Ant Update: Homemade Ant Bait

I have become Death, destroyer of worlds. For ants.

I mixed honey and Borax (found in the laundry section of the grocery store) to make a paste and spread it where the ants are. I found a big nest in the roots of a tree. The weather is warmer, so they don’t seem to be around the house as much, which is a good thing.

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From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boric_acid):

Insecticidal

Boric acid was first registered in the US as an insecticide in 1948 for control of cockroaches, termites, fire ants, fleas, silverfish, and many other insects.^[15] It acts as a stomach poison affecting the insects’ metabolism, and the dry powder is abrasive to the insects’ exoskeleton.

Boric acid is generally considered to be safe to use in household kitchens to control cockroaches and ants. Homemade ant bait can be made by dissolving 1 teaspoon powdered boric acid and 10 teaspoons sugar into 2 cups (~ 500 mL) of water; this mixture can then be absorbed into cotton balls which are left near ant trails. This reportedly will be carried back into the ants’ nest, killing any ants that eat it, potentially destroying the entire colony.^[16]

Boric acid is also made into a paste or gel form as a powerful and effective insecticide much safer to humans than many other insecticides. The paste or gel has attractants in it to attract insects. The boric acid slowly causes dehydration.^{[citation needed]}

 

한국에서 선물!

Some of you may know that my friend Amy recently moved to South Korea. She is teaching English for a year there. You can read about her adventures at http://theseoulsister.blogspot.com/.

Today, we got Christmas presents from her!

In the box, we have Wild Spice Pringles (which I’ve actually had before – yummy!), four varieties of Pepero, which is like Pocky in Japan, and some candy I can’t identify yet, but seem to be NowandLaterish.

Below is a gallery of the goodies, and Alexander enjoying his first Pepero. He says it tastes like heaven!

Thanks for the package, Amy!

Lots of hugs to you and Charlie!

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Ants and Meat

First, can you help me with my ant problem? My washer is in my garage. It’s a lovely Whirlpool Duet HE front loader and I heart it lots. But I open the slot to add detergent, and there are ants living in there! I wash them out, but they’ve been coming back. I know it’s cold and they want the water, but I don’t want THEM!

Also, I’ve had ants in the dishwasher! They’re nowhere else in the house or the garage. Just in those appliances! The dishwasher has been better because I’ve been running it as soon as I fill it, and it dries itself, so it holds no appeal for the ants if I stay on top of things.

I believe the ants are coming in from the walls. I see no other entry point into the house. And on the outside, I see them crawl into crevices like between the siding and the eaves. So I’ve used Spectracide on the outside of the house where I see them. And then I ran out of that and borrowed my brother’s bug spray, which is full on malathion. It killed the visible ants, but since they live in nests, they keep coming back.

So last week, I made some homemade ant bait using borax (20 Mule Team) and honey. The effectiveness of this is unclear at this point. I have no doubt that the ants ate the mixture. I guess key would be if they took it back to their queens and babies, right? How do I know how much bait to use?

Have any of you used borax in an ant bait? I’ve read online that people have had luck with borax mixed with sugar and Crisco to make a paste. Do you have any other suggestions to eradicate the ants? How about I just put a pile of sugar and Crisco with no borax at the neighbors house and hope they migrate over there?

Okay, on to the meat! I found out today that I won the giveaway from http://www.doughmesstic.net/ from US Wellness Meats (the contest is here: http://www.doughmesstic.net/2010/12/21/merry-meaty-christmas/).

I won a $100 gift certificate for anything in their store! They have all kinds of awesome things that will be shipped right to my door.

But I’m a bit overwhelmed. I don’t know what to get! Will you help me shop? They have beef, chicken, bison, and other meat, and then stuff like honey and ice cream, soap, candles, butter, cheese… even raw, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free ice cream! Not that that matters. Though I was vegetarian last year for 6 months, I’m not now… And my brother gave me a gas grill for Christmas, so meat from US Wellness Meats would be a great way to break it in!

So if you were in my shoes, what would you get? 16 pounds of back ribs, a bison tri-tip roast and some beef bacon? Or should I get a steak gift pack with a variety of cuts of steak? Should I try pemmican?

How do I even choose? I need your help! And hey – if you help, and you live close, you can come over for a cookout!

One thing I know I won’t be getting:

Lamb Oysters

Home at 6 Weeks!

It’s been about six weeks since I moved into my new home. Everything worked out well with the mortgage, though the day of closing was a bit hectic. (I had to wire the closing funds to the title company, and it all happened 5 minutes before the bank shut down the wire for transfers! Eek!)

So far, things are going well. I painted two rooms and have hung some art and pictures. I did some minor landscaping and have attempted to seed the grass. Though results on that are questionable due to hard freezes here in Florida. My new hibiscus is on life support. The hibiscus and begonias are covered with sheets and towels for the cold weather now, and my sunpatiens (impatien hybrids) and a coconut palm are in pots in the house.

How about a tour?

It's cute, no?