Stupid Ants!! How Do I Rid Them??

Updated on January 09, 2010
A.H. asks from Brighton, CO
18 answers

Ok so we just bought a house in november and we cant seem to get rid of the fire ants IN our house, I feel like they are everywhere weve had 2 exterminators and we wont see any for a few days but then the we will see them everywhere again. Any ideas on how to get rid of them once and for all?? I have a baby and a dog so we need something not harmful to them (obviously) Thanks

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Thanks everyone!! Ugh ants are soo annoying!

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J.B.

answers from Tyler on

One thing that helped us was going around the foundation with Orthene. It's expensive, but getting it down next to the concrete really helped.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.P.

answers from Dallas on

Call Jeff with Crown Pest Control 18174858774. We had a horrible ant problem and he just kept working on the problem until it was resolved. He told me he wished we had fire ants because in his opinion they are the easiest to get rid of. He'll do a one time fee or a year and I highly recommend signing up for the year. He will come out every time you call and is really sweet.

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A.C.

answers from Lubbock on

Try cornmeal. It's always worked when I've used it though it takes a few days. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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A.H.

answers from Dallas on

Have you consider treating your lawn? I had my lawn treated by ChemLawn. When they are gone from the yard, they stop coming in. =)

1 mom found this helpful
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P.S.

answers from Dallas on

There is a new ant bait on the market, we had to get it from an extermainator but it works like a charm! I dont have the exact name, but it comes in a small package and has clear gooey poision inside, you open the container and leave it out of reach of kids and pets. It will take a day or two and then to your horror will be covered with hundreds of drunk ants. Dont panic, the next morning they will all be magically gone. Leave it out a few days longer, it will probally happen again. The extermainator said it would pull in from more than one colony and take more than one cluster to be rid of all of them. Two rounds of crazy drunk ants and we have not seen another one since.

It is toxic, but it is also self contained, I had no problems opening without spills and setting it out where the cat couldnt get to it and the kids didnt know it was around.

1 mom found this helpful
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H.M.

answers from Dallas on

If you are wanting something safe and not wanting to sprinkle food and other things around the house to prevent fire ants....I know of a product that is actually a safe cleaning product for the house but also prevents fire ants from invading your house. I use Melamagic which is a Melaleuca brand cleaner and I just mix water with a couple ounces of the Melamagic and spray it on the perimeters of my home. Works like a charm. This is a company that sells there products by word of mouth so if you would like to try it, risk free, then call me:)

H. Meece
www.WorkAtHomeUnited.com/H.
###-###-####

1 mom found this helpful
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K.M.

answers from Dallas on

I dont remember the name of it but we use the litle baits that they walk on and carry the bait back to their homes. We had ants in our kitchen, playroom, living room in our new house and they are gone now. We got it at Lowes where they keep all the bug killers. We just hide them here and there and they are childproof too.

1 mom found this helpful

D.T.

answers from Dallas on

We had a problem with ants when we moved in to our house 5 years ago. Turns out they were the ants that preceed termites. David Mills at Best Pest Control came out, recognized them, and treated the problem. We have a monthly service contract with him now and it's WELL WORTH IT.
Good luck.

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J.M.

answers from Dallas on

For non toxic pest control try checking out www.dirtdoctor.com. I think he suggests using diatomaceous earth, which cuts them up when they crawl through it. It is safe for people and pets though.

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S.C.

answers from Dallas on

We had a major ant problem in October after all the rain. We had BizzyBees come out, they used a non-toxic spray and we have not had a problem since.

Other than that, I am not sure. They did bring some ant traps that we placed around the kitchen to help as well.

We liked them enough that my DH used them at his office, being next to Koster's deli they had ant problems, and that was solved quickly there as well.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.D.

answers from Dallas on

Are they those little black "sugar ants"? (UGH) They live in the walls and quite literally come out of them. First cut off any water source and of course food, our biggest problem is the dog is a grazer and the other problem was the high chair which isn't far from our back door. I would vacuum the high chair every other day and spray it down with a vinegar/water mixture to get rid of the scent of food. Next see if you can get a hold of some sweet bait (we got it from our exterminator), it's ok to have it squirted on your counter tops etc. Put it in all counter top corners and near any doorways. Then set up some ant traps on your counter tops again in the corners near the sweet bait, in your pantry on the shelves etc. It should get rid of them within week or two.

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D.C.

answers from Dallas on

Vinegar works great on sugar ants - I'm not sure if it works on fireants.

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S.

answers from Dallas on

Do you have ant mounds in your yard or flower beds? Check and treat those first. My husband wasn't the best about taking care of the mounds outside. When we had a bunch of rain in I think the fall the ants came inside to find food. Even after it quit raining (and got the house treated) they wouldn't leave because there were still mounds outside. Treat those and you should get rid of your problem.

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J.S.

answers from Norfolk on

There is product called Terro which is the only thing I have ever found that will make an ant problem go away. You can get it in either the grocery store or home improvement store. Its great stuff.

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T.M.

answers from Dallas on

The absolute best solution is to get a few foggers that are intended for ants and put them in your attic. It will send the fogger fumes into the walls of your house and protect that house from ants.

We had a HORRIBLE ant problem in my childhood home and my parents tried everything from expensive services to home remedies and the fogger was the ONLY thing that got rid of the ants.

The foggers will should knock the ants out for a good year. Just set off a few more when you see the first ant re-appearing and you should never have an ant problem again!

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S.S.

answers from Santa Barbara on

If you know where they are coming in put Cinnamon around the entrance point. It worked wonderfully with black ants. It's cheap and smells good too!
S.

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K.R.

answers from Dallas on

I work for a company that offers products that are safe to use around dogs and kids, and they have a GREAT ant killer. I use it my house and yard around my year old daughter. Let me know if you're interested. We had the same issue with ants, and now we have no ants! :)
K.

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S.S.

answers from Seattle on

Put out cornmeal. They eat it and can't digets it so that it kills them. They also take it back with them for others to eat and it kills them too. Good luck!

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