Killing Ants With Natural Insecticides

Ants appear to be pretty innocuous to most people. In the majority of temperate climates, ants do very little damage, although red ants bite people all over the world. However, there are more dangerous ants in warmer countries and some of these ants can even be responsible for hospitalzations and even a few deaths. Red ant bites itch and even hurt, but imagine a baby falling onto a red ant nest.

What if that infant fell onto a fire ant nest or a red carpenter ant nest? Carpenter ants can be an inch (25 mm) long and a bite can draw blood. There are poisonous ants in South America and exploding ants in Southeast Asia, although they will not kill humans. Soldier ants are quite frightening too. In fact, the amount of dangerous ants in the warmer countries can be worrying.

Indeed, only a fortnight ago, my male dog was plastered in big red marks all over his stomach and under carriage. He was obviously in great pain when he walked and was off his food. It has been very hot here in Thailand this summer because the monsoon was late, so he probably dug a shallow hole in the soil to keep cool. He was probably swarmed by ants while he was asleep, but could not shake them off. He was in a very bad way for three days.

Some ants are vegetarians but others will gladly eat meat, if it is available. Most ants will eat dead insects and small, dead animals. Some will also assault fit animals, including humans, if they feel threatened.

One problem is that insects can become resistant to chemical controls and sometimes this immunity is limited to a small area, so it is better not to use chemicals if you can help it. Chemicals can also present a hazard to children, which makes storing them and using them even more risky.

Boric acid is a derivative of boron which is a natural product. Boric acid is very effective at killing insects that take food back to their nests, so this includes ants and termites. It can be mixed with sugar and water to make it more attractive to ants or can be spread around the garden with no danger. It is risk-free to children and pets alike.

Cayenne pepper is another repellent-cum-killer. Cultivate your own cayenne peppers, liquidize them and add to boiling water, then spray over ants and ant runs when it has chilled. It will not kill a colony, but it will stop foraging ants.

Corn meal is a method of ant and cockroach control. Sprinkle it about and when the insects eat it, it will expand up with their digestive juices and cause them to blow up. Not very nice, but satisfying all the same.

There are other natural remedies for destroying or discouraging insects too, some are favourites of one country or local people. Why don't you ask around the older people where you live and find out what their parents used to use to control ants and other insects the natural way?

More Information:

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on quite a few topics, but is at present concerned with Getting Rid Of Carpenter Ants. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Killing Carpenter Ants.