# Under Attack by Ants! Help!



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

I am having a very bad ant invasion in my pantry. They are everywhere in my pantry! Even under the bands of my canned goods!

Last time we had them in the pantry I cleaned out the entire pantry throwing out all our honey as that was what they were after. My DH caulked the entire pantry and every jar, box and bag was inspected and cleaned before being put back up.

Since I found them this morning I have had to throw out one package of sugar and put the rest in the freezer until I can seal them in mylar.

How can I get rid of these pests without poisoning my own food or making my Roo or cats sick? HELP ME, PLEASE!


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Do you know what kind they are? We have tons of ants here but they don't bother us in the house. Also buckets of honey with drippings on them and they never seemed interested. 
We use a lot of diatomaceous earth and it works, over time, whether it works well on ants depends but if it is dry it would certainly discourage them over time. We use it as a preventative rather than a cure.
Have heard of many other non-toxic ant controls like borax and cornmeal but have never needed them so am not sure what actually will work.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

cowboyhermit said:


> Do you know what kind they are? We have tons of ants here but they don't bother us in the house. Also buckets of honey with drippings on them and they never seemed interested.
> We use a lot of diatomaceous earth and it works, over time, whether it works well on ants depends but if it is dry it would certainly discourage them over time. We use it as a preventative rather than a cure.
> Have heard of many other non-toxic ant controls like borax and cornmeal but have never needed them so am not sure what actually will work.


I have no clue what kind of ants they are. They are small and black. I have experience with fire ants from my childhood in Texas. My dad had to hose me off in the yard once when I played in the empty lot- I was covered in ants and they were biting me.

These ants have gone after sugar, fruit, meat and water. They love the cats' water fountain and the shower but that's not what bother me. I can't stand they are in my pantry again! That and they had been in our freezer in the garage during the summer.

I have tried ant stop powder which is just spices ground up as well as toxic sprays. They will not go away for long!

They are now attacking our kitchen sink which is 100% clean and empty. I even used bleach to clean it!

:brickwall:


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Wow, sounds rough. I have heard of sugar ants before, maybe that's them.
Was thinking that they must have a source of water if they live inside but I guess you already figured that out.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

You can kill ants with windex!  I do it all the time on cooking and food prep surfaces. Simple green will work too but windex and the store brand generic are cheaper.

Ants leave little invisible (to us) trails that other ants will use to come find them... or so I've heard. So if you spray a bunch, clean up the area they were walking on too. Might help keep their buddies launching search and recovery parties.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Dakine said:


> You can kill ants with windex!  I do it all the time on cooking and food prep surfaces. Simple green will work too but windex and the store brand generic are cheaper.
> 
> Ants leave little invisible (to us) trails that other ants will use to come find them... or so I've heard. So if you spray a bunch, clean up the area they were walking on too. Might help keep their buddies launching search and recovery parties.


Thanks.

We use a citrus spray to kill them when we see them on the counters. I use bleach sprays to remove the trails but they find a new way to their targets. I want them gone! They are driving me nuts!

It doesn't help that our property management company just tells us to use raid and refuses to do anything about it! The other families in the building have it just as bad!


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

I often get them after it rains, when it stops raining I go outside and spray the door jams, the window seams, all around any external electrical outlets and any breaks in the exterior for things like hose faucets and the dryer vent. All of that stuff that I can reach. It helps but it's not 100% and if you are in a multi family unit then you could be suffering from someone else having external entry points and they are just moving inside the walls to your place.

Fortunately my neighbor keeps her kitchen even cleaner than I do and they are at opposite ends (duplex house) so cross contamination from her isn't as likely. 

Hmm now that rain did stop for another day, i think I might go outside and reapply the spray barrier on the windows and door jams.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

You might wanna take a peak at some similar threads here on the board ...

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f14/getting-rid-ants-3546/

One thing I learned is that ants will play a game of "follow the leader" to some place that they like. The scout ants will find something, follow their scent back to the nest and give the workers the scent-trail to follow. As long as the nest is outside the house, you would be in some amount of luck.

