Ant Problem in Playroom

At my preschool we use vinegar and water or soap and water. Chalk keeps out ants too-they won't cross over it.

I use sprinkle lots of baby powder in the cracks or corners that they come from and they never come back as long as the baby powder is there !

Hope that helps!

Yes, cornmeal works because ants can't digest it. And, they take it back to the nest and the others can't digest it either. It takes a week or two for you to see no ants but it is worth it and it's safe for you, your little one and pets too!

I had this problem a few years ago on my balcony and my Mom suggested baby powder with a little powdered sugar, all mixed together. They ate the sugar and the powder, and it didn't hurt my balcony plants, either. Never had ants out there again.

Sorry no solution, but if you find one that works please share it. I swear my house is built on an ant hill. I have tried everything but they just come right back. I do know that 409 kills ants you can see, but doesn't keep them away.

Household cleaner 409 kills ants. Spray it along the line where they are entering her room and everywhere else you see them.

I know this sounds crazy but it works EVERY time: sprinkle baby powder where you see the ants and in the spot you think they are getting in. It's messy but it has always worked for me - even outside. Leave it for a few days then clean it up. You should make the playroom off limits until you clean it up so your kids don't inhale or ingest the powder. If you still have problems call American Scientific, everything they use is safe and non-toxic and it works.

Is it possible that some food was left in there?? Even a pile of cracker crumbs can attract the little buggers and keep them there for ever. I have had good luck with those little plastic disks that you put in corners. The ants take the food back home and it poisons the whole colony. But this will work only if you remove whatever it is that they wanted in the first place. If you are going to do a major cleaning of the area - use vinegar to clean the floors and surfaces (unless you have tile or natural stone) and this will repel the ants for a little while. Good luck

J., do you know where they are coming from or what they are attacking (besides you and the baby)? My bug guy put ant stuff in the cupboards by means of tearing an envelope and pouring the granules in the crease of the envelope and then dumping the granules inside the bottom corners kind of up and over. He said they are often left open by the builder, although I did see one big slab of cement when they started building this house. In any event, the ants are gone.

I use Desert Pest Control and have no bug problems.

C.

Home Depot and buy ant granuels and spread them around the outside of the entire house gone in two days and they don't come back!

J.,

My company sells cleaning supplies, and surprisingly, they get rid of those pesky ants! Even more amazing, the products are all toxic-free, and poison-free. None have child proof caps, because no one has ever been hurt by them!

If you are interested in these great products, check out my website and I'll call you.

A.
http://www.BringingWellnessHome.com/Angel

I think it depends on how big the problem. Every years we'd get one invasion of ants and my husband would do one of the various suggestions here and that would be it. This year, nothing we did worked - cinnamon, cornmeal, chalk, whatever. The ants just moved to another room. We finally bought this stuff called Terro - it's a clear liquid that the ants feed off of and take back to their nest and it kills them all. You can get it in a bottle that you squeeze onto a piece of paper. Or I found it in semi-sealed containers that the ants crawl into to get. (might be a little safer) When you find a trail, you put it on the trail and just leave it for a day. But, obviously make sure it's high enough and out of reach of the little one or keep the room secured for a day. It works!

Hi J.,

Ants won't cross a line of ground cinnamon. When I lived in Santa Barbara, our house was built on an ants' nest so they were a constant problem. I wound up caulking the base boards and lining them with ground cinnamon. The ants quickly found a new, outside the house, route to wherever they wanted to be.

Good luck!

Here's what I found online, go to this link

http://www.thefrugallife.com/ants.html

My mom suggested baby powder. I haven't tried it yet, but it's worth a shot.

We have ants every summer and what always works for us is Peppermint extract or ground cloves. You can easily find both in the baking isle at your grocer. Before you "clean them up" find out where they're coming from and that's where you'll put the extract or ground cloves...in that area. They won't cross it, plus it smells good. Good luck!

We use Grants Ants from Home Depot. But will definitely try the cinnamon thing next time.

We moved into a new house over the summer and ended up with a huge ant problem. The only thing that worked for us was Terminix (they came once and sprayed the OUTSIDE of the house). Within 48 hours all of the ants were completely gone.

Best of luck!

I use Prespot from Melaleuca. It is the stain remover for clothes and it is totally safe for kids. Infact my son is my exterminator with it and ants! He thinks he is big stuff:)
T.

As Jennifer S. said, these are the remedies I know of too, and it works.

Also, using baby powder...but the "talcum" kind. Sprinkle it in wide bands in a perimeter outside... and inside in any corners, closets, cabinets, and window sills etc. It is said that this works for ants and any crawling insects...the powder sticks to them, and "suffocates" them.

Also, ants like moisture... is there any moisture sources in the playroom? Or, perhaps any food crumbs, or food which kids often just drop and leave "hidden" and we parents don't often "find" it until its too late?

Good luck,
Susan

Baby powder works and isn't harmful like chemicals I am going to try the cinnamon next time,.

Home Defense max works great!!!!! I spray once a month ouside the windows, doors and perimiter of the house and have no ants. Just wait until it drys and it is not harmful and you can really get it anywhere. I buy it at longs! Good luck. Those little buggers can be quite annoying!

J.,
I don't know where you live but if you contact the local Agricultural Extension office or a local Master Gardener they can tell you how to treat naturally. You've been given many great ideas so far. One I would add is Dr. Bronner's All-In-One soap (I buy it at Trader Joe's) diluted with water and spray on the ants and where they enter. I think it has mint in it.
Good luck!

they do sell environmentally friendly bug killers but i would try alcohol in a spray bottle and i think cinonmine works too.. good luck with your ant issue i dont like them either :)

Spray Ortho around the outside of the house where her playroom is located. It works great with ants!

Good luck!

Baby powder. Sounds strange but it works. If you can find where they are coming in, sprinkle it there (probably under the baseboards from under the carpet. I guess thay can't walk through it. We often have bad ant problems and I hate to use chemicals. But, the one thing we do use, just because it works so well, is Home Defense I think it's made by Ortho. You spray the perimiter of your house and windows and it keeps them out. It is not harmfil to animals or children once it dries.

I had ants in the house due to my dog food dish. The safest way that I have ever heard of, and that has worked for me, is by sprinkling cinnamon outside where they are comming in, you can also use it inside. They do not like it because it messes up their sense of smell, which is what they use to follow each other and get back to their home.

Stop leaving food all around the house...
When finished diner clean and pick up food debris.
Put sugar in the refrigerator.
There is also a gaget that i bought @ costco come in 5 or 6 pack is kind of ultrasonic device (only insect can hear) and it work really good i have no problem with ants ... Also u could try spraying insect killer out side your home.. U could by that @ home depot for $7.00 dollars it come with the spryer.
Good luck.

Cinnamon sticks, ants eat them and take it back to the nest and for some reason it kills them. I started using them about 10 years ago and I have not had an ant problem since! Good luck!! I put them in any area that ants are able to get it. The great thing is that if children or pets get them, it won't hurt them!

You can buy ant spray that is safe for kids and pets -- its main ingredients are wintergreen oils and other plant natural oils and such. It is sold at Walmart in the section w/ the other (toxic) RAID type ant and roach killers.

I heard that cornmeal is another way to get rid of ants. They take it back to their nest and they die. They can't digest the cornmeal. It is worth the try, and it's safe for kids and pets. Good luck...I hate the little buggers myself.....