Invasion of the ants.

[jyl]

Our kitchen is chronically invaded by these very small ants that go after food. Crumbs on the counter, fruit in the bowl, sugar in the crock, compost in the bin, cat food on the floor, anything. They seem to be indestructible. For the last few years, we've tried ant "traps" and diatomacetus earth, vinegar sprays and RAID. Only the last two work, but only temporarily and the last one stinks. As a result, the ants continue to search our kitchen and I've resorted to setting bowls of fruit in saucers of water. So far they have not learned to swim or make boats.

What should I do? For a while we were trying to avoid pesticides, but now I'd be happy to detonate a neutron bomb in my kitchen. Those being expensive, even on eBay, I'm going back to poison. Is there a better poison out there, for little ants?

[ledhedsymbols]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0rTgYaX7bXI

[scottmandue]

I feel your pain... I also have tried corn starch...

Best thing I have found is to track them outside to their nest and spray with malathion.

[masraum]

There's a couple of ant things that you can put down. You can put a small dab of this stuff (bait/insecticide) down in a few spots where you see the ants. It'll look like a tiny, pea sized dab of clear silicone. It seems to do the trick pretty well. Some ants eat sugar, some eat fat/grease. Depending upon which you have, you need the right bait.

[Evans, Marv]

I do like Scott does and attack them at their nests outside or anyplace they make them (except inside the house). Don't know but maybe they are under your house or near the foundation. What I use is Tempo SC, which I think you can get on Amazon or similar. It's sort of specific to ants. The insecticide is kind of an emulsion which you shake up before mixing it with water. You only use 4 ml/gal. of water. I have a lot of red ants around here, which I don't like making nests in the area around the house. I mix this stuff up in one of those used Ortho Home Defense gallon jugs without the spray hose & hand sprayer. I open the shutoff and dribble it down the nest hole for quite a while. Sometimes a nest might take a cup or two. The next day the colony has collapsed. It works for the little ants too. I use my bottle quite a bit and have had it so long I don't remember where I got it or how much it cost.

[J P Stein]

I agree with a couple posts above. Hunt down the nest(s) and kill em' with insecticide. Use a water mix compound & soak the nest area. I do this at least once a year. Crawley critters did well this last mild winter.

[scottmandue]

Oh and I spray the trails indoors with Windex, kills the ants and wipes out the chemical trail they leave behind... then nuke the nest(s) outdoors... I also spray the perimeter of the house with the malathion while I'm at it.

[rattlsnak]

We've had the same issues. You have to track down the outside nest to make any headway. But they will be back sooner or later.

[Bugsinrugs]

I bought this bait called Terro. It takes a couple of weeks but it eventually kills the queen. That's what needs to be done. Kill the queen and they all die.

[porsche4life]

Find out where they are coming in and dose them daily with this stuff.

Shop Hot Shot 2.50-oz Hot Shot Ultra Clear Roach & Ant Gel Bait at Lowe's

[rusnak]

Pour diesel or some non-Liberal approved chemical (gasp) down the ant nest, or starve them out. You will either have grease/ oil ants, or sugar/ carbs ants. Sounds like yours go after sugar. Everythings got to be either placed in plastic bags or the fridge.

[MDH]

Ants marching......indeed.
We have same problem.
2 parts borax powder to 1 part powdered sugar, mix.
Put mixture in shallow dish. A peanut butter lid works good.
Place on ant trail. Wait, wait.......
The sugar attracts the ants and they carry borax back to colony also...ants are stupid.
The borax kills the ant colony....they dehydrate.

[LeeH]

Just got rid of some. They were coming in by a kitchen cabinet in the middle of the house to get to our dog's food.
Used this:
TERRO® Liquid Ant Baits
I just put them down at the point of entry. The ants didn't seem too interested so I put down a thin ring of hand lotion an inch or so wide to corral them in. They won't cross the lotion barrier. Once they got over being disoriented by the dead end chemical trail, they went after the Terro. Took about two days.

[TimT]

2 parts borax powder to 1 part powdered sugar

Also sprinkle boric acid along the paths they use.... Ant navigate by scent, and the boric acid covers the "trail"

They will come back every year though, when turned away from the foody goodness in the house they will find other nourishment... So try and find the nest ..... and take it out

[pavulon]

I believe some ants (the local large black variety for certain) are attracted to at least some perfumes. They stopped showing up when the heavily perfume-laden (now ex-) wife packed up and left.

[gamin]

The best way to deal with an ant infestation is to find the nest and deal with it there. It is not always easy to find the nest.
I had a bad problem with odorous house ants in the kitchen and bathrooms. This was 14 months ago. I used Termidor SC which is available on Amazon. Main use is as a termiticide but it has ant control labeling also. Caution signal word which is least toxic. Applied it exactly per label instructions. Have not seen a single ant of any species in the house since treatment and the wife is very happy. This product is a bit pricey so buy the smallest bottle. Mix in a 1 gal compressed air sprayer from wallyworld and keep agitated. Label allows ant treatment twice per year. Always follow label instructions. Good luck. Ants are tough and quite possibly the most successful animal group on earth.

[Crowbob]

Insects v. humans. The only two populations that are increasing. One of 'em's gonna win in the end.

[flatbutt]

I had to spray the outside perimeter of my house to stop them from coming in. I do it every other month now and my house is free of ants.

[tabs]

Originally Posted by pavulon

I believe some ants (the local large black variety for certain) are attracted to at least some perfumes. They stopped showing up when the heavily perfume-laden (now ex-) wife packed up and left.

Ahhh Ohhh U married the Queen ant as they followed her to her next meal.

[tabs]

At the end of JUne it was 113 outside and dry, while sitting here on the PC I noticed a few ants coming in through the window. The fkers marched right past the Garbage pail in the kitchen for the Espresso maker????? Where did they here about my Salvatore???? Anyway they was after da water in the reservoir. Since then I have been invaded. I keep on seeing a shadowy 6 foot ant every now and then out of the corner of my eye???

Anyway Clorox Cleanup kills em dead, dead dead.