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[nverland]

It's getting to be that time of the year again.

Sugar Ant Hotel
By Annie B. Bond,
Simple Solution
The ants go marching one by one into this homemade sugar ant hotel. We make three to six of them every ant season--a family tradition--and place a few in the kitchen, and wherever else ants like to frequent. These ant-trap hotels completely rid our house of these common spring and summer pests, but I also have a nontoxic ant spray up my sleeve, which I share, here, too:


Sugar Ant Hotel

1 cup borax
1 cup sugar
water

4 shallow glass jars with screw tops (small jar of marinated artichoke heart jars are ideal)
4 loose wads of toilet paper
In a bowl, mix the borax and sugar. Place a loose wad of toilet paper into each of four different screw-top jars. Pour a quarter of the sugar and borax mixture into each of the four jars, over the toilet paper. Fill each jar with water to one inch of the top. Screw the lids on the jars, and with a hammer and nail, make four to eight holes in the lid. Place the jars in areas where you have ants (but keep away from pets and children).
This ant trap will catch the workers but not the queen. A more comprehensive solution is to blend 1/4 cup of confectioner's sugar and one tablespoon of borax and sprinkle it in ant traffic areas. There is not enough borax with this method to kill the worker ants immediately, so they take it back to the nest, ultimately eradicating it. (If the worker ants do die at the powder, cut back on the borax.)
Caution: Keep borax products away from pets and other animals.
Helpful Hints
Citrus Solvent Spray
Place 1/4 cup of citrus solvent (such as Citra Solve) in a spray bottle, and add 2 cups of water. Spray in areas where there are ants. This works!
There are also a number of herbs such as mint and pennyroyal, and spices such as cayenne pepper, that repel ants.


Cross-posted to creative_cooks

Comments

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

Oh my word, I never heard of this........
How about tiny, as in almost microscopic, black bugs? They are near the window sills on either side of my front door and along one wall here in the den
Nowhere else?
What can be done about them?

[nverland]

Not a clue. I'm all for natural stuff, but this was my only bug answer

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

I am going to look at Whole Foods and New Seasons to see what they have that I can spray along the window sill and along that little area of the wall in the den.......along the floorboard or whatever that is called where it meets the carpet.
I know there has to be a natural way to put up a barrier........