Fight ants with baking soda

click fraud protection

Even our grandmas had to fight ants. The age-old baking powder tip that promises exploding ants also comes from this time.

Ants in the kitchen
If the ants are already in the kitchen, the baking powder is not far away [Photo: Boyloso / Shutterstock.com]

That baking powder or baking soda to expel Ants (Formicidae) is a household wisdom from grandmother's time. Nevertheless, one reads contradicting things again and again: In some places there is great outrage that the tip would be of no use at all. Elsewhere, good results are reported with the use of the leavening agent. In the following we will explain the topic of "ants and baking powder" to you.

Fight ants with baking soda

First of all, let's clarify the most interesting question: do ants explode when they ingest baking soda? And how efficient is this method of pest control? In order to be able to obtain comprehensive information, you will then find alternatives and references to further articles. We will also present ours to you there Plantura ant remedy before.

Exploding ants from baking soda and sugar?

Using baking powder against ants has a long tradition. The household tip is known to many and its effectiveness is actually not a myth. The deadly effect on the little troublemakers is based on the chemical reaction of the sodium (sodium hydrogen carbonate) contained in the baking powder with the moisture inside the ant. With the weakly alkaline reaction in the digestive tract of the insect, the sensitive acidity of the insect is disturbed, which alone can lead to its death. At the same time, in an equilibrium reaction, carbon dioxide is formed, which, with its larger volume, puts the durability of the insect's stomach to the test.

It has not been conclusively clarified whether the animals ultimately perish due to one or the other effect. It is possible that the baking powder will be better consumed by them and in larger quantities if it has been mixed with a little sugar or powdered sugar. Without knowing the origin of the ants, however, there is no point in using it, because all animals that do not leave the burrow do not come into contact with the baking powder at all or come in too small doses. In this way the nest remains untouched and the flow of new ants does not dry up at all or only after a long period of use.

Ants crawling in cracks and crevices
If cracks and crevices in the walls remain unsealed, ants can easily penetrate [Photo: Yashkin Ilya / Shutterstock.com]

Conclusion on baking powder against ants

There can be no question of “exploding ants” when using baking powder, but it can be very damaging to them. However, the method can only work if the baking powder used contains baking soda. Other raising agents and baker's yeast would have no effect. The ants' death is painful and slow, and the entire nest is not necessarily damaged. It is for this reason that we have to trace the origin of the ants and block their access or remove them the nest has a much greater benefit than scattering baking soda - this also avoids unnecessary suffering of the Animals. In addition, the living beings that the dead ants eat can also be damaged: other insects, birds or small rodents. They too get at least one stomach upset from baking soda. If baking powder and sugar against ants are scattered at all, this should only be done indoors.

Fighting ants in the home and garden: baking soda and alternatives

We do not recommend using baking soda as an ant control agent. Instead, it is more productive to deal with the reasons for the presence of the ants in the house or apartment. You can use this article to verify that you have not received the Ants in your home or yard accidentally lure them yourself or offer them particularly cheap nesting opportunities. There are also other home remedies that work well and that can help clear most minor ants plagues quickly. Home remedies for ants can be found in this special article. If the home remedies have failed, you still have the option of a solid fight. What we do on the subject of "Fight ants“Figured out for you, you can find out here.

We can clearly recommend the use of diatomaceous earth. This extremely fine-grained kieselguhr is the main component of ours Plantura ant remedy. It does not have any chemical effects and, if used correctly, poses no risk to humans or pets, but is because of Because of their effectiveness in organic farming, they are often used - because there is also a build-up of resistance to the agent locked out.

Sign up to our newsletter

Pellentesque dui, non felis. Maecenas male