OT: Basement infested w/ ANTS!!! And advice?!!

[Lynn B]

Hi, everyone!

I am at my wit's end! Our basement has gotten infested w/ ANTS! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif (Hundreds of them -- maybe even thousands!!! wah wah!!) (Just the small black ones, though -- thank goodness for small favors!) We put down several packages of ant traps and I swear, it doesn't seem to be making any difference at all! (DH said he heard one of the ants say to another one, "Wow! We've only been here a few days and already 8 restaurants have sprung up!") Do any of you have any advice for me?! I don't know what to do when ANT TRAPS don't work!!! Thanks so much!!!!
Lynn

[Lynn B]

ARGH! A typo in the (unfixable!) TOPIC LINE?!!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/redface.gif Obviously that was supposed to read, "ANY advice"?!!! Oh, I am so embarrassed... !!!!
Lynn

[Grace]

Sounds to me like you're over an ant hill....in which case, you may need to call in a professional!!

POOR LYNN!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif

[BlueMoose]

I've had good luck with Taro

[makedah]

I have read many places that boric acid is the solution. But I live in an apartment, so when I get critters, I let THEM deal with it!

[sneezles]

One house we lived in had a terrible ant problem after about 3 months (the house was brand new). We treated the outside with Dursban (not sure if you can buy that any more) and used boric acid in the floor cabinets and behind the fridge. I simply used an ant spray in the closets upstairs. I had to do this about 3 different times before they quit showing up.

[SandyM]

I'm thinking this calls for a professional, Lynn. We have ants outside, but I use Diazanon - I don't even know if it's legal anymore - eesh. It works though, and it's out of reach of the dogs.

Best of luck to ya!

[Vanessa]

I got in Kmart in the garden area this dust for ants and also granules. I use it outside around the house foundation it seemed to have controled it. They were black and big.
Go to Home Depot too and ask for ant control. Now if the problem is huge it could be carpenter ants and they could have made tunnels in wood in the basement. TRy (bewarte of children and animals) a product from H Depot or Loews or Kmart then in a few days if you don't see results you might need a proffesional. One yr we had many ants (unusual) but it was dry and they were searching for water. Check openings leading to your basement see that you don't have something that is attracting them in (like a spill soda or juice etc). Good luck!

[Lynn B]

Originally posted by Grace:
Sounds to me like you're over an ant hill....in which case, you may need to call in a professional!!

POOR LYNN!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif

Grace, we've lived here for YEARS w/o this problem! Could the ant hill be NEW?!! Oh, this is AWFUL!!!

Blue Moose,
What is Taro?!

Vanessa, I will try the dust and/or granules.

Thanks to everyone else, too, for the input and advice.

WAR! THIS IS WAR!!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[goldilocks]

Lynn - get yourself some baby powder and sprinkle it around the perimeter of the basement (be generous), then if necessary sprinkle it around the entire floor. Ants can't climb through it! You may want to spray an ant killer such as raid to kill them. After you clean them up, sprinkle the powder around. It works! Good Luck!

[SueK]

Lynn- If I were you, I'd just call Ehrlich. We have them come to our house 3 times a year to spray, whether we see bugs or not, and honestly, we've lived here 5 years, and I have seen maybe 5 spiders in that whole time. They can spray for everything, and it's really effective.

[Lynn B]

Sue,
We have thought about a professional (who'd have ever thought THAT was the type of "professional help" I would need?!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif )
but we thought w/ ANTS it might not be effective... doesn't that just kill the little worker ants? We are under the impression that unless you get to the queen and the colony, you are just spitting in the wind. Isn't that so?

And goldilocks, thanks for the great advice. I love the idea of a non-poisonous solution.

Speaking of, has anyone ever heard of using CHALK????

THANKS!

Lynn

[SueK]

Lynn-When we bought our house, we found out the previous owners "underestimated" (lied!) to us about a few things. They told us "We see a few ants in the spring", etc. Well, when we moved in, there were ants crawling up the walls of the downstairs! It reminded me of a Hitchcock movie! Anyway, we called Ehrlich and they came in, and within 1 day, all the ants were gone.

To this day, we might see a few ants during the course of the year, but the professional treatment has definitely kept them away.

[goldilocks]

lynn - yes, i have heard of the chalk idea, ants can't walk across it. the baby powder idea is along the same lines as the chalk.

[Lynn B]

Sue,
Thanks for the added info. I have never needed a professional exterminator before. Are they dreadfully expensive? (I am sure prices vary considerably, especially in different areas... but I am just wondering if we are talking about LOTS of money?) And do they give any guarantees? Thanks!
Lynn

[KathrynY]

Lynn B - I sympathize! We get ants as soon as the weather gets warm every year, and by July they are gone again. It's very simple - we live in the woods, they live in the woods. *sigh* We use the "ant dust" like Vanessa described, and sprinkle it around the entire exterior foundation of the house. It does a pretty good job of keeping them out, but it does look mighty strange to have a line of white powder around the outside of your house! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif Also, every time it rains you have to reapply. I wonder if the baby powder and/or chalk would work for us? Probably would be cheaper.

[debg]

Lynn,

I've heard ants don't like cinamon (spelling?) for the same reason as chalk and baby powder...they don't like to cross the line - also Bay Leaves are supposed to be a deterent for ants. I HATE using poison due to my 4 cats. I'm going to try the Bay Leaves this year, so let me know if it works! May the force be with you!