Sit quietly and watch the ants for about an hour - you will find that you would be able to watch one or two easily. Follow their movements with your eyes, where they go, how they get there and then you may notice that others are doing something similar.

Start by cleaning their "path" with a fairly strong scented cleaner like original Windex (what I find works wonderfully) - spray the ants themselves, spray the walls, the floors, into the cracks - spray everything down. Use paper towels to wipe and when they are soaked through, toss them to the side because they will be used again (and again) till they are worn through.

Use your memory to clean their path at least a few feet to both sides of their primary path - further if possible.

Now - that is only if it is an outdoor nest.

For an indoor nest (inside the walls), I like using Raid "garden drops" along their path and not clean their path - you want them to bring the liquid directly to the middle of the nest. Repeat the drops twice a day till you see no more hint of the ants. Any viable eggs in the nest will need to be taken care of later, but, once the signs of the ants are gone, go ahead and clean the entire area with Windex. Picture attached of the Raid ant-killer drops below ..

I use plastic buckets with GammaSeal lids for all the product that ants and other bugs might like to get into ...


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

NaeKid said:


> You might wanna take a peak at some similar threads here on the board ...
> 
> http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f14/getting-rid-ants-3546/


Thanks. I did a search before posting to make sure I didn't post a repeat. Most of what I read was a repeat of what we have been doing.

I currently have a bait trap in the pantry in the middle of their line where they are coming out of the wall. Once my DH gets home from work I'll start the first line of defense by cleaning up the ants and their trails. I'll make a store run for the drops and see how those work.

I just found they are getting into the fridge and freezer in the house too! It is driving me insane that they will not stop!

We may have to move before the lease is up if the management company doesn't fix this! We have never had ants before and they didn't start until the family downstairs moved in...

:rant:


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## cengasser (Mar 12, 2012)

You may have a best under the house or along the foundation. We have ants also, we have used pesticides outside along the foundation but you have to be careful with the Roos and furry ones. 
We once used some termite control that you sprinkled and wet it down. It's dissolves when wet, reducing the chance of the Roos etc getting harmed.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

I take it that you live in an apartment / condo situation?

If so - the problems could be significantly deeper and could be something that would take professional help (exterminator). Talk to the landlord about your concerns as well. There might be an infestation beyond your little piece of the pie.


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## SouthCentralUS (Nov 11, 2012)

Dissolve 2 pounds alum in 3 quarts water. Apply with a brush while hot to every crevice where the vermin harbor.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

Grimm said:


> I am having a very bad ant invasion in my pantry. They are everywhere in my pantry! Even under the bands of my canned goods!
> 
> Last time we had them in the pantry I cleaned out the entire pantry throwing out all our honey as that was what they were after. My DH caulked the entire pantry and every jar, box and bag was inspected and cleaned before being put back up.
> 
> ...


Diatenacious earth.non toxic to you or pets, kills ants and roaches fast however!plugs up their little lungs.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

Borax mixed with icing sugar works good too


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Before I got rid of them in my house a couple years ago, I kept a spray bottle of diluted orange oil, one spray and they curled up and die, when you wipe them up the trail is gone. Left a good smell in the house too.

The way I finally got rid of them in the house was to kill every hill I found anywhere even near the house. Kill em outside and there's none to come in. Haven't had ants in the house for over 2 years.

For those of you in the Gulf States, a new species of ant has been making an appearance, "Raspberry Crazy Ant", they dont sting too much but come in in swarms, run around like they are lost and get into food and everything electric.


