We have a problem with ants in our kitchen and other areas. They are the small kind, I’ve heard them called “sugar ants”.
I have purchased a few different chemicals, traps, baits, etc. but nothing has any worthwhile results.We’ve done our best to eliminate food sources but as you can imagine there is only so much that can be done to that end.The best stuff I’ve found has been a Lambda-Cyhalothrin based spray, it works but is pretty potent and I’m not crazy about spraying it in the kitchen.I have no problems calling a pro in but I’ve heard others in the area say that they went around and sprayed and charge $250, and the ants will come back after a few rainfalls. I figure I can do pretty much that so will delay that as much as possible.Anyone have any advice? I really need Junkhound to come over with his toxic cocktail that he’s been stockpiling since ’72…
Replies
Try bay leaves- leave a few on the counter or floor and see if that keeps them away. It worked for the ants that we had in our kitchen.
Bob
Bay leaves? Where did you find that solution? :)
thougt ebryone new that
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter
Bob & Margc,I'll try the bay leaves, it's easy and safe. I bet DW even has some in the spice cabinet.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
try using citrus rinds around the areas that you see the ants. works for me.
I was going to recommend the exact same thing - bay leaves. They can be the dried type. I usually try to see where they are entering - baseboards or under door and rub along that line and put pieces every few inches to foot under the molding. Usually they'll disappear in a few hours to a day.
baking soda in the effected areas...they breath it in and become history...or cookies : )
If Blodgett says, Tipi tipi tipi it must be so!
TipiFest 06~~> Send me your email addy for a Paypal invoice to the greatest show on earth~~>[email protected]
We have ants in our kitchen and other areas, also. I'm not big on spraying poisons in or around my house. I don't panic when I see them. Once in a rare while I get bitten. I figure if that's the worse thing that happens to me that day, I'm in pretty good shape! We wipe them up, vacuum them up, whatever. Keep the house as clean as reasonably possible. They show up for awhile, then they go away. Same as they do for our neighbors, who pay big markups to have a guy spray poisons on a regular basis.
"he...never charged nothing for his preaching, and it was worth it, too" - Mark Twain
Huck,How many ants do you have? This region seems to be beset by them.We had an apartment where the ants got to be a major problem. It would not be rare for me to smash 75-100 with my thumb at one time.I'm not too scared of some little bugs, but when they start to take over (especially when they mess with my food) that's it for them.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
You have ants in your house that BITE you !??!?!!?!
Do you live in the Amazon?? LOL-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
WWPD
1. Do you have kids and what are their ages? DIL got paranoid when I used less than 1 milliliters (teaspoon or so) at their house on ants - she'd been reading the stuff where exterminators in the 60's pumped GALLONS under houses for termites. The less than 1 mL did away with an entire ant hill in her rose garden that did not return. (the ants did not return, the rose garden is still there )
2. Find the ants pathway(s)
3. E-mail me and I'll send you a gift. I'd simply send you a 2 cc plastic syringe with about 0.2 mL mixed with water - one application along the pathway and it will be dacades before the ants return. You would have to e-mail address before Saturday, as will be in Princeton all next week. I'll include an MSDS sheet if I can find one on the internet.
4. If you keep bees, you do not want to use this anywhere that bees could get to it as it is also death to bees.
Edited 3/22/2006 9:48 am ET by junkhound
Art,I appreciate your offer very much, unfortunately I do not know exactly where they are coming in.I've spent made numerous slow walks around the house and I can't pinpoint one single entry point. Sometimes I see a path and it will be dealt with but later that day/week they find another route. Our home is a split foyer with CMU foundation and a partially finished basement so it's difficult to really follow their travel. The sheathing is celotex which I'm sure does not help things.To answer your first question, Michael Andrew is our only child as of yet, he's been with us since 11-30-05.
*edit to satisfy TornJon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
Edited 3/22/2006 1:08 pm ET by JonBlakemore
11/30/06, eh? That's a pretty neat trick... ;-)
"Michael Andrew is our only child as of yet, he's been with us since 11-30-06."
I've been a lurker for a long, long time, but now you have entered my area of expertice - as a retired OB-GYN physician, I assume Michael is due to join your family next November?? (I'm also a fair carpenter and woodworker)
Mac,
No, I misspoke. He was born last calendar year.View Image
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
Cute kid - here is my grandson
On the cautious side, would not want to put any Chlorodane anywhere with that cute little guy around.
