TD2K
Senior Associate
Once you kill a cow, you gotta make a burger
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 1:19:25 GMT -5
Posts: 10,931
|
Ants
Jul 8, 2012 16:59:48 GMT -5
Post by TD2K on Jul 8, 2012 16:59:48 GMT -5
Okay, I have a problem with ants in my kitchen. About 2 years ago they showed up and would basically swarm the place if I forgot and left anything sweet out or spilled anything sweet. I put out Terro ant traps and after about a week (and my kitchen crawling with them ) they were all gone. This year they showed up again and this time I've had problems getting rid of them. I've again been using Terro liquid ant bait (it seems to be their favorite) and while the worse of them are gone, I have a small steady stream of them still showing up for weeks now to the bait station (at least I've been able to reduce the number of bait stations to one). I've looked at the Terro site and they said typically the ants will be killed in a week but if you have a large nest nearby, it can take weeks. I've also tried using a homemade solution of sugar and boric acid, not sure if it's any more effective but it tends to dry out quicker than the Terro product. The ants love the Terro product, they swarm it and appearly to happily suck it down. They are also very fond of angel food cake if you ever need a bait product Anyone got any other suggestions for getting rid of them?
|
|
Malarky
Junior Associate
Truth and snark are equal opportunity here.
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 21:00:51 GMT -5
Posts: 5,313
|
Ants
Jul 8, 2012 17:13:28 GMT -5
Post by Malarky on Jul 8, 2012 17:13:28 GMT -5
Vinegar Wipe down your countertops, cupboards and any other places where you've spotted ants with a 50-50 mixture of white vinegar and water. Repeat throughout the day to maintain the efficacy. Why This Works: Two reasons, really: ants hate the smell of vinegar, and it removes the scent trails that they use to get around frugalliving.about.com/od/doityourself/tp/Get_Rid_of_Ants_Cheaply.htmI've used this before. They were coming in through my mudroom and I poured gallons of vinegar all around the mudroom and along the foundation of the house.
|
|
Sharon
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 22:48:11 GMT -5
Posts: 11,155
|
Ants
Jul 8, 2012 17:25:45 GMT -5
Post by Sharon on Jul 8, 2012 17:25:45 GMT -5
Grants Ant stakes around the foundation of the house work really well. They are designed so that animals can't get the bait so it should be okay for Harpo.
|
|
leanna
Well-Known Member
Joined: Feb 28, 2011 16:33:40 GMT -5
Posts: 1,800
|
Ants
Jul 8, 2012 20:37:44 GMT -5
Post by leanna on Jul 8, 2012 20:37:44 GMT -5
We had a really bad ant problem at our last house. Tried everything - Terro, the vinegar, natural and unnatural methods, etc.
Finally called an exterminator. He sprayed something that the ants eat and take back to their nest and then it kills them all. Only thing that worked.
|
|
chiver78
Administrator
Current Events Admin
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 13:04:45 GMT -5
Posts: 38,553
|
Post by chiver78 on Jul 8, 2012 20:46:31 GMT -5
The first year I lived in this townhouse, I wasn't expecting the exterior spraying to incite the invasion that came - I had every size and color ant in existence in my house, hiding behind curtains and crawling in the open, up the walls and across the ceiling. I was SO freaked out After trying a few things (that didn't work...), a kid at the local hardware store recommended OrthoMAX spray. It is child and pet safe, as long as you allow it to dry before introducing either back to the space. First, I sprayed every threshold, windowsill, floor/wall junction, and even the runner track of the patio slider. I then started spot spraying whatever I saw in the house. Eventually, I got all those little bastards, and no more new ones came in. Since then, I do my interior "border spray" about a week before the exterior spraying, and I haven't had a problem since. Totally recommend the Ortho stuff. I think you can get it around $10 at the Cheapot. sent from my electronic distraction
|
|
Virgil Showlion
Distinguished Associate
Moderator
[b]leones potest resistere[/b]
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 15:19:33 GMT -5
Posts: 27,448
|
Ants
Jul 8, 2012 21:02:37 GMT -5
Post by Virgil Showlion on Jul 8, 2012 21:02:37 GMT -5
Sing more. We've all heard your singing, TD, and... well... it's a safe bet it can kill ants.
|
|
busymom
Distinguished Associate
Why is the rum always gone? Oh...that's why.
Joined: Dec 25, 2010 21:09:36 GMT -5
Posts: 28,385
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"https://cdn.nickpic.host/images/IPauJ5.jpg","color":""}
Mini-Profile Name Color: 0D317F
Mini-Profile Text Color: 0D317F
|
Ants
Jul 8, 2012 23:08:53 GMT -5
Post by busymom on Jul 8, 2012 23:08:53 GMT -5
TD, I know this isn't a problem at your house, but if anyone in your household is pregnant, DO NOT use the insect spray, inside or outside the house.
When DS was in speech therapy some years back, I met a woman whose son had survived a brain tumor. Her son's surgeon (from a well-known children's hospital in our state) asked her if she'd sprayed her house for insects when she was pregnant. A little surprised, she asked him why he asked that question. He said every child he'd ever worked with who'd had a brain tumor had their home sprayed while the mom was expecting. He said he had no studies to prove it, and wasn't sure what specific chemical(s) were responsible, but he was currently questioning how safe those sprays were, whether the house was done by an outside company, or "over-the-counter" sprays.
I'm not trying to scare anyone, but if I'd known about this surgeon's opinion when I was pregnant with DS, I'd have put up with a few ants. No one knows what the cause is of my DS's problems, but I haven't been able to rule out chemical exposure....
|
|
Wisconsin Beth
Distinguished Associate
No, we don't walk away. But when we're holding on to something precious, we run.
