I don’t know how it is in your neck of the woods, but out here in Eastern Iowa it seems to be a bad year for ants. I’ve got ants coming into my house and I don’t like it. I also don’t like using pesticides, though, so I started googling and found out that I can make my own homemade ant bait that isn’t toxic to humans but is deadly to ants!
The best part: it’s super easy to make, it uses ingredients I have on hand, it’s frugal AND all natural!
How to Make Effective Homemade Ant Bait
Making your own effective homemade ant bait is very easy, and I bet you have the ingredients in your pantry too! To make your own homemade ant bait, mix together equal parts of powdered sugar and baking soda and then add a small amount of dry active yeast. The sweet sugar attracts the ants and the baking soda essentially blows them up! I’m not sure what the yeast does, but I read on several sites to include it in the mix so I have. It’s working quite well at my house!
The Recipe
- 1 TBS powdered sugar
- 1 TBS baking soda
- 1 tsp dry active yeast
Mix it all together and set it wherever your ants are getting in!
For more green and frugal tips, check out these posts:
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That’s it! Have you tried a homemade bug bait? I’d love to hear your opinions!
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Stacey says
May 24, 2013 at 9:37 pmI wonder if older yeast would work. The only yeast I have is pretty old (a couple of years), not sure how ‘active’ it would be…
Michelle says
May 25, 2013 at 6:34 amI made this without the yeast the first time and it seemed to be a good deterrent for a day or so. I’m not sure it killed them, but they did go away for awhile. I’d really like to figure out what the yeast does. It doesn’t make sense to me. You could always try it with your old yeast and see what happens! Good luck!
mjskit says
May 25, 2013 at 9:09 amThank you, thank you, thank you! I will be setting some of this out this week. We don’t have problems with ants in the house, but they are everywhere around the house and all throughout the garden beds. I hate spraying even with “natural” sprays because we have wild turtles and I’m afraid of harming them. This sounds like a great solution to my problem. I’ve heard exterminators say that Albuquerque was built on one big ant hill which keeps them quite busy.
Michelle says
May 29, 2013 at 7:08 amYou’re welcome, MJ! I hope it works for you. If you don’t want to kill the ants, you could also just spread a perimeter of baking soda. They won’t go through it, from what I’ve read. Come back and let me know how it worked for you!
Karen says
March 8, 2016 at 11:12 amIf the ants are outside why kill them they are beneficial to the ecosystem…
Sandy L says
May 30, 2013 at 9:38 amI think the yeast may act as a carrier for the sugar/baking soda so the ants can carry it back to their nest. Sandy L.
Michael Magic says
July 2, 2013 at 12:41 pmIf only this formula would work on bed bugs too. That would be awesome. But thanks for the tip!
margaret peg m says
January 1, 2014 at 4:15 pmnow that i have small grandchildren, i will make a batch of this in the spring, especially since i have an ‘ant’ phobia. spiders, no problem, but ants…
Kerry says
January 5, 2014 at 10:51 amThis is great, I actually needed something like this last summer!
Veronica Lee says
January 6, 2014 at 9:24 amThis is wonderful! I am definitely going to try this homemade bait. Thanks!
Michelle Marine says
January 6, 2014 at 11:46 amThe best part is, it works!!! Good luck!
krystel says
January 6, 2014 at 5:14 pmreally great post
Kaci says
January 7, 2014 at 12:40 pmThat is such a great idea! Thanks!
Allan says
January 8, 2014 at 11:01 pmThis is brilliant!
Shannon says
January 10, 2014 at 3:49 amWow, thanks for this tip. I get ants in the Summer, I will try it out.
Ramon Martinez says
January 14, 2014 at 9:25 amI tried making this ant bait because in my village which used to be a sugar plantation farm, there are ants everywhere. And just like you, I don’t want to use pesticides These stuff really works, I tell you. You ought to try these!
Dianna @ The Kennedy Adventures says
February 21, 2014 at 9:34 amWe have a huge problem with ants, every year — they make me insane! Like you, I hesitate to use strong chemicals, because we have kids and pets in the house. Ours have been a pain in the butt to get rid of.
I’ll try this recipe this spring and see how it works. Thanks a bunch!
I think we’ve chatted on Twitter before? I’m stopping by today from the BYB challenge!
Michelle Marine says
February 24, 2014 at 8:59 amYes – we have chatted before! I’m not sure where though, but I recognize your name and blog. 🙂 Let me know how the ant bait works out for you. <3
Kayli Schattner says
April 18, 2014 at 11:18 amI am loving all of your DIY cleaning products. I always try to only bring the best, most natural ingredients into my home, so this is amazing! Thanks!