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

Caulk doesn't work since they just consider it something to dig through. Chalk does, it's a hard barrier to their chemical senses so they won't cross it. Good temporary weapon.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

We had ant issues last summer and tried pretty much everything. The only thing that truly got the job done was Terro ant killer. First in the house, then at every entry point and then outside. But Terro gets pretty expensive when you use it serious quantities. So my wife found a recipe for making our own Terro using pretty basic ingredients. Worked just as well as the brand name stuff. After a couple week so vigilance our ant issue was gone and we have no had any problems since.

http://www.stacymakescents.com/homemade-ant-bait


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## Marcus (May 13, 2012)

Seems like I remember vinegar and garlic work too.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

Grimm said:


> Thanks. I did a search before posting to make sure I didn't post a repeat. Most of what I read was a repeat of what we have been doing.
> 
> I currently have a bait trap in the pantry in the middle of their line where they are coming out of the wall. Once my DH gets home from work I'll start the first line of defense by cleaning up the ants and their trails. I'll make a store run for the drops and see how those work.
> 
> ...


I've had very little success with bait traps inside the house, spray is 100% effective but I have pets I don't want exposed to it, so that prevents me from using it, like you.

They've flocked to my meatloaf jars after canning, but rarely if ever something else that i can think of, but ALWAYS to the meatloaf. ALWAYS!

SoCal is one GINORMOUS anthill, I do not think they will give you any lee-way at all in even the slightest little bit about breaking your lease, and honestly, I think the neighbor could be purely coincidental. I've been in SoCal full-time since 99 and I can tell you that I can go at least an entire year without seeing ants, and then all of a sudden they're everywhere and I cant get rid of them for months! No rhyme or reason, just PADOW!!! and there they are.

Good luck! and fwiw, I've also heard as Bahm mentioned that they dont like to cross chalk, and if memory serves they said use the big pieces of chalk that kids or artists use for sidewalk drawings, and just make 3 lines across any route they are trying to take, and it should discourage them.


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## Gians (Nov 8, 2012)

We use to have the same problem almost every year, usually in the winter around the Holidays. We'd get up in the morning they'd be all over the sink or up in the pantry, even on stuff that was sealed tight. We'd put as many open items in the fridge as we could, but they'd find their way up the fridge and a few even managed to get in. When they were really bad I'd vac them up, then clean the floors really good. I'd track where they'd be getting in and try to stop them with various methods...worked sometimes. About the only thing that totally got rid of them was sealing the kitchen up tight so they couldn't get in and cleaning up really good every night(hard to do with kids). Good luck, hope you give em the boot.


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## old_anorak (Nov 27, 2012)

Terro is the bomb! I've also had success with putting down cinnamon in a 1" wide stripe across their trail. My mom swears by that and cucumber peelings.


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## dirtgrrl (Jun 5, 2011)

Spraying the ants themselves is a satisfying but temporary measure. This is a very effective bait and killer. The ants don't die immediately but take it back to the nest and feed it to the larvae and queen, eventually killing the nest. This works for BOTH meat and sweet-eating ants.

scant 1/2 cup of bacon grease (rancid is OK)
about 1 cup powdered sugar
1 heaping tablespoon of boric acid powder - pure, no additives

Mix the sugar and boric acid together, then mix with the bacon grease until a little crumbly but holds together. Add a little more grease or sugar to get a good consistency. Scoop about a tablespoon into small containers with a small hole, and place inside the house near where the ants enter. Try to place between where they enter and their target areas, but out of the reach of children or pets. Check every few days as the ants love this stuff and take it quickly.

You will notice a marked reduction in the ant population within 4 - 5 days, but don't stop the bait when they're gone! This is key: although the worker ants, queen and larvae are gone, the eggs and pupating ants don't eat the bait and are not killed. The pupae mature into worker ants, and go about tending the eggs and will turn one or several into a new queen right away. You will begin to see ants again in as little as two weeks and the nest keeps on going. Keep the bait out so that the new workers find it first, feed it to the newly hatched eggs, and then you get ALL the inhabitants of the nest. Have patience. Clean up all the pheromone trails with vinegar EXCEPT the ones leading from entry place to bait. You want the new ants to find the bait FIRST. 

