Boric acid against ants in the garden and in the apartment

Ways to get rid of ants in a house or apartment

Any housewife, after some time in the vicinity of ants, falls into a fighting rage: insects spoil food and do not distinguish between the kitchen table and the trash can. While shuttling between them, uninvited guests can carry various diseases. What to do if ants have settled in your home?

The main task when fighting these insects is to give the poisoned bait to the worker ant so that he will carry it to the queen - the queen of the colony. Sprays and fumigators are powerless in this case; they destroy only those ants that are located directly in your house or apartment. The colony may be tens of meters away from you.

The most effective way to get rid of ants is to destroy their queen using toxic substances

You can try to scare the ants with the smells of mint, pepper, cloves, garlic and onions, and wormwood. However, cunning insects are very reluctant to leave their homes, so repelling may not work.

Ants are very original in choosing a place for a colony - it could be baking foil in the kitchen, a closet with bed linen in the bedroom, an old photo album or video cassette, even a computer mouse and iron!

Ultrasonic repellers are completely useless here, and calling professional exterminators will cost you money. How to get rid of parasites without special expenses? A proven remedy - boric acid - will come to the rescue.

Damage caused by ants

Owners of personal plots sooner or later face such a problem as ants. Those who think that ants are absolutely harmless are deeply mistaken. Of course, these insects also bring benefits - they destroy small caterpillars, bark beetles, and leaf beetle larvae. Therefore, it is first necessary to compare and evaluate the harm and benefits caused by ants, and only then apply some radical measures. Ants will be present in the garden in any case, but their massive spread must be combated. Preference should be given to substances with minimal toxicity, because potent chemicals can harm not only insects, but also you. Boric acid is the best choice to combat these.

There are many types of ants. In the garden we most often encounter red forest (pharaoh) and black garden ants. These insects are very unpleasant neighbors and can cause you a lot of trouble, which is confirmed by the following factors:

1. As a rule, ants make their nest underground. This can be the root system of bushes and trees. A tree that ants like may dry out in a couple of years.
2. A nest of insects located in the garden will contribute to a decrease in yield, since no crops will grow either in this place or nearby.
3. Ants also contribute to the massive spread of aphids because they grow them. Aphids feed on the sap of young shoots in your garden. Branches and leaves affected by aphids will dry out after a while. If this becomes widespread, the entire bush or tree dies.
4. Garden berries are the favorite delicacies of these insects. It could be wild strawberries, strawberries, etc. It’s unlikely that anyone will like picking these fragrant berries spoiled by ants.
5. Some gardeners are allergic to insect bites. Therefore, gardening with such “neighbors” turns into an unpleasant experience.
6. Ants are excellent helpers in carrying weed seeds.
7. From an aesthetic point of view, insects also do not fit into the overall picture of the garden plot. It looks unsightly if there is an anthill under every bush.
8. If you do not reduce the population of ants in the garden in time, then after a while they may take a fancy to your house. There, insects will also be able to find something to eat.
9. If an apiary is located on a personal plot, then a colony of ants can cause irreparable harm to bee colonies.

How to choose and use boric acid correctly

Boric acid is often called "brown acid", but they have different compositions and different boron content. Borax is a white crystalline salt containing 11% boron. It is also used to control insects. Boric acid is a substance with a boron content of already 17%. Pharmacies most often sell boric acid in powder, packaged in 10-gram bags. This is convenient - dosages in multiples of 10 grams are used in ant bait recipes.

Boric acid is an effective remedy for fighting ants

Boric acid has long been established as a “folk” remedy. Baits based on it are very effective in the fight against any ants: black, yellow, red, house and garden. You can buy acid at any pharmacy or hardware store; it is inexpensive.

To exterminate ants using boric acid, you will have to be patient; the first result will appear in about 3 weeks.

The mechanism for killing insects with acid is quite simple. Once in the body of an ant, boron preparations act in two directions - they cause disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system (as a consequence - paralysis and death) and damage the intestinal walls. In addition, the acid also affects the reproductive system: even ants that are not completely poisoned become sterile.

Before using boron-based products, do a thorough cleaning. Ants may not take the bait if they have plenty of other food to eat.

