Ant Problem - San Marcos,CA

Get some Terro liquid ant bait. Promise, it works. May take a few days depending on how many there are but this is the ONLY stuff that has worked for me and I've used it for several years now.
Sorry it's not safe for around the B.. If there is a part of the "trail" where the bait can be placed out of reach?
C.

I use Grants Ants. Easy to use, no sprays, no chemical smell, and all enclosed into a little "container" with a tiny hole on top where the ants crawl into, eat the gel "poison", crawl back to the ant cave and die. You just lay it down in the middle of the ant trail. It's kind of weird to see hundreds of ants crawling to get it, but once they eat it, they die and then you just vacuum up the bodies.

In the house I spray ants with a mixture of dishsoap and water. It kills the ants and I dont worry that we are all breathing anything toxic. My husband does spray them with Raid outside though.

Hi Leah,

I use a natural line of cleaning products that are safe and cheaper than Walmart and are a natural bug repellant. If you're interested in switching cleaning products, let me know and I'll get you some information. I haven't had problems with ANY types of bugs sinced I switched over.

You can try cinnamon (not cinnamon sugar like one mom thought I suggested one time, lol!). Most types of ants will not cross cinnamon. You can run a line over a threshold or window or whereever they are coming in. That worked for me with the little sugar ants that are abundant in Georgia!

Regards,

M.

i know this sounds weird..but sprinkle dry grits around..the ants will eat them and then the grits swell up in their tummy from the moisture and then they explode..and its ok if your little one happens to eat the grits :)

When I had this problem, I found an aerosol ant killer that contained mint oil which worked really well (I think it was made by victor pest which somehow turned into Safer Brand - either way, I bought it online). I also watched to see where they were coming in. They were sneaking in where the floor met the wall, under the moulding and by the kitchen cabinets. I sealed those spots with a bead of clear silicone caulk. My ant problem hasn't been too bad since then; for the few that ventured in this spring, I put down some mint oil mixed with water and let it dry. I think I read that one of the things the mint oil does is disrupt the scent trails the ants leave, but don't quote me on that.

I have also heard of using diatomaceous earth as a barrier but I wouldn't use it inside. My local pool store won't sell it anymore (it was used as a filter medium) because of possible health risks caused by inhaling the airborne dust.

Hi Leah,
I have recently had ants in my kitchen and to stop them from coming in I sprayed Bengal (sp?) OUTSIDE my front and back doors, this is maybe 20 feet from my kitchen and suddenly and mysteriously, they all disappeared from inside the kitchen. Like, within minutes they were gone. I don't know how the heck it happened but it did. You may try your Raid outside our doors and see what happens. B. won't be crawling around outside, right??

I've heard Borax will work too.

Too bad your not my neighbor. Just today we came upon a science experiment we need 30-40 live ants for. We havent' got many in this VA clay.

I want to second the cinnamon. It worked great for us. It can be a little messy, but easy enough to clean up and well worth getting rid of the ants.

I am curious about the suggestions to use B. powder. I thought some time ago information came out that said it is NOT good for babies.

Good luck!

Use "Terro" Ant Baits. Its a liquid Borax.
It works! Everytime!
the ants track it back to the colony and kills the colony.
you can find it at any drugstore/home improvement store/garden store.

It comes in plastic receptacles... and you put it where the ants are.
There are also outdoor stakes, that you can put around the perimeter of your home....

Ants come from the outside... and like moisture/food sources.

Mix borax with powdered sugar. Place in container with low sides (such as a lid from a jar). Put the containers in the path of the ants. They will be gone in a day or two. Of course, make sure you place thiese away from your B.. You can put them out overnight if they will be in a place where your B. could get them, then pick them up in the morning.

i think it depends on what kind of ants, look online. mine were attracted to water (in bathroom not kitchen) so I found drying the sink every night and when I left for work in the am got rid of them. they leave a scented trail so you have to clean with anything that will change the odor I used Anywhere spray where I had seen them crawling.

I use what Janelle suggested...B. powder - they don't like getting it on their toes. :-) It really works and it is safe for kids and pets.

We use to have an ant problem. We started using Diametrious Earth and I haven't seen an ant since. Just make sure you get the type you DON'T use for a pool. It is safe for children to even eat...and yes my daughter has eaten it. It is like a dust, but just make sure the B. isn't there when it is first put down. You may want to use a face mask yourself if you have sinus problems or asthma. Other than breathing it in large quantities, it is safe and natural. It gets past the exoskeleton and dehydrates them from the inside out. Good luck!

The wierdest thing was B. powder. I put it around the windows and door frames. Its messy sometimes and annoying to use, but it works. I even pour some on the ants and they die instantly. Good luck.

Try talcum powder. Ants won't cross it.
Good luck

B. powder or salt. Ants won't cross either one. (Hence the salt on the rim of a margarita glass) My neighbor puts it around the perimeter of her house and never needs it inside. I've tried it inside and it works great!