Borax: Available at most grocery stores in the laundry aisle.
Granulated Sugar: Regular table sugar works perfectly.
Water: To dissolve the mixture.
Cotton Balls or Small Pieces of Cardboard: To place the bait around your home.
A Small Container: For mixing.
Instructions:
Prepare the Solution: Mix one part borax with three parts sugar in a small container. The sugar will attract the ants, and the borax will do the rest. For example, if you use 1 tablespoon of borax, mix it with 3 tablespoons of sugar.
Add Water: Slowly add enough water to the mixture to create a syrupy consistency. The solution should be thick enough to stick to a cotton ball or piece of cardboard but not so runny that it drips everywhere.
Set the Bait: Soak cotton balls in the solution or place drops of it on small pieces of cardboard. Then, place these baits in areas where you’ve noticed ant activity, such as baseboards, windowsills, and corners of your kitchen or pantry.
Wait: The ants will be attracted to the sweet sugar and carry the borax-laden bait back to their colony. Because it doesn’t kill them instantly, they have time to share it with other ants, including the queen. Within minutes of finding the bait, they will ingest it and begin taking it back to the colony.
Watch the Results: Over the next few hours, you’ll start to notice a significant reduction in the number of ants. Within a day or two, the entire colony should be eradicated. Since the queen is killed, there will be no new workers, and the colony will die off completely.
Why This Trick Works So Well
The brilliance of this method lies in its simplicity and the way it targets the heart of the ant problem: the colony. By making the ants do the work for you, the borax reaches the queen without you having to track down the nest. The ants essentially become your exterminators, taking the poison directly to their queen.
Another advantage is that borax is non-toxic to humans and pets when used correctly. Unlike harsh chemical sprays, borax is a safer alternative that has been used in households for decades. However, it’s still important to keep the bait out of reach of children and pets.
Additional Tips for Long-Term Ant Prevention
While my aunt’s trick is incredibly effective, it’s always wise to take additional steps to prevent ants from returning. Here are a few tips:
