How to deal with Ants? - Page 2

Cole_Robbie · April 6, 2016

The only thing I eat that the ants like is cheap peanut butter, which has a little sugar in it, and also a homemade BBQ sauce that has sugar. Other than that, I don't really eat sugar, bread, crackers, or anything else that ants like. Most of the ants in my kitchen just wander around looking lost. Low carb dieting solved my ant problem.

berryman · April 6, 2016

I have a meyers lemon and an algerian tangerine inside in pots and the ants love love it in there. Besides aphids, they will also "farm" citrus scale. They are small, abt. 1/8" flat things that don't move but hang out mostly under leaves and on tender stems. Do a search-lots of pictures on the web.
I would also like to find a non-toxic solution.

My Foot Smells · April 6, 2016

will be on lookout for citrus scale and read up on DE, as they do love the bulbs. probably get some painters tape around trunk of peach and apply a gel around and see if that works - also on the lime tree. will work over the lime tree by yanking out of the pot first and introduce them to the hose.

the peach tree has about 100 tiny peaches already, so it would be good to at least knock down any free loaders on that dude.

i've also got an in ground apple, however, they do not mess with that.

tried a pear tree or two over the years, but fire blight is real bad and ended up yanking that dude up and putting on the fire. hail ate into the soft skin bark and it was over before it began.

i might have messed up and planted a black locust tree (on far west side of the garden). thorns as big as texas, hope i don't pop a mower tire.

zeuspaul · April 6, 2016

Inside the house I was able to eliminate argentine ants (the little brown ones) with Twenty Mule Team Borax from the laundry section in the grocery store. I powdered it in a blender and added powdered sugar as an attractant. You need a lot more sugar than borax or the ants ignore it.

It took over a month for complete eradication. After three or four weeks they started to dwindle and then they were all gone.

It doesn't work outside unless you can somehow protect it from moisture.

bower · April 6, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

The only thing I eat that the ants like is cheap peanut butter, which has a little sugar in it, and also a homemade BBQ sauce that has sugar. Other than that, I don't really eat sugar, bread, crackers, or anything else that ants like. Most of the ants in my kitchen just wander around looking lost. Low carb dieting solved my ant problem.

Two of the three kinds of ants in my house eat WOOD. I mean, the house.

Are you sure those ants are just "lost" ?

RJGlew · April 7, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

borax?

That's the way - poisons the queen and takes out the entire colony. Lots of commercial products available or videos on make your own. It takes a few days to work.

Goldie321 · April 9, 2016

I haven't seen any mention (unless I missed it somewhere) of whether these are your regular ants or fire ants. Fire ants can be a nuisance to get rid of. They really just relocate. We've used Andro to get them out of the garden. Use sparingly and just on/around the ant hills.

AlittleSalt · April 9, 2016

Over the years I've tried all sorts of things on Fire Ants out in the open areas.

I've found that countless brands of fire ant granules make them relocate a few feet away.

Used cooking oil works but leaves soil oily. Weeds still grow in it.

Bleach works.

Watered down Muriatic acid not only kills the ants instantly - it also makes the mound bubble which looks cool. Probably isn't good for the ground though.

Goldie321 · April 9, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Over the years I've tried all sorts of things on Fire Ants out in the open areas.

I've found that countless brands of fire ant granules make them relocate a few feet away.

Used cooking oil works but leaves soil oily. Weeds still grow in it.

Bleach works.

Watered down Muriatic acid not only kills the ants instantly - it also makes the mound bubble which looks cool. Probably isn't good for the ground though.

Well, if I can get them to relocate outside the garden, then we can go 'whole hog' on killing them which is what we've done in the past. Two years ago was a particularly bad year.

bower · April 9, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Over the years I've tried all sorts of things on Fire Ants out in the open areas.

I've found that countless brands of fire ant granules make them relocate a few feet away.

Used cooking oil works but leaves soil oily. Weeds still grow in it.

Bleach works.

Watered down Muriatic acid not only kills the ants instantly - it also makes the mound bubble which looks cool. Probably isn't good for the ground though.

After replacing one greenhouse kneewall where the ants had nested and chewed the place up, we found a second nest started in one of the sides. Dumped a big bucket of bleach water down into the nest... yep that finished it off. Spraying soaps on ants is a complete waste of time. Even with hot water you pretty much have to drown them to take any down.

Another thing I learned about the carpenter ants (wood boring ants) is that they love rigid foam insulation. I always hated this stuff so there's none in the house itself, but the guys who rebuilt the (attached) greenhouse stuck it everywhere. Now I need to take apart all the crap they boarded over and take away every last one of those

Hotel Ant baits.

User 636 · April 10, 2016

I just fixed an ant problem with DE. They invade the house every year and traps and bait didn't work. I dusted all the seams with DE and they are gone. I've dusted the deck and containers and will dust as I need to. It made an amazing difference. I also had something snacking on my seedlings. A DE dusting took care of that as well.

Goldie321 · April 10, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by User 636

I just fixed an ant problem with DE. They invade the house every year and traps and bait didn't work. I dusted all the seams with DE and they are gone. I've dusted the deck and containers and will dust as I need to. It made an amazing difference. I also had something snacking on my seedlings. A DE dusting took care of that as well.

