# Using cornmeal to kill ants, safe for torts?



## HollyH8 (Jul 25, 2012)

If I use cornmeal in my tortoises enclosure to kill the ants will it harm him if he happens to eat a little of it?


----------



## mctlong (Jul 25, 2012)

Definitely don't want to use cornmeal as a staple food, but a little cornmeal isn't going to hurt them, assuming there are no pesticides added to it. 

Does it really kill ants? Thats fascinating!


----------



## emmalaub (Jul 25, 2012)

it will be fine for him as long as he does not eat a lot


----------



## HollyH8 (Jul 25, 2012)

Ok good to know! I really doubt he'll be able to pick it up but just in case. Thanks!


----------



## wellington (Jul 25, 2012)

HollyH8 said:


> Ok good to know! I really doubt he'll be able to pick it up but just in case. Thanks!



Plain dry corn meal will kill ants? that's great if it works. Have you used it before? Let us know how it works.


----------



## yagyujubei (Jul 25, 2012)

I would think that cornmeal would feed ants.


----------



## Jacqui (Jul 25, 2012)

Sorta surprised this would work. What does it do to the ants that cause them to die?


----------



## bholmes88 (Jul 25, 2012)

Haha I guess that must be a southern thing. I remember as a kid my mom would have me put cornmeal or oat meal on ant piles to kill them.


----------



## Jacqui (Jul 25, 2012)

*`So*



bholmes88 said:


> Haha I guess that must be a southern thing. I remember as a kid my mom would have me put cornmeal or oat meal on ant piles to kill them.



So it really works?


----------



## Terry Allan Hall (Jul 25, 2012)

Never heard of using cornmeal, but uncooked grits will DEFINITELY kill fire-ants...when they eat it, it swells up in their bodies, killing them.

Maybe cornmeal works in the same way?


----------



## wellington (Jul 25, 2012)

Okay, here is the scoop I found on the net. Cornmeal can not be digested by ants. They take it back to their homes, eat it and eventually die, because they can't digest it. Pretty cool, safe way to rid ants.


----------



## Tillasaurus (Jul 25, 2012)

Wonderful! Tomorrow grits and cornmeal will be sprinkled in various areas of my yard.


----------



## EricIvins (Jul 25, 2012)

Cornmeal, Oats, Grits, Splenda ( which is very close to DDT in molecule structure ) work - HOWEVER - results may vary........I know people that were able to rid acres of Fire Ants by doing this, and others failed miserably........You have to kill the main colony, otherwise they will come back.......


----------



## Jacqui (Jul 25, 2012)

wellington said:


> Okay, here is the scoop I found on the net. Cornmeal can not be digested by ants. They take it back to their homes, eat it and eventually die, because they can't digest it. Pretty cool, safe way to rid ants.



You would think they would know not to eat the stuff.





EricIvins said:


> Cornmeal, Oats, Grits, Splenda ( which is very close to DDT in molecule structure ) work - HOWEVER - results may vary........I know people that were able to rid acres of Fire Ants by doing this, and others failed miserably........You have to kill the main colony, otherwise they will come back.......



Huh, good to know. Thanks!


----------



## StudentoftheReptile (Jul 25, 2012)

I tried the pesticides route = fail

uncooked grits = so far, no more fire ants...although it has been raining a lot, so kinda hard to tell


----------



## wellington (Jul 25, 2012)

Check this site out for some more ideas. 
http://www.wikihow.com/Kill-Ants-Without-Pesticides


----------



## Nixxy (Jul 25, 2012)

mctlong said:


> Definitely don't want to use cornmeal as a staple food, but a little cornmeal isn't going to hurt them, assuming there are no pesticides added to it.
> 
> Does it really kill ants? Thats fascinating!



It clogs them, as they cannot process it. 

It's clearly not good for torts to eat, in the sense of something to feed them.

But eating some isn't going to hurt them, either.

Amazing idea. Compare it to using pesticides which are bad for all forms of life, to using a natural thing, that is dirt cheap, and the rest you don't put out for ants, you can even use to cook with.


The vinegar works well, also. But some people may not be keen on spraying vinegar all over. Vinegar is also safe, and is frequently used to clean fish tanks. (Cleans glass well, I use it on my stinkpot's tank.)


----------



## Madkins007 (Jul 25, 2012)

The cornmeal thing for ants is considered by many to be a myth, and lots of people have posted that they tried it and it did not work. I am not sure I would trust this if ants were a problem in my home.

I know that TERRO stuff works great- it is a thick liquid you just drip onto cardboard or foil and place out for the ants. They swarm it, then just stop ever coming back. It is easy enough to set up in ways that ants can access it and nothing else (like our cat) can. (I set a brick over the baits, with little spacers under the corners.)


----------



## Nixxy (Jul 25, 2012)

It'd be interesting I suppose to try it out. But I suppose if I had a major ant problem, I wouldn't be in the mood for anything that wasn't a sure thing.


----------



## StudentoftheReptile (Jul 26, 2012)

The problem is that nothing I researched for solutions was a sure thing. I asked local folks, friends and family, people on this board and other sites, etc. Uncooked grits was the most commonly suggested route. I was skeptical at first, but I think it may have actually worked. If this rain would ever stop, I'd like to see for sure.


----------



## HollyH8 (Jul 26, 2012)

Jacqui said:


> Sorta surprised this would work. What does it do to the ants that cause them to die?



Supposably the ants can't digest the cornmeal which for a result they die. I've never tried this before but i'm hoping it works!


----------



## Terry Allan Hall (Jul 26, 2012)

StudentoftheReptile said:


> The problem is that nothing I researched for solutions was a sure thing. I asked local folks, friends and family, people on this board and other sites, etc. Uncooked grits was the most commonly suggested route. I was skeptical at first, but I think it may have actually worked. If this rain would ever stop, I'd like to see for sure.



Been using uncooked grits for nearly 30 years.


----------



## StudentoftheReptile (Jul 27, 2012)

Thanks, Terry. Good to know!


----------

