Can You Use Cornmeal to Get Rid of Anthills?

How it Works

• Cornmeal works by killing ants individually from inside. The ants like the smell of the cornmeal and when they go to ingest it, it will expand from the inside and kill the ant after a few hours. And because ants bring food back to the nest, the cornmeal will be distributed to other ants and kill them as well. The cornmeal does not kill the ants immediately like poison but it works extremely well as a long-term solution to any anthill problem

Using Cornmeal

• Pour 1/4 to a 1/2 cup of cornmeal over the top of the nest. Then walk away from the nest and allow the ants to do their work. Take care not to dump too much cornmeal on the ants at once, as just a quick sprinkle will do the trick and won't scare off the ants at the top of the hill. Once you have finished sprinkling the cornmeal, you can leave.

Frequency

• Once you have initially applied the cornmeal, leave the ant hill alone for three to four days. During this time the ants will be carrying the cornmeal throughout the anthill. It is normal to see the cornmeal disappear over this time. Once you see the cornmeal has almost completely vanished, try poking the ant hill gently with a stick. If you see ants moving around, pour more cornmeal and wait another three to four days. Repeat this as many times as you need until you don't see any more ants.

Clean-up

• After all of the ants have been killed, it is very important to clean up the residual cornmeal and the leftover ant structure. A broom is easiest, as you can sweep the dirt from the anthill and the leftover cornmeal particles into a dustpan and then dispose of them. If you are feeling a little bit more industrious, you can use a shop vac to vacuum up the cornmeal and sand. Dispose of the vacuumed-up materials immediately, lest some surviving eggs hatch in your vacuum.