Gah--ANTS!

[ladypirate]

So we had the first rain of the season yesterday (supposed to rain until Sunday) and the ants decided to invade our kitchen to escape the storm.

Does anyone have any suggestions on getting rid of them? I've put pepper all around the door where they're coming in and put a line of barkeeper's friend (it's all I had that was powdery and seemed like it might kill them) outside the door. We don't have pets, so I would be ok with spraying the entrances to the house, but I'm not sure what to use.

I hate ants. We don't even have any food out on the counters, so I don't think they're being attracted by anything specific, they're just invading.

 

[Shoopy]

I hear you on hating ants. I am so scared of them. We have an ant invasion too because of our downstairs neighbors

. We also don''t keep any food out but they still show up.

Since you don''t have pets I suggest Ant Killer Boric Acid. They sell it in Home Depot. It''s a blue powder (poisonous so try not to wash off). You put the line of the powder on the edge of your kitchen base boards. If you can, I would also put it around the edge of your counter (just make sure not to put any food on top or dishes).

Also, we use Fantastik to spray our counters and for some reason they hate it. It might be the amonia (SP?).

Ants suck.

 

[sunnyd]

I hate ants!!! We had an infestation in the spring...hate ants.

We went to Home Depot and got a spray to seal the doors. We did the front door, back door, garage, and laundry room from garage. We then put traps inside where they were. No ants since!

 

[simplysplendid]

Take some cockroach poison, crush it and mix it with a little of something really sweet such as condensed milk, syrup or soda into a paste and smear the paste in places where they turn up. Repeat this for a consecutive few days and you should get rid of the ants. The syrup will attract the ants to the poison and the ants will bring the poison to the nest and this should eliminate them all.

 

[niccia]

I had an ant invasion this summer. I don't like using any toxins in my home so I put quartered lemon pieces in my cupboards and any other places I saw them hanging out. No more ants! They hate lemon apparently...I would also throw a few lemon chunks in my garbage to keep them out...hope that helps !

Here is a link : http://pest.tips.net/Pages/T003475_Ants_Hate_Lemon_Juice_and_Bay_Leaves.html

 

[ladypirate]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I had some lemons and bay leaves lying around, so I rubbed juice all over the counter and around the door they''re coming in through. I also sprinkled bay leaves around the same areas. Combined with the pepper, it looks like I''m trying to roast my floors and countertops! LOL

If they keep coming back, I''ll go pick up some poison and put it out. For now, I''m hoping the natural remedies will work.

 

[simplysplendid]

And oh, they hate egg shells. Egg shells keep them away but doesn''t eliminate them. If you have potted plants and want to keep the ants away, you can crush some egg shells and put them on the soil.

 

[hibiscus]

I use PIC ant control system. It comes in a circular container. All you have to do is press in all side holes & place it on the ant trails. It works. Its works for me. I saw the ants carry around the stuff from the inside the container and never came back again.

 

[scarleta]

You will be able to deal with this problem.Just keep watching and spraying.YOu can buy little containers ( home depot) you open 4 openings and the ants enter and bring the poison and it will kill them all in the nest.

If the problem is severe spray all around the doors ( all of them) and also around the parameter of the house.
What you spray with its up to you.I would use a bit of chemical if you must because you don''t want them in the house.YOu can get sticky traps but these must be out of the rain.They work well also.
I find I can spray ( wd 40 or a hair spray) They don''t like the smell and they won''t enter.
You need to stay on top of them and spray frequently 2 times per week as needed.
When you notice less and less of them you can spray less frequently until they are all gone.
I keep the little containers outside my entry door from early spring till fall.
They used to come inside but for the last few years it works well.I did spray just WD 40 because that''s all I had on hand years ago and it did the trick.It won''t kill them , but they don''t like the smell.

 

[choro72]

We find the hole that they come from and seal it. We use one of those expanding foam thing that we got from Home Depot for $2 or so. They will never come from that place again, but of course they always find a new place to come in from. If they come from cracks in cabinets, we use caulk. If the place is too hard to reach, we use Raid or Carpet powder.
I feel for you; I can''t stand ants inside the house.

 

[ladypirate]

Date: 10/3/2008 4:29:19 PM
Author: choro72
We find the hole that they come from and seal it. We use one of those expanding foam thing that we got from Home Depot for $2 or so. They will never come from that place again, but of course they always find a new place to come in from. If they come from cracks in cabinets, we use caulk. If the place is too hard to reach, we use Raid or Carpet powder.

I feel for you; I can''t stand ants inside the house.

Part of the problem is that they''re coming in through the door, so we can''t seal it if we want to continue to use it. For now, the lemon juice/bay leaves/pepper/barkeepers friend seems to be working ok and I''ll go pick up some ant traps to put around when I get a chance.

Ants picked the wrong house to mess with.