How to Kill Queen Ants

Ants are annoying insects when they invade your home or yard. If you only deal with the ants you see, you won’t solve the bigger problem, which is eliminating the ant nest. The only effective way is to kill the queen ant. Without a queen, the nest will be wiped out within a few months. However, this task is a bit difficult because the queen is always in the nest. To get rid of the queen, you need to find the nest and kill it with an anticide or bait, or you can try natural solutions like borax or hot water.

Table of Contents

Find the source

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Identify queen ants. Depending on the species of ant, the queen can be easy or difficult to recognize. In some species, the queen is much larger than the other ants in the nest. However, the easiest way to spot the queen is to find the winged ant. Queens in most ant species have wings at some stage in their lives. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Because the queen has wings, you can see the marks where the wings attach to her body after the wings have fallen.
The queen has a larger thorax (middle part of the body) than other ants.

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Find the ant nest. You need to find the nest to kill the queen. The location of the ant nest depends on the species of ant. Some species of ants nest in wood or floors, others nest in sheds, potted plants or in gardens. Some species of ants build high mounds around the yard. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Don’t kill the ants if you don’t know where their nest is. Follow their path to the nest.

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Destroy the ant nest to find the queen. Sometimes, you can see queens around the nest. To force the queen to show up, knock down the anthill or do some other way to destroy the nest. If you see a queen ant, kill it immediately. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Be careful when searching for queens to avoid being bitten. Absolutely do not use this method for fire ant nests.

Using natural methods

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Use hot water. One natural way you can try to kill the queen is to flush the nest with water. Start with 8 -12 liters of boiling water and pour over the ant mound. The boiling water will kill any ants it touches, including the queen. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Do not apply this method to fire ants. You can be injured if you accidentally let an ant cling to you.

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Try using solder. Make a mixture of borax or boric acid and a sweetener to kill ants, including queens. Mix 180 ml of maple syrup or honey heated in the microwave with 60 ml of molasses. Stir the mixture evenly. This mixture is a wet bait to kill adult ants. To make dry bait to kill larvae, you can mix powdered sugar with borax in equal proportions. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Place a large drop of ant bait in the middle of an ant’s path, including on walls, fences or walkways. Place dry bait along the way as you approach the ant nest. Place baits in all ant paths if they have multiple paths.
Do not spread borax in the garden or on the ground. If you want to get rid of ants in your garden, you should spread ant baits on something to protect the soil and plants.
You can buy solder in supermarkets or home improvement stores.
Welding is toxic. Make sure children and pets are not exposed to ant baits.

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Try cornstarch. Cornstarch is another natural material you can try to kill queens. Spread a sugar cornstarch around the nest or ant mound. The ants will bring the corn starch back to the nest to make food. The amount of fiber in the starch will cause ants to swell and die, including the queen if she eats corn starch. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

This may take longer to work, but can be more effective and last longer.

Kill the queen ant with chemicals

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Use insect repellent. If you know where the nests are, use an insecticide spray or ant killer to kill the ants and queens. Read the label on the spray bottle to look for ingredients like bifenthrin, permethrin, or deltamethrin. Use carefully according to the instructions because the ant killer is toxic. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Protect eyes and face when using chemical sprays. Be careful when using it outdoors if it is windy.
Use caution when using insecticides indoors. Make sure pets and children are not exposed to the ant killer.

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Try detergents. If boiling water doesn’t work, use detergents. Use what you have in the kitchen. Try mixing dish soap with hot water and pouring the solution over the anthill.

Try using a dry cleaner like the Comet kitchen cleaner. Sprinkle a thin layer of powder in areas where ants pass. This is especially effective in places like the junction between the kitchen table and the wall or under the sink. The ants you see will crawl through the cleaning powder and bring it back to the nest. Leave the cleaning powder outside overnight or up to 2 days. Use the cardboard to push the powder into the sink, then wipe the counter and sink with a wet rag. Repeat if the ants return.
Do not use things like detergents or bleach mixtures near children or pets. ^{[8] X Research Sources}
If you want to try something stronger, use a detergent or bleach mixture. However, you must be careful not to discolor furniture surfaces, especially when using bleach. Also, you’ll need to use diluted bleach in a well-ventilated area.

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Use ant bait. Ant baits are an insecticide that poisons ants. In the ant bait there is a sweet substance mixed with poison. The ants will be attracted to the ant bait, which they will think is food and will bring it back to the nest.

Ants will bring the bait back to the nest and swallow the poison in it. If an ant dies and the others eat it, they will also ingest the poison that killed the ant. The ants will spread poison in the ant colony, including the queen. However, keep in mind that this can take up to 3 weeks.
When using this method, do not spray or wipe away any ant trails that you see. Only 15% of the ants in the nest go foraging, and they are quickly replaced. You need to let them take her back to the nest. ^{[9] X Research Source Joshua Bloom. Pest Contrp Specialist. Personal interview. May 8, 2020.}

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Hire a pest control service. If you can’t kill the queen and you can’t get rid of the nest, call a pest control service. They can use professional methods to kill the ants and prevent the ants from returning. This method is quite expensive, so you should try the methods above before calling for help.

Prevent ants from re-infesting

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Clean the house. Ants are often attracted to sweet substances. If you leave food spilled in the house, especially sweets, ants can enter the house. Ants can also forage for water, especially in dry climates. Clean the house so that ants, including the queen, have no reason to enter the house. ^{[10] X Research Source Joshua Bloom. Pest Contrp Specialist. Personal interview. May 8, 2020.}

Take time to clean the house. Look below the furniture. Pay special attention to areas like the kitchen, dining room and children’s bedroom. Look under the refrigerator, in drawers and pantries to check for loose or spilled sweets and drinks that could attract ants.

Steps

Find the source

Using natural methods

Kill the queen ant with chemicals

Prevent ants from re-infesting

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