Search
Close this search box.

DIY Homemade Ant Killer – Get Rid of Those Annoying Ants Once and for All

homemade ant killer

Have ants invaded your living space? These pesky little creatures can put a real damper on the happiness you derive from your home. Once they find a way into your home and get a food source, they’ll keep coming back for more.

Store-bought ant killers contain chemicals that are harmful to you, your family, and your pets whereas pest control services can be costly. So how can you get rid of ants in your home cheaply and safely?

The good news is you can eliminate ants with a homemade ant killer. This article will give you lots of ideas and formulas you can use to get rid of these little critters naturally using easily available ingredients.

Effective Home Remedies

DIY ant killers are cheap and easy to make. You’ll find the majority of the ingredients in your kitchen and bathroom cupboards.

So prepare to dig around your home for supplies and do a little mixing and matching to create natural anti-ant remedies that will kill ants on contact as well as repel them from the places they frequent in your home.

Effective Natural Solutions in Your House

Want to get rid of ants with a 100% homemade ant solution? All you’ll have to do is to combine a few common household products.

Here are some effective solutions you can make:

1. Soapy Water

Dish soap is harmful to ants because its ingredients can break down the protective layers of their exoskeleton, causing them to dehydrate severely. Besides it, the only other things you’ll need to make a natural ant killer are water and an 8 oz. or bigger spray bottle.

Directions:

  1. Add some dish soap and water to the spray bottle.
  2. Shake the solution to mix well.
  3. Spray the solution directly on the ants and at their common entry points.
A few tips
It’s okay to use a 50/50 mixture of dish soap and water, but not necessary. If you’re using a large spray bottle, make sure you use at least 1 part soap to every 7 parts water.
You can reapply the solution every few days until you don’t see any ants in your house.

Want to get smart tips on how to get rid of ants naturally? Read this informative article.

2. Clove Oil

Clove oil kills both ants and cockroaches. It’s an extremely strong solution, so you should mix it with other substances such as peppermint essential oil, tea tree oil, and vodka.

You can repel ants by placing clove buds on windowsills.

Directions:

  1. Mix ¼ cup of vodka with fifteen drops of tea tree oil, fifteen drops of peppermint essential oil, and two or three drops of clove oil.
  2. Place this solution in a spray bottle.
  3. Spray the mixture anywhere you see ants and around your home’s entrances.

Home Remedy for Ants in Your Kitchen

The kitchen is the last place you want to see a colony of ants. When these armies decide to invade your kitchen, it’s best to try organic control measures before resorting to dusting or spraying chemical pesticides throughout your cooking space.

Lemon and juiceFortunately, you have a natural, non-toxic option – lemon juice solution. Its acidic properties help repel ants. It confuses them and destroys their trail. What’s more, it sterilizes and disinfects your kitchen surfaces in a non-toxic way and leaves them with a lemon-fresh scent.

How to use lemon juice solution: Add equal amounts of water and lemon juice to a spray bottle. Shake the mixture well and spray it on the ant trails. It will upset the ants’ sense of tracking and repel them. You can also spray the solution directly on the ants. The acid in it naturally kills them.

For more instructions on how to get rid of ants in the kitchen, see my detailed 5-step guide.

Top 3 DIY Ant Repellents

If you’re an extreme lover of animals both big and small, you may want to get rid of ants without killing them. That’s where ant repellents come in. They make your home unattractive to ants, encouraging them to move elsewhere rather than killing them.

So what are the best natural repellents to use?

Here are my top picks:

  1. Mint
    Mint herbMint tops the list of scents that ants hate. Plant fresh mint in many places around the foundation of your house. Place potted plants inside as well. You can also sprinkle crushed mint around the entrances of your home and spray mint oil around areas where you see ants.
  2. Cinnamon
    CinnamonCinnamon is an excellent repellent. Ants dislike it and won’t come anywhere near it. Sprinkle it along doorways, windowsills, and other areas where you see a lot of ant traffic. Apart from repelling ants, using cinnamon has the added advantage of making your home smell good.
  3. Cayenne pepper
    Cayenne pepperAnts dislike cayenne pepper. Sprinkle some of it on the areas where ants frequent. You can also mix it with water and spray the solution on the ants. This won’t kill them but will deter them from coming back.

Best Home Remedies to Kill Ants Indoors

Using common household products on their own won’t be enough to eliminate indoor ant infestations in some cases, for example, if the ants are already nesting inside your home. You may also have to wait a long time before eliminating the insects.

Ants can nest both inside and outside your house.

The good news is you can make your homemade ant killer more powerful by also using items that are easily found at your local pharmacy, supermarket, favorite online retailer, or farm-supply store.

Are you looking for the best ant killer? Click this link to get all the information you need.

What Are Some of the Best Homemade Products That Permanently Clear Ant Infestations?

Ants live in colonies. The best way to get rid of them is by killing the entire colony. You can accomplish this using borax bait.