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 11:59:36 GMT -5
Posts: 30,626
|
Ants
Jul 9, 2012 9:50:56 GMT -5
Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jul 9, 2012 9:50:56 GMT -5
Ants do not like to cross a drawn chalk line. I have no idea why. Sprinkling chalk didn't work but drawing the line did. If you can find the nest, pouring water down it can help. It won't eliminate them but it can help. OrthoMax is what we've used the last couple of years. I don't do it around the kids and I warn the neighbors when I'm going to do it, so they can tell their kids to stay off if they feel so inclined. We had a carpenter ant infestation about 7+ years ago. I opened the cupboard doors and they were falling out. It was like being in a bad horror movie... We hired bug guys to come and spray. They said it was early for carpenter ants but ours were moving the eggs (looked like grains of white rice) into a hot and humid spot - above my store, which had 3 or 4 burners going at the time, cooking down tomatoes. They drilled into the walls and put some kind of powder down and they did a line around the outside of the house. And we started getting rid of the old wooden beams we had around the flower beds. We do have carpenter ants still, but not in the house and not in large numbers. Busy, I think chemical exposure is part of a lot of issues with kids nowadays. I've got nothing to base it on other than the increase in chemical use since the 50s and the increase in "issues" since the 50s. I know correlation doesn't equal causation.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: May 1, 2024 23:08:54 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Ants
Jul 9, 2012 9:53:43 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2012 9:53:43 GMT -5
Along the same lines as the chalk -- I sprinkle cayenne pepper all around the perimeter of my kitchen and in the doorways to the outside. They don't like to walk through it because it sticks to their legs. I have heard the same about cinnamon.
|
|
mizbear
Senior Member
Stand back. I have a budget, and I know how to use it.
Joined: Jan 2, 2011 13:12:46 GMT -5
Posts: 3,958
|
Ants
Jul 9, 2012 16:00:37 GMT -5
Post by mizbear on Jul 9, 2012 16:00:37 GMT -5
Cornmeal sometimes works as well- apparently, the litte buggers have difficulty digesting it.
|
|
bean29
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 22:26:57 GMT -5
Posts: 9,934
|
Ants
Jul 9, 2012 16:51:37 GMT -5
Post by bean29 on Jul 9, 2012 16:51:37 GMT -5
I used the Terro outdoor ant baits last year. Bought them again this year. They worked so well I never put out the indoor ones this year. I saw some tiny black bugs in one of my bathrooms this am. Sprayed that bath with bug spray this am. I will remember to put out the indoor terro too. I have a dog so I just put it out under the sink.
I usually put out the granular ant stuff too (around the perimiter of the house). I will have to do that tonight. When ace hardware had their spring sale, I bought ant spray, but then I realized I had a lot left from last year. I also want to re-spray my roses to protect from aphids and chinese beetles.
|
|
Sam_2.0
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 15:42:45 GMT -5
Posts: 12,350
|
Ants
Jul 9, 2012 16:58:12 GMT -5
Post by Sam_2.0 on Jul 9, 2012 16:58:12 GMT -5
We just call the bug man once a year. I don't so much care about the ants, but the brown recluses FREAK ME OUT. I found one crawling on me right after DD was born. Bug man was at the house a few hours later, and DD and I spent some time at my mom's I have had luck with the sugar/borax mix (I do it as a powder). That seems to keep them out of the laundry room area where the dog eats (and makes a mess - crumbs everywhere).
|
|
dannylion
Junior Associate
Gravity is a harsh mistress
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 12:17:52 GMT -5
Posts: 5,196
Location: Miles over the madness horizon and accelerating
|
Ants
Jul 10, 2012 20:55:35 GMT -5
Post by dannylion on Jul 10, 2012 20:55:35 GMT -5
I used to get ants in the kitchen every spring. I tried all the ant baits and sprays but nothing worked particularly well. The I sprinkled Amdro granules around the perimeter of the house. The ants were gone within a day and have never really returned. My dad was also getting ants in the kitchen in the spring and summer, so I got him some Amdro and sprinkled it around the perimeter of his house, and they all went away. I don't have any pets or children, so that was not a consideration, and I really don't know how toxic it might be to animals and children. It is certainly toxic to ants, though. Works like a charm.
|
|
mizbear
Senior Member
Stand back. I have a budget, and I know how to use it.
Joined: Jan 2, 2011 13:12:46 GMT -5
Posts: 3,958
|
Ants
Jul 11, 2012 15:36:17 GMT -5
Post by mizbear on Jul 11, 2012 15:36:17 GMT -5
grits= cornmeal hootieman= Yankee
|
|
thyme4change
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 26, 2010 13:54:08 GMT -5
Posts: 40,409
|
Ants
Jul 11, 2012 15:46:39 GMT -5
Post by thyme4change on Jul 11, 2012 15:46:39 GMT -5
The best thing is if you can find the anthill and eliminate the house.
|
|
misplacedbrit
Initiate Member
Joined: Dec 23, 2010 8:44:09 GMT -5
Posts: 57
|
Ants
Jul 22, 2012 2:18:08 GMT -5
Post by misplacedbrit on Jul 22, 2012 2:18:08 GMT -5
I use Bayer outside, granules, and bug bomb inside
I spread the granules, go in, cover the fish tank etc, take my dog out, set the bombs off, then spray the granules to get them in to the ground. We stay out till its dry, or it rains and it's all washed in (Im in VA - one or the other will happen) Go back, wipe surfaces, uncover fish etc
I'm not just after ants tho, ticks.. spiders *shudder* - 2 pronged attack seems to work.
|
|