Baking soda and baking soda against ants: does it work?

Ants in the house are not only annoying, they can also be dangerous. To get rid of them, baking soda or Baking soda can be used as a home remedy. However, there are a few things to keep in mind.

ant problem

In and of themselves, ants are useful and worthy of protection. They make a significant contribution to maintaining a natural balance in nature and, in particular, to eliminating dead animals. However, they become a problem when they enter our homes and nest there. Not only the disgust that many people feel in front of the little crawlers plays a role. The animals can also pose a very specific health risk. Some species squirt an acid that can cause skin irritation and allergic reactions in humans. In addition, there is always the risk that the ants will cause considerable damage to the building fabric. An infestation of ants in the apartment in the house should therefore always be fought. The aim must be to get rid of the animals completely.

home remedies

In order to be able to eliminate ants as effectively as possible, a chemical club does not necessarily have to be used. Although there are now a number of very effective ant poisons available in specialist shops, these can also pose a danger to other living beings. So-called home remedies that do not contain any poison are recommended. For example:

• nettle manure
• Cinammon
• Vinegar
• plaster dust
• chalk
• baby powder

However, all these means do not kill the animals. Rather, they drive them away because ants either find their smell extremely unpleasant or dislike walking over scattered plaster, for example. The danger is therefore great that they will simply look for new ways to walk within the apartment. The only home remedies that can actually kill ants are baking soda and baking soda. Basically, it's all about the baking soda, which is also contained in many baking powders. The prerequisite for this, however, is that the powder or the soda is also eaten by the animals.

baking soda/baking soda

Baking powder is what is known as a leavening agent. It ensures that the dough "rises". The actual driving agents are either sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) or potassium bicarbonate, each of which is contained in the baking powder along with other substances.

Research has shown that baking soda is only deadly to ants if it contains at least 1.5 percent sodium bicarbonate. It is therefore always more efficient to use pure baking soda, which is easily available in drugstores and pharmacies. It doesn't matter whether it's baking powder or pure baking soda - in order to be effective, it must be absorbed by the animals, i.e. get inside their bodies. There the body's own pH value rises, which in turn means that certain enzymes can no longer be formed. As a result, the entire metabolism is disturbed and the ants die. However, this does not happen immediately. It takes a few days for the animals to die.

Application

Simply sprinkling baking soda or baking soda anywhere in the home is not enough to repel or deter ants. to kill. The animals simply do not absorb the powder. Rather, it must be provided with an attractant that the ants consider attractive, if not irresistible. The following is suitable for this:

• Sugar
• powdered sugar
• sugar water
• jam
• Honey
• Liverwurst

These foods and the immediate area should be sprinkled well with the respective powder. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide information on the exact mixture. Ultimately, there is nothing left but to experiment. Incidentally, it has proven to be completely ineffective to sprinkle an ant trail with baking powder or baking soda. The animals are able to avoid the powdery and unfamiliar underground. You then simply switch to other routes. Without appropriate bait or without attractants, ants will not ingest the powder either. However, an effect can be achieved if the animals are sprinkled directly. It then enters the ants' bodies via the tracheae. However, the respective concentration also plays a role here. Quite apart from the fact that poisoning ants in this way must be quite an arduous task.

limits

Basically it can be said that baking soda containing baking soda and even more soda can kill ants. However, this does not mean that an entire ant population can be driven out of the house or can be destroyed. The problem is always the nest of the ants. the queen who resides in the nest and hardly ever leaves it. Only if she is also killed can there be no more descendants. And even if the queen is killed, there is a high risk that the empty nest will be populated again by other ants. Certain pheromones attract the animals and show them the way. In principle, the only thing that helps is finding the nest and then closing it permanently.

Learn more about insect repellents