potatoes - three tubers;
yolks - three pieces;
boric acid - one packet.

What to do

Crumble the boiled potatoes and boiled yolks.
Mix the ingredients.
Add boric acid.
If the mixture turns out thick, pour in a little water and knead into a “puree.”
Roll into small balls.

With ammonia

Peculiarities. This remedy can only be used if all residents of the apartment leave the house for a short time. Working with ammonia is only allowed while wearing a respirator. It should be remembered that this component has very toxic fumes.

Compound:

boric acid - package;
ammonia (only 10%) - a few drops;
cotton pads.

What to do

Sprinkle boric acid powder onto pieces of paper placed around the apartment.
Soak cotton pads with a few drops of ammonia and place them in the areas where parasites travel.

When you return in a day or two, enter the room only wearing a respirator. Start cleaning by opening the windows. When the apartment is well ventilated, you can remove the protective mask.

Bread

Peculiarities. For this recipe you will not need boric acid powder, but a liquid solution (3%). Use fresh bread to make it easier to roll into balls.

Compound:

honey - one tablespoon;
bread - one slice;
boric acid solution - five to six drops.

What to do

Combine bread (it is better to take only the pulp) with honey.
Add boric acid.
Knead the ingredients with your hands.
Form into balls.

Glycerin-honey

Peculiarities. A poison for ants that combines boric acid with glycerin and honey is effective. The main thing is to keep the proportions correctly. This combination attracts parasites, leaving them no chance to survive.

Compound:

pharmaceutical glycerin - three teaspoons;
water - one and a half tablespoons;
honey - two teaspoons;
sugar - two tablespoons;
boric acid (powder) - half a packet.

What to do

Mix sugar, water, glycerin.
Add boric acid to the mixture and add honey.
Knead the mixture thoroughly until smooth.
Roll small balls from the resulting plasticine-like mass.

For gardeners

Peculiarities. A simple method of combating red parasites. The product can be used in the garden to kill ants. Just fill the nest with the resulting powder.

Compound:

sugar - one tablespoon;
boric acid - one tablespoon.

What to do

Pour both components into an old, unwanted mortar.
Grind the crystals thoroughly.
Scatter the resulting powder onto laid out sheets of paper.

Remember another unusual, but very simple recipe that uses liquid boric acid to kill ants. Red pests love not only sweets, but also meat products. Therefore, they do not mind eating balls of fresh minced meat, onto which you first drop two drops of a poisonous solution. But if pets live in the house, then this method is strictly prohibited.

Baits based on boric acid for use in the garden

It would seem that seemingly harmless ants that appear on a personal plot should not cause much trouble. However, insects can attract huge swarms of aphids, which damage garden and vegetable plants.

Before you start fighting ants in the garden, locate the anthills. This way you will know for sure where to place the bait. Do not worry that boric acid will negatively affect garden crops; on the contrary, the effect of the substance enhances plant growth and performs an additional function as a fertilizer.

Corn mixture

Cornmeal itself is already destructive for the ant. Attracted by the aroma of the corn delicacy, ants eat the product, which greatly swells in the digestive tract and causes fatal injuries.

To enhance the effect, you can add a little boric acid to the product. Prepare the required volume of poisoned mixture at the rate of 100 g of corn flour per 10 g of powder, and scatter along the ant paths and around the anthill. Please note that the procedure should be performed as often as possible, at least once every 2 days. Otherwise, the product will not work due to high humidity and the influence of various physical phenomena.

Potato-egg bait

Although there is always something to eat in the garden, ants are still attracted to additional aromatic foods.

Boil a few potatoes and 2 hard-boiled eggs. Mash the boiled potatoes and yolks with a fork and mix. Also add 2 tbsp to the mixture. spoons of sugar and 20 g of boric acid powder. Make balls and place them around the ant nests. Renew the bait about once a week. After 14-20 days you will notice that there are fewer insects in the garden.

Wood ash mixture

To make bait you will need wood ash. You can buy it ready-made at a hardware store or simply take the remains of burnt firewood after cooking a barbecue or from the oven.

