Killing Ants With Natural Insecticides Ants appear to be quite innocuous to a great deal of people. In most temperate climates, ants do very little harm, although red ants bite people all over the world. However, there are more dangerous ants in warmer countries and some of these ants can even become responsible for hospitalizations and even a couple of deaths. Red ant bites itch and even hurt, but picture a baby falling onto a red ant nest. What if that baby fell onto a fire ant nest or a red carpenter ant nest? Carpenter ants can be an inch (25 mm) long and a bite can extract blood. There are venomous ants in South America and exploding ants in Southeast Asia, although they will not kill humans. Soldier ants are quite scary as well. In fact, the amount of hazardous ants in the warmer countries can get worrying. Indeed, merely a fortnight ago, my male dog was covered in large red marks all around his stomach and under carriage. He was clearly in great pain when he walked and was off his food. It has been very hot here in Thailand this summer because the monsoon was late, so he probably dug a shallow hole in the earth to stay cool. He was probably swarmed by ants when he was napping, but could not shake them off. He was in a very bad state for three days. I felt really sorry for him. Some ants are vegetarians but others will gladly eat meat, if it is available. Most ants will consume dead insects and small, dead animals. Some will also assault healthy animals, including humans, if they feel threatened. One trouble is that insects can become resistant to chemical controls and occasionally this resistance is limited to a small area, so it is better not to use chemicals if you can do anything about it. Chemicals can also present a danger to children, which makes storing them and using them even more dangerous. Boric acid is a derivative of boron which is a natural product. Boric acid is very effective at destroying insects that take food back to their colonies, so this encompasses ants and termites. It may be blended with sugar and water to make it more attractive to ants or may be scattered about the garden with no risk. It is risk-free to children and pets alike. Cayenne pepper is another deterrent-cum-killer. Grow your own cayenne peppers, blend them and add to boiling water, then spray on ants and ant runs after it has cooled. It will not eradicate a colony, but it will stop foraging ants. Corn meal is a method of ant and cockroach control. Spread it around and if the insects consume it, it will swell up with their digestive juices and cause them to blow up. Not very nice, but satisfying all the same. There are other biological remedies for destroying or deterring insects too. Some are favourites of one country or local people. Why don't you enquire around the older
people where you live and find out what their parents used to use to control ants and other insects the natural way? Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on several subjects, but is currently involved with the Dust Mite Pillow Cover.. If you would like to know more, go over to our website at Bed Infestation.