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

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

Ant problem

In themselves, ants are useful and worth protecting animals. 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 penetrate into our houses and nestle there. Not only does the disgust that many people feel at the little crawlers play a role. Animals can also pose a very specific health risk. Some species spray an acid that can cause skin irritation and allergic reactions in humans. In addition, there is always the risk that the building of ants will cause considerable damage to the structure of the building. Ant infestation in the apartment or therefore should always be fought in the house. The aim must be to get rid of the animals completely.

Home remedies

In order to be able to get rid of ants as effectively as possible, one does not necessarily have to be

chemical club are used. Although there are now a number of very effective ant poisons in specialist shops, these can also pose a threat to other living beings. So-called home remedies that do not contain any poison are recommended. To be mentioned here would be for example:
  • Nettle manure
  • cinammon
  • vinegar
  • Plaster dust
  • chalk
  • Baby powder

However, none of these agents kill the animals. Rather, they drive them away because ants either find their smell extremely unpleasant or loathe to walk over plaster of paris, for example. There is therefore a great risk that they will simply look for new routes within the apartment. The only home remedies that can actually kill ants are baking soda and baking soda. Basically, it's just about baking soda, which is also found in many baking powders. The prerequisite for this, however, is that the powder or the soda is also eaten by the animals.

Baking powder / baking soda

Baking powder is a so-called leavening agent. It ensures that the dough "rises". The actual driving means are there

either sodium hydrogen carbonate (baking soda) or potassium hydrogen carbonate, both of which are contained in baking powder among other substances.

Note: Baking soda, which contains only potassium hydrogen carbonate, does not kill ants. Only baking powder with sodium hydrogen carbonate is effective.

Soda and baking powder against ants?

Research has shown that baking soda is only fatal to ants if the sodium hydrogen carbonate content is at least 1.5 percent. It is therefore always more efficient to use pure baking soda, which can be easily bought in drugstores and pharmacies. Regardless of whether it is 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 there is then an increase in the body's own pH value, 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, it doesn't happen immediately. It takes a few days for the animals to perish.

Note: It is a myth that ants would burst after ingesting the leavening agent. It does expand a little in their bodies, but it does not burst.

use

It is not enough to simply sprinkle baking powder or pure baking soda anywhere in the apartment to drive away or prevent ants. to kill. The animals do not ingest the powder just like that. Rather, it has to be provided with an attractant that the ants consider attractive, if not irresistible. The following is suitable

Therefore:
  • sugar
  • powdered sugar
  • Sugar water
  • jam
  • honey
  • Liver sausage

These foods and the immediate area should be well sprinkled with the respective powder. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide information on the exact mixture. Ultimately, you have no choice but to experiment. Incidentally, it has proven completely ineffective to sprinkle an ant trail with baking powder or baking soda. The animals are able to avoid the powdery and for them strange underground. You then simply switch to other routes. Without the 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 ants' trachea. However, the respective concentration also plays a role here. Quite apart from the fact that poisoning ants in this way is likely to be a very arduous undertaking.

Limits

Basically, it can be said that baking powder containing soda and even more pure baking soda can kill ants. However, this does not mean that a whole population of ants will drive away from the house. can be destroyed. The problem is always the ants' nest. the queen who resides in the nest and hardly leaves it. Only if she is killed too can there be no more offspring. And even if the queen is successfully killed, there is a high risk that the empty nest will then be repopulated by other ants. Certain pheromones attract the animals and show them the way. In principle, the only thing that helps is to locate the nest and then to lock it permanently.