Despite your best efforts cleaning up sugary spills around the house, those little black bugs continue to haunt you. You are now left with the same old dilemma: How do you get rid of these insects in a way that’s safe for both your kids and your pets? You’ve tried the “natural” over-the-counter stuff with middling results, and this time you’re looking for something effective. You’ve heard stories of household items like baking soda and cornmeal killing ants. Well, can baking soda kill ants? From what you’ve heard, this common household product doesn’t just kill ants—it causes them to explode!
Baking soda is a leavening agent. That means it produces air bubbles and air pockets. So, the theory is that if an ant eats the granules, carbon dioxide bubbles will form, and eventually these bubbles will cause the ant to explode from the inside out. Gross, but also very effective if you are desperate for an ant-killer. Unfortunately, there is zero scientific evidence to support this claim.
Another hypothesis is that baking soda will kill ants by altering their pH balance, but evidence for that is also unclear. Moreover, even if either of these methods do work, they seem like they would take out individual ants rather than the whole colony.
Hearing that baking soda has not been found to be effective in controlling ants may lead you to another question: Do other household remedies for ants work, and if they don’t, what does?
Similar to cornmeal, you can use cornstarch to kill ants. Simply sprinkle cornstarch liberally around any spots you notice ant activity. Once the ants start to pick up the cornstarch, lightly mist them with water. The combination of water and cornstarch will make a cement-like material that will quickly kill the ants.
Prevent Ant Entry Into Your House
Insects such as ants leave behind a chemical trail that other ants can follow when looking for food and water. That means if you see an ant in your house, it has left a trail telling others how to get in too.
Because of this, you need to destroy this trail and close up any openings that served as a way for these pests to come inside. You can do this by:
- Regularly cleaning the floors and other surfaces in your home.
- Wiping away any trails with soap and water that you come across.
- Sealing off any gaps and entry points that are letting ants into your house and apply treatment products to weep holes.
Once you have taken steps to make it easier for ants to come inside and make it harder for them to find sustenance, you’ll need to remove the source of the infestation: the colony.
The ultimate solution to getting rid of ants is destroying the nest and killing off the entire colony. You are likely to find dozens (or even hundreds) of suggestions, but most don’t really work or are only partially effective. You either kill off a whole colony or watch as it comes back.
Even those that can be effective often still require luck or absolute perfection in the way you apply them. For example, pouring hot water into a nest can technically work, but many anthills are so deep and wide that the hot water doesn’t get through it all. This results in the remaining ants simply moving elsewhere and rebuilding.
Scientifically proven insecticides are often more slow-acting, but long-lasting, because they rely on foraging ants bringing the bait back to other ants in the colony.
Get Rid Of Ant-Tempting Foods
Remember, the primary reason why ants come to your house is to look for food. Moreover, these insects are drawn to certain foods—especially sugary and fatty foods. The preferred food may vary slightly between species. While the pharoah ant is happy to eat meats, sweets and grease, house ants may also be attracted to dairy products. Carpenter ants eat almost anything, while acrobat ants show a slight preference for meats and sweets.
To make your home less tantalizing for these pests, you’ll want to:
- Keep sugars, syrups, fruits and any other ant-tempting foods in airtight food containers. You can also store many of these foods in the fridge.
- Clean any food spills as soon as they occur.
- Maintain a tidy kitchen, paying extra attention to crumbs, standing water and leaky plumbing, as well as any other possible sources of food and water for the ants.
- Create set “meal times” for your pet and remove the food when the meal is done. Your dog or cat will get used to it eventually and learn to eat everything in one go. Alternatively, create a moat of water with a few drops of dish detergent around pet food bowls to prevent ants from getting to the food.
- Clean outside pet food bowls regularly and put them away from the house.
Once you’ve taken steps to remove food and water sources from inside your home, you’ll want to make sure they can’t get inside in the first place.
How to Kill Ants With Corn Starch
FAQ
Does cornstarch kill ants?
Are ants attracted to corn starch?
What is the best homemade ant killer?
What are the healthy substitutes of corn starch?
Some of the healthy substitutes for corn starch are: 1. Wheat flour: Unlike cornstarch, wheat flour has fiber and protein, as well as starch. 2. Arrowroot: It is a gluten free substitute for cornstarch. It also has more fiber. 3. Potato starch: It is made by crushing potatoes to release their starch content and then dried into powder. It is also gluten free. 4. Tapioca starch: Tapioca is a processed starch flour made from root vegetable cassava. You should substitute around 2 tablespoon of tapioca starch for each spoon of corn starch. 5. Rice flour: It is also gluten free and used for people in celiac disease. It is colourless and can be added to any recipe.
Do ants eat cornstarch?
If you are dealing with a large number of ants out outside, simply spread the cornstarch over the ants. They will take this back to their colonies to feed the queen. If the queen is no more, then it means they will not multiply and the ant population will be reduced. To make it even more effective, you can mix the cornflour with borax powder.
How do you kill ants with cornflour?
If the queen is no more, then it means they will not multiply and the ant population will be reduced. To make it even more effective, you can mix the cornflour with borax powder. Cornstarch bait for ants: Mix 1 cup of cornstarch with 1/2 cup of borax and sugar, then spread it on their trail. They will carry the particles back to their nests.