Does Bleach Kill Ants?

Can Bleach Kill Ants?
Household Bleach is made of different chemicals, and its main constituent is a solution of 3 to 6 % sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and others like hydrogen peroxide, sodium hydroxide, and calcium hypochlorite in small quantities. These constituents are not insecticides, but they are toxic to the insect. There are some other organic compounds that we will go over in this article that are harmful to the ant. Let’s dig in!

Will Bleach Kill Ants on Contact?

The simple answer is YES because the chemical composition of bleach will kill the ant, but bleach is not an insecticide. The bleach destroys the insect’s waxy exoskeleton, and this will interfere with the ant’s breathing ability; it will also surround the ant’s body in a high PH, chemically hypertonic solution. This will affect the balance of water in their bodies.

What kills the ant is the bleach chemical composition that shuts the breathing process, which is essential for all living things.

Applying bleach on contact is the best way of using it to kill ants; this will be more toxic and effective than non-contact. In addition, if it is not in contact, it will just repel the ants and not kill them, and if the bleach dries up, it is no longer effective because it has no residual killing effect. Keep this in mind! You don’t want angry and frustrated ants running around – you want them dead!
Clorox Bleach
Bleach is a cleaning agent. It is usually used to remove dirt from surfaces, clothes, and so on. One often uses it for white clothes in order to remove stains. An organic solution like a solution of white vinegar and water (50/50) can also kill an ant!

Will Bleach Kill Carpenter Ants and Sugar Ants?

Carpenter Ants are notorious and destructive types of ant, and they got the name from the way they damage the wood, like your home furniture and other objects. Termites are known to consume wood, but the carpenter ant doesn’t consume it. Instead, they will chew the wood and excrete it; the excretion is called “frass”, which is done to set a pathway for their family. Sugar ants are naturally native to Australia and are attracted to sugar.

These two classes of ants do not have exceptional features that can prevent them from bleach from affecting their breathing process. In short, BLEACH CAN KILL CARPENTER AND SUGAR ANTS. Get those bleach bottles locked and loaded!
Ants on fruit

Does Bleach Kill Ant Trails?

The carpenter ant leaves a trail for thousands of his family members. Once they find a food source, they chew the wood and excrete it as a tree rail for their families. Plus, carpenter ants rely on pheromone trails left by their explorer to locate the food source.

This pheromone used as a trail can be removed by using bleach to wipe the trail or essential oils like lemon, orange, tea tree, or cedarwood on a cotton ball or piece of cloth. This will wipe away the pheromone, and you’ll be able to defeat the army of ants heading your way! THIS IS SPARTA! (too soon?)

How Long Does it Take for Bleach to Get Rid of Ants?
With bleach, you need to have some patience, since it may take a while. Plus, it’s important to keep in mind that the effect of bleach takes longer than typical insecticides. The best way to achieve rapid results is to aim for direct contact. If you make a solution of bleach and water and hit the ants a couple of times with this spray, it will stop the ant from moving, and the ants may drown in the solution. Within a few minutes, the ant will die.

How to Use Bleach to Effectively Kill Ants?

You will find it challenging to prevent ant invasion. Do not underestimate these creatures – they are much smarter than most people think.
Ants are attracted to crumbs on your floor, foods, sugar, and so on. Bleach is an excellent option to exterminate ants in place of insecticides. It has a temporary killing effect and on contact is the best practice to eliminate ants effectively. It also wipes away trails (pheromone) left by the explorers or the ants discovering the food source.
Let’s take a closer look at how you should use bleach to effectively get rid of ants in your house:

How to Get Rid of Ants Using Bleach: Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Preparation

Prepare the space. Remove any object that bleach can change the color of. If you’re planning on applying bleach on the floor, then you should ideally mop the floor beforehand.

Step 2: The Bait

Get a bait to use. Ants are attracted to food sources. You can use sweets or sugar as bait for them. In this case, once the explorer finds it, it will lead the others to it.

Step 3: Bleach

Mix the bait with bleach. If the ant consumes this, it will undoubtedly die. The ant might decide to take the bait to the colony, resulting in many ants falling victim.

If the ant decides not to eat the bait, the bleach would still serve as a repellant. Remember, the best way to kill fleas and ants with bleach is to directly spray the bleach on them. This would kill them immediately. This is obviously not always possible, hence the bait option.

What Kills Ants Outside?

Insecticides. An insecticide is what can kill ants outside effectively. It will be a smart move to target the nest than to set a trap for them in your house.

Outside Ant Killer
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Before the invasion, ants send a scout to see where there is food in your home. The scout will then decide where to set up the nest in your house, usually near the food source. The scout will leave a pheromone as a trail for others to follow the path.

Killing the scout alone won’t solve the problem because more scouts will still follow. We advise giving some effort into finding where the scout comes from (their nest). Once you know where the nest is located, you can use different means to exterminate them, especially the Queen. If the Queen is still alive, she will reproduce, and nests will be created all over again. If not adequately controlled or exterminated, they can migrate to another place and build another nest.

Now that you have mastered the art of getting rid of ants (using bleach), it’s time to put your new craft into motion! Bleach away!