There is no need to spend a lot of money on ant control. By using ingredients that are likely to be present in many homes, one can make a variety of homemade ant control solutions. One such ingredient that might assist in getting rid of ants is cornmeal.
So, does cornmeal kill ants?
Keep in mind, however, that cornmeal on its own won’t kill the ants. Cornmeal is said to kill ants by inflating their digestive systems, according to a common urban legend.
As it turns out, ants can only consume liquid, not solid food, so there is no way they could have eaten the cornmeal in the first place. The solid food can, however, be converted into liquid form by the ant larvae in the colony.
For more information, continue reading.
Table of Contents
Why Cornmeal Works?
All that worker ants eat is liquids. They bring solid food back to the nests and feed the larvae there. The liquid is then changed into food by the larvae, which feed it to the worker ants again. Straight boric acid or insecticide will kill ants, but since it is in liquid form, worker ants will consume it rather than bring it back to the nest. Making a paste guarantees that the poison will reach the nest. You could also create a path of plain cornmeal to draw the ants to the poison.
Exactly What Is Cornmeal?
Cornmeal, as its name suggests, is a unique kind of flour (or meal) made from dried and ground corn kernels. The cornmeal is ground into a powder that can have varying degrees of fineness or coarseness, depending on the application.
You can eat cornmeal on its own or as a main ingredient in some of our favorite baked goods, like cornbread and corn muffins. Dietary fiber, iron, and phosphorus are all abundant in this kind of grain.
In baked goods with either smooth or crunchy textures, cornmeal is additionally frequently mentioned as a noteworthy substitute for wheat flour. See more about Does Cinnamon Kill Ants?
The Cornmeal Myth
It’s possible that you’ve already read a lot of claims about how effective cornmeal is at killing ants.
According to these reports, ants are reportedly very drawn to cornmeal and consume it despite their inability to break down the grains. The theory has some validity because the gristle gradually kills the insects. However, some claims even go as far as to claim that the presence of cornmeal in an ant’s digestive system will cause the insect to literally explode.
Unfortunately, these rumors are untrue, and we’re sorry to burst your bubble (which is the only thing doing so here).
In fact, when consumed by ants, cornmeal doesn’t behave in this manner. In actuality, this grain is just plain food to these insects—not very different from an ant’s typical diet—and spreading cornmeal throughout the corners of your house will only make the ant problem worse.
Ways To Kill Ants With Cornmeal
The common claim that cornmeal kills ants according to internet lore is that ants enjoy eating it and will consume it if it is spread along their usual paths in your home or garden. Because ants cannot digest cornmeal, when they drink water, it swells inside their digestive tracts and kills them.
The hypothesis could be easily proven through scientific research, despite the fact that it doesn’t seem improbable. This ant-control method lacks scientific backing, so its effectiveness seems unlikely. However, by trying this, you won’t put your children or pets in danger.
Cornmeal may be effective as an ant-killer when used in a baiting system, despite its possibly dubious effectiveness when used alone. Ant baits combine a food that ants enjoy eating with a pesticide. The best method for controlling these insects is through the use of ant baits. Before buying commercially prepared ant baits, you can test the homemade cornmeal version to see if it will be effective against the specific ant species invading your home.
Things You’ll Need
- Cornmeal
- Boric acid or borax
- Soybean oil
- Recycled container with lid
Instructions
Mix The Cornmeal Bait
To 1 part insecticide, such as boric acid or borax, add 9 parts cornmeal. Insecticides used as bait must be slow-acting to prevent the ant that discovers the bait from passing away before bringing it back to the nest. Add enough soybean oil to the mixture to turn it into a paste.
Put Into A Container
Put the recycled yogurt or cottage cheese containers with punched entry holes on the lids into which the cornmeal bait will be placed. Place the containers outdoors, away from areas where kids and animals congregate. It is poisonous if consumed and toxic if exposed repeatedly.
Remove Other Food Sources
Eliminate all additional food supplies. Make sure there is nothing else for the ants to eat by thoroughly cleaning your home and yard. To stop other sources of water, fix leaks in the pipes and faucets.
Monitor The Bait
Check to see if the ants are taking the bait every few days. If the cornmeal/soybean oil doesn’t appeal to the ants, try offering them something sweet like honey or something greasy like peanut butter. Different types of ants will eat different things.
Conclusion
It is necessary to combine cornmeal with an ant-killing substance for it to function. Consider the other substance as the ingredient that actually kills the ant, while the cornmeal serves as the ant’s attractant. Borax is typically a good combination with cornmeal. You can combine 9 parts cornmeal and 1 part borax. To make the powder mixture into paste, add a little oil.
Give the foraging ants a few days to carry the borax + cornmeal bait back to their colony after applying the paste next to their trails of travel. After a week or two, the effects of the borax should begin to take effect, and you should start to notice an ant population decline inside the house. To sum up, cornmeal can help kill ants, but for it to be effective, it must be combined with an insecticide like borax.
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