People want to get rid of nuisance pests inside the home without using any toxic chemicals. Baking soda is considered an ideal solution for ants infestation that can help get rid of annoying pests from the home naturally.
Can You Use Baking Soda To Get Rid Of Ants? You can use baking soda to get rid of ants because it is cheap, readily available, and safe to use. You can add an attractant to make baits, like sugar and diatomaceous earth, as baking soda cannot attract ants alone. Mix it with vinegar or boric acid to make deadly baits which act slowly and cause a problem in the digestive system and kill ants.
It is better to use natural ingredients to deal with pests indoors because insecticides are not safe for humans and the environment.
Should I use baking soda to get rid of ants?
Baking soda is a common ingredient in kitchens and pantries due to its multiple uses, like cleaning, baking, and killing household pests.
It is many times stronger than baking powder and is considered toxic for tiny creatures.
Many people prefer to use home ingredients to avoid the cost of commercial products. It is a cheap treatment to control the population of ants, as you can get a box of this powder at only $0.7 to $1.
You do not have to spend money getting expensive insecticidal products if the infestation rate is not high because they can efficiently remove a small number of insects.
Moreover, you do not have to add multiple ingredients to prepare a bait that makes it a favorite bait of many people because you have to mix it with an attractant and spread it evenly.
It has insecticidal properties and changes the pH balance, which can be fatal for tiny creatures.
How do you get rid of ants with baking soda?
Baking soda can effectively kill workers and queen ants because it is a slow-acting poison and kills whole colonies.
Baking soda and sugar
It is an odorless white powder with a bitter taste that does not attract insects, so you have to add powdered sugar to make it a tasty food for the insects.
Accordingly, mix 1 tablespoon of powdered or condensed sugar in 1 tablespoon of baking soda and mix them thoroughly using a spatula.
You can directly sprinkle the bait on colonies or trails, but it is better to transfer the powder to a container and put it close to the colonies or trails of ants.
Baking soda and boric acid
In addition, you can also mix this baking soda with boric acid to make a deadly bait because borax is commonly added to commercial insecticides due to its effectiveness at killing ants.
Do not forget to add powdered sugar to this bait because both of the above ingredients are toxic and cannot invite insects, so adding sweet food can entice their receptors.
Spread the bait at strategic locations, like doors, windows, small holes, and spaces in the walls, and close to the base of the wall connecting with the floor to kill them.
Baking soda and diatomaceous earth
Food-grade diatomaceous earth is a natural ant killer and is considered non-toxic for humans due to its use in many products, like toothpaste.
Ants do not like diatomaceous earth powder and prefer to stay away from it because it causes severe dehydration in insects by absorbing moisture from their bodies.
Accordingly, you have to add sweet food, like sugar, in a powdered mixture of baking powder and diatomaceous earth because both of these ingredients are toxic for insects.
It does not pose any safety risks to adults and children and increases the potential of baits up to many times that act slowly and lead to the removal of the entire colony.
Baking soda and vinegar
You can prepare a spraying solution using baking soda and vinegar by mixing 2 parts of the powder with 1 part of the pure white vinegar. Transfer the solution to a spray bottle and shake well.
Spray the solution directly on the trails of insects and mounds to kill them. You can also use lemon juice because it can lead to bubble formation in the mixture due to its acidic nature.
In addition, you can also sprinkle the baking powder directly on the colonies or mounds and spray the vinegar solution on them. It results in the formation of a foamy solution that has a killing effect.
What happens when ants eat baking soda?
Baking soda has a toxic effect on ants’ health as it brings noticeable changes in the pH. Moreover, it forms an alkaline solution after dissolving in water and reacts with an acidic solution.
Accordingly, this alkaline powder reacts in the stomach of insects due to acidic juices in the stomach and causes problems for their survival.
The changes in the natural chemistry of their bodies or alterations in the pH can be lethal for the insects when the workers consume the bait and pass it down to the gut.
In addition, it can cause an explosion in their stomach after a reaction between an acid and base, ultimately leading to their death due to carbon dioxide production as a by-product.
It can also cause the drying of bodies in some insects, but it is still not sure among ants. However, an explosion occurs in the bellies for sure after a few hours of bait consumption.
How long does baking soda take to kill ants?
Baking soda is a slow poison for ants that takes time to kill individual insects and their colonies. Its action time depends on the amount of baking soda used and the species of insects.
Commonly, baits cannot help remove colonies quickly because they allure foraging workers. These workers consume the bait ingredients and store a part of it in their false stomach or crop.
They return to the nests and transfer the food particles to the inactive members of the colony, like males, queens, and growing larvae.
This way, the toxic ingredients enter the stomach of every colony member in a day or two and react with their stomach juices. This reaction can be deadly for tiny insects due to explosions.
So, you have to be patient for a few days if the colonies are large because it takes time to reach the insects living at the bottom of the nest.
Is it safe to use baking soda to get rid of ants?
You can use baking soda to get rid of ants without any safety concerns, as it is a biologically safe ingredient at home if you use it carefully.
It can create problems for pets if they accidentally consume a large amount of baking soda. Almost 10 to 15-pound heavy dogs can digest a half or 1 tablespoon of this powder without issues.
However, you should take them to a vet if they eat more than a tablespoon of pure baking soda. Its toxicity decreases when you add any sweet or edible food to it and make it safe.
In addition, it is safe for humans, making it a perfect ingredient to use for causing toxicity among ants because it does not cause any noticeable health issues if children ingest a small amount.
Furthermore, it is not responsible for causing any irritation on the skin if touched by the children accidentally while playing indoors and outdoors.
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