I am pleased to report that the ants appear to have exited stage left. We hope they do not return for a curtain call*. So I guess I can recommend the homemade ant bait. With the caveat, of course, that if you use it in a place where it could possibly be accessed by animals or small children, you should put it in a jar with a tightly screwed-on lid in which you have poked holes. That way the ants can get in, but nothing else can.
I should also mention that I used two tablespoons of borax and enough jelly and peanut butter to make a paste. That makes A LOT. Half of that would be plenty. Oh, and the jelly and borax paste? Could double as rubber cement. For real. If you're going to use a real plate (as opposed to paper or something else disposable) to put it on, like I did, put a paper towel on the plate first, or else you'll spend five minutes soaking, scrubbing, and swearing at a puddle of solidified jelly/borax glue.
ANYWAY.
I'm always enormously gratified when the homemade version of anything works. Like the laundry mucous, which turned out to actually clean our clothes better than the store detergent AND doesn't have any weird chemicals in it that I need to worry about when washing Cubby's diapers. Score.
This penchant for making do is not just because we like to be self-sufficient and clever and all, although that's nice. No, I must admit that it really comes down to the fact that we are cheap ("frugal" sounds better, but let's call a cheapskate a cheapskate, shall we?) and do not like to buy things. So if I can slaughter hundreds of ants with materials already in my home? Double bonus.
That sounded wrong, didn't it?
* Weird, inexplicable drama references, yes. Where'd they come from? No idea.
Awesome! So glad to hear it worked, and thank you for the brilliant jar idea too. The ants in my garden will meet their death this year. Bwahahaha. =)
ReplyDeleteShower curtain--
ReplyDeleteAnd I am VERY excited about the borax bait. Not infrequently ants get into various flower beds and wreak havoc. But now I have a weapon!
I am also giddy when something homemade works. It's part of my weird, as you so put it wonderfully "latent Laura Ingalls Wilder fantasies."
ReplyDeletePlus, if you use the jar with holes in it, all the dead ants are conveniently captured in a jar which you can then toss. Or recycle. If your recycling center takes jars of ants. Which, they might?
ReplyDeleteHmm, now I need to go buy some borax. I wonder if this would work on squirrels? Not that I would ever do that, just saying.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently researching how to make my own dishwashing detergent.
ReplyDeleteI find that usually homemade works better than store-bought. My cleaning bucket contains: dr bronners (non-toxic castile soap), vinegar in a spray bottle and in a squirt bottle, and a parmesan cheese container filled with baking soda and some rags. Cleans anything in the house cheaper and better than purchased cleaners and no toxic fumes or residue!