20 replies to this topic

[Foogoo]

There seems to be a widespread home remedy that cornmeal/starch kills ants because the ants eat it and can't digest it and die. This seems improbable yet plenty of people believe it works. What do you think? Have you tried it?

[Batspiderfish]

Homeowners are typically not that bright.

[gcsnelling]

No workee. Ranks right up there with moth balls to keep snakes away.

Edited by gcsnelling, September 15 2016 - 4:01 PM.

[Canadian anter]

That's like saying putting rocks around to kill humans

[spider_creations]

It must have been a mixed up thing because corn meal killd slugs,to simply put it the slugs eat the corn meal and it drys out then and kills then. I doubt it kills ants

[dspdrew]

Oh man, this reminds me of the hilarious baking soda thread that eventually got deleted over on antfarm.yuku.com.

 

Edit: I was mistaken. I guess it wasn't deleted.

 

http://antfarm.yuku....ural-ant-poison

Edited by dspdrew, September 17 2016 - 2:35 AM.

[Vendayn]

No, it does not. One of those hold wives tales of things that "work".

 

 

Borax with sugar or whatever sweet thing my friend adds to it does work though. My friend uses it on Argentine ants. But, it doesn't really work that great. He still has tons of Argentine ants around his house.

[Foogoo]

No, it does not. One of those hold wives tales of things that "work".

 

 

Borax with sugar or whatever sweet thing my friend adds to it does work though. My friend uses it on Argentine ants. But, it doesn't really work that great. He still has tons of Argentine ants around his house.

That was my experience with borax and Argentines as well. Also tried aspartame. It may have worked a little (at most), but did nothing to affect the overall infestation.

[Salmon]

That's like saying putting rocks around to kill humans

More like putting bagels everywhere to kill humans.

[Canadian anter]

That's like saying putting rocks around to kill humans

More like putting bagels everywhere to kill humans.

Humans can't digest rocks

[Salmon]

That's like saying putting rocks around to kill humans

More like putting bagels everywhere to kill humans.

Humans can't digest rocks

Plenty of ant species feed on seeds, what's different about cornmeal? If it didn't have any nutritional value to them they wouldn't collect it.

[Batspiderfish]

Only some myrmicines can readily eat seeds. At best, other ants can chew fats out of oily seeds, but they are otherwise inedible.

Edited by Batspiderfish, September 17 2016 - 10:10 AM.

[Salmon]

Only some myrmicines can readily eat seeds. At best, other ants can chew fats out of oily seeds, but they are otherwise inedible.

Well, "only some myrmicines" include plenty of common genera like Tetramorium, Pheidole, Solenopsis, Pogonomyrmex etc. You make it sound like seed eating ants are unusual or something.

[Canadian anter]

That's like saying putting rocks around to kill humans

More like putting bagels everywhere to kill humans.

Humans can't digest rocks

Plenty of ant species feed on seeds, what's different about cornmeal? If it didn't have any nutritional value to them they wouldn't collect it.

Fair enough

[Batspiderfish]

 

Only some myrmicines can readily eat seeds. At best, other ants can chew fats out of oily seeds, but they are otherwise inedible.

Well, "only some myrmicines" include plenty of common genera like Tetramorium, Pheidole, Solenopsis, Pogonomyrmex etc. You make it sound like seed eating ants are unusual or something.

 

 

Considering that most pests of homes are going to be formicines like Camponotus and Nylanderia, or dolichoderines like Tapinoma and Linepithema, the ants will probably ignore it entirely. Sure, there are some potential myrmicine household pests, like Solenopsis, Tetramorium, and Crematogaster, but I believe the folk remedy is meant to target ants which would never be able to digest it (carpenter.ants).

Edited by Batspiderfish, September 17 2016 - 9:30 PM.

[Salmon]

I was picturing it being used for colonies of stinging ants located outdoors. Homeowners don't necessarily restrict their pest control efforts to the home's interior.

[Batspiderfish]

I was picturing it being used for colonies of stinging ants located outdoors. Homeowners don't necessarily restrict their pest control efforts to the home's interior.

 

True, true. Does anybody know if Solenopsis invicta likes cornmeal? Like they should, in theory.

[kellakk]

Oh man, this reminds me of the hilarious baking soda thread that eventually got deleted over on antfarm.yuku.com.

 

Edit: I was mistaken. I guess it wasn't deleted.

 

http://antfarm.yuku....ural-ant-poison

 

Thanks for linking that, it was a fun read  rofl

 

 

 

I was picturing it being used for colonies of stinging ants located outdoors. Homeowners don't necessarily restrict their pest control efforts to the home's interior.

 

True, true. Does anybody know if Solenopsis invicta likes cornmeal? Like they should, in theory.

 

 

I never tried cornmeal, but when I had fire ant colonies I fed them all sorts of processed grain foods like cereal.  Maybe I'll try this with the S. invicta colonies in the lab 

[gcsnelling]

And there it is, I wondered when we would be getting to the Spam part of this posters existence.

[ANTdrew]

Yup, I was wondering the same thing.