Two Spoons of Borax Eliminate ANY Garden Pest Forever — The Trick They Tried to Bury

Presenter / Source

• Presenter/channel: Not explicitly named in the subtitles. The narrator references “my grandfather/mother,” University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, and extension sources.
• Referenced sources mentioned:
  • University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
    • Ants: borax baits wiping out colonies within 72 hours
  • Texas A&M Extension
    • Cockroaches: >90% reduction of German cockroaches in trials
  • Oregon State Extension
    • Boron/soil application rate for boron deficiency
  • USDA Farmers’ Bulletin (1914)
    • Coddling moth trunk banding
  • USDA pamphlet Farmers Bulletin #1750 (1935)
    • Boron correction via fruit tree drip-line dosing

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Ingredients & Quantities (Borax-Based “Recipes”)

1) Ant colony bait (in a jar)

• 1 tsp borax
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Cotton balls (soaked)

Substitution notes: none

2) Slug/snail barrier (around plants)

• Borax sprinkled as a thin dry ring (quantity not measured)
• Apply about 1/2 inch wide
• Keep off leaves/stem
• Refresh after heavy rain

3) Fleas in carpet

• Fine borax (no measured amount given)
• Equipment: soft broom, vacuum
• Time: leave 24 hours

4) Cockroach dust

• Equal parts, made into a thin line:
  • borax + plain white flour, or
  • borax + powdered sugar
• Quantity: not measured (use a thin line)

5) Soil boron deficiency feed (once yearly)

• 1 level tablespoon borax
• 1 gallon water
• Application coverage: spray evenly over 1,000 sq ft
• Timing: once in spring

6) Powdery mildew spray (3 applications)

• 1 tsp borax
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 gallon water
• Technique: shake hard

7) Weed kill in cracks (not around garden greens)

• 1 1/4 cups borax
• 1 gallon warm water
• Pour into dry, sunny cracks

8) Mold/mildew remover (scrub-and-leave)

• 1 cup borax
• 1 quart hot water
• Scrub with stiff brush, do not rinse

9) Mice deterrent (threshold line)

• Borax powder (no measured amount; use a generous band)
• Place across threshold, around feed bin base, behind chicken feeder

10) Coddling moth prevention on apple trees (late winter band)

• Borax + warm water mixed into a thick paste (cream consistency)
• Apply with a wide paintbrush band around trunk:
  • about 1 ft to 3 ft on the trunk

11) Additional boron/tree dosing mentioned later (alternate/extra rate)

• 1 level tablespoon borax
• 2 gallons warm water
• Pour around drip line of a mature fruit tree once every 3 years (not every year)

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Step-by-Step Methods (Timings / Temps / Technique Cues)

1) Ant colony killer (bait)

1. Mix 1 tsp borax into 1 cup warm water.
2. Add 1/2 cup sugar; stir until clear.
3. Soak cotton balls in the solution.
4. Place cotton balls on a jar lid directly where you see the ant trail.
5. Do not spray the trail; don’t kill scouts (ants must carry it).
6. Wait: within ~3 days, the trail is gone “for the season.”

2) Slugs & snails around plants

1. Use dry borax to form a thin ring around the plant base (~1/2 inch wide).
2. Keep borax off leaves and off the stem.
3. After heavy rain, refresh the ring.
4. Technique cue: slugs won’t cross the barrier.

3) Fleas in the carpet

1. Sprinkle fine borax into the carpet.
2. Work it into fibers with a soft broom.
3. Leave for 24 hours.
4. Vacuum it up.
5. Frequency: once in early summer and once in early fall.
6. Keep pets and small children out of the room while it sits.

4) Cockroaches (dust bait lines)

1. Mix equal parts:
   • borax + plain white flour, or
   • borax + powdered sugar
2. Dust in thin lines:
   • behind the refrigerator
   • under the stove
   • along the back of cupboards
3. Mechanism cue: roaches groom/swallow powder; “finished within a day or two.”

5) Fix boron deficiency in soil (spring application)

1. Dissolve 1 level tablespoon borax in 1 gallon water.
2. Spray evenly over 1,000 sq ft.
3. Timing: once a year in spring.
4. Caution cue: do not double the rate.

