Outdoor black ants, also called carpenter ants, are not only pests, but they also can be a serious hazard if they begin chomping away at the wood in your home. In one instance, carpenter ants were given credit for starting an electrical fire in a home that resulted in the deaths of nine cats. If you spot carpenter ants in your area, act fast to eliminate these pests from your locale. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Observe the black ants before you start killing them. Tracking their movements can lead you to their nest, which is an integral part of killing outdoor black ants. You also should make note of how they are entering your house and the trails they are using to navigate your property. All of these things will be important when you set out to kill them.
2. Make some sugary ant bait. Mix a cup of water, half a cup of sugar and four tablespoons of liquid ant bait together. It will make a poisonous liquid that will attract the ants. It also may attract pets, so keep your four-legged friends away from the area where you are putting out the bait.
3. Put sugar-bait traps wherever you see the black ants. A trap simply consists of some of your liquid bait in a mason jar lid. Place them near the nest if possible, and at any points of entrance to your home. Also make them easily accessible to the ants in the areas where they are traveling to and from the nest.
4. Sprinkle borax at the points of entrance, along the trails and in the nest. Borax will cause the ants to dry up and die. If you can find the holes where the ants enter the nest, fill them with borax. Also sprinkle it in a line on either side of the points of entrance, and in lines perpendicular to the ants' trails.
5. Douse the nest with a strong soap solution. Heavy soap concentrations will kill outdoor black ants on contact. If you can locate the nest, then fill a spray bottle two-thirds of the way full of hot water and add one-half of a cup or one cup of liquid soap. Shake up the mixture and spray it on the ant hill until the area is sodden.
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