Using vinegar is a simple, inexpensive way to get rid of ants. It wreaks havoc on their digestive system and disrupts their pheromone trails, which help them navigate and communicate.
The bait attracts foraging ants, and they take it back to their colony and share it with the rest of the population. The poison slowly works its way through the entire ant colony, killing it.
Place TERRO Liquid Ant Killer where ants are numerous, including near ant trails, inside and outside your home. Also apply baited cardboard tiles along the edges of sinks, tubs, windowsills, under food cabinets, in corners and around baseboards. For best results, remove other sources of ant attraction (crumbs, sugar spots, grease). Monitor bait placements regularly and add more if necessary. Complete control may take up to two weeks. Initially, you may see more ants because foragers are attracted to the sweet liquid. They consume it and then leave behind a trail of pheromones that leads back to their colony, allowing the rest of the ants to find the new food source.
TERRO ant baits contain the active ingredient borax (sodium tetraborate decahydrate), which attracts foraging ants and interferes with their digestive systems, poisoning them from within. Worker ants carry the ingested poison back to their colony and share it with other ants, including the queen. As the poison spreads, other ants die, and the entire colony is destroyed.
This baiting method is very effective and easy to use. Place TERRO ant bait near signs of ants, including pheromone trails, to ensure the product reaches as many ants as possible. Alternatively, you can place the product in a container with a perforated top like a plastic bottle or a small bin to create your own DIY ant trap.
Mix equal parts confectioners sugar and baking soda in a cup, then use a spoon to fill a container that will be placed where you see ant activity. Luca says that using confectioners sugar is important because it will separate the ingredients from one another, making them more appealing to ants. Adding a little dish soap will help kill ants on contact by penetrating their exoskeletons, suffocating them. Alternatively, a solution of vinegar and water can be sprayed to disrupt pheromone trails, which is how ants communicate with each other and find their way around your home. However, you should test any DIY sprays or solutions on a small area first to make sure they are safe for your surfaces and pets.
The packaging conveniently comes apart to reveal cardboard ant baits, and each one has an ants-facing side that you can place near signs of target pests or their pheromone trails. The baits contain a 5.4% concentration of borax, which kills both the forager ants who consume it and those that carry the poison back to their colonies. This results in complete colony control, which may take up to two weeks. For best results, monitor ant bait placements frequently, but do not disturb or interfere with them.
You may see more ants than usual at first, but this is normal because as ants forage for the bait and find it, they leave behind a trail of pheromones that lets other workers know where it is located. It is important not to disturb these pheromone trails, which helps ensure that the entire insect population finds and consumes the bait. Doing so is crucial for achieving consistent and effective treatment.
As with any product, storing TERRO Liquid Ant Killer correctly will help you achieve maximum control. Read the MSDS for important safety instructions.
Place TERRO Liquid Ant Killer on cardboard tiles or in areas where ants are seen, such as the edges of sinks, tubs, window sills, under food cabinets, along floors and baseboards and in corners. It's a good idea to use more than one bait placement, since invading ants often follow distinct trails between their nest and food or water sources.
When ants forage on the liquid ant bait, they leave behind a trail of pheromones that alert other ants to the new food source. This is why you may see more ants at first - as they discover and consume the bait.
Once the ants carry the bait back to the colony, it's up to the queen to distribute the poison throughout the colony and eliminate the pestemite. Because TERRO Liquid Ant Killer is effective against both adult and larval stages, you can expect complete control in about two weeks. It's important to monitor and replenish the ant bait as needed.