[BlueMoose]

Taro is just an ant poison that comes in a bottle. I think you can buy it pretty much anywhere. I seem to get some ants every year. You either pour a little onto some aluminum foil plain or mix it with peanut butter or butter or something sugary (depending on whether you have grease or sugar ants). Just set it out (away from kids and pets) and wait for them to come and feed on it. They take the poison back to their hill and will be gone within a couple of days. It is very inexpensive. My mom and my grandma and I have always gotten rid of ants this way.

Good Luck!
Chrisi

[Holly in KC]

Lynn - You've already received lots of good advice, but thought I'd pass along one quick tip.

Last month, I had the same problem... but in my kitchen - ugh!!! The little buggers were coming in from behind my stove (ick ick ick).

I also put traps out, but they just ignored them (I had 2 different kinds... just in case they didn't like the "flavor" of one - turns out, they didn't like either). What finally worked for me was to cut open the tops off the traps (being VERY careful of course to not spread the poison inside around. Then, I sprinkled on a little Diet Coke and/or orange juice to sweeten up the scent a little. It did the trick.

Good luck!

[Lynn B]

Thanks everyone! The great tips and suggestions just keep rolling in! I will share all this w/ DH later and hopefully we will be "ant-less" soon! I will be sure to keep you posted!
Lynn

[DanaSD]

I was fighting an ant problem for 4 years in my apartment (and its the reason hte last tenant moved out) and I thought I had won - until last week. The ants I had for 4 years were small brown ants and my property manger hired professionals. They got me bait traps that can't be purchsed in stores - they were great! They also started spraying the perimieter of the building. No ants for a year. Well last week I got ants again - but this time they were smaller black ants. My property manager called the pest control company and they said there's nothing they can do for this type of ant. If they spray it brings back the other type of ant (not sure how) and they don't want this type back because they were in all the apartments.

[Norma]

Lynn, I've been collecting tidbits of information as I find them just in case I ever need them. I've never tried these, but something might be of interest to you.
**************
ANTS
I found the best way to get rid of ants (and the cheapest) is to mix equal parts sugar and borax. I put it in little "stations" all around the yard (be sure to replace if it rains) in baby food jar lids. The
ants carry the sugar back to the hill, and the borax clinging to the sugar does the rest. After about a week or two, no more ants! Michele B.
* * * * * * * * * * *
I am not certain about outside, but I have used powdered cinnamon to keep ants out of the house. Just sprinkle it in the window sill or where ever they are coming in and they do not cross it. But this would be a problem outside.
* * * * * * * * * * *
I have spayed them with vinegar, which kills them on contact, but they keep coming up on the counter from between the counter and stove. Ants also do not like mint, and after spraying them with vinegar and cleaning up, I took one of the kid's paint brushes and "painted" mint extract around where they were coming up. That kept them at bay until the scent wore away. I may try peppermint essential oil for something that lasts longer.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Ants won't cross salt lines or chalk lines.
* * * * * * * * * * *

Sprinkle cinnamon on ant trails. (Especially good for indoors!) -Recommend by MotherEarth News
* * * * * * * * * * *
Put Boric Acid in small, shallow containers (like jar lids) in cupboards, etc. Since ant have 2 stomachs, they store some (food) and feed later to the ants waiting in the colony.

ANT KILLER
1/4 cup yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 tbl warm water

Mix yeast with the warm water and let rest for 10 minutes. Add sugar and honey to the yeast. Stir well. Dribble this mix all the way around the ant hole and their path. Put some down the hole if possible. Don't let your pets lick up the ant killer though. That much yeast can really upset their systems.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Pour Borax powder around the foundation of your house. Ants will not cross
this and you will be ant free.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Well Grounded Ants
We all know the environmental hazards of using pesticides - not to mention the ugly chain of events as a result of using them. A great way to get rid of ants is to put used coffee grounds at their point of entry into your house. If you're lucky enough to find the source ant colony outside, dumping one filter-full of used coffee grounds will eradicatethe whole colony. SB
* * * * * * * *
We have been having an ant problem in our house since we moved in about 17 years ago. I have always hesitated using chemicals to kill them because of small grandchildren and pets. However, recently I found out that ants don't like chalk. I got some colored sidewalk chalk, chose the color closest to my linoleum, and rubbed a chalk line where the ants had to cross. Within a couple of days, NO MORE ANTS! It worked for me. I hope it helps somebody
else. BC (Dollar Stretcher)



[This message has been edited by Norma (edited 06-12-2001).]

[BosunsWife]

We live in ant heaven. Hawaii has several different types and they love to make trails. We have an exterminator come bi-monthly inside and out. They CAN kill the little black ones. They are the most common around here and you will get marching trails everywhere, inside and out. So far I have been able to avoid them inside our house, but DH has spot killed several trails outside in between exterminator visits. He just uses a Raid type product.

[toothmom]

I have also heard that ants don't like sage?! I haven't tried it myself, but it wouldn't hurt to try. We had an ant problem a month ago and I put red pepper out and that seemed to help. DH also put some chemicals on the huge ant hill. Hope your army gets out of your place soon. Good luck.

[Beth]

I have used boric acid to kill the common ants (fire ants need special stuff), and bay leaves do seem to help keep them away. I can tell you vinegar will kill ants, even fire ants, but if can also kill your plants or grass. I like the baby powder, cinnamon and peppermint oil ideas.

I had a professional tell me that with the way ants move about and the short term results they can promise, it was not worth paying a professional unless you just didn't want to try it yourself.

Don't they say traps may take a couple of weeks before you see the results? I haven't used them in some time, but I do seem to remember that.

[This message has been edited by Beth (edited 06-12-2001).]