Let’s take a look at some borax bait recipes you can try:

1. Borax and Sugar

Borax and sugarAnts are suckers for sweet treats. You can take advantage of that by serving them some sugar mixed with borax. The sugar helps attract these unwanted critters to your trap. They’ll take this sweet poison to their colony. The borax will destroy the whole colony.

Directions:

  1. Place 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of water, and 2 tablespoons of borax in a saucepan.
  2. Boil the mixture for 3 minutes.
  3. Put the mixture on plastic lids.
  4. Place the lids in the affected areas or outside your house where the ants are. The ants will eat it and then carry it back to their nest. After a day or two, the entire colony will die.

2. Borax and Peanut Butter

Borax and peanut butterSome ants prefer proteins and grease to sugary substances. Peanut butter and borax bait will work for such ants. You can use bacon grease as a substitute for the peanut butter.

Directions:

  1. Mix 1 tablespoon of peanut butter with 2 tablespoons of borax until they form a paste.
  2. Spread this paste on a piece of paper, a small dish, or any other container.
  3. Set the bait along the ant trail.
Perform a taste test to find out whether your ants will prefer sugar or peanut butter. Place a teaspoon of peanut butter and a teaspoon of jelly in a high traffic area for ants. You can put these baits on a paper plate or waxed paper if you don’t want them on your floor or counters.
If the ants go for peanut butter, you’ll need to make borax and peanut butter or bacon grease bait. If they prefer jelly, they’ll respond better to borax-sugar bait.

3. Cornmeal and Borax

Borax and corn mealCornmeal doesn’t kill ants but acts as good bait. Worker ants only eat liquids. When they come across a solid like cornmeal, they’ll carry some pieces back to the nest. So mixing it with borax will effectively eradicate entire ant colonies.

Directions:

  1. Combine cornmeal and borax in a 70:30 ratio in a small plastic dish, which should be low enough for the ants to get into and out of it easily.
  2. Place the bait in the areas where you usually see ants.

What If I Need a Homemade Ant Killer without Borax?

Borax is a very powerful insect killer. However, although it’s a naturally occurring substance, it is toxic if ingested. So you’ll need to ensure it’s not within reach of kids and pets.

If you’d rather opt for something that can be used around your pets and kids without worrying, you can use one of the following options below that are not borax-based:

1. Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous Earth is made of ground, fossilized marine phytoplankton. When ants come into contact with it, it sticks to their bodies. It lacerates and dries them out. Eventually, the ants die of dehydration. And guess what? It’s harmless to both people and animals.

How to use: Sprinkle a small amount of the DE wherever you see the ants entering and exiting such as on windowsills, along baseboards, and beneath the refrigerator.

2. Vinegar

Vinegar is one of the best natural ingredients for eliminating ants from different areas of your home. It can act as a killer as well as a repellent. Its pungent smell prevents most ant species from getting into your home.

Directions:

  1. Combine a 50/50 ratio of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle.
  2. Spray this ant-killing solution directly on any ants in your home.
  3. Next, spray the mixture around the ant trails.

3. Baking Soda

It is also an excellent natural remedy that destroys ants but is safe to use around the house. You should mix it with powdered sugar to attract the ants. The reaction that takes place between baking soda and the acid in the digestive system of the ants makes them explode.

Directions:

  1. Mix powdered sugar and baking soda in a 70/30 ratio.
  2. Place the mixture in small lids or bowls.
  3. Put the lids or bowls in strategic locations where ants are likely to find them, for example at the ants’ point of entry. As with borax, the ants will carry the baking soda to their nest.

Homemade Outdoor Ant Killers

The best way to control an outdoor ant infestation is to destroy the ant nests. You’ll have to locate the nests in your yard and pour an ant hill killer into or around them.

Safety precaution
While many ants found in the lawn or garden don’t usually bite or sting, some can inflict a painful sting to humans. For example, fire ants respond aggressively to nest disturbance and can inflict a vigorous and painful sting.
So make sure you wear appropriate protective gear such as rubber boots and clothing that covers your entire legs.

Here are some natural nest-destroying solutions you can use:

  • Diatomaceous earth for ants removalSoapy Water. Mix liquid dish detergent and boiling water in a ratio of ¼ cup detergent per gallon of water. Pour the solution down the nest hole. Do this several times a day to eliminate all the ants.
  • Apple Cider Vinegar. Pour large amounts of ACV into the ant hill as well as around the surrounding area. Do this for a couple of days until all the ants disappear.
  • Diatomaceous Earth. Sprinkle this naturally occurring powder around the nest. It will fatally dehydrate the ants.

In conclusion, you don’t have to contaminate your home with toxic chemicals found in commercial pesticides, which can put your family’s health at significant risk. With the many options we’ve given you, you can now tackle your ant problem while maintaining a healthy environment for your pets and family.

RELATED POSTS