Safety precautions when making and using homemade solutions

Boric acid can be dangerous to animals, small children, allergy sufferers, and people with kidney failure. In acute poisoning, it affects the brain, skin and mucous membranes, and in chronic poisoning, it affects hematopoietic and germ cells.

1. Follow the dosage recommended in the recipe! Remember that a lot does not mean good. The content of boric acid in the bait must be strictly observed - no more than 2%.
2. Use gloves when preparing.
3. Place baits where children and pets cannot reach them.

Another important point: while fighting ants, you need to block their access to water.

After using boric acid products, limit ants' access to water.

Fighting ants at home

Find out more Effective ant repellent
Ready-made products sold in stores will definitely help to destroy ants. Aerosols are effective when the location of the nest is determined and it is possible to direct the aerosol directly into it. This remedy can only kill those insects that have inhaled the poison. Gels (baits) act more widely. They will destroy not only the individual that ate it, but also the individuals with which it had contact after poisoning. The product does not act instantly, so on average you will have to wait about a month.

The best are considered to be:

• "Raptor"
• "Face"
• "Global"
• "Raid"
• "Combat"

In addition to chemistry, physical methods can also be used to combat ants. The most common of them is to dig up an anthill and pour boiling water over it. The main thing is to get to the egg laying and the location of the queen, approximately 0.8 m deep.

There is no point in using and buying expensive repellers. It doesn't matter whether it is ultrasonic or resonant, ants are not mosquitoes and do not use ultrasound to communicate. Its power must be very high to affect ants, but the downside will be the same negative effect on people.

Traps are effective if they use poisoned baits that work on the principle of gels. Devices with adhesive tape or using a current discharge can cope only with working individuals, the death of which will have little impact on the life of the entire colony.

Bait recipes: liquid mixtures and balls with boric acid

Today, the Internet is replete with everyday experiments and grandmother’s advice for getting rid of ants. You can prepare effective products based on boric acid from various ingredients: eggs, potatoes, sugar or yeast.

Yeast and sugar - an old recipe

Prepare a mixing bowl, 4 tbsp. l. honey or sugar syrup, 1 tbsp. l. yeast, 1 sachet of boric acid, unnecessary caps or small saucers.

1. Mix yeast with syrup or honey.
2. Apply a thin layer of the mixture onto the saucer or lid.
3. Place dishes with poison in places where ants accumulate.

Poison from boric acid with glycerin

Another effective bait is a glycerin-based recipe. To make it you will need:

• 2 teaspoons glycerin (sold at the pharmacy);
• 1.5 tbsp. l. Sahara;
• 1 tbsp. l. water;
• 1 tsp. honey;
• 1/3 tsp. boric acid.

1. Mix the mixture thoroughly until smooth.
2. Wear rubber gloves.
3. Roll out small balls from the mixture.
4. Set out treats for the ants.

As they eat or dry out, give the ants new food.

There should not be a lot of sweet bait for ants so that it does not spread

How to prepare liquid bait

Take 5 g of boric acid, 1 tbsp. l. sugar, a small amount of water, 1 tbsp. l. any jam.

1. Mix all ingredients and pour into small containers. You can use unnecessary lids and saucers.
2. Place baits in a secluded place.

Liquid baits based on boric acid will help you get rid of ants

There is another recipe. You will need 1 tsp. boric acid, 2 cups water, 10 tsp. sugar, any jam.

1. Mix the ingredients thoroughly.
2. Pour the resulting poison into a larger container, for example, an unnecessary container.
   

   You get a lot of mixture, but you don’t need to pour it into different jars; the ants can get by just fine with just one bait.

3. Place it in a secluded place.

Effective egg yolk based products

Egg yolk, potatoes and minced meat are suitable as a base for bait. For a simple recipe you will need 2 boiled egg yolks and 0.5 tsp. boric acid.

1. Wear rubber gloves.
2. Mix the ingredients.
3. Roll out small balls and place them in different places.

Balls of potatoes and eggs are made in a similar way. Take 3 small boiled potatoes, 3 boiled egg yolks, 10 g boric acid, 1 tsp. Sahara. Mix everything, make balls and place around the apartment.

The poisonous balls will have to be renewed from time to time - some will be eaten by ants, some will dry out and lose their properties

Minced meat balls

Another tool that will help you poison uninvited guests.

