How to Kill Ants Safely & Organically

August 26th, 2008 Posted in Ants & Roaches


Ants can be interesting at times and there are some fun facts about ants, but they are a real pain for the most part. No one likes seeing ants in or around their house. Don’t worry, though, there are solutions to kill ants and solve this problem.

This article will tell you:

  • Creative ways to kill ants
  • Traditional ant-killing solutions

Creative Ways to Kill Ants

These are some torturous ways in which people plot to kill ants:

Epic Battle:

Exterminators could transfer a bunch of ants from one anthill to another colony where most of them will fight to the death.

Pipe Tobacco:

  1. Soak pipe tobacco in warm water overnight, using gloves so nicotine liquid won’t burn skin.
  2. Pour the liquid from one container to another, to mix, and throw away the actual tobacco.
  3. Pour the liquid over the anthill and the ants end up overdosing on tobacco.

Cornmeal:

  1. Leave some cornmeal out to attract the ants.
  2. When they eat this, they will not be able to digest this everyday cooking product.
  3. Ants will explode from the inside out.

Salt:

  1. Leave salt out for the ants.
  2. They eat this rapidly, but then they get entirely too thirsty.
  3. This leads them to drink too much water and explode.

Who thinks this stuff up?



Traditional Ant-Killing Methods

There are always insecticides and pesticides that kill ants. Be cautionary, though, about which ones you use within the household because some can be hazardous to children or pets.

Borax/Boric Acid

  • Inorganic mineral that kills the ants as a stomach acid.
  • Considered safe in general, but there is always the risk of danger to pets and humans alike.
  • Not recommended for use around children.

Many other insecticides are sold at retail stores nationwide:

  • Baits
  • Conventional aerosol sprays
  • Ready-to-use products, like EcoSMART’s natural ant killer that is safe for household use.





Some aerosols can be dangerous to have in the house, because using these sprays may result in inhalation of unsafe chemicals into the respiratory tract, so make sure to use a safe and eco-friendly product.


Chelsea Roeser

  1. 33 Comments | The First 1,000 to Comment (Starting 12/21/2009) Will Become EcoSMART Product Testers!

  2. By renee' on Sep 9, 2008

    how do u get rid of green ants they are all over my house and bitting my sisters brother and pearents plz help me get rid of theme

  3. By Joey Rahimi on Sep 23, 2008

    are these Green ants in the USA or Australia?

  4. By Pacco on Dec 2, 2008

    Wow, I never knew you could kill ants from salt and cornmeal!!!! I’m gunna try that!!!

  5. By Darci on Dec 16, 2008

    Do any of these crazy ways actually work?

    Every year I dread summer. We live on the edge of town which seems to be the buggiest part of town. The mosquitoes swarm you, the termites invade you yearly, and the spiders literally terrorize you. You can walk out on the patio at night and see several of those huge spiders heading for the patio door!

    But I have tried everything to try to get rid of my little black ants. They come back every summer. These ants ignore all of the several different kinds of bait that I have tried. I keep my kitchen spotless and they still keep coming in. If they don’t find food they are happy going after the water around the sink. I can’t start spraying like crazy because we have cats and birds.

    Is there a bait that an ant just can’t resist? I hate to kill them, they really are cute and work hard. But if I set something down on the counter for longer than a few seconds there is always an ant or 2 on it. Really I’m not ready to add ants into my recipes. Yet….

  6. By Ray on Dec 16, 2008

    For carpenter ants, I lay down a perimeter of coffee grounds (used) around the house. That seems to keep them out. Starbucks usually has free bags of used coffee grounds to give to customers.

  7. By Dina on Dec 18, 2008

    There are some great ideas here. Thank you so much! I never heard of leaving orange peels out. I did hear about using cornmeal before, but I haven’t tried it yet. It seems like every winter, we get an army of ants no matter what!

  8. By Wendy on Jan 13, 2009

    I haven’t found anything that keeps ants out of my kitchen in summer. Of all the things I have tried the stuff you put around the perimeter of your house works best. I worry about my dog ingesting though so I am interested how this product works. Any feedback would be appreciated:)

  9. By gus on Jan 30, 2009

    How do I get rid of green ants in our garden in brisbane australia.

    thanks

  10. By Tabitha on Feb 4, 2009

    I have ants that are coming through my pipes, sinks, dishwasher. I have tried wiping my counters down with vinegar because I have two babies (1 & 2 years old). I don’t want to expose them to any harmful pesticides. Any ideas on a product or home remedy that’s safe around infants and toddlers??? Please help.

