Ants are undoubtedly amazing creatures. With large, complex societies, empire-building techniques, the good thing is that they are so small and have not yet developed an overwhelming hive mind. But if their active life position runs counter to your understanding of order, you will have to take action.
- What types of ants are sensitive to boric acid?
- How does boric acid work against ants?
- Top 5 recipes for preparing ant bait
- How to Place Boric Acid Ant Baits
- Duration of fighting ants with boric acid
What you need to know about garden ants
The ants themselves in the garden are beneficial, by the way. But many species of ants feed on honeydew, which is secreted by aphids that feed on plants. Ants protect aphids from other predators, such as ladybugs, to provide a reliable food source. Increased aphid activity in your garden, especially when they have bodyguards, can have disastrous consequences for plant life, as aphids can move unhindered through your garden, sucking all the juices out of your plants.
Before you turn into Rambo and unleash righteous fury on the unsuspecting ants in your garden, ask yourself these questions:
- Are they in an isolated area of my garden?
- Are they a threat to me or my family?
- Are they threatening my home?
There is no need to fight just for the sake of fighting. Now that the moralizing is taken care of, let's get down to business. A fairly simple and effective way to get rid of ants is to spread baits with boric acid. Boric acid can be found at your pharmacy as an ingredient in some medications, including eye drops. You can also find boric acid powder in the fertilizer section of large garden centers. We will be happy to tell you how to make an effective remedy against garden ants from boric acid powder.
First measures
Ants live in colonies. Eliminating individual individuals will not bring the desired result. Even if you can physically destroy most of the individuals, they will soon be replaced by young from the eggs. The farmer's task is to force the colony to leave the territory. And to do this, make their living in a greenhouse unacceptable.
Where do ants like to live:
- in a warm and protected from the sun environment under sheets of roofing felt, slate, and boards lying on the ground;
- in the wooden frame of the greenhouse building itself;
- in old rotten wood;
- right on the beds (black ants).
A complex and radical method against ants in a greenhouse is to excavate an underground “city”, find the queen and destroy it. The colony will scatter. The ants will die or join other relatives. But in the second case, they will already know the sweet spot and can bring new individuals here.
Advice. If you find ants in the ground, grab a hoe. Loosening will destroy their underground passages. Carry out the procedure as often as possible. This will negatively impact the population and health of the colony.
What types of ants are sensitive to boric acid?
Boric acid-based ant repellent is not effective for all types of ants. Poison baits work best against house ants, but boric acid powder has been reported to be effective against garden ants, but forager ants, or fire ants, are not as susceptible to boric acid baits. Therefore, several approaches to the projectile will be required :)
You can learn more about other areas of application of boric acid in this detailed material >>>>
The pestilence of red ants
Unlike black ants, red ants are united. One colony can have up to 3-5 nests. If one of the anthills is endangered or destroyed, then this nest will soon be populated by relatives and quickly restored.
At home or in an apartment, these are the insects’ favorite places:
- building foundation;
- behind the wallpaper;
- in the pantry;
- behind the stove;
- in a warehouse;
- behind the electric heater.
R
The red species of ants is active throughout the year. As the weather cools, they require moist, warm conditions and darkness. That is why they move to home buildings for the winter.
Inside the living quarters the following are used as food:
- food products;
- home water supply system;
- garbage;
- electricity supply;
- leather items;
- natural fabrics;
- paper and wood.
People living in a house or apartment, including animals, often become victims of red ant bites.
It is very difficult to get rid of insects, as they can quickly adapt to unfavorable living conditions.
How does boric acid work against ants?
Baits with boric acid powder act as contact-intestinal agents, and those based on sweet water (wet) act mainly as intestinal ones. Gradually, as it accumulates in the insect’s body, its intestinal effect appears.
Boric acid is effective against ants because it affects the functioning of their nervous system: serious disturbances lead to insect paralysis after a few hours. A very tiny amount of poison is enough to kill one ant, so this is a very effective and cheap remedy. The simplest application is to sprinkle boric acid powder in places where ants most often make their route or at the entrances to an anthill.
The option of using dry and liquid baits gives the best results. The ants not only eat the bait themselves, but also take it to the anthill, to the misfortune of their relatives.
Remember that the bait should be inaccessible to pets and beneficial insects.
