Help! Ants in My Home!

Hello,
I have been talking to a company called Pro Services... The treatment they use is nontoxic and fairly reasonable and gets rid of fleas too. Give them a call and let them know L. from St. Johns sent you. ###-###-#### Let me know if you are having trouble contacting them and I will dig deeper for the entire name. L.

We had this same problem this summer -- at first I thought it was because I wasn't get to lunch cleanup fast enough (sometimes that happens at naptime), but other ppl told us that this just happens sometimes. we got the ant traps others are describing (they look like little two-inch [or so] circles), and it took care of the problem within a week. I was frustrated at first that they didn't immediately just disappear, but the pkg says that it can take about a week. Now we appear to be "good."

Instant Grits! Just poor them wherever the ants are at or coming from. They take the grits back to their nest and all the ants eat them and, um, pass on. The grits enlarge in their stomachs and that kills them, but since they take it back to the others it will get rid of them all. Plus, it's completely non-toxic. We used to have an ant problem (later found out our carpet was infested and was pulled out) and it worked great. Good luck!

Oy! We are dealing with the same problem. We are just now trying Terro to deal with them; we are only putting the traps outside so that it doesn't affect our son and dog. Green/safe-wise, for immediate cleanup, we use Orange Guard, which--until this season--had worked miraculously. It's made from orange peel, which is obviously safe for humans but kills ants and some other insects too. Good luck!!!!!!

You can try closed ant traps. The idea is that they take home the bait and poison the entire colony, but for a little while you may see more ants flocking to the trap.

We had them come in through an unused electrical outlet and I poured BORAX into the opening. this year they have not returned.

It is become a real problem as opposed to just a nuisnace I would consult a professional exterminator. They may be able to find the source or treat the outside of your home.
There are some companies that specialize in natural pest control.

Good luck.

I would second the Terro. We have battled the ants in our home for the last 4 years and this is the only thing that has worked and seems to keep working. Just a dab on a piece of paper or foil and they glom onto it like crazy and then take it back to the nest. It's basically sugar and borax. We hid ours on the counter behind the knife block so no one (even us!) could reach it. It takes a few weeks, but it works!

Yes, ants! I am familiar with those miserable creatures. My best advise is to call a exterminator, even if is expensive. When I had carpenter ants and I had one 18 months and another on the way. The people who came out told me for every 5 I saw there were 25 I didn't see. You probably have nests in your house somewhere. The exterminator will go under your house as well as around it. Once you have the exterminator and he is gone you can use go to the hardware store and get borax or a spray and just use it around the house every month to prevent them coming back. That is the best advice I can give you.

If you live in the middle of an ant hill they will come in. Some houses attract more than others. Here is the herbal cure. A- cayenne pepper. They won't cross it and if they get any on their feet it poisons the nest. B- baking powder sprinkled about under the sink and on the counter where you see them often, same effect.

I think I read cinnamon or cinnamon gum where they come in repells them.

To keep ants from getting in your home, you can put cinnamon around where they would come in , like doors and windows. You can also put around the counters behind appliances, and around the inside edges of the cupboards.

Hi A.,

Since I'm from Kentucky, we have a very bad ant problem there. My grandma put white vinegar (nothing else) in a spray bottle and sprayed: counter tops, floors, table legs & tops, baseboards, window sills, door thresholds, all bathroom fixtures and the floor, also if you have a porch entrance...sprinkle salt all over, they will not cross it. If you don't have a porch sprinkle salt on your walk ways & driveways and if you have outside stairs spray with vinegar. Or sprinkle with salt; it also helps with ice and
snow in the winter.

Another thing that helps... keeping your doors and windows closed tightly & using an air conditioner.

I sincerely hope this helps your problem, it sure helped ours.

Also, if you have a mouse or rat problem... put moth flakes or moth balls under counters in the corner, around holes where they enter, if possible under you house. If it is completely enclosed it will keep them from even coming under your house.

Good Luck~
C.

Cinnamon, Chili Powder, and Bay leaf. Just put one of those where they're coming in and it should repel them. You can also google "natural ant remedy" and it should pull several things up.

Hi A.,

First, you have to be diligent about sweeping floors and cleaning the kitchen counters. It's something that I'm terrible about doing often enough, and I'm sure it's next to impossible with your full house. Unfortunately, they'll keep trying to come back for the crumbs. Also, try to make sure to seal any open containers and bags of food as well as you can.

That said, ants still come in and are hard to get rid of. My Mom uses two methods for ants, one natural and one not, and I've had some luck with them as well.

1. The natural one: She sprinkles a line of cream of tartar across window sills/door thresholds to create a barrier the ants won't cross.

2. Not natural, but relatively safe: Spray a small amount of Raid or other pesticide on a cloth. Wipe the cloth across the back splash in the kitchen and other similar areas that pets/kids/food don't touch. After the bugs are gone, scrub the area down to get rid of any residue.

Good luck!
K.

Just put some salt on theirs way and they will be gone by next week.

CINNAMON!!!! They hate it..... try to find the trail where they enter and sprinkle it everywhere. Safe and non toxic !!

Windex...spray it where they are on the floor it interrupts their trail.

A.. Where we live we have the same problem. I have tried a lot of differt things. Messy though it is, it has wored for me. Outside around the house, where ever i can find any ants i sprinkle cinnemon. In the house i sprinkle on the window sills, doorways, on the counters, where ever that i see ants. I also smash a lot. any way i leave the cinnomn on the counters and everwhere else. As i said it looks messy, but i'm not overran with ants. I only have to change it about 3 times a year. Good luck..... R.

There are 2 kinds of ants - some that are enticed by sugar and some that are enticed by grease. If you buy those little covered traps, you need to get the right kind.

Try to find/remove whatever the food source is that is attracting them. It might be food that dropped behind a counter, potatoes that were forgotten in a cupboard, or you might have damp rot in your flooring.

Buy a big box of Boraxo (borax soap, the kind that you'd use as a laundry additive) and sprinkle a line of it around the entire exterior of your house, right against the foundation. If it's close enough to the house, it will be well within the dripline so it won't wash away in the rain, and your pets won't walk into it accidentally.

--arent they dreadful?? --- the area around a preschool I know of is infllicted with the dreadful things. We've had some success using ant traps that can be put into corners- and then blocked off so the pets can't get to them-- GOOD luck and I'll be watching carefully to see if there are better ideas.

Blessings,
J.

I read in Ask Helouise one time that chalk around the windows and doors helps keep ants out. For some reason they don't like to cross over the chalk line. I don't know from personal experience if it will work but at least it can't harm anything. It was in a Ladie's Home Journal or Better Homes and Gardens type magazine years ago.