Does this homemade ant killer actually work or am I wasting time?

Insects & Creepy-Crawlies
1

Hey everyone,

I’ve been trying a homemade ant killer recipe I found online (basically sugar mixed with borax and a little water), but I’m not sure if it’s actually solving the problem or just slowing things down. At first it seemed like a lot of ants were attracted to it, which made me think it was working, but I’m still seeing ants around the same areas in the house.

I’ve placed the mixture near baseboards and along the trails where I usually see them, but maybe I’m missing something. Some people say homemade solutions can work if used correctly, while others say they only help temporarily and that store-bought baits are more reliable.

Has anyone here had real success with homemade ant killers long-term, or is it usually better to switch to something else?

2

I tried the sugar and borax mix before and it did reduce the number of ants after about a week.

3

The key is that the ants need to carry it back to the colony. It’s not instant.

4

@GarageFox82 Yeah that’s why it can look like it’s not working at first.

5

It worked for me once, but only for a smaller ant problem.

6

Sometimes homemade mixes are too strong and the ants avoid them.

7

I had better results when I placed it directly along the ant trail instead of random spots.

8

@QuietFixer Same here. Placement made a big difference in my case.

9

If the colony is outside, they might just keep coming back.

10

That’s when people usually switch to commercial bait systems.

11

Honestly I think homemade bait works for testing, but larger infestations may need something more consistent.