How to Kill Ants in Your Garden Using Items You Can Buy at a Grocery Store: Two DIY Garden Ant Killers - Cornmeal & Borax

Grocery Store Garden DIY Remedy Series

Ants are a common problem in gardens. There are many species of ants and not all of them are harmful to the growing plants. I have had varieties, in my Maryland garden, that establish colonies in my planting beds and damage root growth. Some ants eat sugars, other ants eat proteins, and some ants eat both. It is always a good thing when you are able to identify the problem insects and understand the damage they cause and their life cycle. However, that is not always easy to do. The ants in my garden are primarily sugar eaters.

Here are 2 ways to control ants in your garden and around your property. One is literally as simple as sprinkling cornmeal around the ant colony and the other is a little bit more elaborate using Borax laundry soap and sugar. Let's start with the most benign but not as effective DIY ant killer, cornmeal.

DIY Garden Ant Killer: Plain Cornmeal

Locate Ant Trails and Colonies:

Ants tend to follow specific paths as they search for food and they mark trails. Colonies can sometimes easily be found in the garden. Colonies may be found in earth beds, containers, or under bags of unused garden soil and mulch.

Scatter Cornmeal in Your Garden: 

Sprinkle dry cornmeal liberally along the trails and on and around the colony. Do this first application when there will be several days of dry weather.

Ants Consume It but Can't Digest It: 

Ants are not able to digest cornmeal properly. One thought is they can't digest it and another thought is it expands after they eat it and it cause problems. 

May Take 7-10 Days to Work:

Cornmeal takes time to show results and its effectiveness varies greatly. My understanding is that it works about 1/2 the time, depending on the ant species and size of the establish colony.

Cornmeal can work, but evidence is limited around regular success. A second application can be used when the cornmeal is gone or when 7 days have passed. However, if the ants are still present, 2 weeks after the first application, it is probably time to move on to the DIY Borax and sugar ant bait.

  

I have used Borax bait ant killer for many years and I find it to be very effective, within a couple days, you should see results. Borax is a brand of laundry product and it contains only one ingredient, sodium borate. The boron is what kills the ants. In order for them to eat it, it must be mixed with sugar. Any source of sodium borate would work. Sodium borate is a chemical compound that does occur naturally.

In the past I have used ratios of 1 part Borax to 6 parts sugar.  While effective, I switched to 1 part Borax to 4 parts sugar. That is also effective. Many recipes state a ratio of 1:1 is effective. I recommend starting with 1:4 ratio as it is quickly eaten by ants. 

While this mixture can be put on a piece of foil or in a plastic lidded container with holes, I prefer using a jar with a metal lid. I punch holes in the lid so they are sharp on the outside. This is the best way to use a baited ant trap in the garden if you have pets and animals around. Sodium borate has a low toxicity to humans and animals but we don't want animals eating a whole batch. The sharp holes keep pet tongues off the lid. 

Pet Friendly Borax Ant Bait Container

Shopping List:

Metal lidded jars (or repurpose old condiment jars)

Borax (from laundry section of the grocery store)

Sugar (granular)

Gelatin Packs (if needed for protein eating ants)

Jello (if you cant find gelatin, Jello substitutes)

All the ingredients can be mixed right in the jar. The consistency of the mix can be pretty much a liquid to something with mash potato consistency. I like the mix somewhere in between. Add more or less water to address the thickness.

Mix and Recipe:

The ratio is 1 tablespoon Borax: 4 tablespoons of sugar.

If you are concerned there isn't enough sodium borate, use 1 tablespoon Borax: 3 tablespoons Sugar

First mix...

1 tablespoon of Borax or Sodium borate

1 tablespoon of water

Add this to the jar and mix until it is dissolved. This will help distribute the sodium borate though the sugar bait.

Second add...

2 tablespoons of sugar to the jar and stir for about 30 seconds.

Third add...

2 more tablespoons of sugar to the jar and mix briefly

Set the DIY Ant Bait on Its Side in the Garden

Place the jar on its side in the garden. This design also keep water from filling the jar when it rains. Most ants eat sugar and this is all you have to do to make the bait. If for some reason the ants don't eat the bait, over several days, add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of sugar. If it is not touched over 5-7 days and the ants are still around, they may be protein eating ants. If that is true, add this step. 

Fourth add...

1 small packet of gelatin (or 1 tablespoon) and mix it through the sugar and sodium borate. You can use 1 tablespoon of Jello as a substitute.

I recommend only adding gelatin if you find the sugar bait is not eaten. The results for the DIY Borax or Sodium Borate Ant Killer is very effective and people have notice the ants are gone within 24 hours, in some cases. The amount of bait, from this recipe, should last quite a while and the jar can be move from problem area to problem area. 

DIY Ant Bait

"Good Luck in Your Gardens"

Cheers!

Gary (The Rusted Garden)

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