Place outdoor ant bait stations such as Terro® along major ant trails in your yard. This is probably better than using insecticidal sprays. Smaller, indoor bait stations are also effective placed along ant trails in your home (out of the reach of children and pets). The active ingredients of Terro® is 5.40 percent sodium tetraborate decahydrate (Borax) which is lethal to ants. This salt upsets their digestive system and causes death due to dehydration and starvation. According to Jonathan Hatch ("How to Get Rid of Argentine Ants" ), dehydration and recrystallization of the boric acic (borax?) lacerates the digestive system of ants and their larvae. There are many recipes on the Internet that include mixing borax with a sugary solution. Terro bait stations contain this mixture in convenient disposable plastic trays. It is important for the ants to carry the liquid back to their nest. Borax recipes only contain about 5 percent borax so that ants are not killed immediately. One tablespoon of borax in a cup of water is approximately a 5% solution. You must be patient--this treatment may take several days to a week. In fact, you may need to replenish you bait stations! Some websites state that boric acid is a more effective ant insecticide, but this is debatable. Boric acid is made by reacting borax (sodium tetraborate decahydrate) with an inorganic acid, such as hydrochloric acid (HCl).

One simple on-line recipe calls for one cup of sugar, one tablespoon of borax and 1/2 cup of water. These values can be doubled for a larger yield. The borax concentration is about 10%, but it is apparently very effective. Place mixture in saurcepan and bring to a boil for three minutes. Cool and serve to Argentine ants. Thick syrupy mass can be placed in jar lids so that ants can easily climb over rim. Or, place inside empty soda cans and lay cans on side.