Put some at the grandkids house but only after they were big enough (about 2-1/2 YO) to not be putting anything and everything in their mouth, and then only on an ant's pathways that the little guys were unlikely to get to (like a hole in the wall 5 ft high or a hole bored into an anthill).
If they're sugar ants then the stuff in the little bottle (forget the name) [it's Terro, I believe] is what you want. It's basically sugar water and borax. They suck up the sugar water and the borax crystalizes inside them and kills them. About as safe as it gets, short of just stomping on them.
Note with any ant treatment you have to keep at it for about two weeks, as eggs will hatch even after all the adult ants in the nest are dead.
If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people
happy?
Edited 3/22/2006 9:49 am by DanH
DE is suppose to work along their pathways.It supposidly cuts them up and they dehydrate.
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter
Bobl,I've considered DE (I can't blame you for abbreviating). Maybe I will pick some up.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
DanH,We tried the Terro, it seemed to work great except it also seemed to attract more ants in which was not great.I do appreciate the advice about the two weeks. I had not considered that but will revise my efforts accordingly.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
You can get powdered borax. This also works on cockroaches,carpenter ants and others. Borax is what is put into bug resistant foam panels. I sprinkle some behind cabinets and between studs.
Ive used boric acid crystals for 20 plus years- put in the walls of every house I build. I stay in touch with my clients ( for years) and have never had an owner report ANY insect problem in their homes ( I ask) Yes I get a lot of repeat business. Jim Devier
Well, dead clients can't complain. (VBG)
If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people
happy?
Boric acid is non toxic. Plus...when you put in the walls or under kitchen cabinets it's not going to get ingested by the kiddies because they cant get to it.
Yes, hence VBG.
If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people
happy?
Don't know where you folks get the idea that boric acid crystals are poison. next time you go see the eye doctor, ask him. Jim Devier
I didn't have the idea. What do you thing VBG means?
If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people
happy?
I don't know what VBG means so I must be happy, I must be missin somethin somewhere
http://www.natbat.com/docs/boron.htm<quote>
Asking "How toxic is boric acid?" is sort of like asking "How hot is hot?" The answer clearly needs to be qualified...and, yes, scientists have figured out a means to compare one chemical to the next. In fact, on this scale, scientists and/or regulators can compare most anything that can be swallowed, inhaled or put in one's eyes. The scale I am referring to gives a figure known as the LD50 rating - a dose that would cause the deaths of 50 percent of a specific animal population. One method used to determine the LD50 rating for most substances is via laboratory-controlled oral doses to rats. The following table lists the LD50 (oral-rat) for several common substances as published by the Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances. Substance
LD50
(milligrams of dose
/kg of body weight)
Aspirin 1,000
Boric Acid 2,660
Table Salt 3,000
Boron #10 3,500
Baking Soda 4,200
Grain Alcohol 14,000 Based on this data, boric acid and Boron No. 10 are not significantly different in toxicity than common table salt. In addition, both boric acid and Boron No. 10 are less toxic than aspirin. The greater the LD50 rating the safer the substance is. When compared to these common household items, boric acid and Boron No. 10 are not particularly dangerous, and, if used properly, will not cause poisoning. It is important to remember that there have been no known deaths resulting from the use of boric acid or Boron No. 10 in mattresses or upholstered furniture or even in their use as an insecticide.
</quote>
In case you were wondering what kinds of toxicity boric acid *does* have at sufficiently high levels of ingestion:http://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/hazmap_generic?tbl=TblAgents&id=1374<quote>
In typical poisoning by ingestion cases, the victims have vomiting and diarrhea, skin desquamation, mucosal erosions, and injury to the liver and kidneys; evidence of neurotoxicity include seizures, delirium, and coma. The mechanism of toxicity is not known. [Ford, p. 750-1] A skin irritant; [Quick CPC] In high-dose reproductive studies of animals, boric acid causes testicular damage and fetal loss. [Frazier, p. 252-4]
</quote><quote>
Adverse Effects
---------------
Neurotoxin Other CNS Neurotoxin
Hepatotoxin Hepatotoxin, Secondary
Reproductive Toxin Yes
</quote>
I think the key phrase here is " in sufficiently high doses". checked out the LD50 of Oxygen lately- In sufficiently high doses? Jim Devier
Yes, I know -- I posted the post with the LD50s, too.Supplemental oxygen given to premature newborns with underdeveloped lungs frequently causes retinal damage, so LD50 or not, oxygen is not a completely benign substance, either.I guess my point was just that boric acid is, by most definitions, nontoxic, yet it *is* toxic to ants, cockroaches, and similarly sized pests, because they ingest sufficient quantities. I also had wanted to post something that would give an idea of *how* it kills them, besides the nontechnical hearsay that abounds on the Internet.
