DIY Ant Bait June 5, 2014 – Posted in: Tutorials

My horde of tiny people keep me cleaning on a regular basis. I swear it’s like they produce crumbs for their first 4 years of their lives! So no matter how often I sweep or vacuum, some lone piece of cereal goes unnoticed under the table and in a matter of hours, my kitchen is full of sugar ants. Does this sound familiar? (Please say I’m not the only one!) We spent years and lots of money treating both outside and in, but they still manage to sniff out that one stinking Cheerio. And since I have a horde of tiny people, who like to pick stuff up off the floor and eat it, I’m cautious about what kinds of chemicals and products we use. Enter the natural, and extremely effective, DIY ant bait!

We eat lots of PB&J so there’s never a shortage of nearly-empty jelly jars. When they get down to less than a sandwich worth, I keep the remainder for ant bait. For this round, I had a little apricot and a little strawberry and mixed them together.

Then you mix in a little Borax, I usually do about 1:1. I always have Borax on hand to clean with, and I use it in my homemade laundry detergent.

And makes sure you LABEL YOUR JAR!! I write “ant bait” on the top and put a rubber band around it to make sure no one accidentally grabs it out and uses it.

Then when you need to use some, pull out your jar and smear a little on a piece of cardboard or paper. I usually grab something out of recycle and tear a corner off.

**This is a natural ant bait, but it’s not what you want your kids or animals to eat. So I recommend waiting until they go to bed for the night before you put out your bait.

At first you’ll see one or two ants enjoying the meal.

Then they’ll go home and tell their friends and suddenly, the whole colony is feasting on your Borax jelly.

And when you wake up the next morning–no more ants!

I usually have to do this about once a month, but it’s fast, easy and dirt cheap!