1. Take 2 tbsp. l. fresh minced meat and 2/3 tsp. boric acid.
2. Mix the ingredients.
3. Roll out balls and place them in places where ants gather.

Such recipes are quite effective, but be careful: meat or egg balls may attract your pets. Place baits where animals cannot reach them.

Baits based on boric acid for use in the garden

It would seem that seemingly harmless ants that appear on a personal plot should not cause much trouble. However, insects can attract huge swarms of aphids, which damage garden and vegetable plants.

Before you start fighting ants in the garden, locate the anthills. This way you will know for sure where to place the bait. Do not worry that boric acid will negatively affect garden crops; on the contrary, the effect of the substance enhances plant growth and performs an additional function as a fertilizer.

Corn mixture

Cornmeal itself is already destructive for the ant. Attracted by the aroma of the corn delicacy, ants eat the product, which greatly swells in the digestive tract and causes fatal injuries.

To enhance the effect, you can add a little boric acid to the product. Prepare the required volume of poisoned mixture at the rate of 100 g of corn flour per 10 g of powder, and scatter along the ant paths and around the anthill

Please note that the procedure should be performed as often as possible, at least once every 2 days. Otherwise, the product will not work due to high humidity and the influence of various physical phenomena.

Potato-egg bait

Although there is always something to eat in the garden, ants are still attracted to additional aromatic foods.

Boil a few potatoes and 2 hard-boiled eggs. Mash the boiled potatoes and yolks with a fork and mix. Also add 2 tbsp to the mixture. spoons of sugar and 20 g of boric acid powder. Make balls and place them around the ant nests. Renew the bait about once a week. After 14-20 days you will notice that there are fewer insects in the garden.

Wood ash mixture

To make bait you will need wood ash. You can buy it ready-made at a hardware store or simply take the remains of burnt firewood after cooking a barbecue or from the oven.

For 1 kg of ash you will need 3 ten-gram bags of powder. Mix the ingredients and sprinkle directly onto the anthill. The effect will be enhanced if there is light rain after the procedure, and the poison will penetrate deep into the nest.

Sweet, effective bait

One of the most effective means in the fight against ants are sugar baits, since insects are very greedy for sweets. To prepare dry poison you will need:

• powdered sugar;
• soda;
• rice flour;
• boric acid powder.

Combine the ingredients in equal proportions and scatter on the anthill. The product is destructive to ants not only because of its toxic effect, but also due to the rice flour, which greatly swells in the insect’s digestive system and causes irreparable damage. Powdered sugar acts as bait, the grains of which are very small and are easily carried by foraging ants into their nests.

How to mix dry baits with boric acid

Dry products are considered more effective, and they are easier to dilute.

Recipe for the simplest dry bait

1. Pour some jam or syrup into a saucer.
2. Place it in an area where insects are likely to gather.
3. Place a barrier of boric acid around the saucer. Ants, having plunged into sweets, will take poisonous crystals into their colony.

Recipe for dry bait based on boric acid

1. Mix powdered sugar and boric acid in equal proportions.
2. Pour the resulting powder onto small pieces of cardboard or napkins.
3. Place it in secluded “ant” places: under the bathroom sink, on the kitchen cabinet.

Please note that all baits will have to be updated periodically. Over time, the composition dries out and the product becomes less effective.

Using boric acid in the garden: instructions for use

To ensure that the microelement does not cause harm, it must be used correctly on the site. Spraying is carried out in the evening after sunset or in cloudy warm weather. During the procedures, the liquid is carefully poured into the root circle. Incorrect dosage will negatively affect plant health. For each type there is a norm and timing of application that you need to know about.

For apple and pear trees

Boron deficiency in pome trees is dangerous due to the death of growth points and desalination of fruit pulp. To avoid problems with apple and pear trees, you need to properly dilute the solution: dissolve 15 g of powder in 10 liters of water. The product is poured into a spray bottle with a small drop, and the plantings are treated in the morning, until dew appears on the foliage. Plants need to be sprayed three times:

1. by buds;
2. after pollination (petals fall);
3. during the ripening period.