From what I've read on the subject, the product I use has no baits or sweeteners added.
The little beasties walk through it and it cuts up their joints and they dehydrate (bleed to death?) Only a certain size crystal works for this to happen. they also carry it back to the nest where it gets spread around. Guess I wouldn't recommend rolling around in the stuff. Maybe they use boric acid 'cause it's easy to get the right size crystal? Jim Devier
Diatomatious earth?
If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people
happy?
I don't think that diatomatious earth would have the crystaline form that makes the system work. though I wonder if there isn't something (this is Rebecah's fault) that can do the proper crystal thing and have an LD50 of about 7 million? Jim Devier
Diatomacious earth is sold as a natural bug killer. The diatom skeletons are all pointy and sharp and cut the little buggers to shreds.
If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people
happy?
Yes, Terro will attract ants. That's the idea. They really pig out on the stuff, and leave strong scent trails to lead other ants to it. After a few days you'll notice they stop coming.
[Also, if you don't like the straight liquid that you put down on bits of cardboard, you can buy the stuff in little clear plastic bait stations. Quite a bit neater.
If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people
happy?
Edited 3/22/2006 11:49 am by DanH
Yes, Terro will attract ants.
Yeah, it sure attracts them, but I've had that stuff out for 3 or 4 weeks without any decrease in the ants. They belly up to those drops and eventually carry it all away. You put fresh drops down and repeat the process. It just didn't work for me. But the poison paste from the exterminator did (poison paste in little plastic discs). Same tactic, they carry it back.
I think when dealing with ants, you just start off with the cheapest killer and start to work your way up until you find one that works. If the Terro works for you, then great, it doesn't cost much.
jt8
"When you take charge of your life, there is no longer need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life." -- Geoffrey F. Abert
Yes, they will keep increasing, but they take it back to the nest.It is amazing watching them line up to eat the stuff.But the "fun" only last for a week or two and then NO MORE.
I guess we may not been patient enough with the Terro. It seemed effective but the deluge was too great.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
When you use the Terro it will appear initially that all you see happen is more ants appear. That is why they call it a bait. Keep using it and after a while you will notice a rapid decline in the number of ants that are visable. Don't stop now keep putting out the Terro for at least another week. It works. Probably doesn't affect what's called grease or meat ants and also probably doesn't affect carpenter ants. But it works great on sugar ants and lemon ants.
HTH, Jim
Doooode..I was a PCO for yrs ( pest control operater)..the best thing is to bait them. Sprays are good for about 90% of the time, but the ants and roaches are getting 'toxified' to the residuals that have the most effect. Contact spraying will kill a bunch, but you suffer largely from the fumes.
In a differnt space /time continuim, I'd plant a Maple tree and force a drip, nearby. that'd lure the little basyids away from the suger pops and sustanance.
Just give them a place to relocate, with food...
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" Iam not a poet, but your hat is singularily inadequate"
OK, PCO, we have talked with two companies here...The termite problem in the desert is awesome.....We were told that for every square foot of desert there is at least 20 active termite colonies......The house next door has an active infestation and we have sprayed on the outside for the little buggers.....There is also a fire ant and scorpion problem and it's only going to get worse when really hot weather comes.......We're talking about $500 for the initial spraying and that includes 5 years of pest control maintenance......This stuff also kills the packrats which are a reaaal problem here.....Welcome to the desert!!!
"at least 20 active termite colonies."subterraniun?
