We Try It: Homemade Ant Killer

It happens every year like clockwork. Every June, we get invaded with ants. I’m sure it has to do with the weather, and the fact that the children home for the summer provide more than ample meals for our six-legged friends. 

Ants don’t gross me out too much, but when your kids complain that the ants “tickle” and you find ants crawling on your actual skin, your bathroom sink, and your living room walls, it’s time for action. Last summer, I made half-hearted attempts until we left for summer vacation. I felt like if I put down enough chemicals and we left the house for the week (no new food on the carpet), the problem would take care of itself. I was right, and the rest of the summer was ant-free.

This year, the invasion happened earlier, it’s more intense, and our vacation is several weeks later than last year’s. I needed a new plan. This week, I Googled homemade ant killer, because it seemed like my can of Raid wasn’t really making a dent. I came across this recipe on creeklinehouse.com, and I have to say, so far, so good. I mixed the Borax, sugar and water together, and put it on several surfaces around the house. We left to go about our day, and we returned a few hours later, we saw results.

Ants were clustered all around the trays and puddles we had set out, and ants on other surfaces were significantly less. I’m hoping as news spreads through the ant kingdom, they will all want a piece of this magic juice and our problem will be taken care of in short order.