Ants! What to use?

[Ravon]

Have a problem with ants in the house and its getting worse. Little black ones into everything. I see them coming from outside and have sprayed the Orkin(?) Home Defense around the perimeter and underneath the crawlspace of my house.... absolutely worthless stuff. I've placed Terro and HotShot Liquid Ant Bait around and let it work for the last few weeks.... all an absolute waist of money. We keep all the food stuffs sealed but still mainly see them in the kitchen, which is where the ants concentrate. I've got an outside pregnant dog and an old cat, a 19 mo. and three yr. old in the house (and two teenage boys, but they aren't going anywhere fast it seems either :? ) . Anyone here had any luck getting rid of an ant problem in their house without having to resort to an exterminator? Thanks

 

[dapmdave]

Have a problem with ants in the house and its getting worse. Little black ones into everything. I see them coming from outside and have sprayed the Orkin(?) Home Defense around the perimeter and underneath the crawlspace of my house.... absolutely worthless stuff. I've placed Terro and HotShot Liquid Ant Bait around and let it work for the last few weeks.... all an absolute waist of money. We keep all the food stuffs sealed but still mainly see them in the kitchen, which is where the ants concentrate. I've got an outside pregnant dog and an old cat, a 19 mo. and three yr. old in the house (and two teenage boys, but they aren't going anywhere fast it seems either :? ) . Anyone here had any luck getting rid of an ant problem in their house without having to resort to an exterminator? Thanks

Most of the stuff they sell to the public is ineffective, nowadays. I've found it's usually better in the long run to just "call the man" and have the problem handled by a professional.

Dave

 

[poser]

When we've had persistent problems with ants we were told that ants like wet wood. They said get rid of the wet wood and the ant problem should go away. It could be an old woodpile nearby or an old tree that has some rotten branches. In our case it was the footing beneath the summer home that was beginning to rot - not a happy discovery.

edit:
My comments may not be relevant to your problem. We had big black carpenter ants, not little black ones- sorry.

 

[Ridgemont]

Orkin or Terminex or a local company. A bit more pricey, but guaranteed.

 

[Bikerdoc]

Miathialon (sp?). Nasty killer of just about any bug. In the correct mix it's great for spraying fruit trees. In a less diluted state.bugs die. You can get it at Lowe's, Home Depot, Menard's, etc. Find the concentrate, read the directions and dilute with water as needed. Keep pets away.

Peace

 

[davismanLV]

Have you tried boric acid? It's toxic to ants (not as much to kids and pets) but it works slowly and you have to let them take it back to their nest, hopefully killing the queen. You can do a google search on "using boric acid to kill ants" or just follow this link for ONE option: http://www.grinningplanet.com/2004/04-27/ant-control-ant-killer-article.htm

Good luck!! Tom in Vegas

 

[JerryR]

Borrow Coastie's Pink Panther - he'll go round stepping on them:

Dead ant, dead ant, dead ant dead ant dead ant dead ant dead aaaaant :mrgreen:

 

[AlohaJoe]

Sounds like sugar ants, also called odorous ants (they give off a bad smell when you squish 'em). They're a pain in the a** and tricky to get rid of. We had a recurring problem that drove me crazy (it's a short drive :lol: ), but we finally called in a pro and got rid of them. Pros have non-toxic stuff they can use that's safe for pets and kids that gets tracked back to the nest.

 

[geoguy]

Bikerdoc, you are probably thinking of malathion. Nasty stuff, but probably quite effective.

I'm in agreement with poser (or whomever else suggested there may be some wet lumber in your house). Call a pro exterminator, but also figure out (maybe with the exterminator's guidance) where you need to replace rotten wood with sound stuff.

 

[Ravon]

I had a moisture/humidity problem underneath my house and it actually started to mildew on all the joists and sills. Got that problem taken care of last year and luckily the woods still sound, but I do suspect thats where the problem lies. My dad was a firm believer in Malathion and some other nasty chemicals and I really think some of my families health issues today are partly a result of its use in and around our house growing up. I guess I've just been putting off the inevitable so I'll just call an exterminator. I just always got a spiel from'em trying to sell me some things that I really don't need, but in this case I probably do need the full on treatment. Thanks everyone(as an ant crawls across my computer screen :roll: )

 

[Ian]

Hey, I'd be interested to know what you use to get rid of teenagers as well ? :lol:

Cheers, Ian

 

[bluesypicky]

Hey, I'd be interested to know what you use to get rid of teenagers as well ? :lol: Cheers, Ian

Have you tried country music? :lol: :lol:

 

[AlohaJoe]

Hey, I'd be interested to know what you use to get rid of teenagers as well ? :lol: Cheers, Ian

Have you tried country music? :lol: :lol:

For more serious infestations you might even need the more concentrated version... Bluegrass.