Use the ingredients as listed, no substitutions. Don't add more boric acid thinking it'll make it stronger; it's plenty strong and you'll only dilute the lure of the sugar and grease. Powdered sugar mixes with the boric acid very well so the ants can't pick it out. Bacon grease is the attractant that most commercial baits don't have. There are no mammalian poisons in this bait, which is why it is important to use pure boric acid with no other additives. It is commonly found as a product called "Roach-Pruf" in many hardware stores. If a pet or child does ingest this, they'll just get a belly ache from rancid bacon grease. Also, those small 35mm film canisters are great for this. Just cut a small notch in the lid and keep using again and again.

Also, watch for any place with open water or condensation around the house. Many times the ants are just looking for water and will go away when the source is eliminated.

Please PM me if you have more questions. I don't get to the forum very often any more.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

*they may be pharo ants*

they sound like pharo ants. if so ,then you will HAVE to kill they home base. if you choose to move, then every box and bag that come into your new place will need to be checked. I had them years ago. the only way I got rid of them was to use a bug killing company. there was a paste that they put down and that helped. when we moved, (in dec) we started getting them again about four months later. when I went thru some Halloween stuff, I found a big nest of them. you need to check all over your house including the gutters, eaves, downspouts. these ants want to live where it is dry and warm. their main nest is probably in the attic near where a downspout is and there is something for nesting such as insulation or packing paper. they loved the paper that I packed around my breakables. hope this helps.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

stayingthegame said:


> they sound like pharo ants. if so ,then you will HAVE to kill they home base. if you choose to move, then every box and bag that come into your new place will need to be checked. I had them years ago. the only way I got rid of them was to use a bug killing company. there was a paste that they put down and that helped. when we moved, (in dec) we started getting them again about four months later. when I went thru some Halloween stuff, I found a big nest of them. you need to check all over your house including the gutters, eaves, downspouts. these ants want to live where it is dry and warm. their main nest is probably in the attic near where a downspout is and there is something for nesting such as insulation or packing paper. they loved the paper that I packed around my breakables. hope this helps.


We can track the trail back to the dumpster out back. They have their nest in the downstairs neighbors' yard near the dumpster. We did have a nest living in our strawberry baskets this summer but after repeat soakings in the tub they moved out. I did lay out some traps when I found them and they have left our pantry alone for the past 12 hours. They ended up going after our bleach cleaned sink and have slowly started leaving that alone. I don't get it.

I go through every bag, box and container every time I see them and have had to throw out quite a bit of our everyday food.

I really want the property management to do something since it is not my job or responsibility to buy cans of Raid in bulk to spray down the dumpster as they have asked us to.

I just need to stop the ants in my unit so I don't go nuts.

I have gotten a lot of good advice here and am planning on trying some of it.


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

Grimm said:


> We can track the trail back to the dumpster out back. They have their nest in the downstairs neighbors' yard near the dumpster. We did have a nest living in our strawberry baskets this summer but after repeat soakings in the tub they moved out. I did lay out some traps when I found them and they have left our pantry alone for the past 12 hours. They ended up going after our bleach cleaned sink and have slowly started leaving that alone. I don't get it.
> 
> I go through every bag, box and container every time I see them and have had to throw out quite a bit of our everyday food.
> 
> ...


Sounds like you have a super colony of ants that can run in the millions. Since you found the nest this is where you want to put the bait traps not in your house. If the ants are super small and squirrely they are probably ghost ants, if they are bigger look for an occasional larger ant with a big head. These are big headed super colonies. If the walk in a line behind each other then they are probably white footed. Super colony ants will bud when you start killing them causing them to separate and create more colonies. Go after the nest and continue to treat them with residual spray products containing fipronil (works great), bifenthrin, or permethrin, sometimes in conjunction with granular baits. Lawns and flowerbeds are sometimes treated with granular insecticides containing fipronil or lambda-cyhalothrin. All of the advise you have gotten is good. Just don't bait in your house as you are bringing them in to feed. Good luck!


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Would you be able to get a good quality picture / video of the ants in action so that we can see them ... it might help with coming up with a good solid plan and maybe even a way to get the landlords to ante-up ...


