Boric acid from domestic ants

Boric acid from ants was used by our grandmothers in those distant times when household insecticides were very rare. She did an excellent job with her task of driving insects from an apartment in the old days, and has been successfully used to this day, having proved its effectiveness over many years. It will not be difficult to prepare bait from it, at the same time, the powder is practically harmless to humans when used correctly and there are mere pennies, which is especially important in our difficult time.

Principle of action and properties

The principle of action of baits made with the participation of boric acid can be understood by considering the chemical composition of this preparation and its properties.

Chemical composition and properties of boric acid

Boric acid is a white crystalline powder with weakly pronounced antiseptic properties. It has no taste or smell and is poorly soluble in water. The chemical formula of boric acid is H₃Bo₃. In reactions involving sodium, it forms a salt called borax, which has similar properties. It is used in the same way against insects as boric acid from ants.

The insecticidal effect of the acid is based on the property of boron to cause pathological changes in the cells of living organisms. In fact, this element is a poison that affects their structure and vital activity.

Boron is toxic not only to insects, but also to humans. This is relatively recently discovered by toxicologists. From a complete ban on the use in medicine, boric acid was saved only by the fact that it retains its formula relatively well in the human body and only a small amount of it is destroyed. However, its use in medicine has been limited. In particular, it is not recommended for children, pregnant and lactating women. With caution, it should also be used by people with impaired renal function and excretory system pathologies.

Boric acid is widely used in the chemical industry, agriculture, nuclear energy. It found its application as an insecticidal poison, causing a slow but sure death of insects.

Advice! If the house has small children and pets, then it is better to refrain from using boric acid. Their use inside a sufficiently large amount of the drug may cause allergic reactions, as well as poisoning.

Operating principle

Boric acid acts against ants according to the principle of intestinal-contact poison, penetrating through the outer covers and intestines of insects. In the first case, ulcers and necrotic foci form on the chitinous cover. Insects at the same time suffer from excruciating itching, to which terrible thirst joins, as well as blindness and loss of orientation in space.

When ants use bait containing boric acid, the latter causes paralysis of insects. Death occurs due to serious disorders in the functioning of internal organs caused by damage to the nerve ganglia and peripheral nerves. From the moment the ants eat the poison until they die, in this case only a few hours pass, while with external exposure it takes several days and even weeks.Sometimes insects, after getting powder on their covers, can survive, but they will remember the suffering for a long time and henceforth are unlikely to appear on the threshold of a “terrible” dwelling for them.

Cooking methods

Boric acid baits can be prepared in the following ways:

1. Mixing the powder with boiled chicken yolk, as well as sugar in a ratio of 0.5 tsp of acid per 1 yolk and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sugar. Then, balls of about 1 cm in diameter are formed from the resulting mass, which are laid out in different parts of the apartment.
2. Having prepared the bait from an equal amount of glycerin, sugar and honey with the addition of a third of a teaspoon of boron powder.
3. You can also dilute in 100 ml of water half a bag of acid, 40 g of sugar and 10 g of honey, then mix all the ingredients until smooth. This tool is placed in a dish with low walls and put closer to the place where insects are most often found.

You can also just sprinkle boric acid around the perimeter of the room, spread ante with the powder of sugar diluted with water and sugar, and add it to the water when washing floors. In this case, it is important not to overdo it with concentration, since with a larger than recommended amount, it will cause instant death of the insect. In this case, there will be no one to take the poisoned “gift” to the uterus in the nest. Lures using boric acid sodium salt - borax, are prepared in a similar way.

Application rules

Boric acid will not cause any harm to health, if you observe the following rules for its use:

1. The amount of the drug used should not exceed the minimum dangerous single dose for a person, which is 15 g for an adult and 4 g for a child.
2. You can not lay out the bait, as well as sprinkle the powder in places accessible to children and pets.
3. When treating the apartment with powder and aqueous solution, as well as preparing the bait, it is advisable to use a respirator, put on rubber gloves on your hands.

Under these conditions, boric acid becomes practically safe for human health and will bring nothing but benefit.

How to get rid of ants in the house with boric acid, see in this video: