Tip of the Day - Get Rid of Housepests Safely
Posted on July 2, 2008 by
There are so many things to enjoy about summer — longer days, fresh veggies, swimming, hiking, biking, picnics — the list goes on and on. But, there are also bugs. Nothing sucks the fun out of summer like a house full of ants.
Daffodil Lane linked to a great article in Scientific American on fighting home pest invasions with boric acid. It’s safe to use around children (the article didn’t mention pets), but toxic to bugs.
According to the article:
Beyond just being effective as an all-natural insecticide, boric acid is non-toxic to humans. Abruzzese says it is safe enough to use around children—it has been used in ointments and salves for diaper rash on babies in the past—and can be an important part of eyewash solutions as well, albeit in very diluted form (don’t try it at home). One common brand name to look for is Nisus Bora-Care, but any pesticide with boric acid or borax listed as an active ingredient will do just fine.
It’s cheap, effective, and safe. Seems like a good solution!
HA! Just found the ant invasion yesterday. I will look for some BA today and report back.
We too are being attacked by ants- ack! Perfect timing on the post…I’d be interested to know about animals though…I’ll have to look into it! Thanks.
I had a huge ant problem in the new kitty’s room, they were swarming all over her food. My solution:
I put her dish in the middle of a larger plate, and I circled the large plate with cinnamon, because ants won’t cross a line of cinnamon. It works perfectly, and the room smells great to boot!
Like Noelle, my house is currently overrun with an ant highway from the front door to the kitchen. I just watch helplessly, hoping that they don’t unite against me. Cinnamon? Must try…
I used 1tsp borax
1 tsp sugar
dissolved in 1/2 Cup warm water
moisten cotton balls in above solution.
I avoid putting it on kitchen counters and since it is on a cotton ball I am less worried about the cats getting into it. I would probably try to keep them in a place where they would not be ingested by pets.
It really helped get rid of the invasion.