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter
I believe so......You can see where they tunnel(tubes) and the inspector showed us next door where they were.....It's only a matter of time before they come to us! We have a friend here whose house was basically eaten!Part of the problem is that there are no basements here and every house is built on a slab....
spraying the house does no good.you need to put a barrier between the house and the buggers.they don't live in the wood, just eat it.can get thru itty bitty spaces 1/64th or some suchtreatmeent i've seen is a chemical barrier that is put in the ground around the parimeter and along the inside of the house at outside walls and interierior partitions.the swarms are the new qweens looking for a place to create new coloniesthe regular workers never see the light of day, the will dry up in the air, that is why they build tunnels, to keep from being exposed to air.i'm susrprised that the subt's are such a problem since they get their moisture from the soil
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter
Wow, you mean that spraying we did was useless? :)Moisture in the soil here is greater than you would expect....That is why the cacti, succulents and trees survive......The saguaro cactus doesn't even get arms until they are over 50 years old and they can live to be over 200 years old.....Thanks for the info....
Holy cow.
I see it as a progress, not an event.
For the 'mites ya got there , are feeding on dry wood. This is not a good thing.For the other critters..they can be trained.
I used do a thing called a "clean out" for residential. That involved a healthy dose of Dursban, DursbanLO, Ficam, and Chlordane.
Warfarin rat bait and pellets of Baygon was my life then..
From my humble exp. don't get a PCO involved.
Just make a more desirable place for them.. ( godamighty I sound like Bush...and no, not Sam Bush)
Ok, back to termites....IIRC yall have a slew of lodgepole pine? The very nature of the climate and ground source moisture, will harbour a decay that promotes activity of the sucrose following larvae. They ike the sapwood.
If I were you, I'd treat the areas that are inflected, with a very saline spray. Boil a 5 gallon kettle , add a ib of coarse salt, dissolve,cool, apply w/garden pump.
Keep the scorpians away? Marry a Virgo.
Cayanne is that cure. Keeps mice away as well. Sprinkle a bit at suspected egress points and pathways to larder stores..( geeezeus now I am Mark Twain)
I've never had such a mice problem here, till the night before last....both quats sleeping on the bed w/me and the Dog hadda field the foul ball. Eddy carried the micey out side , like he was holding a broken egg in his chops. I love my dog.
So, hit the dollar store and get thyself a raft of cheep pepper..apply as needed.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" Iam not a poet, but your hat is singularily inadequate"
"with a very saline spray."this for the 'mites?
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter
Yeah. It is counter intuitive to think that ( in Carol's locale) that the base Ph is conducive to anything at all. By thumping up the aylkiline or sodium..yer gonna kill somethin.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" Iam not a poet, but your hat is singularily inadequate"
LOL.....You sound like a Tucsonan!We have put cayenne around our plants and, of all things, lard around the trees......Now, I sound like Thurber! Lard is supposed to keep the fire ants away from your plants and you!I just don't want to wake up some night with a scorpion crawling on me!!Packrats are a real problem here as they, literally, take things from your yard, take them to their hole and bury them, hence, the name packrat....They also love to eat car wires....People here keep their hoods up so the buggers will not eat their wiring.....Packrats also bring kissing beetles with them.....Many people are really allergic to these little critters and if bit, break out....Dollar store is right up the street!
will the saline trick kill your grass and plants?
What about growing new plants and grass after you spray the saline solution?-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
WWPD
Best to keep it away from flower beds and such, just soak the wood/ground interface.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" Iam not a poet, but your hat is singularily inadequate"
We were told that for every square foot of desert there is at least 20 active termite colonies
Man, did they ever see you coming! Did you tell them you were brand new to the desert or did they just figure it out... maybe it was the Ohio plates on the car?
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -Albert Einstein
http://www.peteforgovernor.com
LOL.....Told them everything......:)There are more pest control companies out here than car washes......Big business, but necessary sometimes......
Here kid, I dug this up for you..... from http://www.thefrugallife.com/ants.html
Getting Rid of Ants
Q. I have a question about ants. We have had a problem with the small, brown ants. We have tried the borax & sugar, and poison, nothing works. Does anyone have any suggestions?
• We have 'them, too. About everybody we know does, here in Southern California. We don't like to spray poisons around, so we have to put up with them to some extent, but we have found that they hate baby powder (preferably scented talcum). If you find a trail of them in your house, or some "scouts" looking for food so they can bring the rest of their nest to enjoy it, just sprinkle the baby powder on the ants and wherever they are coming in from, if you can find it, and you will see them begin to get upset. After a while, they'll be gone, and they won't be back again for awhile, even after you remove the powder. We dust baby powder on our honey jar and sugar bowl, as well as the outside of the cats' dish and it keeps the ants off.
