Ants are invading my house - any suggestions?

[lizabird]

We have lived in our house for almost a year and have had a constant problem with small black ants. They come in through the most bizarre locations (under the back door, under the front door, through a tiny crack in the kitchen ceiling, through the kitchen window, upstairs bedrooms and bathrooms... they're EVERYWHERE!) We caulk the cracks where they show up but they just find a new entrance. We have been meticulous about keeping crumbs and dirty dishes out of the kitchen. They just keep coming.

I've used Terro Ant Killer drops that I don't like to use but it does seem to work, but I can't keep putting little poison drops all over the house. Everyone I talk to says I have to spray around the house or call an exterminator to do it for us. Ugh! Any non-toxic things that work? They're coming in almost everywhere, so whatever I do has to cover the entire house.

Thanks!!!!!!!

[OakBerry]

They are all over my house too!
Dh put some of those chemical traps around the perimeter, under the porches where ds can't get to. They were coming in the corner of the kitchen and coming down the cabinets onto the counter tops. Dh put a bait/posion on top of the kitchen cabinets, up near the ceiling, and they stopped coming in immedietly. But I agree with you, I hate using chemicals (especially in the kitchen) and am now pretty much putting up with the ants.

My mother swears that cucumber peels repel ants, I haven't tried it yet...

[beanma]

my mom has had an ant problem like that and she did call the exterminator. he said they were "ghost ants" and were probably nesting in the walls somewhere. she removed a potted plant that had a nest (she watered it and said they just "boiled" out), but is still seeing them so she's letting the exterminator treat. i think it's a bait. i wouldn't want to do that in my house if i could avoid it, but she's not so natural family living.

so....i googled "ghost ants" and i'm not sure that's what my mom has. might just be sugar ants. anyway, here are a few pages i found with more of a "natural family living" solution.

http://www.grinningplanet.com/2004/0...er-article.htm

http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/home/3

http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu/IPM/Househo...omeantbait.htm

hth

[loveday69]

Kindly keep ants out

Hi everybody, I'm new to this great place, Thanks for all the tips.

I've found the best way to keep ants out of the house is to feed them sugar. Place a small pile of sugar near to the point of entry (if you're not sure where they're getting in, just place a pile or two anywhere you suspect they're getting in, then watch for the pile to disappear - it's a dead givaway-unless it rains of course which will disolve the sugar and you'll need to start again when it's dry). They will eat the sugar rather than go hunting all over your house for food. When you notice the sugar pile reducing, place the next sugar pile a little further away from the house. Keep moving it till they forget where you live. If they come back, just repeat the process.
No nasty chemicals, kind to ants, kind to the environment, kind to you.

[stormborn]

I had pretty good results with peppermint oil. Take a rag or q-tip and rub it on the doorframe or wherever they seem to be getting in. This will also occupy a 4 yr old for half an hour.

[chrfath]

I have had good luck using borax. I ground it up with some sugar and put out a dish and put it all along their path. It gets on their legs and they take it back to the nest supposedly it kills them. I don't know, but it worked.

Good luck.

[mamabearsoblessed]

we alwyas used cucmber peels growing up. the counter always had all the peels laying hither and yon

hope you find a solution soon- our old house was ruled by ants-- not at all fun.

[lizabird]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'll happily check back for more too, I just keep humming this song to myself... "the ants come marching one by one... two by two... three by three... "

[beanma]

lizabird, i have one more suggestion -- cedar sawdust. if you can see a specific location where they're coming in (we had some coming in by the girls' closet doorjamb and getting in the diaper pail ) you can put some cedar sawdust down there. we got ours from the carrboro farmer's market. there's a vendor there who sells all sorts of cedar furniture, shoe racks and what not and they had this cedar sawdust for sale, too. they have shavings, too, but sawdust is what you want. if you tell them it's for ants they'll set you up. it worked pretty well for us, but we were able to pinpoint a single entry point. NC State has published a study about cedar repelling the argentine ant (which is one of the little black ants). you could give it a try.

hth

[eirual]

If you know where they're comming in they won't cross a chalk line or flour or cinnamon or anything of that consistancy.

[amydidit]

Wow, lots of great suggestions! We're being invaded by ants too... I'm going to try some of these.
Hmmm... chalk lines infused with peppermint oil, with mounds of cedar shavings topped with cucumber peels... think that would work??? I REALLY hate ants!

[Kari_mom]

We've been fighting ants too. Cinnamon, borax, flour, peppermint oil, and bay leaves did not work. Commercial ant traps did not work. Finding the nests outside and pouring pots of boiling water on them did help a lot. But what finally got rid of them for good was providing (inadvertently, now on purpose) alternate sources of sugar outside our house. A hummingbird feeder and a forgotten glass of lemonade did the trick. I am going to try piles of sugar like loveday69 suggested next, to make sure their food supply stays OUTSIDE! We have gone from seeing dozens of ants in our kitchen everyday to seeing maybe two, if any.

To add an ironic twist to my ant saga, guess what my mom gave my son for his birthday? An ant farm! She had no idea we were battling ants. I recently had the pleasure of sending off two bucks for more ants! (My mom has apologized to me several times. )

[Avena]

I hear ya! We got em too..And tried it ALL too!
about the ant farm, except we are living it!
Anyone else got sugg to RID them,besides building a new home?

[Skim]

Wiping vinegar on their trails annoys many ants. We use it to dissuade new ants from exploring our kitchen when it gets hot out. Then we clean like crazy, wipe every surface with more vinegar, and it works for at least a day.

We just keep doing it until they go away on their own. I like the sugar idea a LOT. Thanks! If we try it, and it works, I'll let y'all know.

[Naughty Dingo]

Our neighbor recommended the vinegar as well. He told me it makes the ant that carries it on his legs a pariah back at their home nest. The remedy is effective he says, but it takes a while.

ND