  11. By Linda on Mar 13, 2009

    We have had an ant problem since day 1 of moving into our house. Before we did an addition/remodel, I asked my dh to try to find where they were coming from in hopes of using a really strong pesticide to kill off the whole community. That didn’t happen, and so my heart dropped when I began seeing the ants coming in again. We use ant bait, they’d go away for a week or so, then come back, same places. It just never ends!

  12. By RebeccaF on Jun 2, 2009

    Is EcoSMART safe to use on kitchen countertops? I have an 18 month old child and a cat, oh, I can’t forget the picky husband, so I need to find a product that will kill ants and be safe in the home. One other question, is it effective on the actual ant hills or does the EcoSMART need to come into contact with the ants?

  13. By Annie on Jul 9, 2009

    I always have problems with ants in the summer. Do the crazy ideas really work? I can’t wait to try the cornmeal and salt and see the exploding ants! =)

  14. By Patricia on Jul 9, 2009

    I have used the boric acid and sugar formula in the past, and it worked really well, both with carpenter ants and ghost ants (for the carpenter ants, I used a mixture of peanut butter, sugar and boric acid). We now have a dog, though, so I’d like to try something a little less poisonous. If this EcoSMART really works, I’d love to try it.

  15. By Regan on Jul 9, 2009

    They are starting to get pretty bad at our house and with a small toddler, I need a safe way to get rid of them.

  16. By Bonnie on Jul 9, 2009

    Here in Southern CA we get bombarded with ants every summer. I watch as my neighbors have a pest service come and repeatedly spray. I’m looking for something that will last. Are ant traps the only answer?

  17. By Nancy Horton on Jul 9, 2009

    Holy cow! I am being overrun with red ants down here in fla! and they bite hard! ouch! and cant seem to get rid of them! would LOVE to be a tester for this product!!!

  18. By Roxanne on Jul 9, 2009

    Thanks for the great ideas on how to kill ants without harsh chemicals etc.. We need good stuff for the earth and also for ourselves!

  19. By Karen Deleon on Jul 9, 2009

    Help can ecosmart help kill ants that fly, I have never seen these large ants with wings. I would love to try your product!!!!

  20. By gilly on Jul 12, 2009

    yes they are interesting but not all over the place,
    The problem I have with most methods ( even the borax one) is the caveat not to use
    “where children or pets can get to it”
    So that leaves …….exactly no where on my property!!

  21. By Melissa on Jul 12, 2009

    I am looking for a safe and organic way to kill ants in my vegetable garden. They are all over my plants! I have used Garrett juice, molasses, even a light soil drench of citrus oil but nothing has worked so far.

    I would love to give this spray a try, especially if it is safe around vegetables.

  22. By vonda on Jul 12, 2009

    trying hard to get rid of ants! in a natural way….

  23. By Tammy Williams on Jul 18, 2009

    The salt idea is interesting although I am afraid the ants will continue to come inside to find the water to drink. I have huge ant trails inside on a daily basis.

  24. By Sheila Kerby on Jul 21, 2009

    I live in the middle of a pasture in the southeastern desert of NM. I am trying to grow my garden without chemicals. We have had alot of rain and now the bugs are killing my garden. I have an infestation of what I call leafhoppers. How do I get rid of them without killing my good bugs?

  25. By B Sweeny on Aug 5, 2009

    I have a newborn and also ants, lots of ants!!! I need to know a safe alteritive to RAID that won’t kill my baby or my dogs. I want to test this product as much as I can it is greatly appriciated. Thank you

  26. By amy on Sep 25, 2009

    We have 2 dogs and a 5 year old and nothing seems to work! We even taped up every gap we see the ants coming out of but they always seem to find an alternative route. I’m going to try the vinegar approach but I’d like to become an EcoSMART tester as well! btw- the epic battle was hilarious

  27. By denise rey on Dec 5, 2009

    Wow , thanks for the helpful info, I have been looking for a way to kill carpenter ants in my home that is safe to use around my children and not a toxic pesticide. I would love to be able to try this product!

  28. By steve on Jan 1, 2010

    We are over-run with little black ants inside the house & our yard is inundated with green ants.
    The grandkids cannot sit on the grass & play in the yard.
    Not only do they get bitten but so does the dog. He quite often yelps and spends hours chewing at his paws.
    We have tried just about everything.
    Help!!!!!!!!!!!

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33 Comments | The First 1,000 to Comment (Starting 12/21/2009) Will Become EcoSMART Product Testers! (details)