• Sounds crazy, but try vinegar! Fill a squirt bottle with plain old cheap white vinegar, and squirt it anyplace you've seen ants (kitchen counters, windowsills, etc) and let it dry. It's non-toxic, won't harm anything, and the smell will go away in just a couple of minutes. It worked for me! • I have a suggestion for the ant problem; plain old cinnamon. I put in or at the site of the ant invasion, they back off quick! • Black pepper is a nonlethal, poison free, cheap, and safe way to get rid of ants - sprinkle the black pepper where you see them congregating and watch 'them scatter. Follow them to where they're exiting - which is the same spot they're entering in at - and sprinkle the pepper at that spot to keep them from coming back in. It's safe to use in your cabinets, on windowsills, near your pets and kids, around food, etc.• I have a book with several tips for the use of apple cider vinegar. One of them is getting rid of ants. Make a mixture of 50/50 water and vinegar and pour it into a spray bottle. Spray the surface with the solution several times a day. Ants guide themselves with their scent. Vinegar has a natural chemical that alters ants' scent and which ants avoid.• My husband was in conversation recently with a gentleman in the pest control business. This man preferred to use environmentally safe methods to control pests. His recommendation for ants was: equal parts Windex and Ivory Soap. Simply mix, and spray problem areas. • Most ant poisons have a sweetness to them that attracts most but not all ants. Some ants are attracted to grease. Observe your ants and see what they like, maybe you need a different bait. Also, though this is sometimes difficult, see if you can trace them back to where they are getting in, because caulking is usually the best solution, as it prevents recurrence. • I live in south Florida, the bug capital of the world, and I don't use anything toxic in or around my home. I discovered a safe way to get rid of ants. I found Shakley's Basic H. It is a non-toxic soap made from soybeans. I take a pint spray bottle, fill it 1/3 with Basic H and 2/3 with water, mixing gently. Follow your trail of ants to try to discover where they are entering. Spray a thin stream of the mix around where they are coming in. I also spray around my door frames and into any openings where they might enter. Caulking any little holes or openings is also helpful. Please remember this is a SOAP. Do not spray where it will be stepped on and someone will slip. I reapply it as needed. Try to keep it off painted surfaces as it will eventually bubble the paint. You can also put three tablespoons into a Miracle Grow feeder full of water and spray outside around the foundation of your house. It will soak into the soil and get into the nests. Do this once or twice a month until the problem abates. As an added bonus, use the same mixture in your feeder and spray your lawn to keep it flea free. I also keep the little spray bottle handy to spritz any bugs that try to dash in the door when it's open. If it can kill a palmetto bug (roaches that are as big as B-52's), it will kill anything!• I had a bad problem with them last year and tried everything. Then, I read in a book to place Bay Leaves on your counters and preferably along the trail where they are coming in (if you can find it). It worked. Now I make sure that I keep some behind my canisters, etc. on my countertops.
• We use plain white chalk drawn in a line at the place they come in they wont cross for some reason and also I use comet cleanser sprinkled where children/animals don't go. • So far this has worked in my house. First you need to find out where they are coming in at. To kill ants that have entered your home without poison I use straight Simple Green. Believe me it works. Then after they are all dead, clean the area and spray the area with a peppermint spray. Fill a spray bottle with water and add approximately 10 - 15 drops of peppermint essential oil , sometimes called Peppermint Spirits. Ants won't cross the area because they hate the smell. Hope it works as well for you as it has for me.
•Ants will crawl away from mint. I did this as a science experiment and it worked. Just plant mint all around your house. Especially near doorways. • A line of cayenne pepper usually stops them from crossing over it.
