What Is the Best Homemade Ant Killer?

Homemade ant killers may help you get a handle on your ant problem.

Ants in the house are a big nuisance. They enter your home when they smell or sense food. Some ants may nest inside rotting floorboards or window frames of a house. Professional ant extermination services are expensive and may also require toxic chemicals. Instead you can give home remedies a try. Here are some of the best homemade ant killers

• Diatomaceous earth: Diatomaceous earth is sand made from fossilized shells of diatoms (a type of small sea animal). There are two types of diatomaceous earth. One is food-grade and the other is used for cleaning swimming pools and contains insecticides that can be harmful to your pets. Use food-grade diatomaceous earth and sprinkle it around ant-infested areas. It kills ants by absorbing the oil on the outer covering of their body and dehydrating them.
• White vinegar and water: Take a spray bottle and fill it with a solution of equal parts of vinegar and water. Spray the solution on the ants and their entry points.
• A mixture of dish soap and water: Make a mixture of dish soap or dishwashing liquid, put in a spray bottle and shake it well. Spray it on the ants. The solution will stick to the ants and the dish soap suffocates the ants to death. This spray can also be used to kill ants that are thriving on your plants. The solution will kill the ants without harming your plants.
• Soapy water: Spraying soapy water near entry points where ants come into your home can deter them from entering your space. Soapy water eliminates the trail of chemicals the ants leave behind. Ants communicate with each other with pheromones and the absence of pheromones makes their entry into homes difficult.
• Sugar and borax paste: Borax is toxic to ants and is an effective ant killer. It is available in grocery stores. Make a paste of borax (one part) and sugar (three parts) and stir it into water to dissolve the mixture. Place it in a glass jar or any other container. Ants are attracted to this sweet paste, which they will carry to the queen. This can destroy the entire ant colony.

You can also use a mixture of boric acid (available in pharmacies) and corn syrup and put it on wax paper to attract and eventually kill the ants. Use gloves when dealing with borax. Keep kids and pets away from it.

If the above homemade ant killers fail to work, you can buy an ant spray that is available at the grocery stores and other stores. Use one that targets ants. Follow the instructions on the label and make sure it does not pose any health threats to you, your family or your pets.

Some ant sprays kill ants instantaneously, whereas others may kill them gradually so that they reach the nest before dying.

Other things that work as ant killers or ant repellants include

• Tea tree oil
• Neem oil
• Pepper
• Cayenne pepper