How to Kill Ants

Many people can't figure out how to get rid of those pesky little ants. If you're one of these people, this is for you.

Step 1: Obvious and Not So Obvious

Now, if you are trying to get rid of ants that are indoors, call the exterminator or buy some of those cheap little traps. This instructable is on how to kill outdoor ants.

My first way can be somewhat expensive, but very effective GASOLINE. If you pour some gasoline on ant hills they will quickly die. But money doesn't grow on trees (maybe someday) so the next few steps are much more cost efficient.

Do NOT attempt gasoline method in dry conditions. I am not responsible for what you do.

Comments

[mp01102004]

the fastest way to make your fire any colony grow is to make drastic and unrealistic moves. the ONLY way to get rid of a colony is to kill the queen or queens. yes there can be more than 1. every time you try a dumb move, the colony will split and will continue to do so until all the queens are dead and can no longer lay eggs. bait your ants and the workers will feed the queens and the babies and kill the colony. has anyone every seen a large colony? check out this video and be enlightened.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2vDVvSY6z8

[Igotsmeaproblem]

The ants are in my garage and I'm such a panzee so i cant kill them (obviously)
and we put our dog food in the garage, which is attacting the ants. Ive tried spraying our dog scent-thing-i-ma-bob and i guess we were blinding them.
REMEMBER-
I'm a panzee
I sprayed with dog scent-thing-i-ma-bob

[howgetridofants.org]

Vinegar is also useful for kill ants. And mor natural !

[AznPanda]

(removed by author or community request)

[Mark Gilbert]

I did this once, except with vodka, i left out two pitchers one for my friends that drink and on that doesnt, the ants went for the vodka

[Dave54321]

I read where a liter of club soda will kill three mounds of Ants
pour directly on ant (fire ants) and the Co2 will displace the
oxeygen and sufficate them.
Wallgreens sells terro for tiny piss ants inside, place a couple of drops
on a bussiness card, it is a bait.

[Rotten194]

I've never tried this, but what about flour and water? If the hill is a small crack in bricks or something, just fill it in with the mix, and when it dries they're locked in.

[sharlston]

they can get through concrete

[miiwii3]

good point but i believe (key word, believe) they have more than one exit/entrance, I do not know that for sure.

[xproplayer]

tape a lighter thats always on to a can of somthing flammable and light lighter and spray

[banker]

If you have more than one mound of fire ants. Take a shovel load of ants from one mound and put it on another mound. Mix the ants from mound to mound. They are tribal and will kill each other off.

[miiwii3]

if your a tech savy like me just build a tesla coil and watch the ants die!!!! sssooooooooo funny and cool. stay out of range of spark though. not kidding! i am not responsible if you injure or kill yourself or somone else. i made a miny tesla coil short range but great killer! works on flys and bees. :)

[bannyrooster]

I once heard a story of a man who soaked a bunch of anthills in the yard around his house. He let it soak into the hills for a good while so it would get maximum penetration. When he went back to light them on fire and burn the ants he didn't realize that the fumes from the gasoline had traveled from the anthills underground into ant trails and hollows under his house. I don't know it it's true that there was an explosion but it was said for sure that it burned down his home. I figure even if it was a myth and pollution wasn't a good enough reason not to use gasoline or any other flammable liquid that you certainly wouldn't want to take a chance of losing your home and bringing harm to others. A harmless way that works fairly well is to pour cornmeal on the anthills. When they eat it swells inside them and kills them without poison. It does take several treatments but it's a "green" solution if your against using poison. I hope this was helpful:) Peace...

[RedneckAsian]

tell it to the mythbusters

[Matt21497]

hey u stole my comment but 6 months

[golddigger1559]

try hot bleach this method actually causes some species of ant to explode! its awesome to watch and fun to do !!WARNING!! do not let bleach touch your skin EXPECIALY when its hot if this happens IT WILL MELT YOUR SKIN OFF!!!!!! but its still a cool concept

[Stopher]

Dude, you really need to remove the gasoline suggestion. Folks have this myth that gas is a great way to destroy an ant hill and that is just NOT the case. It might be fun to see the destruction that it reeks upon an ant hill, but if you have ever done this, you know the results..... The queen and her surviving workers dig down deeper and they spring up in a ring around the original ant bed and are larger than before and WIDER than before. One other issue is that dumping something as toxic as gasoline into the dirt does not make it go away. Where do you think your water comes from? The gas goes into your water supply and you end up drinking it. You want to have fun with boiling water, knock yourself out, but gasoline not only fails utterly, it is illegal to dump toxins into the water supply. This is all just in hopes that you will modify what you have said here. I am curious about WHAT is the best ratio for Borax to sweet stuff.

