Ant bait recommendations?

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Ant bait recommendations?

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

6733 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2926

Subscriber

#2693757 16-Apr-2021 11:45

I've bought small pots of boric acid and borax from chemist shops in the past. Exterm-An-Ant lists both in its SDS & Kiwicare Gel lists boric acid and base (maybe that's same, 50yrs since I did any chemistry)

neb

11294 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10018

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2693792 16-Apr-2021 13:14

Fred99:
No - but Borax is also used for ant baits. You could probably buy boric acid on TM if you can't find anybody stocking it in small quantities locally.

Cheap boric acid is readily available on TM. If you happen to be on the North Shore I can give you half a cup or so from the batch I got, it lasts for quite awhile.

elpenguino

3577 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2939

#2693813 16-Apr-2021 13:45

neb:
Fred99:

No - but Borax is also used for ant baits. You could probably buy boric acid on TM if you can't find anybody stocking it in small quantities locally.

Cheap boric acid is readily available on TM. If you happen to be on the North Shore I can give you half a cup or so from the batch I got, it lasts for quite awhile.

Thanks for the tip, I see it is available on TM for ~$7/kg.

I'm too far away to 'borrow' a cup full over the fence (thanks tho).

I'm planning to read about it to learn the ins and outs before ordering any.

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

robjg63

4161 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1427

Subscriber

#2693882 16-Apr-2021 15:45

I have found the Kiwicare ant bait with Boric acid works ok - but you have to be (very) patient and re-apply it for a long time.

Like 7-14 days for a bigger infestation.

I had an infestation last year where they somehow came inside the house and upstairs and were coming out around the shower tray in the bathroom.

I didnt use that particular shower for nearly two weeks and put extra/fresh bait out each day. The number of dead ants on the shower tray was astonishing after a couple of days - but they also carry a lot of them away - which is a good thing, as the dead ants are loaded up with Boric acid and they take them back to the nest - which eventually helps kill the queen - along with the actual gel they take back.

Likewise - if you are trying to kill them outside, you need to clean up the bait and apply fresh every day - cover it so sun and rain don't get at it.

I guess when you get them in the the kitchen you don't really want to wait 2 weeks for a result though.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Bung

6733 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2926

Subscriber

#2693900 16-Apr-2021 16:22

robjg63:
I have found the Kiwicare ant bait with Boric acid works ok - but you have to be (very) patient and re-apply it for a long time. Like 7-14 days for a bigger infestation.

I didnt use that particular shower for nearly two weeks and put extra/fresh bait out each day. The number of dead ants on the shower tray was astonishing after a couple of days - but they also carry a lot of them away - which is a good thing, as the dead ants are loaded up with Boric acid and they take them back to the nest - which eventually helps kill the queen - along with the actual gel they take back.

I guess when you get them in the the kitchen you don't really want to wait 2 weeks for a result though.

AFAIK ants here don't take their dead back to eat, they dump dead ants out of the nest to clean up. Lots of dead ants close to the bait can be a sign that the poison strength is too high. A lot of commercial ant bait is ~5%. Some studies recommend 1% over a longer time gives more chance that the queen gets killed before the ants start avoiding the bait. 7 - 14 days is halfway there not patience.

dafman

4054 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2652

Trusted

#2693934 16-Apr-2021 18:22

Bung:

AFAIK ants here don't take their dead back to eat, they dump dead ants out of the nest to clean up.

Yep, I can attest to that. When we had our infestation in the ceiling, there were several ant cemeteries where the dead were tossed out holes in the ceiling. Hundreds in each pile - they certainly were busy shipping them out.

HP

Shop now for HP laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

neb

11294 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10018

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2735578 28-Jun-2021 05:25

dafman:
Yep, I can attest to that. When we had our infestation in the ceiling, there were several ant cemeteries where the dead were tossed out holes in the ceiling. Hundreds in each pile - they certainly were busy shipping them out.

Having got tired of mixing extra boric acid into the Kiwicare bait I went back to the straight Kiwicare again for awhile, and the number of deposited ant corpses dropped almost to zero. That stuff is utterly, totally useless, you're just feeding the ants by using it. In other words Kiwiare ant bait will actually make your ant problem worse by increasing their number as you feed them with it.

pih

667 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 359

Lifetime subscriber

#2735592 28-Jun-2021 07:42

I bought some Vanquish Pro a few weeks ago - boy that stuff is expensive, but I have to say it seemed to work. I'm not sure I'll buy it again in a hurry though. I was expecting total annihilation, but I still see the odd ant here and there. Might try the homemade (or borax-enhanced) stuff next time.

