Ants, Ants, Ants!

I had ants at one of my ants, and I have some really bad news for you. For every ant you see, there are 25 ants you don't see. Yuck!

They were in my dishwasher, my stove, my counter, and my sink....and I had babies. My husband could care less.

I finally told him, it was the ants or me. Make a choice. Then we got an exterminator to take care of it. Hah!

They came out once to do the inside and did the outside once a year. Then I stopped the service. They were back in a month. d_ _ _ buggers! So I had to resume the service. Just outside.

They do have the chemical now available on the market but I wouldn't touch it--let the pros do it.

I tried lots of things the one that really worked was a 50/50 mix of borax and plain sugar sprinkled around their pathway and entrance. They take it back to the nest and it kills them all, it takes about a week but then they will be gone.

Here is an informative article.

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Ants

I love Orange Guard. You can get it at most whole foods or order it online. It's made from orange peel but totally works! It's nontoxic for us, babies, and animals, but it kills and deters them. We sprayed it on a GIANT ant hill, and it stopped them from coming in our house. Good luck!

I second (or third) the Borax and powdered sugar mixture. When growing up, my folks had this problem too and it worked wonders. Put it somewhere pets can't get into it. I think they used little pieces of foil to put it on and put it behind the fridge, in the garage, under the edge of the stove, all over. In a few days they started to diminish in numbers then were gone. Good luck!!!

Two things:
1) they may be moisture ants, not sugar ants.
2) try diatomaceous earth - it's a non-toxic white powder made from tiny sea creatures that works by creating tiny cuts in the ants respiratory system; they dry out & die.

Hi M.!

Boy ants sure are a pain in the butt! My grandmother swears by Borax. You can find it in the laundry detergent isle of just about any grocery store. When my hubby and I bought our house she bought me a box of it, and sprinkled some all along the outside of the house and our porch. Every summer I do the same and we have never had an ant problem in this house.

Unfortunately, I don't have any ideas for getting rid of them once they are in your house.... but maybe start with sprinkling the borax around teh outside of your house to keep any new ones from getting in. I'm sure you'll get some good ideas for getting rid of those pesty little ants!

Good luck!

The best- most effective as well as cheapest- way I have found to get rid of ants is to sprinkle paprika where you notice they tend to concentrate. They take the paprika back to the nest and it kills them all. Paprika won't hurt your family or pets if they happen across it. Why it works, I don't know, but it has worked 100% of the time. Just make sure that no one sweeps it up before enough ants can take it back home.

Other than having a professional come in an eradicate these annoying buggers, I used a Borax/water solution. I live in a small apartment complex and the exterminator himself said the traps they use are made up of 90% Borax. I bought some Borax at a local hardware store and made paste with some and a spray. I used that and haven't had a problem since. It's difficult to find something that is safe to use around your children and pets. I don't like chemicals and have a five year old son. Good luck on this!

I had the same problem. After trying many ant traps and things, none of which worked, we got Home Defense. Worked in less than 30 minutes. There are instructions right on it, but basically, you spray the perimeter of your house, along with the door jambs and window edges of any room in your house where you have a problem. I use it every spring now and have not seen an ant since.

They say you have to find the ant hill in order to really get rid of them!!! I have used Terro when I had them that seems to work pretty good and it is self containted.
S.

I had sugar ants infest the kitchen and I found where they were getting in (in a crack under the sink behind the trash can) and put a 50/50 borax/sugar mix in a trail to it and within a week they were gone. I also take boiling water to the ant hill outside and that works temporarily.
As a side note, for fruit flies, I keep a tall tequila shot glass with a small amount of apple cider vinegar and a drop of dish soap in it. I make a paper funnel and tape it to the top and just keep it on the counter. They fly in for the vinegar and get trapped. We had a huge infestation a while back and found that tip on the internet and it works like a charm! I just keep it kind of hidden on the counter near the fruit bowl and I never have a problem anymore.

I've heard that cornmeal (or was it cornstarch) gets rid of them. They carry it back to their nests, but they can't digest it, so they end up starving to death. Just leave it in little piles near the vulnerable areas.

i may be wrong, but can't you look at your previous post by clicking on 'my files' above?

This may sound strange, but my cousin in California sprays counters and floors down with rubbing alcohol. They just keep a spray bottle on their counter. It really works. My mother in law had terrible problems with these little buggers and she started using the alcohol and now she is pretty much ant free! Hope it helps!

We tried sprinkling baby powder on our counters and floors and that seemed to keep them at bay. And it's safe for kids!

Cornmeal!!! That is what I've heard.. I heard that you pour it around the outside of the house and in the main area inside of where you see the ants.. they take the cornmeal to their nest and share it. They eat it and can not digest it and they all die. They end up killing their nest by taking it back. Sound horrible.. but in the long run it is super safe for kids and animals! Good luck!