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## archcpj (Dec 4, 2011)

terro works well


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

NaeKid said:


> Would you be able to get a good quality picture / video of the ants in action so that we can see them ... it might help with coming up with a good solid plan and maybe even a way to get the landlords to ante-up ...


I'll see what I can do. I'm not that video/computer savvy.


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## lotsoflead (Jul 25, 2010)

50/50 mix of borox soap powder and white suger, wipes out all kinds of ants.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

Grimm said:


> I am having a very bad ant invasion in my pantry. They are everywhere in my pantry! Even under the bands of my canned goods!
> 
> Last time we had them in the pantry I cleaned out the entire pantry throwing out all our honey as that was what they were after. My DH caulked the entire pantry and every jar, box and bag was inspected and cleaned before being put back up.
> 
> ...


Diatomaceous Earth --sprinkle it.


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## talob (Sep 16, 2009)

I just did a serch for ants on the site and come across this thread, we are haveing a real problem with what I think are the sugar or have heard em called sweet ants the little tiny brown ones. Have had them for some time, been feeding them Tarro for over a year I think I've fattend up every ant in the county with the stuff, wife came across a recipe useing boric acid sugar and water, dissapointed again, may try the boric acid powderd sugar bacon grease idea not real optimistic though, started out on the cupboards now all over the place makeing me crazy! Anyone have any other super cures?


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## ras1219como (Jan 15, 2013)

You may just want to call a pest control company. That's what we ended up doing when we couldn't get rid of the little buggers...worked too no insects of any kind for a year!


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## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

We get them a couple of times a year. I've got no fancy organic homemade solution for them. What I use is Ortho Home Defense Max. It gets rid of them in a day. Just spray the trails and the entry point. Then I spray a three foot wide area around the outside of the house and around all the windows and doors. Bug free for around 6 months.


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## PrepN4Good (Dec 23, 2011)

I tried some home remedies when ants were tormenting my honey bees (cinnamon, cayenne, DE, etc.) but nothing worked. Finally had to raise the hive on legs with bowls of water under each one.

We pay for an exterminator to come to the house a few times a year. It's pricy, but with 2 slobs & 8 pets in the house, we would be overrun with crawley things. The stuff they use for ants is like Terro x 10.


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## Norse (Jan 30, 2010)

They make a ant poison called "TERRO". It is a direct ingestion poison, so you don't have to spray it all over your house and cause secondary contamination of you or your family.

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/terro-liquid-ant-baits/ID=prod393361-product?ext=gooHousehold_PLA_Indoor_Pest_Control_prod393361_pla&adtype={adtype}&kpid=prod393361&sst=63563a70-d180-2808-8baa-00002cef881e

The ants that eat it then take it back to the colony and feed the rest of the hive, it has very positive results. I used it once on the cabin in Minnesota and never saw another ant again in 7 years.


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## PrepN4Good (Dec 23, 2011)

Deleted by author; double post!


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

At the old beach apartment we ended up forcing the landlords to hire a company to spray the outside of the building every 30 days. No ants.

Now we live in the mountains and have 3 types of ants to deal with. Super tiny ones I have heard are called "crazy ants". When I say tiny I mean under an eighth of an inch long. The sugar ants we had at the beach and carpenter ants that are 1/2 inch long or bigger. The crazies are the only problem now. They come out after we have made cookies or brownies while the other 2 types leave us alone.

When I see the ants I use an organic orange oil spray to kill them and clean the counters. They stay away after that till the next baking day.

Ortho has a pet and child safe natural pest spray you can use. Just wipe it up after you use it. My cats liked to lick it up and then vomit.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

My family has been using this homemade remedies for years now.
Boric Acid
While non-toxic to humans, boric acid, or borax, is poisonous to ants. Mix borax with equal parts powdered sugar, and sprinkle around the anthill or popular ant entry points around the home.
Citrus Oil
The powerful oils extracted from the peels of popular citrus fruits, particularly oranges, are naturally toxic to ants. Mix citrus oil and water together to drench an anthill or spray anywhere there is ant activity.
I mix orange peel and alcohol and let it seat for sometime, or you can buy the oil, use a few drops only.


