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Post by _Linda_ on May 23, 2010 22:42:34 GMT -5
I seem to have attracted a lot of little brown ants, or what my grandmother called sugar ants. I have already set out the ant traps, but I don't know if I believe that they are all that effective. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get rid of them? Thanks ahead of time for any and all ideas.  |
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Post by success19 on May 23, 2010 22:54:32 GMT -5
Bug spray or traps - it happens the first of hot weather - they hatch out and stay where they can find food.
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Post by bigtimetroubles on May 24, 2010 6:34:42 GMT -5
I had found yesterday a trail of ants...maybe not brown but along the side of my garage door to the top.....and I had flying ants in my bathroom on the window and window sill...I sprayed killer on both places yesterday and that will subside them for now. It does seem when warm weather hits they come into the inside of our houses....in past when I lived in Apt on Guam where ants were big prob I painted with a brush Melathion onto the window sills and door jams all around the outside of them....that kept them outside because they did not wish to come thru that to get inside.
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Post by bigtimetroubles on May 25, 2010 7:03:14 GMT -5
last night before work I saw ants in one of two dog food bowls....washed them out added food and left for work...got home to almost empty bowl with ants in it again....now I am considering an ant treatment for outside house called angrow I believe...hear it on radio...they have website angrow.com want to check it out now....gotta stop infestation of ants to my squalor....hugs btt
update
could not get website I may be mistaken on how it is spelled or name of company...have to hear ad again.....
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Post by lookingup on May 25, 2010 16:34:12 GMT -5
They are here too. :-( The drones swarm on the window when the sun comes to that side of the house so I vacuum them and put the vacuum bag into a baggie in the freezer because straight vacuuming doesn't kill them. I sprayed outside, but they are still around and looks like they moved inside the wall now so might have to get the exterminator. They don't seem to take to Terro poison or ant baits.
I kind of admire them. Tough little critters. Very persistent.
Anne.
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Post by bigtimetroubles on May 26, 2010 4:27:02 GMT -5
I think the community of the ant is a very complex system and will long survive nuclear war if such were to come to the Earth...some think the roach will survive but ants as a community underground and such a strong structure in communication to leave trails behind when they travel I feel they have better chance than the roach....also there are so so so many of them on the entire earth....
hugs btt
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Post by usedtobeneat on Jul 10, 2010 17:21:09 GMT -5
Sprinkle raw grits in the area where you see them. Also sprinkle them across doorways, under sinks, and on windowsills. They will eat them and then swell up and die. This also works on anthills outside, but you need to use a whole bag on those.
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Post by _Linda_ on Jul 10, 2010 19:19:08 GMT -5
Thanks Usedtobeneat, I will have to remember that for next spring!
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freedom
New Member
Voluntary simplicity - less is more
Joined: November 2009
Posts: 43
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Post by freedom on Jul 10, 2010 22:43:03 GMT -5
I always try to get the ants/bugs/whatever to leave where I don't want them by themselves, rather than kill them, so I would suggest firstly containing them, and then discouraging them from invading/encouraging them to leave. Containing them:Try chalk (if you don't mind chalk marks - which can usually be brushed off pretty easily - on your walls, etc). Use a stick of chalk to 'draw' lines around where the ants are currently (on floor, walls, etc) - get as close as possible to the ants to limit the area they can invade. They can't walk over the chalk. Works well too to contain small separate groups of ants for sameday removal (see below). I would recommend white chalk, or maybe a pastel shade of your wall colour, though that may be more likely to mark. I have only used chalk on painted walls though, wouldn't recommend it on wallpapered ones.  Small lines of bicarb soda (AKA baking soda or bicarbonate of soda) work similarly - not good if you have cats/dogs/small people around though  Neither chalk nor bicarb soda is toxic, and it doesn't appear to hurt the ants either - they just can't walk over it. Encouraging them to leave:You need to work out where they are coming in from, if at all possible. Once you think you've found their entry point, 'block' it off using chalk or bicarb soda in a small circle around it, to stop more coming in. Next, you want to try work out Why they are coming - what is so attractive to them?? Probably it is crumbs, pet food, or some other type of potential ant food. If you can remove that, you will remove their reason for invading - generally, they get the message pretty fast and will leave within a few days of their own accord. Ants are smart!  If they don't though, or you just want them out faster, you can remove them yourself. To physically remove them without killing them, using a soft paintbrush (artist's type, not housepainting type) and literally 'brushing' them swiftly but gently off the walls, benches, floor, etc. into a bowl or something works well. Once you have a number of them 'caught', take them outside and just leave the container, which they will vacate by themselves. Don't try to collect too many ants in one go though as they are really quick and will escape your bowl/fall to the ground pretty fast if not removed from the house. As you remove them from an area, draw chalk lines to decrease the area available to the remaining ants, so they will be more concentrated and you can get more in each go. To discourage them from returning, keep a close eye on their previous entry point, remove any 'scouts' quickly, and try wiping peppermint oil around as that is meant to discourage them (also smells nice!) Hope that helps - good luck! |
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Post by uualto1973 on Jul 11, 2010 2:36:12 GMT -5
A mixture of boric acid and powdered sugar works well. Mix 50/50 and put small amounts in jar lid or other shallow dishes near where you see them. They are attracted to the sugar and bring back the sugar AND the poisonous boric acid to the colony. Be careful with this method if there are kids or pets around though.
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Post by lizzie on Jul 11, 2010 4:51:24 GMT -5
I stand my cat food and cat biscuit dishes in larger shallow dishes with water in, when ants are around. It is a fine balance to have enough water so that the ants can't cross versus not so much that the inner bowls float, which my cat thinks is a terrible thing, when he is not trying to drink the water between the bowls rather than from his water dish, that is!
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Post by _Linda_ on Jul 11, 2010 6:30:51 GMT -5
Thanks for all the ideas! Peppermint oil wouldn't be good for me. It is related to Catnip and one of my cats LOVES both. He gets pretty stoned from either. He would be rubbing and drooling all over it.  |
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Post by Chris on Jul 11, 2010 9:24:20 GMT -5
I've been getting those little teenie sugar ants this year too -- around my kitchen sink even though I'm keeping it so clean around there.
I'll have to try some of these ideas. I out of desperation sprayed some Adams flea killer spray and that worked 3 days. Then some more little buggers found a way in.
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Post by onwardandupward on Jul 11, 2010 21:11:59 GMT -5
It has been a few years since I have had to deal with ants, but I have plenty of past experience with them. Those little ant bait plastic thingys worked great for me every time I had ants. The ants would disappear after about 24 hours and I wouldn't see them again for months.
I have never heard the chalk solution before. I am not a fan of handling poison, so I would be inclined to try the chalk if faced with ants again.
Onward
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