Trying to pinpoint the entry point would be a good thing to do. If they are getting in every year, I'd say you have a vulnerable spot that has been overlooked. What sort of house is it - manufactured home, built on a slab, have a basement, etc. We have a manufactured home and about ten years ago, we had them crawling out of an electric socket wall plate. Turned out there was a huge anthill - and I mean huge about three feet across - under the house. Had to call in the local exterminator to clean that out. But they got'em!!! They also told us, that when you get that many, especially when recurring, inside they are probably in the walls. They went around drilling tiny holes in molding along the floor, under kitchen cabinets, everywhere around the house and then sprayed the insecticide into the holes using a tiny tube inserted into the holes. Never saw them again.

mgk65 · April 10, 2016

I've used borax & sugar in a 1:3 ratio dissolved in hot water to kill ants.

Pour in an old lid with wadded up paper towel. The ants disappeared after a couple of days.

All over the internet.
http://boraxantkiller.com/step-by-step-instructions/

oakley · April 10, 2016

I've been using duct tape wrapped around my fruit trees about a foot off the ground, wrapped sticky side out and enough wraps to be a good 8-10 inches. I've put Tangle-Trap on the tape as well but they stick to the duct tape pretty good. Those in the tree get stuck coming down and those going up....stick.
Dealing with the nest needed some borax traps and cornmeal and everything i could find i tried...worked.
And then i've read that some ants are not destructive...

I did have my best fruit season ever last year but that was due to favorable weather and following a no fruit year.

Around the home i use DE. And attached some of the Borax traps under the back deck. Placed so the pups don't get in it.

Careful using DE around your pets. Dogs noses are on the ground all day sniffing. Food grade DE is edible but the dust is horrible for your lungs.

efisakov · April 10, 2016

DE is great to deal with slugs as well.

April 10, 2016	#30
efisakov Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: NJ, zone 7 Posts: 3,162	DE is great to deal with slugs as well. __________________ Ella God comes along and says, "I think I'm going to create THE tomato!”

April 6, 2016	#16
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	The only thing I eat that the ants like is cheap peanut butter, which has a little sugar in it, and also a homemade BBQ sauce that has sugar. Other than that, I don't really eat sugar, bread, crackers, or anything else that ants like. Most of the ants in my kitchen just wander around looking lost. Low carb dieting solved my ant problem.

April 6, 2016	#17
berryman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: central utah Posts: 233	I have a meyers lemon and an algerian tangerine inside in pots and the ants love love it in there. Besides aphids, they will also "farm" citrus scale. They are small, abt. 1/8" flat things that don't move but hang out mostly under leaves and on tender stems. Do a search-lots of pictures on the web. I would also like to find a non-toxic solution.

April 6, 2016	#18
My Foot Smells Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Pulaski County, Arkansas Posts: 1,239	will be on lookout for citrus scale and read up on DE, as they do love the bulbs. probably get some painters tape around trunk of peach and apply a gel around and see if that works - also on the lime tree. will work over the lime tree by yanking out of the pot first and introduce them to the hose. the peach tree has about 100 tiny peaches already, so it would be good to at least knock down any free loaders on that dude. i've also got an in ground apple, however, they do not mess with that. tried a pear tree or two over the years, but fire blight is real bad and ended up yanking that dude up and putting on the fire. hail ate into the soft skin bark and it was over before it began. i might have messed up and planted a black locust tree (on far west side of the garden). thorns as big as texas, hope i don't pop a mower tire.

April 6, 2016	#19
zeuspaul Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: North County, San Diego Posts: 419	Inside the house I was able to eliminate argentine ants (the little brown ones) with Twenty Mule Team Borax from the laundry section in the grocery store. I powdered it in a blender and added powdered sugar as an attractant. You need a lot more sugar than borax or the ants ignore it. It took over a month for complete eradication. After three or four weeks they started to dwindle and then they were all gone. It doesn't work outside unless you can somehow protect it from moisture.

April 9, 2016	#22
Goldie321 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Florida USA Posts: 116	I haven't seen any mention (unless I missed it somewhere) of whether these are your regular ants or fire ants. Fire ants can be a nuisance to get rid of. They really just relocate. We've used Andro to get them out of the garden. Use sparingly and just on/around the ant hills.

April 9, 2016	#23
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Over the years I've tried all sorts of things on Fire Ants out in the open areas. I've found that countless brands of fire ant granules make them relocate a few feet away. Used cooking oil works but leaves soil oily. Weeds still grow in it. Bleach works. Watered down Muriatic acid not only kills the ants instantly - it also makes the mound bubble which looks cool. Probably isn't good for the ground though.

April 10, 2016	#26
User 636 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 36	I just fixed an ant problem with DE. They invade the house every year and traps and bait didn't work. I dusted all the seams with DE and they are gone. I've dusted the deck and containers and will dust as I need to. It made an amazing difference. I also had something snacking on my seedlings. A DE dusting took care of that as well.

April 10, 2016	#28
mgk65 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: WV, Z6 Posts: 16	I've used borax & sugar in a 1:3 ratio dissolved in hot water to kill ants. Pour in an old lid with wadded up paper towel. The ants disappeared after a couple of days. All over the internet. http://boraxantkiller.com/step-by-step-instructions/

April 10, 2016	#29
oakley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NewYork 5a Posts: 2,303	I've been using duct tape wrapped around my fruit trees about a foot off the ground, wrapped sticky side out and enough wraps to be a good 8-10 inches. I've put Tangle-Trap on the tape as well but they stick to the duct tape pretty good. Those in the tree get stuck coming down and those going up....stick. Dealing with the nest needed some borax traps and cornmeal and everything i could find i tried...worked. And then i've read that some ants are not destructive... I did have my best fruit season ever last year but that was due to favorable weather and following a no fruit year. Around the home i use DE. And attached some of the Borax traps under the back deck. Placed so the pups don't get in it. Careful using DE around your pets. Dogs noses are on the ground all day sniffing. Food grade DE is edible but the dust is horrible for your lungs.