The ants go marching two by two....

[helios7]

Sadly I'm not really feeling a hurrah!


Anyone got some ideas how to rid a place of ants? We moved a week ago. The weather turned warm yesterday and BAM! Ants. Upstairs, downstairs, stealing the catfood from the floor... just ANTS. We put down little bait traps... but they don't seem to be doing much. I looked at Raid at the pharmacy, but am not feeling all the chemicals except as a last resort.

Does anyone have a more natural remedy? DH has seen cracks under doors that he is planning to try to seal to help us with the issue somewhat, but I'd love some other ideas.

Just to prove my point - an ant just crawled across my hand while I'm typing. Upstairs... away from the kitchen - they're in our bedrooms too. Awesome.

:(

[gertdog]

Heather, are they tiny ants or big ones? If they are tiny ants you might try Terro liquid baits. If they are big, they could be carpenter ants and wouldn't take the Raid or Terro baits.

I feel your pain- we're waging an ongoing battle and the warm weather really does seem to have stirred them up. Yuck.

[helios7]

Thanks Stephanie.

They're pretty tiny. I'll have to look for Terro liquid traps. Where would one find them? Hardware stores?

[erin elizabeth]

Here with a couple of suggestions. We, too, like Terro for ants that are after sweet things. For the bigger black ants, Grant's Spikes work really well. You can find both those products at a hardware store and some grocery stores. I've had luck at Lowe's.

For a more natural remedy, you can sprinkle Mule-Team Borax on edges, sills, etc. They won't cross it, but you'll have to reapply if it gets wet or washed away.

[zwieback]

Ants don't seem to want to cross chalk, either. So, that might be something safe you could do, especially around the pet food, although I don't think it would be a permanent solution. I know I've made chalk lines on the sidewalk outside (just to see if it worked) and the ants didn't cross it.

[LaraW]

I've also been doing battle with ants this week. I put the Terro liquid stuff down, and it seems to have helped. A year or two ago, DH caulked around our sliding glass door in the kitchen (that is where we thought they were getting in) and that helped a LOT. The other day I saw a tiny gap in the caulk and they were just marching right in and out through there, so we got that sealed up.

The Terro stuff does help a lot. I believe you should be able to get it at the grocery store, Target, Wal Mart - any of those places.

[sneezles]

Sadly I'm not really feeling a hurrah!


Anyone got some ideas how to rid a place of ants?

Can give you my DS#1's email and maybe he can help (he is a licensed pest and termite control operator in the state of Texas) and he has a degree in such things.

[KCSoccer]

We've had an ant problem the past two weeks - they want to come in from all the rain! They're little black ants, can't really see where they're coming in. It seems each spring when it gets rainy that this happens.

Anyway, we use a spray bottle filled with 1/3 white vinegar and 2/3 water. It's not an instant solution, but I've been told that the acid disrupts the chemical trail they leave for other ants (ever notice how they all "walk" in a line?). After 2-3 days, they disappear.

[SaraInWisc]

I haven't tried this yet but a neighbor told me ants don't like lavender. I'm not sure if she meant candles, oil, or the plant itself. It sounds better than chemicals with kids or pets around.

[Jessnc]

Two Sundays ago I spent an entire day trying to rid my place of the ants that had taken over within a matter of hours. I'm currently living in an RV and the idea of those ants being everywhere drove me nuts. I used an ant killer spray (don't remember what it was called, but it came in a squirt bottle as opposed to an aeresol can) to get some control over the little buggers. I sprayed inside and out - any seams that they appeared to be coming in from. I let that sit for a couple hours then I wiped every imaginable surface down with the vinegar/water solution. I set 10 traps out - 6 were Raid and 4 were Combat. I also set 6 outdoor traps (traps, bait, whatever you want to call it) outside the perimeter of my RV. I now see one or two live ants about once a week, and a few dead ones by the trap in my bathroom every couple of days. They definitely were coming in through my bathroom, so I try to spray that down with the vinegar solution every few days.

Good luck with your ant situation! I know how frustrating it can be.

[wwhirledpeas]

I swear by Terro liquid traps. For me, after the trap is opened, I never see them again the rest of the summer.

I don't think anyone answered you on where to purchase them - I just picked some up the other day at Walmart in the cleaning section, of all places.

[ClaraB]

We've just started seeing quite a few small ants in our kitchen, near our sliding patio door. I'm interested in the Terro ant traps mentioned, but we have two cats - is it safe to use the traps when you have house pets?

[leebee]

I use Terro--inside & outside. I do have a dog, a cat and two small kids, so I choose placement carefully. But I've never had a problem. Just to warn you--they work as a bait, so at first, it will seem you have more ants than ever. Give it time. It works! Once I have them under control, I put Borax in the backs of my cupboards. Also, ants don't like the oil in bay leaves, so you can slip them in cabinets, under furniture, under rugs, etc. The bonus is that the bay leaves smell really good! Good luck.

ETA: The baits are made so that the liquid inside is pretty hard to access. I've dropped open baits without the liquid spilling. My pets have never shown an interest, so it's just the tiny people I've had to think about.

[Kate B]

I'm grateful for the ideas in this thread -- thank you!

My mom and I were planting my garden this weekend and stirred up what seemed to be THOUSANDS (OK, I'm exaggerating) of ants. And we discovered they like to bite... ugh.

I bought some bait (can't remember the name right now) that you puncture the sides, then set out amongst the critters. It's only been out a day, so I don't know if it's working or not. I admit to being concerned about my dog, but she doesn't seem interested and I've been watching her when she goes outside. I'm going to try the vinegar/water solution, too!

I wondering if anyone has any "natural" killers for earwigs, too? One of those little rat $&^($# started after my new eggplant. I put chemicals down with a chair over it so my dog can't get at it. Would love a no-chemical solution....

Thanks again!

Thanks again!

[helios7]

Thanks everyone for the ideas....I was away for the weekend but the ants certainly weren't. It's bad news.

I am off to try the water/vinegar combo - will be looking for Terro bait traps ASAP and need to find myself some borax, clearly.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one, although having to dump Helios' food swimming in hundreds of ants is getting really old. Poor little guy - it literally makes me ill thinking of him eating from his ant infested bowl but with being away for the weekend, we've had no way/time to deal with the problem. Right now we've taped up where they're coming in.... DH bought a sealant to block it but then we left it at the inlaws. :(

I just can't wait to be settled - moving is such a pain and I'm done with the mess!

But anways... thanks all. I appreciate your ideas, and hearing I'm not alone!