 

[West R Lee]

I don't know if you get fire ants where you live, but we're covered up with them here. Just a small bit of Amdro around their mound, being careful not to disturb them does the trick every time. As far as after they get into the home....not so sure?

West

 

[Ravon]

Hey, I'd be interested to know what you use to get rid of teenagers as well ? :lol: Cheers, Ian

Have you tried country music? :lol: :lol:

For more serious infestations you might even need the more concentrated version... Bluegrass.

Good idea I live 20mins. from Bill Monroes birthplace so maybe I'll start forcing them to go to a few festivals there... that ought ta do it!

 

[Ravon]

I don't know if you get fire ants where you live, but we're covered up with them here. Just a small bit of Amdro around their mound, being careful not to disturb them does the trick every time. As far as after they get into the home....not so sure?

West

Don't have fire ants here yet thank goodness. I did kick a mound of them in Florida wearing my flipflops.... I never did that again :shock: :shock:

 

[bluesypicky]

I don't know if you get fire ants where you live, but we're covered up with them here. Just a small bit of Amdro around their mound, being careful not to disturb them does the trick every time. As far as after they get into the home....not so sure?
West

Don't have fire ants here yet thank goodness. I did kick a mound of them in Florida wearing my flipflops.... I never did that again :shock: :shock:

Yep, those suckers aren't even from here (Florida), but then again who is? :lol: but they sure are all over the place now.
However, since I contracted a pro exterminator (mainly for termite protection), I haven't seen the slightest mound around... :wink: Their stuff REALLY works.

 

[West R Lee]

I don't know if you get fire ants where you live, but we're covered up with them here. Just a small bit of Amdro around their mound, being careful not to disturb them does the trick every time. As far as after they get into the home....not so sure?

West

Don't have fire ants here yet thank goodness. I did kick a mound of them in Florida wearing my flipflops.... I never did that again :shock: :shock:

Oh man :shock: .....suckers hurt don't they...and you ended up with a hundred little itchy pimples on your feet.....been there brother.....many times.

West

 

[ladytexan]

Good idea I live 20mins. from Bill Monroes birthplace so maybe I'll start forcing them to go to a few festivals there... that ought ta do it!

Yep, a couple of plays of "Blue Moon of Kentucky" outta do it! :lol: :wink: 8) The festival is this weekend, Ravon. http://bit.ly/jV3bn9 Wish I could be there....

Toni

 

[kitniyatran]

Have a problem with ants in the house and its getting worse. Little black ones into everything. I see them coming from outside and have sprayed the Orkin(?) Home Defense around the perimeter and underneath the crawlspace of my house.... absolutely worthless stuff. I've placed Terro and HotShot Liquid Ant Bait around and let it work for the last few weeks.... all an absolute waist of money. We keep all the food stuffs sealed but still mainly see them in the kitchen, which is where the ants concentrate. I've got an outside pregnant dog and an old cat, a 19 mo. and three yr. old in the house (and two teenage boys, but they aren't going anywhere fast it seems either :? ) . Anyone here had any luck getting rid of an ant problem in their house without having to resort to an exterminator? Thanks

I've been a pest control professional for over 33 years. It depends entirely on the EXACT species of ant, so no one can give properly effective advise without seeing the ants. ORTHO Home Defense is an excellent over the counter product for what it is, but for some types of ants, may make the problem worse. If you must try it yourself, I always advise Terro bait, unless you know for sure it's Carpenter Ants or a certain few others.
Aloha Joe, "Sugar Ants" is a "folk" name, that means only whatever the speaker wants it to mean. "Odorous House Ants" may or may not be what he's dealing with; if it is, Terro will probably help.
Boric Acid is great if you know how, & have the proper equipment, to apply it. Most people over apply it, rendering it less or non effective.
It often pays to hire someone with the knowledge, expertise, & equipment to do the job right to begin with. That's why I take my car to a mechanic & my instruments to a luthier.
Happy hunting.