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How to Make A Homemade Ant Trap: Step-by-Step DIY

By Categories: Household

Homemade ant trap
Foto: CC0 / Pixabay / Bru-nO

Do you want to get rid of that trail of ants running through the house without using toxic pesticides? Here are two ways to make a homemade ant trap.

Ants might seem like harmless pests, but constantly finding them in your home can be a nightmare, particularly when they find their way into your favorite pantry goods. They usually enter homes in search of dropped foods or a nest, so if you haven’t done your spring cleaning for a while or you’ve been away, don’t be surprised if you find some of these pesky critters lurking around.

Many traditional pesticides are designed to exterminate ants, but they use chemicals and synthetic materials. As these are substances best kept out of the home, try our homemade ant traps before resorting to harsher methods. We’ll share two ways to make DIY ant traps using natural ingredients.

DIY Ant Trap Using Baking Soda and Powdered Sugar

Make a homemade ant trap if ants keep invading your food.
Make a homemade ant trap if ants keep invading your food. (Foto: CC0 Public Domain / Unsplash / VINAY GUPTA)

This DIY ant trap uses two common pantry staples, baking soda and powdered sugar. The smell and taste of the sugar attract the ants, but they can’t tell the difference between it and baking soda due to the similar size of the particles. When they consume baking soda, it alters the pH balance of their insides, killing them quickly.

Ingredients:

  • Powdered sugar
  • Baking soda

Instructions: 

  1. In a small bowl, combine two parts powdered sugar with one part baking soda and mix well.
  2. Sprinkle anywhere you have ants — they will be attracted to the sugar.
  3. Alternatively, gradually add water until the sugar and baking soda form a paste. Then, leave the paste in a location with lots of ants. This method is pet and child friendly.

Homemade Ant Trap Using Cornmeal

If ants are disturbing you make a DIY antrap.
If ants are disturbing you, make a DIY ant trap. (Foto: CC0 Public Domain / Unsplash / Salmen Bejaoui)

This DIY ant trap gets taken back to the queen. Worker ants only ingest liquids, but they will be attracted to the cornmeal and borax mixture and bring it back to the nest. The larvae and queen feed on it, and the larvae convert it to liquid for the workers to eat. Borax is toxic to ants and will disrupt their digestive systems when consumed, gradually wiping out the colony in one to two weeks.

Ingredients:

  • Cornmeal
  • Borax
  • Cooking oil

Instructions:

  1. In a small bowl, combine 9 parts cornmeal with 1 part borax and mix well.
  2. Add a few drops of oil and mix until a paste forms. Add more oil if required to form a paste.
  3. Place the bowl next to the ant trail.

Safety note: Although borax is a naturally occurring mineral, it is toxic to animals and humans, so you shouldn’t use it if you have pets or children at home.

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