@FiredUpCoug I was a counselor for many years! The best was when parent & child understood they were there to work, serve & improve everyone’s experience.
There’s this unknown pressure when a kids parent is there like they need to be on best behavior, so also give your child breathing room
When ant hills start cropping up all over the yard, the knee-jerk reaction for many is to sprint to the hardware store for a jug of heavy-duty, synthetic pesticide. But before flooding the lawn with harsh chemicals that can affect pets, helpful pollinators, and the local soil, it pays to look inside the kitchen pantry.
A remarkably effective, non-toxic hack for managing an ant problem requires nothing more than mixing equal parts baking soda and powdered sugar.
Here is exactly how it works and why it is so effective:
The Science Behind the Secret
The Bait: Ants have a massive sweet tooth, but they are incredibly smart foragers. They will easily sniff out and avoid pure baking soda. However, when it is meticulously mixed with finely ground powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar), they cannot separate the two. The sweetness masks the deterrent, drawing them in.
The Mechanism: Baking soda is highly alkaline. When ants consume it, it reacts with the acidic fluids in their digestive systems. Because ants cannot expel internal gas the way mammals can, the sudden chemical reaction is fatal to them.
The Delivery: Foragers won't just eat it on the spot; they will carry this sweet, lethal mixture back to the heart of the colony, effectively taking care of the root of the problem.
How to Apply It
Simply blend a 50/50 mix of the two ingredients in a container and shake well. Sprinkle it directly around the perimeter of active mounds or along known ant trails.
Other All-Natural Alternatives
If baking soda isn’t on hand, a few other household staples can disrupt pest patterns naturally:
White Vinegar: Spraying a simple solution of vinegar and water along entry points dissolves the scent trails ants use to navigate, leaving them completely disoriented.
Diatomaceous Earth (Food Grade): A completely natural powder made from fossilized algae. It is harmless to humans and pets but breaks down the exoskeletons of crawling insects on contact.
Essential Oils: Peppermint, tea tree, and citrus oils act as powerful natural repellents. A few drops near windows and doors keep unwanted visitors at bay.
Relying on massive chemical interventions isn't always necessary to keep a property balanced. Sometimes, the safest, cheapest, and most elegant solutions are already sitting right next to the baking supplies.
Photographer Martin Le-May was walking through a London park with his wife, hoping to show her a green woodpecker for the first time, when he snapped this incredible photo: a weasel riding a flying woodpecker.
@HSchenewark Hunter I served my mission in Springfield. LOVED it and always wondered if I’d move back some day. Just found you from @mhp_guy and had to follow. Respect for all you’re doing.
We’re building an RV Park in Idaho. If not parking lot striping sounds appealing lol
@simonsquibb My dream is to enable families to go on adventures. Think Make-A-Wish but for families living normal lives but for any reason are not going on a vacation or trip. You bond with whom you adventure.
Working hard trying to build @stayatthepark to have our first destination for it
Airbnb is dead. Here’s the play in 2026:
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RV Parks.
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Lower costs.
Longer stays.
Real demand.
Same tax benefits.
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Airbnb is a job with a mortgage.
RV parks are the move.
"One of the many reasons you will need the constant influence of the Holy Ghost is that you live in a season where the adversary has become so effective at disguising truth that if you don't have the Holy Ghost, you will be deceived."