For 1 kg of ash you will need 3 ten-gram bags of powder. Mix the ingredients and sprinkle directly onto the anthill. The effect will be enhanced if there is light rain after the procedure, and the poison will penetrate deep into the nest.

Sweet, effective bait

One of the most effective means in the fight against ants are sugar baits, since insects are very greedy for sweets. To prepare dry poison you will need:

powdered sugar;
soda;
rice flour;
boric acid powder.

Combine the ingredients in equal proportions and scatter on the anthill. The product is destructive to ants not only because of its toxic effect, but also due to the rice flour, which greatly swells in the insect’s digestive system and causes irreparable damage. Powdered sugar acts as bait, the grains of which are very small and are easily carried by foraging ants into their nests.

Why are ants bad?

Many people are perplexed - what is wrong with ants, what harm can they cause to a person if they do not attack him. But it's not that simple. If these insects occupy the house, you can say goodbye to your supplies of sugar, honey, jam, flour and cereals. They will eat some, drag something back to their nest, and in return leave a lot of excrement and corpses (ants often stick and drown in sweet liquids).

In the food reserves that ants store for their brood, pathogenic bacteria and fungi often develop. And these insects also run all over the house, including the toilet and garbage can. From there they can bring infections or parasite eggs into the kitchen. Pets are also unlikely to be happy with their new roommates, especially since ants bite, which is painful and fraught with an allergic reaction.

If ants have entered an apartment, they can be found almost everywhere

Ants in the garden behave no better: their vast homes can be found in any garden bed, in a flower garden and under trees. This harms plants and their roots. The fruits of soft, sweet berries, such as strawberries and wild strawberries, are also at risk: ants like their juice.

Ants are ready to go to great lengths to eat sweet strawberries.

Some species of garden ants breed aphids. And it spoils plants and is nutritious food for other insect pests.

Ants breed aphids, which harm plants.

Safety rules when using boric acid

Although boric acid is considered safe for humans, be sure to follow safety precautions when using it.

Do not come into contact with the substance without gloves.
Protect the respiratory tract with a cotton-gauze bandage.
For mixing, choose either unnecessary dishes that you can simply throw away, or glass or ceramic ones that are not affected by chemical reactions. After all manipulations, wash the used container thoroughly.
If you place baits on napkins, paper or plastic covers, discard them after use.
When using boric acid in the garden, bury the remaining poison deep into the soil.
If children or pets live in the house, choose inaccessible places to place baits. If a pet or even a child eats one ball of poisoned bait, most likely nothing bad will happen. With systematic use of the substance, severe poisoning of the body is possible.

Precautionary measures

Sometimes boric acid can harm not only ants, but also pets and even humans.

With this in mind, do not use your tableware to prepare poisoned baits - in this case, it is better to specifically purchase disposable plastic utensils and use them.

In addition, when you decide to prepare bait according to any of the described recipes, before doing so, put rubber or cellophane gloves on your hands, and after preparing and decomposing the baits, be sure to wash your hands with soap.

Are there pets or a small child in the house? Then place all baits exclusively in places where they cannot reach.

While the poison is in effect, it is important to ensure that insects do not crawl on food if it cannot be washed before eating.

Don't forget to rinse dishes before using them, because ants can crawl on them.

Use boric acid powder carefully: it should not get on food, and after finishing work, wash the used equipment and surfaces on which the bait was prepared.

User reviews on the results of using the product

Everyone who has tested the effect of boric acid on ants in action leaves mostly positive reviews. Many note that the product copes with the destruction of insects not only in apartments, but also in personal plots. Most housewives are very pleased with the result, noting that the complete destruction of the entire colony is carried out in about 30 days.

Rarely, but still there are negative reviews, which are based on the fact that ants do not touch treats mixed with boric acid. Perhaps in this case the recipe is violated and the poison content in the bait is simply exceeded, which leads to a negative result.

Boric acid has proven to be an effective means of killing ants. You can use the substance either in its pure form, scattering it in places where ants gather, or preparing aromatic baits for further transportation by the poison-delivering ants to the nest. The product works both in apartments or houses, and outdoors, for example, in a garden or vegetable garden.