HOMEMADE ANT KILLER: SUPER EASY TO MAKE

I've had an invasion of those tiny black ants.  And i'm not talking just a few on my counter...I'm talking INVASION complete w/ nests and eggs that happen literally OVERNIGHT.  GROSS!  Happyhearthome.com products "Sweet Peace" and "Aint Got Bugs On Me" bug spray have deterred but only temporarily.  The product "Shake Them Tailfeathers" (which is a natural powder of crushed fossils called Diatomaceous Earth) has completely done the trick but it's very messy to have that all over my counters!  While it absolutely does what it says it will do, that powder really is for outdoors, in the coop, around the base of the house, etc.  So what to do???

Today I looked up the ingredients of a very popular ant killer many of us have bought at local stores.  I didn't like what I saw on their website under "ingredients":  Contains sodium tetraborate decahydrate (Borax) (5.40%) and other ingredients (94.60%).  I HATE it when companies list "other ingredients" and fail to inform us what it is!  It COULD be completely harmless "other"...but the problem is, WE DON'T KNOW!

THIS is EXACTLY why I started making my own household cleaners 6 years ago.  THIS is why I've spent hours and hours pouring over science journals, reading all kinds of medical journals and pouring over research that makes my head spin.  KNOWLEDGE.  There is power in it.  With KNOWLEDGE comes the power to make CHANGES.  Take back control.   (ok, done w/ the tangent...back to ant killer!)

Today I found a website:  http://www.fightbugs.com with HOMEMADE ant killer.  I'm sure you can find these recipes and similar ones all over the internet, pinterest, etc...so have fun looking it up and comparing.  (COPY/PASTED DIRECTLY FROM WEBSITE LISTED ABOVE)

1. This homemade ant killer uses water, sugar and boric acid to attract and poison ants. Most of these ingredients can be found at home, and the bait is simple to concoct. First, mix a ¼ cup of water, ½ cup of sugar, and 1 tbsp. boric acid into a microwavable jar. Then, microwave the contents until they are warm. Shake the mixture until the sugar and the boric acid have dissolved. Then soak cotton balls in the mixture and place them on pieces of wax paper. Be sure to place the wax paper in areas where the scouts have been detected. It may take several days for the colony to be infected, but you will know the ants have been poisoned when no more visit the trap. The job of the sugar in this solution is to attract the ants to the bait. So if you find that another ingredient is more effective, you could use it. For example, some types of ants are more attracted to salty and oily substances, so you could use peanut butter as a substitute for the sugar.

2. This homemade natural ant killer comes from ecosites.org and is very simple. You need three things for this concoction: Dr. Bronner’s dish soap, water, and at least an 8 oz. spray bottle. Just add 1 oz. of Doctor Bronner’s dish soap and 7 oz. of water to the 8 oz. spray bottle (note: If you are going to use a larger spray bottle, just make sure you adjust the recipe so it is 1 part soap to 7 parts water). Then, shake the solution gently to mix well. This solution is animal friendly and healthier than other poisonous solutions. You can use it to kill ants that are invading places in your backyard such as your bird feeders, grills, or light fixtures. It can also be used inside to kill ants that are crawling around places like your kitchen counter.

3. There are quite a few household ingredients that can be used to repel ants. Any fruit that has citrus is a great natural ant repellent, but lemons are probably the best. Mix one cup of lemon juice with four cups of warm water in a bucket. Then, spread the mixture onto you countertops, cupboard insides and other surfaces using a clean cloth. This should keep them away because ants are known for being repelled by the lemon scent.