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## ContinualHarvest (Feb 19, 2012)

Didn't read all of the replies, but we recently were invaded by ants. We got rid of them overnight using borax and some jam. Mix the jam and borax in a little bit of water then place it in a dish. Let them feast on it, and BAM dead ants.


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## talob (Sep 16, 2009)

As posted above, the terro never worked after bottles of the stuff and boric acid hasent worked yet either I THINK THE DAMN THINGS ARE LAUGHING AT ME! May have to go with the advice of spraying nasty stuff around or call in the big guys.


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## Marcus (May 13, 2012)

Try the vinegar in a spray bottle. It worked for me.


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## brucehylton (Nov 6, 2010)

Avon skin so soft will chase them away and Boric Acid around the house will discourage them from coming in to start.


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## twiggie (Jan 3, 2009)

The health food/herb store my wife works at was invaded by ants on Saturday, they were after her tea box and honey. The solution she used was peppermint essential oil, put a few drops on the broom and sweep the area where they're entering and sweep all along the line where they're going. The peppermint repels them, I guess they don't like the smell, and sweeping them up is a quick way to get rid of them. The store is closed Sundays, when we went in this morning there was no trace of ants ever being there and the shop smelled faintly of peppermint.


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## Norse (Jan 30, 2010)

talob said:


> As posted above, the terro never worked after bottles of the stuff


Terro don't come in bottles.


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## Sparky_D (Jun 3, 2013)

Norse said:


> Terro don't come in bottles.


Actually, it does.

I've bought many little bottles over the years.

This year I went with the Terro Bait Trap. Cut a small bit off the bottom and lay it over the trail. Next thing you know it's flooded with ants. 3 days later, no ants.

I also use Amdro granules and bait traps outside.

Seems to work well for 6 months or so.
Still need to caulk and seal all the foundation cracks.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Norse said:


> Terro don't come in bottles.


http://www.terro.com/products/


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## kyredneck (Aug 12, 2012)

cowboyhermit said:


> ...We use a lot of diatomaceous earth and it works, over time, whether it works well on ants depends but if it is dry it would certainly discourage them over time. We use it as a preventative rather than a cure..





Magus said:


> Diatenacious earth.non toxic to you or pets, kills ants and roaches fast however!plugs up their little lungs.





JayJay said:


> Diatomaceous Earth --sprinkle it.


This is the first we've used diatomaceous earth and I'm very pleased with the results in reducing the numbers of our target insects, wood bees and fleas.

Purchased 'food grade' stuff from Southern States and used a plastic squirt Ketchup bottle to apply the very fine dust (it's really bad to clump). Since then we have adapted a 'baby snot snuffer' (for lack of a better term) to apply dust to dogs for fleas and existing carpenter bee nesting holes.

It slices into the exoskeletons of insects that crawl through it and causes them to die of dehydration. It's supposed to work on ants also, actually ANY insect with an exoskeleton.


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## webeable (Aug 29, 2012)

Spread cinnamon around will make them loose path to where their home is


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## Immolatus (Feb 20, 2011)

Marcus said:


> Try the vinegar in a spray bottle. It worked for me.


^ This.
I use vinegar for every kind of bug, if it doesnt kill them, it certainly gets rid of them, everything seems to hate it.


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## Ezmerelda (Oct 17, 2010)

You can kill the ant hill with lye and a high pressure water hose.

First, liberally apply lye to the hill, piling it deeper in the middle. (Wear gloves and do this on a still day.)

Then, from a safe distance (just a couple of feet), spray the lye with the hose on the "jet" setting, being sure to spray as close to directly down the middle as you can, to introduce the lye/water mixture deep into the mound and hopefully get the queen.