6) Powdery mildew spray (squash/cucumber/zinnia)

1. In 1 gallon water, mix:
   • 1 tsp borax
   • 1 tbsp cooking oil
2. Shake hard.
3. Spray early morning (before sun hits leaves).
4. Spray tops and bottoms of affected leaves.
5. Repeat with 3 applications, 4 days apart.

7) Weeds in sidewalk/driveway/patio cracks

1. On a dry, sunny day, dissolve:
   • 1 1/4 cups borax in 1 gallon warm water
2. Pour directly into cracks where nothing should grow.
3. Expected timing: weeds like crabgrass/dandelion/creeping Charlie gone within a week and “stay gone for the season.”
4. Safety/technique cue: keep away from anything green (borax will hurt anything green it touches).

8) Mold & mildew on cellar/porch/walls

1. Mix 1 cup borax into 1 quart hot water.
2. Scrub moldy area with a stiff brush.
3. Leave it: do not rinse off.
4. Expected result: borax keeps working, drying spores for weeks.

9) Mice deterrence in shed/chicken coop

1. Create a heavy/“generous” band of borax across the shed threshold.
2. Place around:
   • base of feed bins
   • behind the chicken feeder
3. Mechanism cue: mice contact/lick fine powder and avoid the area.

10) Coddling moth (apple trunk paste band)

1. Timing: late winter, before buds break
   • late February in the south
   • late March up north
2. Mix borax + warm water into a thick paste (cream consistency).
3. Paint a wide band around the trunk (heavy paintbrush):
   • from about 1 ft off the ground up to 3 ft high
4. Mechanism cue: larvae overwinter in bark crevices; when they climb in spring, they must cross the borax band.
5. Claimed outcome: one band per tree.

11) Alternate/expanded boron deficiency dosing (fruit trees)

1. Dissolve 1 level tablespoon borax in 2 gallons warm water.
2. Pour slow around the drip line of a mature fruit tree.
3. Timing: once every three years (explicitly not every year).

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Equipment & Prep Requirements

• Jelly jar / container for ant bait mixing (jar lid used for cotton balls)
• Cotton balls
• Paintbrush (for coddling moth trunk paste band)
• Sprayer (implied for mildew and soil spraying)
• Soft broom (work borax into carpet)
• Vacuum (after carpet treatment)
• Stiff brush (for mold scrubbing)
• Water can / pouring container (implied for crack treatment)
• Brush or spray (for wood treatment noted below)

Note: Wood/termite-related method (also described)

• For porch beams/wood piles:
  • Mix borax with warm water until it stops dissolving (~1 part borax to 8 parts water).
  • Brush or spray onto bare, unpainted wood (e.g., fence posts, porch underside, sill plates, firewood).
  • Claimed to last “for years” if wood stays out of driving rain.

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Chef/“Common Mistakes” Tips

• Ants: works because ants carry it—don’t spray the trail or kill scouts.
• Slugs: keep borax off leaves/stems; use a thin dry ring; refresh after heavy rain.
• Carpet fleas: keep pets/small children out while it sits; vacuum after 24 hours; repeat seasonally.
• Weeds in cracks: do not apply to garden beds/green plants—borax is said to hurt anything green it touches.
• Powdery mildew: spray early morning; spray both leaf surfaces; do 3 applications 4 days apart.
• Soil boron: do not double the rate; dose is treated as measured and dose-dependent.
• Mold treatment: scrub and leave; don’t rinse.
• Coddling moth: apply in late winter before buds break; band should be around trunk between ~1 ft and 3 ft.

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Variations Discussed (Concise)

• Cockroach bait mix: borax + flour or borax + powdered sugar (equal parts).
• Borax soil/trees dosing:
  • once-yearly garden spray rate (1 tbsp/1 gallon for 1,000 sq ft), and
  • drip-line mature fruit tree dosing (1 tbsp/2 gallons once every 3 years).

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Presenter’s Real-World / Historical Anecdotes (Non-instructional)

• Childhood example: mother mixing borax powder into warm sugar water; ants disappear by morning.
• The narrator cites extension bulletins and USDA Farmers’ Bulletins for claimed effectiveness and dosing guidance.

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