topic Re: Any advice for ants? in Community Chat

Any advice for ants?

Shorty2U — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 06:14:21 GMT

Well this is a first, never had this issue before.

I am seeing tiny ants here and there on our kitchen counter the past 2 days. Oh I even had 2 or 3 crawl on me. (and then I was itchy all night). Why? Do they like my perfume? lol.

I was looking online and saw info on all kinds of things to use. Someone told me to try vinegar which I did, to no avail.

(And everything is clean, no food is exposed. and no ants got in any of our food) I use a lot of lock and lock (coincidentally).

My issue is we have 2 cats, 1 of whom is over a year old and tries to get in my cleaning bucket and I have to make sure no clothing detergent spills or yes he tries to lick these things! We even close our bathroom doors to make sure he doesnt get in there after cleaning w comet.

So I have to be very careful as to what to use. What about ant traps? Are they dangerous to our cat? Any advice will be appreciated.

Re: Any advice for ants?

Noel7 — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 06:27:04 GMT

@Shorty2U

Traps are dangerous for pets. Ants usually don't come in for food, they come in a house when there is rain or hot weather.

Years ago I read that ants send scouts and then they follow in a trail which is marked by their scent. Find how they get into your house and then get rid of their trail. It will take a couple of tries using a cleanser.

There are cleansers safe for your pets, look for them online, which will tell you the brand name, or look in your stores.

We had a problem years ago and I was so desperate, I sprayed where they were getting in with perfume/cologne. It worked like a charm.

Good luck!

Re: Any advice for ants?

Kachina624 — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 06:29:05 GMT

I've recently had some ants after never in my life having them before. I found is recipe somewhere on line and am going to try it as soon as I can get the ingredients together.

To Kill Ants

You can mix a bait consisting of two tablespoons each of peanut butter and jelly, mixed with a tablespoon of boric acid. Place the bait on pieces of paper, so it doesn’t make a mess, and put it where you see the ants foraging. Keep out of the reach of kids and pets. Boric acid isn’t dangerous, but could give a child or a pet a stomach ache. If you don’t want to make your own bait, get some Terro Bait. It comes with six plastic bait stations in a box. Each station contains a sweet gel bait with boric acid.

Re: Any advice for ants?

Big Sister — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 06:46:43 GMT

Some years ago I had an ant problem in my house. Someone recommended Terro. It is a thick liquid; you would put a drop or two on a piece of cardboard and set it down where the ants are coming in from.

They will take the "bait" and go back to the nest and the other ants will die.

I haven't had a recurrence in many years.

I don't know if Terro would be safe near your pets.

Re: Any advice for ants?

Noel7 — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 07:12:32 GMT

I just googled "Is Terro safe for pets" and the answer from several sources was NO.

Re: Any advice for ants?

Pook — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 09:48:13 GMT

I don't remember where I heard this but I sprinkle salt on any ants on my counter and they run. I often leave salt sprinkled in areas where I have seen ants for a few days but it seems to work. I don't mind the salt on the counter athough some might. If I leave the salt for a few days before cleaning it off, they stay away and when after about a month I might notice one or two ants I sprinkle salt again and now finally no more ants. I also wipe my counter with vinegar water and it was a deterent but this year it didn't seem to work well.

Re: Any advice for ants?

KathyPet — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 09:42:54 GMT

My advice for ants is to run very fast when they see someone with a spray can in their hand.

Re: Any advice for ants?

Nataliesgramma — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 10:03:34 GMT

I get ants every spring in my kitchen around the sink.

Wash the counters well and don't let dishes sit in the sink...

I agree about using Borax. I brush a little in any crack I see around my sink and set out oe or two of those little plastic traps. I don't use Terro....I use Amdro that I got at Walmart.( Terro does work though) I'll put the traps under things , like the toaster oven.....

It takes about a week before they are completely gone. It is hard NOT to kill any around the borax.....but remember that they need to get in it and go back to the nest

Re: Any advice for ants?

Imaoldhippie — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 10:20:18 GMT

It sounds like you have a bad infestation of ants. Dont waste time and money on home remedies. Spend a little extra and get an exterminator.

Re: Any advice for ants?

sidsmom — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 10:37:46 GMT

@KathyPet wrote:
My advice for ants is to run very fast when they see someone with a spray can in their hand.

And stay off of hot sidewalks.

Re: Any advice for ants?

piperbay — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 10:44:11 GMT

My sister had a problem with ants last week and she used peppermint oil and they were gone. I have used pepper and left a little bit of it on the kitchen counter and that would keep them away.

Re: Any advice for ants?

Montana — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 11:03:41 GMT

I squeeze a trail of dish liquid on and around the ant scouts when they first show up at the kitchen sink. They really hate it and try to run away. Thry are completely gone.in a few days.

I used to always use Dawn. The blue didnt look good but did the job. Now I use whatever brand I have on hand and that works just as well too.

Re: Any advice for ants?

gardenman — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 11:13:36 GMT

@Noel7 wrote:
I just googled "Is Terro safe for pets" and the answer from several sources was NO.

The active ingredient in Terro is borax, so it's safe around pets. Terro is very, very effective at eliminating ants that are seeking sugary food. The only safety concern I've ever read about Terro and pets is dogs chewing up the plastic traps to get to the sugary stuff inside and even then it's not the sugary stuff inside that causes them trouble, but the plastic they chew through to get to it.

