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Post by grungygeorgie on Jul 10, 2009 18:02:50 GMT -5
but everywhere else.The big black carpenter kind and smaller ones
too.Any idea on how to get rid of them.I get them every year for
months at a time.So gross,in bathroom too.Thanks,gg
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Post by moggyfan on Jul 10, 2009 19:01:52 GMT -5
I know it's a Big Bad Chemical, but Raid works.
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Post by messymimi on Jul 10, 2009 21:43:21 GMT -5
Powdered boric acid works, just keep away from kids and pets.
I've also heard they won't cross a line of talc powder.
messymimi
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Calico
New Member
Joined: October 2011
Posts: 59
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Post by Calico on Jul 11, 2009 0:34:20 GMT -5
I've had both kinds, at different times. With the smaller (sugar) ants, I killed every one I saw, for several weeks. I also cleaned up very carefully in the kitchen and didn't let anything sweet (spilled sugar, jelly) stay on the counter or in the sink. Eventually they disappeared.
This year I had the big ones. I was very aggressive about killing every one I saw, and after a couple of weeks I also put down Terro ant killer. It's a liquid poison; you put a few drops on a piece of carboard and put it somewhere where kids and animals can't get to it. In my case, some of the ants seemed to be coming from under the stove, so I pulled out the bottom drawer and put the poison at the back, then put the drawer back in. I've never used it before because I was afraid my cats would find it, but this was one place they couldn't get to. I only used it once, and saw a few ants for a week or so afterward, but none for several weeks now. Supposedly they take the poison back to their nest, so it kills them all.
I actually think that repeatedly killing them might eventually send a message to the whole colony that this isn't a good place for them. I believe they emit an odor when they die that the other ants can detect. Anyway, that's what has worked for me. I kept a slipper or shoe in several places around the house where I was seeing them, so I could quickly kill them.
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Post by gifted on Jul 11, 2009 1:10:46 GMT -5
I have the little sugar ants in my kitchen. When they are very active, I know that I have left a mess, and I let them show me where it is. I feel bad killing them, because they are only there because they are finding food. In my area, Carpenter ants are a worst problem than termites, and they can cause structural damage to buildings. So if I saw any in my house, I would want to find their nest, to make sure there is no damage to my house. If I were to want to wipe the ants out completely, I would probably use some sort of bait, so they could carry it back to the nest. Ants are like honeybees. There is only one queen that stays in the nest and lays eggs. All of the ants you see are workers, and do not reproduce, so I think that killing them is unlikely to wipe out the colony. There have been times when ants find my bowl of cat food. When this happens, I place the bowl in a tray of water, to act as a moat. I am also doing this for my lemon tree, because it has a scale infestation, and ants will "farm" the scale, just as they do with aphids. Here is a link to NCAP, the first place I look for pest info: www.pesticide.org/ants.htmlGood luck! SG |
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Post by bigtimetroubles on Jul 11, 2009 3:25:14 GMT -5
of all people to get ants my mom has got ants in the living room....she does not eat there and the ants she started to notice were small flying ants...yesterday when I was there she had a tiny one on her arm.... She is extremely clean living lady...so it has not got a thing to do with squalor to have ants.... the carpenter ants can be a real problem within a home that has wood exteriors....my parents many years ago when we first moved to our home that we are in 41yrs now had a porch that we demolished and had turned into a room enclosed type...there were carpenter ants in the wood of the porch...they were eating like termites....yikes! I have a problem in my own home now in the bathroom when summer comes I get ant trails going from the window area wood out into the shower...I spray it with Raid and that takes care of it for a while....bad stuff the poison route but it beats having ants make their pathways around the house looking for food.... hope this has been helpful to someone....hugs bigtimetroubles  |
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Post by flylady on Jul 11, 2009 3:56:49 GMT -5
We use a product called ant-rid, you just place a few drops and the ants eat it and take it back to the queen, and the queen dies, and then they die too. Good Luck  I also find I get ants before a storm for some reason! |
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Post by puppybox on Jul 13, 2009 9:40:04 GMT -5
Ask your pants!
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
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