• Try putting some whole cloves around. I put them on the window sills and door jams and also sprinkled a few around in my bottom cabinets. It worked.• I recently purchased the book “The Garden Guy – A Seasonal Guide to Organic Gardening in the Desert Southwest” by Dave Owens. Below is quoted information that may help you out. Dave Owens, does the Garden Guy's segments on KTVK (Channel 3) in the metro Phoenix area during Good Morning Arizona. – C.L. Outdoor Ant Control Supplies: 1 to 2 gallons water Stove or barbecue grill Instructions: Heat water to 160 to 170 degrees. Quietly sneak up to the mounds of ants and pour the boiling water down the hole. Note: I normally try to do this between 11am and 2 pm. Indoor Ant Control Supplies: 1 tbsp. boric acid 1 tbsp. mint jelly or peanut butter 1 cracker Small cardboard box Instructions: Mix the boric acid and mint jelly; spread mixture on a cracker. Punch pinholes in a cardboard box; place cracker inside. Place box in an area where ants cause problems, but away from children and pets. Note: The mint jelly or peanut butter lures the ants in and the boric acid kills them. Indoor and Outdoor Ant Control Supplies: Diatomaceous earth Instructions: Dust food-grade diatomaceous earth along the ant’s pathways. Note: The white powder will cut through their exoskeleton and they will dehydrate and die. Indoor and Outdoor Ant Control Supplies: 1 1/2 cup Cream of Wheat Instructions: Place a dish of Cream of Wheat where the ants can access it. Note: After they eat it, the cereal expands and the ants will explode. • This is an answer for Ana who has problems with ants in her kitchen. I have found sprinkling Comet or Ajax powder around the area the ants are invading works wonders. I also take it outside and find where the ants are coming up into the house and sprinkle it there. This is great in the kitchen because it is not poisonous like bug sprays. Good luck! - LR • Red chili powder !! I've been using it to repel ants for years. Make a paste using a little water, find where the little black pests are coming in and going out and paste the area. you can sprinkle the powder too, but I find adding water makes it more potent. The ants hate the stuff. Brooke and Mary B. • To trap ants leave an open bottle of maple syrup (cheap stuff is ok) the ants love it and they drown happy. Just make sure you your children and sig. other know about it (LOL). Also I have had luck with the Torro ant poison. It's like a syrup. This they take back to the colony. - Lucy• Mix borax with sugar water. Place it on the ant trails and where the ants are coming in. It kills any ant that eats the mixture. From CSinbad • Some mint oil and mint chewing gum help repel ants in a house. placed a stick or open pack of chewing gum on a shelf. Outside you can plant mint around the foundation. It makes a good groundcover and is fragrant when it's stepped on. I hope this helps. Please let me know. - Diana For More Ant Removal Suggestions Click here!
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -Albert Einstein
http://www.peteforgovernor.com
Ah, The Garden Guy......He's on the local TV stations in and around Phoenix........We were in Phoenix a couple of weekends ago and experienced the first rain in 143 days.....Visited Old Scottsdale.....The art galleries are awesome and the restaurants are great.......It's not so much the ants we are worried about(we haven't seen any in or around the house, just fire ants outside), it's termites.......I didn't realize what a big problem they are here in the desert.....Thanks for that link....If we see any ants, all of the remedies sound good.....Did you read where we put lard around our trees(olive, mesquite, Acacia and citrus) and the ants crawl through it and take it back to their nests and die.......Seems like a waste of good lard to me, but it supposedly works........Another tidbit, we pour bleach down our shower drains and that keeps scorpions from coming up through the drains......Yech, all I need is a scorpion in my morning shower!As Imerc pointed out, these critters were here long before we got here and they will be here long after we are gone......
I do confuse easily. you said termites, the thread was about ants and got me remembering about a jelly, cat food, boric acid mixture that kills the queen and causes the disbanding of the colony. So, i posted ant info to your termite problem... what a maroon.
Lard around the trees kills ants from a single exposure? and we thought it was bad for us... yikes! Heck, as fat as I've been getting I could run through town and every ant in sight would keel over from just looking at me. Maybe I could get a holiday named after me for running out the ants... like a modern day saint patrick..... aha! saint fat-trick!
Ok, termites.
oh, wait, scorpions in the shower? don't sweat it. they can't fit through the little holes in the drain grate. Unless you got the slots... then you'd better go buy the other kind. Scorpions are much larger than ants.
Oh yeah, and they can't shoot their stinger at you like they used to show in "Johnny Quest". Poor ill-informed me made quite a spectacle of myself the first time I met up with a scorpion... all with the shooting stinger visualization in mind. I picked up a rock, chasing a lizard that ran beneath and BAM! a scorpion is sitting there. Well, I'll be dammed if I'm going to let him shoot his stinger at me and I swear to god that i jumped 20 feet through the air from a complete standstill. My father almost passed out and wet himself, all at the same time, laughing at the sight of my antics.
Anyhoo, long story short. Scorpions don't shoot stingers or fit through little tiny holes.
Yes, back to termites now. I don't know how to get rid of them.
