Kid-Friendly Ant Control

We have had a lot of success with Talcum powder - we never used it on our kids, but have it inside and out and it really stops the ants!
Good luck.

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I've heard that corn meal mix placed on a lid works. They take it back to the colony and they can't digest it so they die. I haven't tried it personally so don't know for certain if it works. I've also heard of placing Bay leaves out. My mother uses those in her pantry and says they help. I've tried them, but can't say that it helped me any. I tried the soapy water and it didn't help.

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Yes! According to my friends who have tried it...the corn meal does work as one of the other Moms stated.
But, to get rid of them initially....use Windex. You need to spray the area where you see them and clean all around. As the temps go up they are looking for water. That's why you're finding them where you are.
You're getting the scouts...who leave a trail and then the others follow. Use the windex...clean all the areas where you are seeing them. You need to eliminate the scent trail. And continue to use to actually kill them.

If it gets out of hand really bad you may have to either bait, and keep your kids away....or find a professional to spray at least one time.

But the windex worked for us years ago when we did all our landscaping and 'upset' the nests underground...I guess. HA. I did as our spray people suggested because I also didn't want to use pesticides inside. The Windex did it. After that we never had another problem.

I've also used the (once considered illegal, don't know if it still is) miracle chalk that one of the Moms mentioned. And yes, once upon a time you could only find them at Asian stores. I've found my supply at some of the .99 cent stores OWNED by Asians. Hummm. But yes! It IS an amazing product! But there is no telling what is in there. Nothing is listed. I never used it where my fur balls could reach it outside, and haven't really needed anything in years so I never used it around my kids. But if you can find it...it IS a bizarre thing to watch that when you 'draw' those lines how the ants do all they can to avoid it.
And it DID make them disappear never to return again.

Good luck

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Yes A.! There IS hope! PLAIN OLD SOAPY WATER kills ants faster than anything. If you can get all their trails, and all the way to where they enter the house, then put a bit of extra soap there, (I've even used my husband's shaving cream), it will usually discourage them from coming in for awhile. In this hot weather though, they are mighty thirsty, and they're coming after the water, I'd guess. The research I've heard shows that there's a higher incidence of leukemia in children in households that use bug sprays, so you are wise to fear using them. There's never a reason to use Ant sprays or poisons in all the years I've dealt with ants, and good ole soapy water always works! (you can use it in a spray bottle, like 409, too!)
Best to you and your wonderful family!
R.

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I have the exact same thing!!! and the ants are really tiny. I also work from home and the business I run is representing a wellness company. They have chemical free products that work as pesticides. I have been using that. The products are from there cleaning line called Eco-sense. FANTASTIC!!! and I don't have to worry about the kids or the environment.

I would be glad to help you get some!
J. Cherry
Proud member of the MOM TEAM
Director II
www.more4mykidzfuture.com
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From what I know about ants, they have a scent trail they follow. Most of the things we use to "cover the trail" is strong enough to mask the scent only for us humans, but more often than not ants will return. I applaud your effort not to use chemicals where your precious little will be, so having said that your options are two: find the tiny little unsealed hole that they are climbing in from (this may be more easily said than done) and seal it. Or deal with them as they arrive, I have heard that cinnamon is too strong for them and will not cross it's scent. My parents were successful in keeping them out of a window sil, however my sister was not because they were (and continue to) entering from the middle counter in her kitchen under the tile. This was too difficult to position the cinnamon in an upside down place. Maybe you won't encounter that problem. Good luck, and may I take the liberty to encourage you to be chemical-free in your house cleaning too. There are many good old fashion cleansers (baking soda, vinegar, & lemon) that clean and disinfect but without the hazard to our little ones. Good luck again.

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wipe your counters down with distilled white vinegar! itll smell a little but the ants will be gone!

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**In response to insect chalk:

This brand is approved by the EPA. The only insect chalk that is. Here is the link: http://www.homeimprovementtime.com/idea_file/bug_control_...
I use this and it is very good. Of course I don't put it anywhere where it can be touched by kids. **

They are going by the sink because there is water there.

Lemons work. Keep the rinds, and put where the trails are.
Also, you can just squirt the ants with the rind...and the ants will die.
Also, rub the rinds on the surfaces of things and this will kill and repel them.

You may also want to use "orange" products...these often will repel bugs too. I have also heard that baby powder and some dried herbs can help as well.

Good luck,
~susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo

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In response to Pauline K:

The "miracle chalk" once usually available in Chinese markets and now widely available elsewhere is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. Do not use it in a home with a child or pet! It is extremely effective BUT since having my daughter, I've erred on the safe side and used, with great success and peace of mind, the other solutions recommended here. There are as many articles detailing the chalk's dangers as there are praising its solution. Here's one: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/09/...

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Go to the pharmacy and get some pure boric acid (not the stuff they sell at the 99 cent store). Dissolve a teaspoon of it in a spray bottle full of hot water. Find the spots where the ants are likely to be entering the house, and spray liberally. In this concentration, the child is not likely to have any problems with encountering the residue, but the ants will have plenty! If you took your child to the doctor for pink-eye, they would probably use just such a solution to address the problem. It is harmless to humans when diluted that much, but the ants find it irritating.

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sprinkle cinnamon...the ants hate it!

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