Bung

6733 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2926

Subscriber

#2735643 28-Jun-2021 10:40

neb: Having got tired of mixing extra boric acid into the Kiwicare bait I went back to the straight Kiwicare again for awhile, and the number of deposited ant corpses dropped almost to zero. That stuff is utterly, totally useless, you're just feeding the ants by using it. In other words Kiwiare ant bait will actually make your ant problem worse by increasing their number as you feed them with it.

I've been using Kiwicare Gel Bait and it has been very effective at wiping out the ants moving in and out of the house. We had trails about 30mm wide in 3 or 4 locations. I wonder if your tube is from a bad batch i.e. when the boric acid got tipped in the vat of gel paste it didn't get mixed enough before the filling started. There are test strips called Tumeric paper that can show the presence of boric acid but it would be quicker to try another sample. If it does have boric acid in it you don't need any extra.

andrew75

150 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 80

ID Verified

#2735650 28-Jun-2021 10:45

I've found that the ants around here totally ignore the Kiwicare gel bait. Exterm-an-ant on the other hand they go straight for.

pih

667 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 359

Lifetime subscriber

#2735657 28-Jun-2021 10:48

Bung: I've been using Kiwicare Gel Bait and it has been very effective at wiping out the ants moving in and out of the house. We had trails about 30mm wide in 3 or 4 locations. I wonder if your tube is from a bad batch i.e. when the boric acid got tipped in the vat of gel paste it didn't get mixed enough before the filling started. There are test strips called Tumeric paper that can show the presence of boric acid but it would be quicker to try another sample. If it does have boric acid in it you don't need any extra.

Given the feedback in this thread I'm tempted to suggest that either your ants are either not actually dying, or you have the only good tube of bait in your batch 😂

Dyson

Shop now for Dyson appliances (affiliate link).

CokemonZ

1106 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 313

#2735667 28-Jun-2021 11:05

Bung:
neb: Having got tired of mixing extra boric acid into the Kiwicare bait I went back to the straight Kiwicare again for awhile, and the number of deposited ant corpses dropped almost to zero. That stuff is utterly, totally useless, you're just feeding the ants by using it. In other words Kiwiare ant bait will actually make your ant problem worse by increasing their number as you feed them with it.

I've been using Kiwicare Gel Bait and it has been very effective at wiping out the ants moving in and out of the house. We had trails about 30mm wide in 3 or 4 locations. I wonder if your tube is from a bad batch i.e. when the boric acid got tipped in the vat of gel paste it didn't get mixed enough before the filling started. There are test strips called Tumeric paper that can show the presence of boric acid but it would be quicker to try another sample. If it does have boric acid in it you don't need any extra.

Same as you @bung - we use Kiwicare ant gel reasonably successfully, but it is 100% a matter of patience.

1. Clean up what they are eating. This is huge, otherwise they will keep going for that first, and may eat your gel slower.

2. Put bait where they were going/where the food source was

3. Put bait as close to where you can at the start of the trail

4. Wait - sometimes takes 24 hours for them to take the new bait. I've heard it's an ant with a different job that finds and decides if they should take the new stuff, a scout of sorts.

5. Add more bait regularly - I've found if I replace the dish the bait was in the cycle needs to start again, adding more it's fine, unless there are heaps of dead ants around.

Takes anywhere from 5 - 10 days to see a noticeable change in any quantity.

dafman

4054 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2652

Trusted

#2735675 28-Jun-2021 11:12

We used Kiwicare ant gel at the entrance of the ant trail into the house. We had tens of thousands of ants feasting on the gel, every day, for the best part of a year. Numbers didn't decrease, probably even grew.

Out of frustration, we called a ant pest specialist who baited the same area, plus did border spray around the house.

Problem fixed.

So I have zero faith in Kiwicare.

Bung

6733 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2926

Subscriber

#2735676 28-Jun-2021 11:15

I suspect that some don't realise how many ants a nest can contain. I had to take down a sheet of gib from the ceiling awhile back. It was completely covered in ants and eggs and that was 3 sheets away from the outside wall. You don't get rid of them in days. You have to keep going, hopefully you get to the queen so you stop the resupply. If the mix is too strong it probably never gets to the queen before the worker ants die. If I didn't think the kiwicare was working I have plenty of boric acid and borax but my usual brew needed a horizontal surface as it was liquid.

neb

11294 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10018

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2735916 28-Jun-2021 17:40

pih: Given the feedback in this thread I'm tempted to suggest that either your ants are either not actually dying, or you have the only good tube of bait in your batch 😂

Nah, Bung's ants all have Type 1 diabetes and the Kiwicare ant food is killing them as an accidental side-effect of the sugar content.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4