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -Albert Einstein
http://www.peteforgovernor.com
Edited 3/23/2006 6:22 pm ET by PeteDraganic
Funny story......Yeah we have slots in the drain......I've gotten quite an education about scorpions.....There are little ones and big ones! The little ones are the dangerous ones and the big ones are ugly but full of liquid.....Yech, it makes me squirm just talking about them......Remember, we are in the land of lard...:) Tortillas are made with lard and they are delicious! The Mexican food here is awesome.....Just have to talk with Terminix about termites.......We've sprayed for other bugs, but termites take something special, so I'm told......There goes eating out for the next few months!Seriously, if you ever get to the SW, you would love it.....October-April is the best time unless you like really, really dry, hot heat......Thanks....
Wow, sounds like the ICF contractors should be doing good business in your area.jt8
"When you take charge of your life, there is no longer need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life." -- Geoffrey F. Abert
The are! There is a new subdivision going up on the main street close to us.....Those slabs were poured and the frames went up fast......They have special "washout' areas where the concrete trucks can wash their drums out.....Took me a while to figure what washout areas were.....:)Another booming industry are the gravel pits........There is one huge gravel pit on I-10......Rocks, rocks, rocks........:)
Try Lysol multi purpose cleaner it comes in a spray bottle just spray it on the floor along the wall base in the room your having problems and put on a heavy mist and leave it . As soon as the ants come thru it they die right off, I`ve even used it out side on the side walk and it worked there too...
Crest toothpaste also deterrs the teresstials.
For the other spooks and globulans..spider silk is the only hope. And not just any spider silk, it has to be a black widow.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" Iam not a poet, but your hat is singularily inadequate"
LOL....We have enough tarantulas, thank you!Wolf spiders, too, although some call them tarantulas.......Am I arachniphobic? You betcha!
" Two weeks ago , I couldn't spell arachniphobic?, now I are one."
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" Iam not a poet, but your hat is singularily inadequate"
I just went outside to check on my lettuces and there was a great big wolf spider by the door.......You sicked them on me!!!
Spiders are good...will eat your bad bugs. Nurture her!
Meant to answer this yesterday, but got busy......I know, I would never kill one but this sucker was big!
View Image
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jt8
"When you take charge of your life, there is no longer need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life." -- Geoffrey F. Abert
Edited 3/24/2006 4:57 pm by JohnT8
Cuddly looking critter.
If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people
happy?
looks like a jumping spider..Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
I have the small brown ants in my house as well. I don't have any "streams" of ants - I just see 1-2 ants at random in various rooms on a daily basis.My house does not have any carpet. It has a crawl space.Where do you apply the bay leaves or other treatments if you don't see a stream of ants?Thanks for any help.^^^^^^
Gee, thanks, just what I needed.....:)
Check out askthebugman.com for any insect problems. He happens to be in New Mexico. By the way, I'm pleased to find ants in my house, ants love termites, if they can find them: an entomologist told me "To ants, termites are like candy."
"To ants, termites are like candy."
Heard that about fire ants. Didn't realize it applied to all ants.
Also heard scorpions eat roaches. Corporate business today measures everything by the size of the silver dollar.
Hey Jon, I see the thread is growing so I'll throw in my amateur opinion to the mix.
I've had the exact same problem and I used "Home Defense" by Ortho. Sprayed the perimeters of all rooms and across all doorways. I don't know if it's dangerous for kids or whatnot, but I can say it works. Got rid of some carpenter ants too.
"A job well done is its own reward. Now would you prefer to make the final payment by cash, check or Master Card?"
Do as search and find a site about ants, preferably one by a university in your region.
There is really no such thing as sugar or grease ants. I will bet you have argentinian ants.Their colonies a huge, up to blocks long. the best stuff is like Terra, they eat it and take it back home. Read up and let the war begin.
If it makes you feel better, my wife cleans very nice houses for "rich" people and she tells me they all have ant problems. She tells me this as I go into my battle mode when an ant is found. ; ^ )
Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.
I have to knock 'em out just about every spring. I tried using the Terro stuff, but after several weeks of that I began to think I was FEEDING them, not killing them. I'd walk in and see them shoulder-to-shoulder in a solid, dark line around the terro drops. Hit the counter and they'd scatter every which way.
Trying to block their entry points was worthless, because they seemed to come in whereever they wanted to.