[markf]

I tried boiling water a few times, and now most of the ants are gone. There are still a few floating around though, so I'm trying the borax trick next. If you happen to stumble on a good borax-honey ratio that works for you, why not make an instructable about that? I'm sure a lot of people would find it useful.

[Thundertydus]

"One other issue is that dumping something as toxic as gasoline into the dirt does not make it go away. Where do you think your water comes from? The gas goes into your water supply and you end up drinking it. " No, it really doesnt, Dumbass It's called a water treatment facility T.T See how that works? Or do you live in mexico?

[CyborgGold]

Before you call somebody a dumbass and prove yourself to be one... think it out. It's quite possible for people with well water (and there are a lot of people in the U.S. using well water) to be trying to solve an ant issue... and thus, it WILL get into their drinking water.

[Thundertydus]

Who the hell using well water has a computer?
and Modern wells have a thick pvc, cement, or aluminum covering.
christ kid, lrn2water.

[CyborgGold]

Wow... do you know what well water is??? its not the little stone hole in the ground with a bucket, A well water system is nothing more than a pocket of water under a house with a pipe running down to it. I live in Michigan and most people here that are not within a few miles of a city use well water. Chemicals drain down through the soil into your watter supply. It's not like its a giant tank underground that is closed off from everything. Before you talk crap to somebody, get yourself and education.

[Thundertydus]

Sorry, I live in the 21st century.
Besides, do you really think the government would allow such a detriment to our health?

[CyborgGold]

The government doesn't care if you are healthy or not. You can stop being rude with your comments about people that do happen to have well water, it has nothing to do with being in the '21st' century. Some people have a preference to it even, not to mention that people with well water don't have to pay for using their water. Learn to respect people.

[tyty100]

light the gas. then it burns down and kills the ants and kills the gas p:

[Thundertydus]

Yup, Or you can attach a tube to some cheap Co2 keyboard containers and SLOWLY release the gas, as it flows in it freezes the ants and suffocates any below the top, "Vive Discovery Channel"

[gatorfan94]

(sarcasm on// oh, so you've gone underground and examined the ants, right //sarcasm off) depends on where you live and where your water is from. this doesn't apply to you, so lay off.

[moondreamer]

I spray them with undiluted white vinegar. It's totally safe and the vinegar smell dissipates in a short time. I like using it because you can spray it on dishes in your sink if they are there.

[nerd12]

im with you dude but they are all over my desk so what do i do?

[RedneckAsian]

spray orange juice around the desk & ur room ants hate citrus 100% guaranteed 2 work

[jimmydean]

Stopher makes a very valid point.

[mysterious ninja of fire]

I heard from another instructable that for every unit of bait 2/3 of borax so
1 cup of honey= 2/3 cup of borax

[Shredder543]

GET A FLAMETHROWER!!!!

[sharlston]

also get a pressure washer ad squirt down the hol for 2 mins

[sharlston]

i get some hairspray or wd 40 and spray on and holes and nests wait 5 minutes then add some more and light or get some hairspray and put a lighter in front of it and light the hairspray and burn the ants

[Thundertydus]

Gasoline - It works if you do it right!
Have a bucket handy filled with something toxic (Window Washer Fluid for me) and take sandfuls of ants with a shovel into it, until your as far as you can into the anthill. take a railroad spike and drive it into the small crater as far as you can, the more holes you make the better, then pour gasoline into each hole, give it 5 minutes, pour in more then set it on fire
Works like a charm =D

[mcdonn123]

For some big fun, take hairspray and a lighter. Get a flame going. Spray the hairspray at the pesky ants. move the flame in the path of the ants, and watch them burn!!!!! You could also use gasoline (NOT MUCH) and drip some down their mound.

[tyty100]

also when you spray them not all of it burns and it leaves a trail of fire.

[gatorfan94]

thanks, you actually understand the gas concept.

[kibbler]

The best way is to take a can of hairspray and light 'er up. Torched ants!