Ant problems

[! twitty]

Anyone have any experience with how to get rid of and/or prevent ants from reappearing? I am have to kill 2-4 of them every single day. They are the big black ones which I assume are carpenter ants. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Bunnykid68]

Go to any of the big hardware stores and buy a bag of the ant killer/repellent.

 

[kevman65]

You can get the bait containers, you can get the spray and spray around the inside walls and outside walls, you can get the granules and spread them outside. Stepping on the ones you see is doing nothing but killing the ones you see, have to get poison back to the nest and kill the queen.

Why you're seeing them, the ground is saturated with water and they are moving up and in.

 

[mrjarrell]

Go to Lowes or where ever you can and get a pump container of Black Flag. That takes care of them at my place. The wand makes it easy to spray, too. One application behind the cabinets and along the baseboards does them in for the season.

 

[Benny]

Black Flag is good.

 

[Bunnykid68]

.22 birdshot. Hunt them.

 

[singlestacksig]

boric acid mixed with corn syrup. put on dish near ant trail.. make sure to keep pets & kids from it..

 

[S8MS-01904]

+1 for Terro. About 24 hours after setting the traps, all but a few strays left.

 

[Benny]

+1 for Terro. About 24 hours after setting the traps, all but a few strays left.

Does that work on the big black ones as well?

I know it kicks ass for the small ones.

 

[bigcat1971]

I have problems with them dam ants,and the only thing I found that works good for me is Terro liquid ant baits.Every time we get them that's what I us and it get's the job done right.You can get it at any walmart.

 

[tv1217]

Tell your uncle to stop marrying everyone he dates.

 

[Rookie]

Napalm

 

[BE Mike]

I have the little ants in the yard. Now they are moving into the house. I put out the granules twice in the yard and now am probably going to have to do it again. I'll have to take action on the ones who are starting to come in through the garage and vents in the brick of the house.

 

[Kitty]

Also, put chalk dust (yes chalk like what the kids play with just ground up) in the back of your cabinets, in the groove of the outside door frames, and along the wall near any pet food. Ants won't cross the chalk and it is safe to have near food.

Learned this in a bio class in college and I've never had ants. The sprays are great where you don't have pets or food. I don't use the chalk INSTEAD of sprays, just in addition.

 

[BE Mike]

I can see it now..."Ok, ant, I dare you to cross that line *drawing a chalk line on the floor*..."Ok, ant, I dare you to knock that chip off my shoulder!" LOL

 

[Sticky]

Also, put chalk dust (yes chalk like what the kids play with just ground up) in the back of your cabinets, in the groove of the outside door frames, and along the wall near any pet food. Ants won't cross the chalk and it is safe to have near food.
...

Baby powder will work, too. Get Rid of Ants Cheaply and Naturally

I remember Granny also used vinegar and crushed mint leaves and cayenne pepper, as in the above link. She didn't like borax (it worked well too) because we always had small kids and animals around.

 

[Suprtek]

I have the little ants in the yard. Now they are moving into the house. I put out the granules twice in the yard and now am probably going to have to do it again. I'll have to take action on the ones who are starting to come in through the garage and vents in the brick of the house.

I have the same problem. We've had pretty good luck in the past using Ortho home defense a couple times a year. This year the rain keeps washing it away before it can take full effect. Our main issue is in the kitchen around the sink. We decided to make absolutely sure to leave no food sources like dirty dishes or open containers out at all, especially overnight. Its made a huge difference. Even with no chemicals at all, the ants have dwindled from hundreds per day to barely a few. I'd like to find a way to reduce their population on my property though. I was outside yesterday and saw a couple piles of them on my sidewalk that must've had a few thousand ants each. I don't know if I've ever seen that many at once before.

 

[hooky]

+1 for Terro. Big and small ants love it to death.