Bigger ants are typically the sugar eaters. Tiny little ants (at least here in NJ) are typically the ones that are seeking fats and the Terro traps aren't effective against them. Those ants are looking for a different food source and they want oils or solid fats as a food source. On a human scale we may keep our kitchens impeccably clean, but the tiniest crumb to a little ant can be a month's supply of food. A drop of oil that's largely unnoticed can be a ton of food to an oil seeking ant. If you could shrink yourslf down to the size of an ant and wander around your house, you'd find all kinds of food hiding out that's not apparent on a human scale.

Re: Any advice for ants?

Witchy Woman — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 11:19:06 GMT

I have not read all the responses, but the ONLY thing that has ever worked for me is placing bait stations around the perimeter of my house.

These are stations that I fill with liquid bait that the ants eat and carry back to their "homes" to destroy the other ants and queen.

I am normally a live and let live person, but I cannot tolerate ants.

This is my 4 summer using this method and, so far, no ants.

Re: Any advice for ants?

kelsey17 — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 11:45:17 GMT

@Montana wrote:
I squeeze a trail of dish liquid on and around the ant scouts when they first show up at the kitchen sink. They really hate it and try to run away. Thry are completely gone.in a few days.

I used to always use Dawn. The blue didnt look good but did the job. Now I use whatever brand I have on hand and that works just as well too.

Yes...i found a couple years ago that the ants (and most bugs) HATE the Palmolive orange antibacterial dish liquid............last year i had put it on several areas of my kitchen where they were coming in.......and they stopped...................it works for quite a while........although they may at times try an alternative route.....just gotta keep diligent with them.....I have sprayed a touch of Bug killer a couple times....but prefer to use the dish liquid feeling there isn't the chemical worries.....

Re: Any advice for ants?

Meowingkitty — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 12:13:07 GMT

Put down grits. They take it back to the nest where they eventually explode. Don't do it to often because they seem to get smart and will ignore it.

Re: Any advice for ants?

tends2dogs — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 12:25:43 GMT

@Witchy Woman wrote:
I have not read all the responses, but the ONLY thing that has ever worked for me is placing bait stations around the perimeter of my house.

These are stations that I fill with liquid bait that the ants eat and carry back to their "homes" to destroy the other ants and queen.

I am normally a live and let live person, but I cannot tolerate ants.

This is my 4 summer using this method and, so far, no ants.

@Witchy Woman What do you use for liquid bait?

Re: Any advice for ants?

SharkE — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 12:38:07 GMT

Last yr. we had an infestation so bad (I think something fell off the garbage man's truck) we saw thousands of them marching up the concrete driveway they were like an army. We got out the cans, put out Terro all over the place.

Thank God they never made it in house, what killed them dead was when I went online and bought pounds of Boric Acid from this chemical plant. All you can buy around here is those little sad containers of so many ounces.

Anyway, it's cheap, and I bought 5lbs the first time worked so well and I wanted to have on hand if they ever returned and bought a 10 or 15 lb bag for reserve. I put in a big plastic container with a lid and they send you a scoop and I went all the way around my 2300 sq ft. house where you have that area of space from the foundation to the , in my case, concrete walk.

Like a 2 inch space that separates the foundation from the surrounding ground and I used the scoop and scooped out boric acid all around the foundation of the house. Little iffers were gone next day.

Down here in Tx. they're trying to find water. If you got carpenter ants, you got troubles, man , told me at Loew's they will try to go up in the attic because that's where the wood is and they bore into the wood to nest and they will cripple the house's actual structure they eat the wood.

Ants, we had were like a comma ,,,,,, about that big, wasn't those big black carpenter ants. I googled them after the Loew's man scared us to death they're like 2 inches long.

Long story short. Boric acid I'm sold on. You have to protect the perimenter , set up a barrier.

Outside, don't throw nothing on the ground, grease, watermelon rinds, don't let kids drop sugary candy, drinks, don't leave soda cans on ground.

wood mounds they love. You have to be neatnik.

I hate those ******************. LOL

Re: Any advice for ants?

Black Pony — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 12:42:52 GMT

I also use Borax powder and jelly. I mix a little bit of each and put on a square of aluminum foil. I understand using peanut butter is good for when the ants you seek to kill are craving fat and not sugar. But in my case the jelly bait always worked. I place this bait where the ants are the worst, like if it is the sink or the countertop temporarily .When I find where the are entering the house I move the bait to catch them when they first come in. The bait works as a stopping point for the ants. I will replace the bait if I see that ants are still going for it and the mixture dries up. This has worked for me many times avoiding an expensive exterminator visit. I do not have pets in the house, I do have a 5 year old and she knows to leave it alone!

Re: Any advice for ants?

ScrapHappy — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 12:48:36 GMT

I had an ant problem in my old house. It was limited to two rooms, the kitchen and my daughters bathroom. Only once in the kitchen but 2 or 3 times in my daughters bathroom. Did notice it seemed to happen after a lot of rain. My husband sprayed a bug spray to the outisde of the house, right at the foundation. Always worked. In 15 years of living in that house, I think we had ants 3 to 5 times. My mother in law, however, had them and it didn't matter what she did, they wouldn't go away. She ended up calling a professional.