Using cornmeal to kill ants, safe for torts?
- Thread starter HollyH8
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Definitely don't want to use cornmeal as a staple food, but a little cornmeal isn't going to hurt them, assuming there are no pesticides added to it.
Does it really kill ants? Thats fascinating!
Does it really kill ants? Thats fascinating!
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it will be fine for him as long as he does not eat a lot
HollyH8 said:
Plain dry corn meal will kill ants? that's great if it works. Have you used it before? Let us know how it works.
I would think that cornmeal would feed ants.
Sorta surprised this would work. What does it do to the ants that cause them to die?
Haha I guess that must be a southern thing. I remember as a kid my mom would have me put cornmeal or oat meal on ant piles to kill them.
`So
So it really works?
bholmes88 said:
So it really works?
Never heard of using cornmeal, but uncooked grits will DEFINITELY kill fire-ants...when they eat it, it swells up in their bodies, killing them.
Maybe cornmeal works in the same way?
Maybe cornmeal works in the same way?
Okay, here is the scoop I found on the net. Cornmeal can not be digested by ants. They take it back to their homes, eat it and eventually die, because they can't digest it. Pretty cool, safe way to rid ants.
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Wonderful! Tomorrow grits and cornmeal will be sprinkled in various areas of my yard.
Cornmeal, Oats, Grits, Splenda ( which is very close to DDT in molecule structure ) work - HOWEVER - results may vary........I know people that were able to rid acres of Fire Ants by doing this, and others failed miserably........You have to kill the main colony, otherwise they will come back.......
wellington said:
You would think they would know not to eat the stuff.
EricIvins said:
Huh, good to know. Thanks!
I tried the pesticides route = fail
uncooked grits = so far, no more fire ants...although it has been raining a lot, so kinda hard to tell
uncooked grits = so far, no more fire ants...although it has been raining a lot, so kinda hard to tell
Check this site out for some more ideas.
http://www.wikihow.com/Kill-Ants-Without-Pesticides
http://www.wikihow.com/Kill-Ants-Without-Pesticides
mctlong said:
It clogs them, as they cannot process it.
It's clearly not good for torts to eat, in the sense of something to feed them.
But eating some isn't going to hurt them, either.
Amazing idea. Compare it to using pesticides which are bad for all forms of life, to using a natural thing, that is dirt cheap, and the rest you don't put out for ants, you can even use to cook with.
The vinegar works well, also. But some people may not be keen on spraying vinegar all over. Vinegar is also safe, and is frequently used to clean fish tanks. (Cleans glass well, I use it on my stinkpot's tank.)
The cornmeal thing for ants is considered by many to be a myth, and lots of people have posted that they tried it and it did not work. I am not sure I would trust this if ants were a problem in my home.
I know that TERRO stuff works great- it is a thick liquid you just drip onto cardboard or foil and place out for the ants. They swarm it, then just stop ever coming back. It is easy enough to set up in ways that ants can access it and nothing else (like our cat) can. (I set a brick over the baits, with little spacers under the corners.)
I know that TERRO stuff works great- it is a thick liquid you just drip onto cardboard or foil and place out for the ants. They swarm it, then just stop ever coming back. It is easy enough to set up in ways that ants can access it and nothing else (like our cat) can. (I set a brick over the baits, with little spacers under the corners.)
It'd be interesting I suppose to try it out. But I suppose if I had a major ant problem, I wouldn't be in the mood for anything that wasn't a sure thing.
The problem is that nothing I researched for solutions was a sure thing. I asked local folks, friends and family, people on this board and other sites, etc. Uncooked grits was the most commonly suggested route. I was skeptical at first, but I think it may have actually worked. If this rain would ever stop, I'd like to see for sure.
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