M.B. asks from North Bend, OR on January 21, 2009
Ants, Ants, Ants!
I've seen this question before and for the longest time I had the answers saved, then I goofed and got rid of them...I have a HUGE sugar ant problem, only these persistent little buggers don't even concentrate on just our yummy things...my computer table gets them and they play in my water glass, they get all over our clean dishes (including INSIDE the dishwasher, after it just ran)...they're nuts and they won't go away! People had some great ideas on how to get rid of them...can I get a refresher?
2 moms found this helpful
So What Happened?™
Thanks to everyone SO much!!! I have great ideas now...and I was smart enough this time to write them down lol. My prediction is by the end of the month, I will no longer be smooshing ants several times a day! Yay!
Featured Answers
W.C. answers from Seattle on January 22, 2009
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.
1 mom found this helpful
C.G. answers from Medford on January 22, 2009
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.
1 mom found this helpful
More Answers
B.P. answers from Seattle on January 21, 2009
R.E. answers from Portland on January 22, 2009
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!
1 mom found this helpful
L.N. answers from Portland on January 22, 2009
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!
1 mom found this helpful
C.S. answers from Seattle on January 22, 2009
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.
1 mom found this helpful
C.J. answers from Richland on January 22, 2009
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!!!
1 mom found this helpful
W.C. answers from Seattle on January 22, 2009
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.
1 mom found this helpful
E.S. answers from Richland on January 22, 2009
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.
1 mom found this helpful
C.G. answers from Medford on January 22, 2009
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.
1 mom found this helpful
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