Even our grandmothers had to fight with ants. The ancient baking powder tip that promises exploding ants probably also dates from this time.
Grandmothers used to say that baking powder or baking soda can be used to drive away ants (Formicidae). Nevertheless, one reads contradictory things again and again: In some places there is great outrage that the tip would have no use at all. Elsewhere, good results have been reported with the use of the leavening agent. In the following we will explain the topic "ants and baking powder".
Fighting Ants with Baking Soda
First of all, let's clear up the most interesting question: do ants explode when they eat baking soda? And how efficient is this method of pest control? In order to be able to obtain comprehensive information, you will then find alternatives and references to further articles. We will also present our Plantura ant remedy there.
Ants exploding with baking soda and sugar?
Using baking powder against ants has a long tradition. The household tip is known to many and its effectiveness is actually not a myth. The deadly effect on the little troublemakers is based on the chemical reaction of the baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) contained in the baking soda with the moisture inside the ant. During the weak alkaline reaction in the insect's digestive tract, its sensitive acidity is disturbed, which alone can lead to its death. At the same time, carbon dioxide is formed in an equilibrium reaction, which, with its higher volume, puts the durability of the insect stomach to the test.
It has not been conclusively clarified whether the animals ultimately die from one effect or the other. They may prefer the baking powder and ingest it in larger quantities if it is mixed with a little sugar or powdered sugar. Without knowing the origin of the ants, however, the application is pointless, because all animals that do not leave the burrow do not come into contact with the baking powder at all or only in small doses. So the nest remains untouched and the flow of new antsdoes not dry up at all or only after a long period of use.
Conclusion on baking powder against ants
There is no question of "exploding ants" when using baking soda, but they can be severely damaged by it. However, the method can only work if the baking powder used contains baking soda. Other leavening agents and baker's yeast would have no effect. The death of the ants is painful and slow, and the entire nest is not necessarily damaged. For this reason, tracing the origin of the ants and blocking access or removing the nest has far more benefit than sprinkling baking soda - it also avoids unnecessary animal suffering. In addition, the creatures that eat the dead ants can also be damaged: other insects, birds or small rodents. They, too, get at least an upset stomach from the soda. So, if baking powder and sugar are spread at all against ants, it should only be done indoors.
Fighting ants in the house and garden: baking soda and alternatives
We do not recommend the use of baking soda as an ant repellent. Instead, it is more effective to deal with the reasons for the presence of ants in the house or apartment. With the help of this article you can check whether you are not accidentally attracting the ants in your house or garden yourself or whether you are offering them particularly favorable nesting opportunities. There are also other well-functioning household remedies that can be used to quickly get rid of most small ant infestations. Home remedies against ants can be found in this special article. If the home remedies have failed, you still have the option of a tangible fight. You can find out what we have found out for you on the subject of "fighting ants" here.
We can clearly recommend the use of diatomaceous earth. This extremely fine-grained diatomaceous earth is the main component of our Plantura ant repellent. It does not have any chemical effects and, if used correctly, does not pose a risk to humans or pets, but is often and willingly used in organic farming because of its effectiveness - because the development of resistance to the agent is also ruled out.