Organize & Clean

How To Make All-Natural Ant Killer

updated Nov 1, 2022
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(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

Got ants? We’ve got an easy-peasy homemade ant killer recipe using baking soda — and it’s non-toxic!

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How to Make Homemade Ant Killer

What You Need

Materials

  • Baking Soda
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Jar Lids (or something similar to hold the bait, although a container is not necessary)

Tools

  • Measuring Spoon

Instructions

  1. Combine 1 part baking soda with 1 part powdered sugar. I used a 3/4 tablespoon of each, and mixed it together directly in the jar lid. From what I have read, ants cannot differentiate between baking soda and powdered sugar because they are similar in size. The sugar attracts the ants, and the baking soda is what kills them: It reacts with the acid in their digestive system, and they explode.
  2. Place the mixture in strategic locations and wait for the baking soda to do its thing. You can use a jar lid or something similar to keep the bait contained, or you can place it directly on the surface where the ants are prevalent.

Note: After making three lids of bait and waiting several days, the number of ants in my kitchen reduced dramatically. I also found that it is essential, of course, to keep the problem areas clean and void of any food; I used vinegar to clean kitchen surfaces and to scrub any ant trails. If you can find their point of entry, it is strongly recommended that you fill it with Borax or diatomaceous earth and seal it off with clear caulk.

Re-edited from a post originally published 5.14.2013