The lye and water react, heat up and become quite caustic. If you succeed in getting the queen, the hill is gone. If not, they'll just move somewhere else, but with a whole lot fewer worker ants, eggs, etc.


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## glydrider (Jun 10, 2013)

kyredneck said:


> This is the first we've used diatomaceous earth and I'm very pleased with the results in reducing the numbers of our target insects, wood bees and fleas.
> 
> Purchased 'food grade' stuff from Southern States and used a plastic squirt Ketchup bottle to apply the very fine dust (it's really bad to clump). Since then we have adapted a 'baby snot snuffer' (for lack of a better term) to apply dust to dogs for fleas and existing carpenter bee nesting holes.
> 
> It slices into the exoskeletons of insects that crawl through it and causes them to die of dehydration. It's supposed to work on ants also, actually ANY insect with an exoskeleton.


I hope you don't kill the bees. Take 4"x4"x24" drill holes all over it spacing the holes out by an inch and put them around your house. The bees will use the 4x4's instead of your house, and you can easily replace them after a few years. We do it because we need all the bees we can get in Oregon.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

As I stated, DE is so much easier and cleaner than other methods. I have lots of laminate and don't want to spray liquid on my floors.
I sprinkle, they scatter, and I vacuum.
In two hours, all evidence of ants are gone. No ants, the ones I vacuumed with my car vac are dead because I vacuumed the DE powder with the ants!!
I use a salt shaker for scattering the DE dust!!:2thumb:


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## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

I find that poisoned baits work better than contact poisons or poison barriers. I would not disturb the trails, other than to bait them. The ants take the bait back to the colony, and they disappear. 

I find that poison barriers just make them find another way to get to what they want to get to. To my mind, killing the workers is not the goal; killing the colonies is the goal.

For fire ants, I've used Amdro (kills too quickly, and the mounds relocate) and Ascend (works in a few weeks, but the mounds disappear; I would often use it every few months on a perimeter as a preventative). I've used other baits for other ants, but haven't had the problem in years, so I don't remember the names. Sorry!


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## LongRider (May 8, 2012)

We have used DE with great success. Using only food grade DE. It is especially good with food stuffs as we simply add some to dry goods grain sugar whatever and it kills whatever gets into the food. Like Borax and other poisons ants will take it back to their nest, killing their peers. Unlike poisons it is non toxic and safe to eat so poses no risk to humans or pets. Added to your diet it is an excellent colon cleanser. It is not a an instant killer but in a few days it becomes apparent that it is working. When ever we do new construction now we add quantities of it between the walls or on the insulation to prevent any and all insect infestation from ever beginning.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

I have some Hindu renters. 
They called me with a problem in the mobile home they rent from me a couple of months ago. 
They said they had a mouse.
I took a couple of mouse traps over there and they both told me that they could not sanction killing the mouse.
I told them that I would not use a trap but I could put something in underneath the trailer to keep mice away.
They now have some bait stations under the trailer.
What a Hindu doesn't know won't hurt them.


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## HisOwn (Jun 15, 2013)

Grimm said:


> I have no clue what kind of ants they are. They are small and black. I have experience with fire ants from my childhood in Texas. My dad had to hose me off in the yard once when I played in the empty lot- I was covered in ants and they were biting me.
> 
> These ants have gone after sugar, fruit, meat and water. They love the cats' water fountain and the shower but that's not what bother me. I can't stand they are in my pantry again! That and they had been in our freezer in the garage during the summer.
> 
> ...


Try lemon rind - rub the oils along the edges of your counters. Or get peppermint essential oil and dilute in distilled water and spray that wherever they enter your house.


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

My mom used to set cucumber peelings on the counter tops. Have no idea why that worked but it kept them away.


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## Pasoldy (May 22, 2012)

Try TERRO, they have it at Walmart, it's cheap. The package has little bitty "cards" in it, you put a couple of drops on it, the ants find it, walk in it, take it home with them. I have friends who have used it IN their houses, on the counters and such. They say the ants may get worse for a couple of days, (you DO want to reapply it) then they are gone!


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