Does Salt Kill Ants?

If you’ve found yourself inundated with ants lately, you might be wondering, “does salt kill ants?”

The short answer is - it can! 

However, you’ll want to pay attention to these helpful tips in order to make sure it works for your specific situation. 

Does Salt Kill Ants Or Attract Them?

What tends to confuse people about ants and salt is that ants actually eat salt - that's a biological fact that may make this pest remedy a bit confusing.

Some studies suggest that ants actually prefer salty snacks to sugary ones. 

Like most living creatures, they need salt in order to survive.

Therefore, in some cases, having salt around may entice ants to come into your home.

So how does salt kill ants?

We’ll dive a bit deeper into that in the next section of this post.

How Does Salt Kill Ants?

When it comes to pest control, there are all kinds of natural treatments out there that are touted as suitable alternatives to chemical-based methods.

One of these is salt, one of the most common ingredients you will find in a kitchen. 

An effective treatment for fleas and many other types of pests, it works by drying out their skin and making it difficult for them to breathe and perform other bodily functions.

Salt can help you get rid of ants, but not in the way you think. 

As we mentioned earlier, salt is one of some species of ants’ favorite foods.

Therefore, you will be more successful in using salt as a pest repellant if you mix it into a spray with other ingredients (we’ll give you a few ideas on this below).

How does salt kill ants?

Salt dehydrates many types of creatures, including snails and slugs, but it can be less effective against ants because they have a hard exoskeleton that offers some level of protection against things like salt. 

That said, when combined with things like boiling water, vinegar, or baking soda, salt can be highly effective at getting rid of ants without having to rely on chemicals.

Plus, it’s something you likely have plenty of around the house - and it’s super cheap! 

Worth a try?

We think so!

Can Salt Help Keep Ants Away?

Yes, salt can help keep ants away.....here's how!

There are several ways you can use salt to get rid of ants.

One of the simplest is to just mix a few tablespoons of regular salt (iodized or not - it does not matter) with a bit of boiling water. 

Allow the mixture to cool (enough to pour into a spray bottle), then apply the mixture to all ant-infested areas of the house.

You can also use salt for ants that are infesting your lawn outside.

Just directly dump the boiling water with salt onto any ant hills or mounds you find.

The good news about this method is that it will kill any ants that happen to be in the nest immediately. 

The bad news is that it probably won’t kill all of them. 

That’s because some ants have deep and complex underground tunnels - no matter how much boiling water and salt mixture you whip up and pour onto the mound, you’re probably not going to be able to get to the entire colony. 

You never know though, and its effectiveness all depends on the size of the ant nest. 

Plus, you’ll get some - so it’s worth a try!

Does Baking Soda And Salt Kill Ants?

Baking soda is one of the best remedies for getting rid of ants. 

It’s often far more reliable than just plain old salt.

It works by killing ants from the inside out. 

When ants consume baking soda, it slowly expands in their stomachs until they die.

They’ll also bring some back to the nest.

To be effective, baking soda must be combined with some other form of bait.

The ants won't eat it on their own.

Mix it half-and-half with a bit of powdered sugar to encourage the ants to take a bite.

Add salt to this mixture and you can attract ants who prefer to munch on salty foods, too.

It will function as a bait in this fashion.

Will Vinegar And Salt Kill Ants? 

You can also combine a few drops of dishwashing liquid and a few tablespoons of salt to a gallon or so of vinegar.

You can dump this mixture on an anthill to kill ants on contact. 

Just be aware that it will also kill the surrounding vegetation!

Does Bran And Salt Kill Ants?

One last treatment you can try in your quest to get rid of ants is to combine bran, salt, and sugar. 

You’ll need about 65% bran, 10% sugar, and 25% salt in this mixture.

It will form a dense paste. 

It is highly attractive to insects like ants because it has such a strong, sweet taste. 

All you need to do is spread it anywhere ants are known to frequent in your home - it should work wonders at eliminating the ants. 

Will Ants Cross A Salt Line?

Salt can help create a metaphorical and physical line in the sand - they usually won’t cross it.

However, it’s not quite as reliable at creating a physical barrier as other types of materials are. 

For example, diatomaceous earth.

Diatomaceous earth is better at producing a salt line to keep ants out because it is easier for us to see.

When you use salt as a barrier, it’s easy for ants to get between individual salt particles and make their way inside your home. 

Other Natural Methods Of Ant Control - Does Salt Kill Ants

If the tips above for ant control didn’t meet your needs, don’t worry!

There are plenty of other solutions you can try.

Some people wonder if Epsom salts work just as well as table salt against ants.

Unfortunately, there’s no evidence one way or another - the jury is still out on these, so you should stick to table salt for now.

However, if you find that the salt isn’t quite doing the trick, feel free to try other natural remedies like peppermint oil, cinnamon oil, or tea tree oil.

All of these can be highly effective at getting rid of ants in the house - all without harmful chemicals.