It’s an unpleasant sight to see groups of ants invading our homes in the corners of the kitchen, bedroom, or even bathroom. Their invasion depends on the home style and weather conditions of the area. They invade their homes to look for food when their food resources are exhausted in the outdoor area.
The biggest challenge remains in identifying the ways to get rid of them and ensure they don’t reinvade. Cornmeal is one of the options to kill ants because ants come running towards cornmeal due to its high carbohydrate content that helps them keep going from pillar to post in search of food. Here, we discuss more about the use of cornmeal to kill ants and its different aspects.
Can Cornmeal Kill Ants?
There are misconceptions among homeowners regarding the effectiveness of cornmeal in killing ants. Some believe that ants, after consuming cornmeal, are unable to digest it and explode, leading to their death, whereas others believe that cornmeal works when an ant killer is mixed with it to make bait. The actual reason is different from the myths which we discuss in the below paragraphs. Cornmeal has a high carbohydrate content that attracts ants, so it is merely used to attract them.
How Does Cornmeal Kill Ants?
Ants love cornmeal as it is full of carbohydrates, which they require to keep themselves active, and that pulls ants towards cornmeal. However, the fact is that ants won’t die merely by consuming cornmeal because it’s a solid food that they find hard to digest. They chew it partially or feed their larvae, which turn it into a liquid for other ants to easily consume.
Cornmeal effectively kills ants by preparing bait. You can prepare bait by mixing one part of boric acid and a generous amount of soyabean oil, peanut butter, or honey to induce ants. You may be confused as to why only one part of boric acid is mixed, and the reason is to slow down the process to ensure it spreads to other ants of the ant colony, including the queen. The final focus is to kill the queen because once the queen dies, the entire colony of ants collapses.
How to Prepare Cornmeal Bait?
We discussed the effectiveness of cornmeal bait in the above topic. Now, let’s learn to prepare the bait.
Gather Material
Begin with collecting essential materials mentioned below:
- Cornmeal
- Boric acid
- Soyabean oil
- A plastic container
- Honey
- Peanut butter
- An old yogurt container
Prepare Bait
Add one part of boric acid, ten parts of cornmeal, and enough soybean to make it a smooth paste.
Place It Mindfully
Once bait is prepared, keep it in an old yogurt container and make a small hole for ants to enter the container. Make sure the paste is kept away from the reach of pets and children, as it can be toxic for them if ingested.
Keep an Eye on the Effectiveness of the Bait
Regularly check if ants are attracted to bait made with soybean oil. If ants don’t get attracted for a few days, try adding honey to the mixture to trap ants. Ensure you don’t add bait to garden soil because boric acid badly affects the quality of the soil. Also make sure you change the bait once it rains because rain reduces the effectiveness of the bait.
Where to Place Cornmeal Bait?
Identify the places where the presence of ants is high, such as anthills or ant colonies in the crevices and gaps in the doors and windows. Try to apply bait along the perimeter of the house to prevent the entry of ants. Most of the time, ants carry bait to their colony and eat. This method takes more time to kill ants compared to pesticides and other ant killers.
Tips to Prevent Invasion of Ants
In the above headings, you must have learned about the use of cornmeal to kill ants. However, “prevention is better than cure” and if you go by this saying, by keeping a check on the infiltrations of ants, the hassle of making a plan to kill them may be eliminated. The best preventive measure is to regularly inspect the doors, windows, or any cracks or gaps that can be the entry point of ants. You should remove food particles from the floor in the kitchen to prevent their entry and seal the food containers properly.
Conclusion
Merely using cornmeal will not kill ants as it is non-toxic for ants, but mixing ant killers like boric acid will effectively kill them. Try to look for their entry point and their colonies to spread the bait prepared using cornmeal, boric acid, and soyabean oil. Apart from all the tricks to kill them, try to prevent their entry, as discussed in the above paragraphs.
