An effective natural insecticide frequently promoted is baking soda…but does it really kill ants? The quick response is “yes”! It’s among the most straightforward and successful methods we’ve come across. A box of baking soda costs less than $1 and is a necessary item for every kitchen pantry.
What Is Baking Soda
Bicarbonate of soda is another name for baking soda, a chemical base compound.
It is a naturally occurring salt that comprises sodium cation and a bicarbonate anion, and its scientific formula is NaHCO3.
Since baking soda is frequently used in everyday baking and other household recipes, it can be found in most of our kitchen pantries. It has an alkaline taste and resembles a fine white powder.
Many people mistakenly believe it to be the same as baking powder, but it differs greatly and cannot be used to kill ants. To put it into perspective, baking soda is 4x stronger than baking powder.
Other applications for baking soda exist. For instance, it is used in toothpaste to whiten teeth and to make old books less musty-smelling. It is also the main ingredient in the “black snake” firework.
Does Baking Soda Kill Ants
Baking soda is one of the simplest and least expensive ways to finally get rid of ants, so the answer is yes, it works. It is a good, safe alternative to chemical-based, commercial ant killers.
However, it is unlikely that leaving a trail of baking soda will be effective on its own. merely because ants aren’t drawn to it. They’ll avoid it completely, almost as if they know what you’re up to, which only makes you angrier.
You have to trick them in order to get around this. Just combine it with something that ants enjoy, and they enjoy sugar just like the majority of us do.
But since confectioners’ sugar or powdered sugar has a consistency akin to that of baking soda, that is what must be used.
Ants are intelligent little creatures, and they will sort through your mixture and only eat the sugar if it is a different size.
The Science Behind Killing Ants With Baking Soda
You’re not sure that using baking soda to treat your ant problem will work. This theory is supported by some scientific data. The pH balance of the body is changed by baking soda. Despite being safe for humans, it is fatal to ants.
Here’s how it works:
Baking soda reacts with the ants’ digestive enzymes when they consume it, creating carbon dioxide. On the internet, there are some theories that claim baking soda will cause ants to explode. Although we can’t be certain of it, we do know that it dries out their bodies and kills them.
Just consider how ants live and behave to comprehend how the baking soda method may be effective. Ants have different roles to play and live in colonies. After the queen ant lays her eggs, some ants take care of the eggs while others go out and gather food.
In order to feed the other ants in the colony, worker ants who go out in search of food also bring food back to the colony. This means that when they take your baking soda solution back to their nest, they are actually aiding in the eradication of all the other ants in the colony.
How To Use Baking Soda To Kill Ants
Attacking the entire colony rather than a single ant is the most efficient way to get rid of an ant infestation. Fortunately, ants will do the majority of the work for you; as scavengers, they will hunt down food and bring it back to their nest for other animals to consume. The colony can be quickly and easily eliminated by adding baking soda to its food source.
The simplest method is to combine powdered sugar and baking soda in equal parts. Place your powder in locations with a lot of ant activity in a small container (like the lid of a jar) to keep it contained. For the best effect, try to locate the site of the colony’s nest and place your ant-killing powder here.
The sugar will draw ants, which will then gather the powder and carry it back to their colony for their fellow members to feast on. The ants will quickly pass away after consuming the powder.
Benefits Of Using Baking Soda To Kill Ants
Why then is baking soda preferable to pesticides and insect repellents? It is non-toxic, for starters.
Natural and completely safe for use and consumption by humans is baking soda. It’s a typical ingredient in baking recipes and is also present in toothpaste. Both touching and eating it is safe for people.
Do you have young children or babies at home? If they come in contact with baking soda, they won’t get hurt. On the other hand, toxic bug sprays and pesticides can be extremely dangerous for children.
The fact that it is so easy to make is another reason why we love this technique. In your kitchen pantry, you most likely already have all the ingredients you need. If not, you can spend as little as $1 on a small box of baking soda at any grocery store.
You must use powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar) when it comes to sugar. Don’t replace that with granulated sugar.
Because the appearance and texture of baking soda and powdered sugar are identical. The ants won’t be able to distinguish between the two, so they’ll likely get a little sugar and a little baking soda in each bite.
Conclusions
Because baking soda dries out their stomachs when it gets there, ants that consume it perish. Baking soda and powdered sugar can be combined to create a cheap, non-toxic, and efficient DIY bait that unwary ants will bring back to their nest. In this manner, the entire ant colony can be eliminated with little effort.
Sprays made of dish soap and water, white vinegar, baby powder barriers, borax, sticky traps, and hot water are some additional natural home remedies for ant control.
