DIY Ant Trap

3 Materials
$10
5 Minutes
Easy

Over the past few weeks I have noticed some random black ants trotting their way through my home. The first couple of times I assumed it was just a random occurrence because we leave the doors open a lot during the warmer months, but then I noticed more and more ants walking in different rooms of the house in a regular basis.

Remember, the primary reason why ants come to your house is to look for food. These insects are drawn to certain foods—especially sugary and fatty foods. Remove the ant’s food sources and you will reduce the amount of ants in your home.

Borax has a low toxicity for people and animals, but ants are another story. When ants consume the borax bait, it interferes with their digestive system and gradually kills them 24-48 hours after consumption. This slow kill allows time for the worker ants to consume the bait and head back to the nest multiple times to share with the rest of the colony and queen.

Combine syrup (or honey, jam or another sweet, sticky food) with borax at a ratio of 1:1.

Mix the borax and syrup together until fully blended.

pour into a plastic bottle, adding only enough so that it won't spill out when the bottle is laid on it's side.

Place the bottle near an area where ants are present. They will crawl into the bottle and take the mixture back to the rest of the colony.

The liquid ant bait station should remain as undisturbed as possible while the ants are actively feeding on it. Because this is a bait product, it is important to eliminate other food in the area to ensure the ants aren’t tempted to eat anything but the (deadly) liquid ant bait.

While borax is not very toxic to humans and animals you should still use caution when using it. The bait trap should be placed in an area that kids and pets generally cant get to.

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Adrienne Carrie Hubbard | Crafty Little Gnome
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  • Wendy Wendy on Jun 15, 2023

    does this work for roaches too

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