Does Cream of Wheat Kill Ants? The Surprising Answer

Probably the most efficient way to deal with an ant infestation is by using chemical pesticides.

However, many homeowners look to avoid this option, as these are often toxic and can be harmful to kids, pets, or other animals.

Luckily, there are plenty of more natural ways to handle this problem, and many of them involve regular household items you probably already have in your home.

Typically, these techniques are cheap and can be easily implemented without much expertise or previous knowledge.

When looking for solutions, you’ll notice that one of the most frequent recommendations for dealing with ants is using cream of wheat.

While many people found this method to be highly successful, there are still some questions about its efficacy.

To clear things out, I’ll explain does cream of wheat kill ants and also suggest a couple of other tips for getting rid of them.

So, let’s dive in!

Does Cream of Wheat Kill Ants?

Using cream of wheat is certainly one of the most popular and safest ways to kill ants. Still, there are some opposing views when it comes to the efficiency of this method.

The idea behind this technique of handling ant infestation is pretty simple. The cream of wheat mixture is fairly sweet and ants are attracted to sweet things.

So, they’re likely to see it as a delicious source of food and eat it once they find it.

However, once the grains of farina enter the ant’s stomach, they will start to expand. Quickly, the entire stomach will swell up, eventually killing the ant.

You may read on the internet that the ant’s stomach will explode once the cream of wheat starts expanding, but, of course, this is hard to prove.

Certainly, the ants will have difficulties digesting cream of wheat and it will probably end up killing them.

How to Use Cream of Wheat to Kill Ants?

The way to use cream of wheat to kill ants is fairly straightforward.

Cream of wheat or farina is a common food item that most of us already have in our kitchen, so this approach is very cheap and accessible.

All you have to do is take a small batch of cream of wheat, put it in a jar lid or something similar, and place it at the location where you’ve noticed the ants.

If you have ants issue in your yard, you can sprinkle a little bit in a shape of a ring around the ant hill.

When doing this outside, make sure that the ground is dry and there’s no rain forecast, as the cream of wheat has to be dry to be effective.

In addition, you may mix up some sugar with cream of wheat to make sure ants are attracted to it.

How Efficient is Cream of Wheat in Killing Ants?

A group of ants.

Cream of wheat can work pretty well as a technique for controlling the ant population in your household if the infestation is on a smaller scale.

So, if you’ve noticed these annoying insects appearing here and there, cream of wheat can be a very efficient, cost-effective, and simple solution to your troubles.

Plus, it’s perfectly safe and you won’t have to worry about your kids or pet animals accidentally getting in harm’s way.

However, in case of a more severe infestation when there’s a larger colony or colonies of ants, using cream of wheat will hardly be as effective.

In those circumstances, you may be better off opting for other methods to get rid of ants.

Other Natural Methods for Killing Ants

Using cream of wheat is certainly not the only natural way to kill ants.

If you want to get rid of these pests, but don’t want to use toxic chemicals, you’ll have several more options.

Below is a short rundown of the most popular and most efficient natural techniques for handling ant infestations.

Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is a sedimentary rock made of remains of microorganisms called diatoms.

As it comes in the form of a fine powder, it can’t hurt humans or animals but is very harmful to ants.

DE particles have tiny sharp edges that cut through ants’ exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate and eventually die.

The affected ants are likely to die within a few days.

Food grade DE that is commonly used for these purposes is also sometimes used as a health supplement, so you know it’s perfectly safe.

DE is used by sprinkling the powder along the ants’ trails, hills, or anywhere else you notice them.

You can also sprinkle the DE around window sills and doorways, as well as high-traffic areas in your yard to prevent ants from even getting close.

Be aware that you’ll have to replace the powder and sprinkle it again if it gets wet.

Borax

Easy to use and relatively cheap, borax is another natural ant killer frequently used both by homeowners and professional exterminators.

It’s a mineral powder containing boron, oxygen, and sodium.

A similar option is boric acid, which is, basically, a more processed variant of borax, also featuring boron as a main ingredient.

Both borax and boric acid work by seriously affecting the digestive system of ants and eventually killing them.

Borax is often combined with sugar or something similar, so the ants will be attracted by sweetness.

Commonly, they will take the food back to their colony, where more ants will eat it and die.

While borax is generally non-toxic, it should be handled with care. Make sure to use gloves while setting the bait and be careful not to inhale or ingest it.

If ingested by humans or animals, it can cause some digestive issues, such as vomiting and diarrhea.

Soapy Water

A strong solution of soapy water is another efficient and cheap way to kill the ants invading your garden.

The soap in the water causes huge problems for the ants as it destroys the wax coating that helps them keep water.

As a result, they typically die of dehydration.

To make this technique even more efficient, you can add oil to the solution, as it will clog the spiracles ants use for breathing and cause suffocation.

Soapy water will kill any ant that comes in contact with it, so you can use it to spray smaller groups or pour it over the ant hill to damage the entire colony.

The water with soap will not have any long-lasting effect and will kill only the ants in direct contact.

Make sure to exercise some caution when using soapy water in the yard or garden, as it can damage certain plants.

Boiling Water

Using boiling water to deal with ants is even simpler and cheaper than going after them with soapy water.

The water heated to boiling temperature will burn and kill any ant in its way. Boiling water is best used when you’ve discovered the location of an ant hill.

Simply boil a pot of water and rake the mound covering the colony entrance a bit. Then, slowly pour the water directly into the entrance to the nest.

Try to get as much water directly into the hole instead of soaking the soil around it. If the colony is still active after a few days, repeat the process.

The best time to do this is early in the morning, when it’s still cold outside, as the ants will move closer to the nest entrance to keep warm.

Of course, be careful when handling boiling water, so you don’t get burned.

Baking Soda

Another common household item that can be used to kill ants is baking soda. It’s also another technique that is completely natural and perfectly safe for humans.

However, for ants, it’s much more harmful.

Baking soda is highly toxic for ants and, once ingested, it will start a reaction inside the ant’s body and kill them.

This method is as simple as placing baking soda combined with something sweet and placing it near the location where you’ve noticed ants.

As the baking soda on its own is more likely to repel than attract ants, you’ll have to add some sort of sweetener, such as powdered sugar, to make sure the ants eat it.

However, make sure not to try to sweeten it with something like honey or maple syrup, as baking soda has to be dry.

Conclusion

Even though they’re very tiny, ants are certainly one of the most annoying pests and a real nuisance in the household.

Although they can hardly match the damage some other insects can create, ants can still spoil foods and attract other, more harmful, pests.

So, you should definitely look to get rid of them as quickly as possible.

As ants are such a common pest, invading almost every home, people have found numerous solutions to deal with them.

Cream of wheat is certainly one of the most widely used, mainly because it’s simple to implement, cheap, and you most likely already have it in your house.

So, if you’ve been wondering does cream of wheat kill ants, the answer is definitely yes.

It may not be very efficient in managing large infestations, but it’s great for solving ant problems on a smaller scale.

Melissa Johnson
Melissa Johnson

Hello, I'm Melissa, owner and author of this website. I hope my article was able to help answer your questions. If you want to learn more about me, click the home icon above.

Companion Planting
Logo