Stone fruit trees (cherries, cherries, plums) are not as demanding as pome-bearing species. To avoid getting sour berries, plants are fed with a solution of boric acid. Gardeners are recommended to carry out the first spraying before flowering begins, and the second to stimulate fruit ripening.

For strawberries

Treating plants with boric acid will protect garden strawberries from shedding of ovaries and fruit deformation. In spring, the bushes are carefully watered at the root with crystals diluted in water (1 g per 10 l). Before flowering, the dosage is doubled and applied leaf by leaf.

If strawberries develop on depleted soil, then a third application is practiced. The main component is mixed in 8 liters of water with an alcohol solution of iodine and potassium permanganate. Take 3 g of potassium permanganate and boric acid, and 1 tablespoon of the liquid preparation. For raspberries, currants and gooseberries in the spring you can use the same solution.

For tomatoes

Boric acid for tomatoes is necessary to prevent the appearance of dark spots on the surface of the fruit, as well as late blight infection in the greenhouse. 2 g of powder is diluted in 20 liters of liquid. The solution consumption is 1 liter per square meter of planting. During the growing season, tomatoes need to be fed three times:

1. by formed colors;
2. after 10 days;
3. during the ripening period.

To improve the taste of the crop, it is necessary to use a complex solution in the last fertilizing. In 10 liters of hot water you need to dissolve 1 standard package of boric acid, add a pharmaceutical bottle of iodine, leave to infuse for 24 hours. Pour 1 liter of liquid under each bush.

For grapes

Microelement deficiency in fruit vines causes peas, the formation of small brushes and the appearance of burnt spots on the plates. Boric acid for grapes is applied by spraying on the leaves and fruits three times during the season:

• before flowering;
• after 10 days;
• after the appearance of ovaries.

For cucumbers

Spraying with boric acid has a positive effect on the taste characteristics of vegetables. The substance improves resistance to cold and drought, prevents fruits from crumbling and becoming smaller. 5 g of white crystals and 2 g of manganese sulfate are dissolved in a bucket of water, and in the evening they are carefully processed per sheet. Events are carried out every 2 weeks until the harvest ripens.

For beets

When there is a lack of a microelement in the soil, gray rot appears in sugar and table root varieties. For prevention, it is recommended to use foliar fertilizing with boric acid (2 g / 20 l of water). The first procedure is carried out when 5 adult leaves are formed, the second – 14 days later.

For potatoes

When growing this crop in soil with a high content of nitrogen, lime and carbonates, scab may occur. Boric acid will help minimize their negative impact on potatoes. A teaspoon of crystals is dissolved in 10 liters of warm liquid. The soil is treated with the solution before planting, and after the tops appear, the young greens are sprayed. To facilitate tuber germination, planting material is soaked for a day.

For flowering

If you apply boron to indoor plants, you can improve disease resistance. The substance helps orchids shoot arrows, and flowering phalaenopsis helps prolong this period. A one-time treatment reduces planting stress in roses, and the ovaries of domestic citrus crops stop falling off.

From ants

It is difficult to remove insects from the site and from the house. Boric acid helps against pests. To create bait, ingredients are taken in the following proportions:

• white crystals – 5 g;
• honey – 1 tsp;
• sugar – 2 tsp.

The ingredients are mixed until smooth, placed in plastic lids and placed in areas where ants and other insects gather. The poison enters the anthill on the legs and abdomen; death of the population occurs after 10 days. The composition is updated as necessary. If you need to destroy cockroaches in the house, then add chopped boiled yolk to the recipe.

User reviews about the effectiveness of using boric acid against ants

This year I tried the effects of this Miracle Powder on my summer cottage. In the beds, after planting the seeds, the ants began to actively close up more and more anthills. I sprinkled Boric acid directly into the burrows and 2 weeks have passed and there are no more ants.

Svetlana 1141

https://irecommend.ru/content/luchshee-sredstvo-ot-muravev-kak-na-dache-tak-i-doma

I strongly advise everyone to use Boric acid. This is a truly effective, cheap and safe remedy in the fight against uninvited guests.

Alinenok

https://irecommend.ru/content/

I bred mine with boric acid and yolk. It's been 8 months now and I haven't heard anything. Mix one yolk (boil the egg for at least 30 minutes) + 1 sachet of boric acid, put it on the lids and place your loved ones throughout the apartment. I think this mixture is incomparable with living creatures, but it can easily be hidden from children.

