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This is a modified version of this link. I do not claim this as my original version, but this is how I made mine so I could put them outdoors where my ant problem is/was.
Safety Note! This is very important, so I ask that you please pay attention to this before performing this Instructable. Borax, while used in many things as a helpful additive is a very nasty poison. This instructable assumes that because you now know this you will conduct yourself accordingly. I did some research and have found that one spoonful of this stuff *will* kill you. Half a spoonful is enough to kill a child or small fuzzy animal. So I ask that you please be responsible while making this instructable and keep track of what else is eating it. If you make some Borax Jelly and eat all of it, I am not responsible. After all, the box tells you not to, and I've advised against it so you're on your own if you keep reading!
On a better note....
Update: Rained all day and jelly stayed where it should have! But I do not know if the solution was diluted or not. Will keep this updated as things go by.
Safety Note! This is very important, so I ask that you please pay attention to this before performing this Instructable. Borax, while used in many things as a helpful additive is a very nasty poison. This instructable assumes that because you now know this you will conduct yourself accordingly. I did some research and have found that one spoonful of this stuff *will* kill you. Half a spoonful is enough to kill a child or small fuzzy animal. So I ask that you please be responsible while making this instructable and keep track of what else is eating it. If you make some Borax Jelly and eat all of it, I am not responsible. After all, the box tells you not to, and I've advised against it so you're on your own if you keep reading!
On a better note....
Update: Rained all day and jelly stayed where it should have! But I do not know if the solution was diluted or not. Will keep this updated as things go by.
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Signing UpStep 1What you will need
The materials for this project are easy to come by, and can be bought or obtained for free.
You will need:
1x Box of Borax
1x Jar of cheap Jam/Jelly/Preserves
1x Empty water bottle. (Mine was a 1litre water bottle)
1x Plastic Spoon
1x Hammer
1x Sharp knife or Scissors
4x Roofing Nails
4x Bottle caps
Safety stuff:
Goggles, chemical gloves, working gloves.
You will need:
1x Box of Borax
1x Jar of cheap Jam/Jelly/Preserves
1x Empty water bottle. (Mine was a 1litre water bottle)
1x Plastic Spoon
1x Hammer
1x Sharp knife or Scissors
4x Roofing Nails
4x Bottle caps
Safety stuff:
Goggles, chemical gloves, working gloves.
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I've read that in many places so it must be true. It must also be true that the ants at my house are a rare or even unique species as they are utterly inconsistent in their tastes. They seem to be attracted to anything that might piss me off.
A few years back I bought pure borax. I meant business. But I chickened out from using it, the warnings, like yours, were just too scary for me. The bottle still sits on the highest shelf in my laundry room.
I've come to realize that as long as I have a maple tree with aphids, I'll have ants (they actually nurse, or farm the aphid stock to keep themselves in aphid honey) I just don't get why they won't build their nest(s) in or under the tree instead of under my siding.
Based on mammalian median lethal dose (LD50) rating of 2,660 mg/kg body mass, boric acid is poisonous if taken internally or inhaled in large quantities. However, it is generally considered to be not much more toxic than table salt.[4] The Thirteenth Edition of the Merck Index indicates that the LD50 of boric acid is 5.14 g/kg for oral dosages given to rats, and that 5 to 20 g/kg has produced death in adult humans. The LD50 of sodium chloride is reported to be 3.75 g/kg in rats according to the Merck Index. Long term exposure to boric acid may be of more concern, causing kidney damage and eventually kidney failure (see links below). Although it does not appear to be carcinogenic, studies in dogs have reported testicular atrophy after exposure to 32 mg/kg bw/day for 90 days. This level is far lower than the LD50.[5] According to boric acid IUCLID Dataset published by the European Commission, boric acid in high doses shows significant developmental toxicity and teratogenicity in rabbit, rat, and mouse fetuses as well as cardiovascular defects, skeletal variations, mild kidney lesions.[6] As a consequence, in August 2008, in the 30th ATP to EU directive 67/548/EEC, the EC decided to amend its classification as reprotoxic category 2 and to apply the risk phrases R60 (may impair fertility) and R61 (may cause harm to the unborn child).[7][8][9][10][11]
Long term exposure to boric acid may be of more concern, causing kidney damage and eventually kidney failure (see links below). Although it does not appear to be carcinogenic, studies in dogs have reported testicular atrophy after exposure to 32 mg/kg bw/day for 90 days. This level is far lower than the LD50.[5]
So yea, maybe not that bad, buy do have a care! It seems it can have some adverse health effects long before death.
and expand your horizons..