Homemade Natural Ant Killer from Stacy Makes Cents

We have been bombarded with several different ants colonies since moving in almost 2 months ago. At first, I thought I could just combat them with some white vinegar and entice them to stay outside by placing food scraps by the door. Obviously, this technique DID NOT WORK AT ALL. It was frustrating to see them coming into the kitchen after spending a hour on my hands and knees cleaning up their trails and killing off their family members. I even used baking soda to seal up some cracks in the dining room. Honestly, I would not mind them so much if they would stay out of the kitchen but when you find them in your food and crawling all over your kitchen countertops, it is time to do something about it.

I do not like chemicals in the house for a variety of reasons. For one, Tynan is super allergic to so many things and I do not want to trigger a breakout. Plus, I do not want my family breathing in chemicals from the traps. Even with the natural ant killer below I keep the bait up high out of the reach of those little hands. If you have pets I would suggest keeping it out of their reach as well, just to be safe.

I learned a lot about ants and Borax in this time of pest aggravation. Some ants go for sugar and some go for protein, it all depends on the ant and their environment. Other ants like to eat insects and honeydew. Over on Stacy Makes Cents she posted a homemade ant killer that really works for house ants. It is the same mixture as store bought Terro - Borax (not boric acid) mixed with sugar water. I used this mixture for the first 2 sets of ants I found in the kitchen. Within 48 hours they were gone.

Check this out:


The ants carry the borax mixture to their nest and share it with their family. They are unable to digest the borax thus eliminating the nest including the queen. This may be an inhumane way to deal with ants but I do not know of any other solution other than toxic ant traps or an exterminator.

Sugar Mixture 

Ingredients 
1 cup of white sugar
1 tablespoon Borax
1/2 cup of water

Supplies
metal spoon
small metal saucepan

Method
Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Pour onto small ceramic plates or used jar lids (from pasta sauce). Let cool completely until thick then place in areas where the ants congregate.

Tips
I usually make 1/2 the amount listed above. I also do NOT wipe down the ant trails as suggested in the original post. I want them to come back to eat the ant bait and then I want them to carry it to their nest. Once they are all gone I wipe down the entire area with white vinegar.

Be sure to wash your metal spoon and metal saucepan thoroughly when you are done making the borax mixture.

Protein Mixture

Ingredients
4 tablespoons of peanut butter, bacon grease, or other protein
3/4 teaspoon Borax

Supplies
metal fork or spoon
small glass mixing bowl

Method
Mix the protein with the borax until fully combined. Scoop or pour onto small ceramic plates or used jar tops (from pasta sauce). Place in areas where the ants congregate.

Tips
Test a few different types of protein before making this mixture. The ants in my house were attracted to cultured butter versus bacon. I melted the butter but did not boil it, trying to keep the cultures alive (I think this is what attracted the ants).

Be sure to wash your metal spoon and metal saucepan thoroughly when you are done making the borax mixture.

Still Have An Infestation?

Unfortunately, I have learned, the borax mixtures do not work on all ants. We still have a batch of relentless ants roaming the countertops. I made the sugar mixture and then the protein mixture and then the sugar mixture again but they keep coming back. Clearly the borax is not taking care of these ants like the house ants.

The first step I took was identifying the ants invading my kitchen. After analyzing the ants up-close, I came to the conclusion they are acrobat ants (pictured at the top). They have a distinct heart shaped abdomen that raises up over their heads. They have a 3-segmented brown/black body. I used this guide by Orkin to figure out what type of ant I have been battling over the last few weeks.

As I work on a solution to this infestation, I will keep this post updated with any new information. Hopefully I will report soon with a fix. So far I have learned where they like to gather in the kitchen and also found their pathway from the driveway into the house. They also like to live in abandoned carpenter ant nests which we have in several places around the house.