Every year to every few years ants start invading my house, normally we use little antkillers that store a poisoned food source that the ants bring
back to the colony, wiping out the queen and destroying the colony. This year I used a sodium borate, sugar and corn starch mixture to see if I'll
have comparable results. This should work because borax dissolves the exoskeletons of the ants.Are there any other good antkillers?
[Edited on 26-6-2012 by Diablo]99chemicals - 26-6-2012 at 09:04
The mode of action of boric acid is not well understood, but I think you can rule out dissolution of the exoskeleton. See e.g. http://urban.cmsdev.ucr.edu/docs/Argentine%20Ant/2002%20Klot...
Looks like any boron compound will do so long as you can get the ants to eat it. Tsjerk - 26-6-2012 at 13:23
A Chemistry teacher of mine once told me to watch out with boron compounds because they could effect viability. I know that insects and mammals can´t
be compared but maybe this could be the mode of action?
[Edited on 26-6-2012 by Tsjerk]Diablo - 26-6-2012 at 14:46
Well I guess I was wrong on how it works but it does, unless you use a bunch of sorbitol.
[Edited on 26-6-2012 by Diablo]cyanureeves - 26-6-2012 at 15:41
Tsjerk i googled viability and yes i know for a fact that cockroaches do die with boric acid but then the babies will just snort it like cocaine and
become immune to the stuff. i used to live right off the houston ship channel and we had roaches from all over the world coming off the boats. we were
swamped with roaches , one morning i opened the medecine cabinet and saw a roach that turn its head to look at me and it had a half inch rat pellet in
its mouth.Roaches are the gangstaz of houston's canal and harrisburg st.... know i'm sayn yo?
[Edited on 26-6-2012 by cyanureeves]harrymark - 3-7-2012 at 21:07
Mixing boric acid powder or borax with water and sugar is the most common bait. Boric acid affects ants both externally and internally.BromicAcid - 3-7-2012 at 21:33
What kind of ants? Some are sugar loving, some fat loving. You need to bait to match your ant. I use a combination of baits until I can track down
the nest then it's concentrated death straight to the queen and end of colony.Diablo - 3-7-2012 at 21:55
I didn't know which kind my ants were but the borax and sugar seemed to work, I'll try to catch one outside so I can show what it looks like.chemrox - 4-7-2012 at 12:17
Corn meal works better. They cluster around and take it back to their den where they can't digest it and die. I use boric when I have to but ants
don't require it.White Yeti - 28-7-2012 at 05:35
Have you thought about mycoremediation? If you place a non-sporulating variety of endopathogenic fungus near the entrance of the ant nest, the ants
will eat the fungus. Not only that, but they will also bring some back to their queen. A few weeks later, the fungus develops inside the ants and
kills them, develops a fruiting body and sporulates. The spores repel any ants that would dare re-colonise your house. That's a pretty elegant
solution if you ask me.daviddale62 - 29-7-2012 at 02:39
you could try exracting nicotine from tobacco leaves. Nicotine is a strong insecticide. If done correctly the extract wont have much of a tobacco
smell. Tobacco is readily available which makes it a good candidatesmaerd - 20-8-2012 at 15:32
I have used peanut butter traps and sugar traps laced with borax Both seem to work for different kinds of ants.
