March of the Ants
All due respect to those observing St. Paddy’s Day, but on this day in March, what I’m observing seems to be the start of the annual parade of the ants! Can’t believe it — I just looked at the cat’s bowls and spied those pesky critters! Mind you, it’s not even officially spring yet! (Yeah,…
All due respect to those observing St. Paddy’s Day, but on this day in March, what I’m observing seems to be the start of the annual parade of the ants! Can’t believe it — I just looked at the cat’s bowls and spied those pesky critters! Mind you, it’s not even officially spring yet! (Yeah, I know, what do the ants care? It’s warm today. Woo hoo!)
At any rate, I’m reminded that last year’s ant invasion was particularly outrageous. Lasted a long, long time and the invaders were not deterred by anything we tried, i.e., constant cleaning, ant traps and sprays.
POR: Does anyone have a really effective ant repellent/destroyer to recommend that won’t also make house pets sick?
TIA
Yes, the ants started early this year, a sure sign of spring.
I have found that the Combat brand ant gell in a syringe works well. It’s sometimes hard to find locally and sells for around $5 a tube. I recently heard that a barrier dusting of diatomaceous earth which is used in swimming pool filters may be a solution. Supposedly crawling over it causes fatal injuries to the ants.
I battled them fiercely, and finally I found two things that work immediately and, shockingly, non-toxicy. It’s this stuff they sell at Sisters Community Hardware in Clinton Hill. Sorry I can’t recall the name, but they are so great there, I’m sure you can call and ask what it is. It comes in a white tube with a syringe-like depresser, and it’s expensive. Basically, I believe it is boric acid in some kind of canteloupe and sugar syrup. Find the spot they are come in and put a little dot on the hole and that’s it. I had a crawling baby, so even though it was supposed to be non-toxic, I was nervous about it. I’d goop it on at night, then clean it off in the morning. Worked like a charm! Works indoors and out.
Thanks myplace. I googled this issue and found that your vinegar solution comes up often. Definitely worth a try. In the meantime, anyone interested in finding some natural solutions to the ant problem might want to check out this link:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060821081154AAKTvss
I especially love the suggestion on using instant grits. Gotta try it! Here’s another link re that strategy: http://www.antswers.com/featured/natural-ant-killer/
I use undiluted white vinegar – LOTS OF IT. It works but you have to use a lot. Spray it, wipe it, pour it. And, it gets everything clean, too.
I’m going on 3 years this April at my apartment, and the year i moved in there were ants everywhere. I got ant traps, bug spray etc. and finally got some Borax and sprinkled it all around where I thought they might be getting in. It seemed to work but that I wasn’t sure if it was because of the Borax or the fact that “ant season” was over. I’ve been pretty consistent to make sure to keep borax in the cracks and I didn’t see a single ant last year. Nothing yet this year yet either.
Hmm, the ants closer to Prospect Park must be cleverer or more persistent than the ones a couple of blocks east in Lefferts Manor. You might try setting the moat on fire, but that might upset your cat 🙁
Otherwise, the only suggestion I have is that ant traps made for indoor/outdoor use worked better than plain indoor ones; especially when I put some outside, near the house. Still, wed never got rid of them all.
ours started a few weeks ago. kept them at bay last year with a few exterminator visits, but i fear this year will be more of the same. exterminator made a big point of spraying most of the backyard. pretty sure i know where they are coming into the basement but loathe ripping out the sheetrock wall to further investigate.
Bob, we used ant traps last year. Outdoor and indoors — to no avail! Also, I don’t know what kind of ants you have, but the ones over here go into the water bowl as well as the food bowl. So, I don’t think a water moat will prove to be much of a deterrent. (-: Thanks anyway.
You can reduce the numbers somewhat with ant traps, placed in out of the way locations, where pets can’t reach them. Last summer I solved the problem of ants invading my cat’s food bowl by placing it in a shallow metal dish filled with water. This moat worked better for me [and Max, the cat]than it did for Leiningen 🙂