Oops! Some of the TERRO liquid ant bait spilled as I was opening it. Now what? If you have spilt liquid ant bait, it is no big deal and easy to clean up. Since it is an insecticide and works wonders
at killing ants though, you may be wondering how to safely clean it up.
How Toxic is TERRO Liquid Ant Bait to Humans?
The good news is that while TERRO is deadly for ants, it is not all hat toxic to humans. TERRO is made up of a mixture of sugar, water, and borax that creates a sticky, sweet treat for ants. The borax or sodium tetraborate decahydrate is the active ingredient in TERRO Liquid Ant Bait that is lethal for ants. It is engineered to slowly kill the ant that consumes it so that the ant can return to the colony.
According to Poison Control, unintentional exposure of bait stations pose little risk of toxicity due to low concentrations of borax. With that said if it is ingested it can cause nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. It can also cause irritation if it comes into contact with the skin or eyes. Always avoid direct contact with the bait and wash it off quickly to avoid irritation if you do get any on you.
Borax has several other everyday uses including use as a laundry detergent/booster and household cleaner.
How to Clean Up TERRO Liquid Ant Bait
Now that you know what is in the liquid bait, let’s talk about best cleaning methods. Cleaning up spilled ant bait is relatively easy and straight forward. It cleans up best with just mild soap and warm water. Its sticky consistency is similar to spilled jelly or soda. The longer those spills sit the harder they are to remove – same goes for ant bait.
For fresh spills, you can easily just wipe the area down with warm water and soap.
For more stubborn dried on spills, you may need to wet a sponge or cloth and let that sit on the spill for up to an hour. This will help to soften the bait again and make it possible to wipe up.
How to Eliminate Ant Bait Spills
In testing and using different TERRO liquid ant bait products, we found it helpful to use a thin piece of cardboard to keep under the bait. This is a must if you are using the liquid ant bait that you apply yourself and also works well for the bait stations.
A paper plate works well for this if you cut out the middle flat part. It is important that whatever you use be as flat and thin as possible but still creates a barrier between the bait and surface underneath. It should not be an extra obstacle for ants to crawl around. Then if bait spills out of the station you can just toss the disposable plate or whatever you are using as extra protection.
Inevitably spills still happen from time to time. This extra layer of protection will help eliminate some of the extra cleaning and scraping of sticky stuck-on dried ant bait.
Your friends and property management enthusiasts from The Profit Property,
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