Borax, a mineral used in many cleaning products, is lethal to ants, interfering with their digestive system. Create a syrupy paste with borax, confectioner's sugar and water. Put the mixture inside shallow containers with narrow, ant-sized openings and place them near ant mounds or wherever you see ants.
Borax and sugar can be combined to make a deadly ant bait. In a bowl, mix together two cups of sugar, one cup of water, and two tablespoons of Borax.
Boiling water
If you notice ant holes near your home, pour boiling water into them. This method will effectively and immediately kill many of the ants inside.
Use Table Salt + water OR no water. This solution does “kill”. It dehydrates them.
Two of the best ways to eliminate ants are Borax and diatomaceous earth. Essential oils, including peppermint and clove, are a natural way to repel and kill ants. Food and moisture attract ants, so keep your home clean and dry to get rid of ants permanently.
Simply boil a kettle of water, locate the ant hill and pour it right over the top. The water will gradually trickle through the entire maze of tunnels and flood the colony; the heat of the water will be enough to eliminate any ants that come into contact with it.
Home Ant Control Tips
Windex, the glass cleaner, is a known insect killer. When you have an ant swarm in your house, spray them all with Windex and they will die nearly instantly. Windex can also eliminate some of the scent trails that ants follow to find food.
Better Than Hopscotch: Ants will not cross a chalk line. Draw a chalk line in front of exterior doors, to prevent ants from coming into the house. You can also draw a chalk line around tables on the porch or patio, to keep pesky ants away while dining outdoors.
All brands of bleach can kill ants. Clorox is the most popular brand of bleach out there but there are other brands that can also get the job done when it comes to killing ants. Although bleach can kill ants, like traps and baits, it will not be able to completely get rid of the ant problem.
Vinegar—whether white vinegar or apple cider vinegar—is a common ingredient in many kitchens. That's probably why many homeowners hope that vinegar or a mixture of apple cider vinegar and dish soap will kill ants. Unfortunately, it doesn't work.
Straight white vinegar makes a great ant spray. You can saturate ant trails to kill on contact, or spray counters and other areas and either wipe up after a few minutes or allow the treatment to dry in place.
A food-safe way to get rid of ants is to use citrus, like lemons, oranges or grapefruit. D-limonene, the acidic oil found in the peels, oil is toxic to ants (so it will kill them on contact) and it messes up their trail, so live ones won't be able to find the food source.
Lemon Juice
The smell of the lemons masks the scent trails that they use to get to and from food, and also generally deters them from taking up residence. Try sprinkling some lemon juice in and around the area where you're seeing ants, or putting a few slices of lemon peel in your cupboard.
Both cayenne and black pepper repel ants. Ants hate cayenne pepper. Black pepper will work just as well too. Locate the source of the ant infestation problem, sprinkle some pepper around that area and if possible, create a wall that will stop the ants from accessing your household.
Ants hate Vinegar. The smell of Vinegar will cause them to stay away from it or permanently leave the house. Ants crawl in a straight line, marching towards the food sources. The Vinegar solution will interfere with these pheromones, and the ants will get lost.
Rachel Strike, Researcher at Pest Advisors (opens in new tab), confirms that no, baby powder does not kill ants, 'but it can be used to break the scent trail.
WD-40. Spray any areas where ants are feeding or accessing your house with WD-40. The spray will kill ants and also serve as a deterrent from further access as long as residue from the spray remains.
To use vinegar as a homemade ant spray, simply fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water. Spray the solution directly on the ants and then wipe the area clean with a damp paper towel.
It kills them DEAD. I also put it in a spray bottle and spray it around the picnic tables and chairs. A: Thanks for the tip. We heard about an even more unorthodox method of killing bugs: “A better way to kill insects is ordinary hair spray.
A simple and natural way to get rid of an ant nest is by pouring boiling water over it. There are also artificial methods like granules that you can pour into crevices and cracks or onto trails. You could also spray a liquid repellent onto the nest, or areas the ants might be attracted to, like garbage bins.
"Mix equal parts of vinegar and water, place the mixture in a spray bottle, and spray on the ants directly," says Barrett. "The mixture will kill them and you can clean the area by collecting the dead ants using a wet wipe or damp cloth," they add.