EasySummer

https://forum.say7.info/topic14767.html

In fact, I used the “Liquid bait” method (5 g of BORROX or BORIC ACID, 50 g of sugar and 50 ml of water), and also added jam. Everyone died!

Monaco

https://nowa.cc/showthread.php?t=94767

Proportions - how to dilute it and prepare it at home

Before you learn how to dilute boric acid, it is important to determine the accumulation sites or entrances to the anthill. In this case, you can use the drug pointwise, which is more favorable and safe. If this is difficult, it is best to place traps throughout the garden, but in this case other insects, birds and small animals may also suffer, so it is best to consider traps of a closed type and with small entrance holes. Also, ammonia can be used not only against ants, but also against aphids.

Features of the use of boric acid:

• The product can be toxic to humans and pets, so limit access to the garden or place it in remote places inaccessible to children.
• Containers for poison must be disposable . When it is no longer needed, it should be thrown away or burned.
• When working with the solution, you must protect your respiratory system, eyes and skin . In case of contact with mucous membranes, rinse with plenty of water. If you feel worse, go to the hospital. It will also be useful and interesting to learn about how to treat an apple tree against ants and aphids.

Despite the relative harmlessness, you should not get carried away with such processing. Boric acid can accumulate in fruits, so the solution is used spot-on.

Here's how to fight ants in garden beds using special means. information from the article will help you understand how they are called and operate.

If the anthill is located among thickets of garden or vegetable crops, the best option would be to set traps.

For an area completely populated by ants, such recipes will be ineffective. In this case, it is better to call a team of exterminators or use specialized preparations yourself.

Methods and indications for treating certain plants with boric acid:

Table: Scheme for applying foliar fertilizing, at the rate of 5 grams of boric acid per 10 liters of water (or 1 gram per liter). Dissolve the drug in a small amount of hot water, then add the required amount of cold water to the required level. The first spraying is carried out in the budding phase, the second - in the flowering phase, the third - during the fruiting period.

Potatoes A lack of boron is noticeable by mushroom scab and general underdevelopment. In addition, the leaves turn yellow, the roots turn red, and the plant becomes brittle. A solution of 600 milligrams per liter, calculated as a liter of solution per square meter, will help against scab. To prevent this, you can use a one percent solution on unsprouted potatoes, per 50 ml. per kilogram. Specialized fertilizers are added to the soil; if they are unavailable, ash can be used.

Grapes Signs of deficiency are spots between the leaf veins and undeveloped ovaries on the grapes. Grapes planted in a permanent place die within a couple of years. Treatment during the period of bud formation can increase the yield by a quarter and give the berries normal size. A solution of 500 milligrams of orthoboric acid and 500 milligrams of zinc salts per liter.

Apple and pear Deformation of leaves, darkening of their veins, their falling off, many small leaves at the end of the shoot, drying out of the top, damage to the fruit - these are common signs of boron deficiency in pears and apple trees. A solution of a gram of boric acid per liter of water is used for foliar feeding. It occurs twice - at the beginning of flowering and a week later, throughout the entire crown.

Tomatoes Deficiency is indicated by darkening and drying of the growth points of the stems, the growth of shoots from the base of the plant, brittle leaves, and areas of necrosis on the fruits.

Soaking seeds in a solution is a good way to prevent boron deficiency. Boric acid is also added to the soil and used for foliar feeding.

Beets From a lack of boron, the core rots, the leaves become stained, and the plant dies over time. To prevent this, soak the seeds and treat the soil with boric acid before planting. With all these measures, foliar feeding is required only once.

Ornamental crops Foliar feeding is carried out with a solution of grams per liter of water. When used in combination with other elements, the concentration must be halved. Processed during the formation of buds and their flowering. Roses are treated in the spring at a concentration of grams per liter. Fungal diseases are prevented by immersing cuttings for several minutes in a concentrated solution of boric acid, twenty grams per liter of water. Gladiolus is treated during flowering and repeated two to three times with a break of two weeks. Use a solution of potassium permanganate (2g), boric acid (5g) in ten liters of water.