Borax and Jam Ant Bait Recipe

Since making the previous recipe HERE, I found this one on Pinterest too.  Much smaller batch and a lot less fuss to make.  Doesn’t make me feel any less guilty however!

Mix two teaspoons of borax with one teaspoon of jam, jelly, honey or syrup until it is a paste. Smear some on cotton balls or a plate and put it where the ants are. They will flock to it, eat it and take it back to the nest.  Apparently it acts as a natural ant killer.  I really hope it just puts them to sleep so they don’t suffer!

UPDATE:  Hubby took these cotton balls out to the farm where there was a ton of ants. He said the ants never did flock to this mixture, even a day or two later.  Guess I will stick to my original recipe.

Since making the previous recipe HERE, I found this one on Pinterest too.  Much smaller batch and a lot less fuss to make.  Doesn’t make me feel any less guilty however!

Mix two teaspoons of borax with one teaspoon of jam, jelly, honey or syrup until it is a paste. Smear some on cotton balls or a plate and put it where the ants are. They will flock to it, eat it and take it back to the nest.  Apparently it acts as a natural ant killer.  I really hope it just puts them to sleep so they don’t suffer!

UPDATE:  Hubby took these cotton balls out to the farm where there was a ton of ants. He said the ants never did flock to this mixture, even a day or two later.  Guess I will stick to my original recipe.

Borax Ant Bait Recipe

Now this seems really cruel for someone that doesn’t kill insects.  If a bee gets in my house, I will catch him with a jar and rescue him to the great outdoors.  If I spot a spider or any insect enters my house, I will trick them into crawling on to my dust pan and put them back outside where they belong.   The only insects I do not tolerate are flies and mosquitos – they really do just have to go!  However, I have ants sneaking into my garage and I’m having troubles tolerating their choice so something had to change!  I also know that ants live in colonies and one class within the colony is the worker/gatherer. Workers make up approximately 10% of the colony and it’s their job to go out, find and collect food then bring it back to feed the rest of the colony – another reason I feel so guilty!  None the less, I hunted for a recipe on Pinterest and found this one.

Borax Ant Bait Recipe

Boil 2 cups of water.

Pour into an empty jar.

Add half cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons borax to hot water and stir until completely dissolved.

Soak cotton balls with mixture.

Place cotton ball wherever you have ants.

I checked my cotton balls about a half hour later and they were fairly covered with ants!  Feeling really guilty now!

 

I did not see any ants around my garage door the next day!  It really sickens me that I would actually kill a colony but they have to learn not to invade my garage!  This is a huge recipe – I would only make up a quarter of this recipe if I ever need to make it again.  

Now this seems really cruel for someone that doesn’t kill insects.  If a bee gets in my house, I will catch him with a jar and rescue him to the great outdoors.  If I spot a spider or any insect enters my house, I will trick them into crawling on to my dust pan and put them back outside where they belong.   The only insects I do not tolerate are flies and mosquitos – they really do just have to go!  However, I have ants sneaking into my garage and I’m having troubles tolerating their choice so something had to change!  I also know that ants live in colonies and one class within the colony is the worker/gatherer. Workers make up approximately 10% of the colony and it’s their job to go out, find and collect food then bring it back to feed the rest of the colony – another reason I feel so guilty!  None the less, I hunted for a recipe on Pinterest and found this one.

Borax Ant Bait Recipe

Boil 2 cups of water.

Pour into an empty jar.

Add half cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons borax to hot water and stir until completely dissolved.

Soak cotton balls with mixture.

Place cotton ball wherever you have ants.

I checked my cotton balls about a half hour later and they were fairly covered with ants!  Feeling really guilty now!

 

I did not see any ants around my garage door the next day!  It really sickens me that I would actually kill a colony but they have to learn not to invade my garage!  This is a huge recipe – I would only make up a quarter of this recipe if I ever need to make it again.