Finally bought some ant bait/poison (plastic disc with poison paste up inside of it) from a local pesticide place. Takes a few days, but they seem to do the trick for me until next spring. I haven't bought them yet this year, but when I do I'll see what the brand is.
jt8
"When you take charge of your life, there is no longer need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life." -- Geoffrey F. Abert
Besides something like Terro, which kills them in the nest, a barrier type insecticide is good.
Black Flag used to make a foam ant and roach killer that made a very good barrier -- you'd spray it where the ants were climbing in cracks in the foundation, eg. But I haven't seen it for 10-15 years. Raid makes something that's not as good but still works.
The trick here is to use a contact-type insecticide that blocks their entry points. You're not spraying the bugs themselves.
If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people
happy?
I would gladly take those (especially if they will eat our termites)
Be glad you don't have the new, dreaded white-footed ant.
Thanks to a shiiping port south of me in the 80's.
They have now migrated to Tampa.
And there is no cure.
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WWPD
Cucumber Peels, been there, it works! Plus you add fiber to your diet!
http://www.planetnatural.com/site/xdpy/kb/natural-pest-controls.html
Okay, I've been using Terro for about a week and it seems to be having a positive effect. I'm more patient this time so hopefully it will work.
Now this afternoon I'm out washing the truck and I see the biggest stream of ants outside that I've seen since we started having problems. Since there's enough of them to follow I traced them out into the yard. They start to get sparse and I was not able to track them back to the source.
The main question that I have with what I saw is about which ants were carrying food or whatever else an ant may carry.
The ants going away from the house are empty-handed, but many of the ants returning have little chunks that they're carrying. I'm assuming this is a bad thing. There's a small walk-up basement stairwell area (the house is a split foyer with about 4' below grade) that they all seem to be heading towards. On the inside I see no trail that indicate they're coming in anywhere.
Could I have a nest in the cores of the block or something like that? I guess that's good news in a way because if I can locate the nest I can deal with it. Or maybe there are multiple nests?
Any thoughts?
Jon Blakemore
RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
Ants like to nest under concrete slabs, etc. They won't generally build a nest inside a concrete block, though, because they prefer to nest in dirt.There are probably several hundred ants nests in your yard. If you look closely, especially during a dry period, you can find an anthill every several feet in the typical lawn.
If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people
happy?
It's important to keep your yard cleaned up and free from loose debris.
Ants nest under things like old lumber, etc.Hmmm, I think I better go clean up out back..^^^^^^
"The Older We Get, The Better We Were"
Terro Ant Poison used to be made with arsenic and it worked really well with sugar ants. When the ex and I had kids she got rid of it. What a maroon.
Now it's made with boric acid as are many of the other household bait poisons for household arthropods. Works and won't kill the kids. Still it was kind of neat to have a source of arsnenic available. You put a dime size drop on a piece of cardboard and the ants find it and feed on it and they eventually all die and go away.........for awhile...........then come back if you live in Florida because there is an endless source of bugs here.
We discussed this ad nauseum in the old forum, so you might be able to search for stuff.
The upshot, as I recall, was borax-sugar solutions. Many are available at very reasonable cost at retailers. If you're a dedicated DIY, and a penny pounder, you can even make it yourself.
I've used the retail stuff with great success. We're talking about less than five bucks for a multi-year supply. The only caveat is that you need to wait three to four days for the worker ants to carry the borax-laced food back to the colony. After that it is only a matter of time before the entire colony is dead.
Holy Carp! I just noticed that this thread started four years ago. How'd that happen?
Ye olde duplicate name bug. Someone must have just created a thread titled "Ants" or some such (same characters, but different case, or different punctuation), and the brilliant software gave that thread the same name as this one. (You'll notice that this thread is called "ants".) Only happens when the old post is really old -- out of the archives.
Must be Rez's way of funnin'
Must be Rez's way of funnin' with the new forum!
>>>Must be Rez's way of
>>>Must be Rez's way of funnin' with the new forum!
Hahahaha...best explanation yet.
Suits him well.
I've had sugar ants and used
I've had sugar ants and used a mixture of sugar and boric acid. they take it back to the nest and in week or so, they're gone.
just google homemade ant poison and save yourself the $$$
done in twice in the last few years and works effectively
basically, it's just 'roach powder' be sure to get something that is mostly boric acid. some of the box stores have mostly filler and some b.acid
http://www.livingwithbugs.com/ant_bait.html