Boric Acid for ants -where to get

[George E. Cawthon]

Well, that's because you don't know anything about chemistry. I suppose that you don't know that aspirin is an acid?

[Dr. Hardcrab]

Like wow, man! I remember back in college taking some of that Bayer Blotter.

Trippy, man......

;-]

[George E. Cawthon]

You are wrong because you are thinking of commercial products that can contain all sorts of stuff. Boric acid about 1 tsp per cup of water is a (once was the) standard eye wash. It is 1 tsp/cup because that is about all that will dissolve in warm water. Toxicity depends on where you apply it. BO applied to the skin Boric Acid is fairly benign/beneficial, applied internally it is not so good.

Of course you could just use dilute salt water as an eyewash, but it wouldn't have the disinfectant capability of boric acid.

[maradcliff]

Boric Acid is Boron, a mineral. You need to find a Boron mine. Go there when the miners are working and offer them money and beer. They will give you some if you bribe them well.

OR,

Go to a drug store, K-Mart, Wally Mart, or any other store that sells drugs and health care stuff.

[Jim Yanik]

Keith Williams wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Nope,not the same thing.BORAX (sodium borosilicate)does not equal boric acid. The grocery store will have real Boric Acid,though;that's where I bought mine.In with the pest control products.

BORAX is a laundry-booster.

[Liz]

For years all we've ever used for ant control is equal parts of Borax and confectioners sugar, applied with a dollar store catsup squeeze bottle with a nozzle. Never heard of the yeast being added though.

Liz

[CJT]

How does one acid "neutralize" another?

[Jim McLaughlin]

Somewhere further down thread a poster was talking about "protein" ants and "sugar" ants and that bait for one would not work on the other. I wonder if the yeastpart is to add a "protein" component to the cncoction so that it would work on either variety of ant?

Like I said, I've never used the recipie, but have heard this homeowner's advice guy on a local radio station recommend it for years.

[dadiOH]

Borax isn't boric acid.

[dadiOH]

Drug store. Maybe supermarket.

[hallerb]

With all the effective ant sprays why brew your own?

I was selling a home and the buyer complained there were ants outdoors...

yep thats where they live... er lived.

one gallon of ant spray in a pump container with a sprayer did them in almost instantly.

I actually felt bad the ants werrent causing any problem and are normal part of environment. but it was a big issue for buyer:( So I HAD to wipe them out:(

[hallerb]

With all the effective ant sprays why brew your own?

I was selling a home and the buyer complained there were ants outdoors...

yep thats where they live... er lived.

one gallon of ant spray in a pump container with a sprayer did them in almost instantly.

I actually felt bad the ants werrent causing any problem and are normal part of environment. but it was a big issue for buyer:( So I HAD to wipe them out:(

[hallerb]

With all the effective ant sprays why brew your own?

I was selling a home and the buyer complained there were ants outdoors...

yep thats where they live... er lived.

one gallon of ant spray in a pump container with a sprayer did them in almost instantly.

I actually felt bad the ants werrent causing any problem and are normal part of environment. but it was a big issue for buyer:( So I HAD to wipe them out:(

[CJT]

As another poster pointed out, many drug stores have morphed into something more like old time general stores, but a decent one should still have Boric Acid. It's used as an eye wash.

[– Colonel –]

Ants seek either grease (fat) or sugar. Depending on season and the colony's needs.

One or the other (or both) will get them in a bait.

[– Colonel –]

well, i guess all the animals i care about are bigger than a kilo (assuming your figures above are correct, which i don't, sorry)

[– Colonel –]

OK, this whole thread is outta control.

For crying out loud, this isnt rocket science.

Put some coca cola into a stainless steel or glass pan. Heat. Add sugar. Add corn syrup/Karo. Add some rasp jelly. Add some bacon fat or hamburger grease. Throw in a few dog or cat food kibbles. Add just a little (say a 1/4 tsp per cup) of borax/boric acid/WHATEVER BORATE YOU WANT. IT DOESN"T MATTER.

Bring it slowly to a boil. Stir.

OK, now you need:

1) Clean jars (mayo, jam, wahtevah) 2) Cotton balls or rags or something absorbent and fluffy 3) Screwdriver

Take the lid of your clean jar and stab a hole with your trusty screwdriver. Decant the gooey coke/sugar/fat/borax solution into the jar. Throw in your cotton balls or rags or fluffy absorbent material and shake it around so the crap is saturated with gook. Find your trusty ants and grab some with your hand and throw them into the jar. DO NOT KILL THEM. The more the better, but you need at least one to make it back to the colony. He will make the stink-trail back to the jar so that zillions of others can carry the borax/BORATE/WHATEVAH back to the colony and feed the queen.

If they like your recipe (whatever it is) you will need enough to feed them for 2-4 weeks.

Then they will stop coming back.

[Norminn]

There is almost always an inexpensive, generic boric acid and sugar ant bait at hardware and home stores. Works very well, and can be adapted for grease ants.

[Doug Miller]

Try again. Borax is sodium borate, not boric acid.

[Doug Miller]

Try a pharmacy.