Ants - Paris,TX

I put about 1 oz. Dr.Bronner's Peppermint soap (32 oz. $14.99 at Wholefoods Target may have it) then fill 7 oz. water and when I see them I spray they die 2 min. max. most die in 2o sec.. Using soap helps keep the house very clean.

I was working in the kitchen a few weeks ago and pulled up the sink sprayer and had a column of ants come marching up the hose. I grabbed the windex which was handy and gave them a spray and they keeled over and died.

I reserve my DE and orange oil for fire ants. Both are non-toxic for pets and children.

My mother-in-law swore by Terro ant killer. It does work well, but it is poison. Look on the label. I think it's arsenic or cyanide. Definitely something you don't want to have around kids and pets.

One exterminator gave us ant traps to use which had a hormone attractant as the active ingredient. They worked well and were non-toxic as well.

It really depends on what kinds of ants you are attracting. The most annoying that I found were the little ones attracted to grease and sweets.

We keep a spray bottle of Orange Oil mixed up for quick treatments. You can also sprinkle Diatomacious Earth around the foundation of you house. This creates a barrier that the ants will not cross. It is like walking across cut glass to them (works for spiders too).

Diatomacious Earth the kind you buy from a nursery not the kind you use for your pool, sprinkle it around the entire outside of your house. Those little buggers are sneaky and they literally come out of the walls. Also, I've heard Equal (aspartame) works, seems odd since you think of it as sweet and that it would just attract more but they take it back with them and it kills them (also kinda makes you never want to eat it again huh?).

Hello P.,

find the entry point and spray a few drops of peppermint oil (make sure that's not where you'll be walking..it will make it slippery). They don't like it. Good luck! ~C.~

Get a bag of Diatomaceous earth from Lowes or Home Depot and sprinkle the entire bag over your lawn. Lightly water in any areas where small children or pets have access. The ants will dehydrate. It isn't poison so you don't have to worry about that but don't breath it in and don't spread when your children are out with you because they might breath it in.

If they are those little black ants, I bet they are surgar ants. Sugar ants are attracted to sugar. Mix equal parts of powdered sugar and borox (the cleaning product). Leave it on the counter near the ants. They'll eat it and take it back to their colony. They are gone within a week. I do it every year! Cheap trick. Don't call the pest service for this one.

Boric acid (its a white powder) in all the corners where the ants can come from.

http://keepitcheap.blogspot.com/2008/06/boric-acid-ant-ki...

Works for me in the spring. Also, if you treat the outside of your house (spray the walls about 24" up), this helps too.

Our exterminator came out last week for the same problem and he used WINDEX :-)

Talc! not cornstarch...works like a charm. I did not believe it until I tried it.

My mom used to put fresh mint at their entry points.

P.,

When I had ants, I followed the little guys to find out where they were coming in. I called the exterminator. What stopped them was when he put bait, not repellent, along the foundation outside the house where they were coming in. They take the bait back to the nest and it supposedly kills the nest.

Good luck.

Try sprinkling a generous amount of equal at the entrance site. Not only will they die, but they wont come back.
K.

I use ants baits they are little small white domes and I have never seen an ant since they work great. I am not sure the name maybe decon or raid (ant baits) at Walmart

I found the only thing that works is a wet cloth with a little bleach.

try chalk... yep, chalk that is used on a chalk board. heard this idea on hollywood squares. it does work... good luck.

I don't remember the name, but the little ant traps that they crawl into and die worked very well for us.

I have heard Absence Salts? I had to have the house treated and it cost me almost $500 with several treatments and took months finally gone now I have these black bugs. I had them in the dog biscuits and had to throw a bunch away. I keep my pancake mix in the refrig and the dog treats. But I could not find the salts anywhere. l think you have to go to a medical supply. G. W

Try baby powder, it is non toxic, and they will not cross it.

Cinnamon works great on both sugar and fire ants. When I see sugar ants I mop the floor, that night, with clean water and cinnamon. By the next morning they are all gone and my kitchen smells great. It usually keeps them away for a while.

We get ants almost every year. We fog the house at first sight of them and it lasts all year. We live in the country so it also takes care of other creatures that like to come in.

Good Luck
S.

Make sure you are treating around the outside of your house and not just on the inside.

In the past I had success with cayanne pepper. I just sprinkled a line of the pepper across window frames and any where else I thought they were coming in. Just be careful to wash your hands and not get the pepper in your eyes! (Speaking from experience here...)

Those little discs that you stick to the floor or wall always worked great.

Cinnamon is what my mom always used. I had some last summer and put some around my window seal where they were coming it. By the next morning, I didn't see any more and haven't seen any since. It really does work and if anyone touches it, to gets it in their mouth, it doesn't hurt. Put it around entry point and they wont cross it. I hate those little suckers! Good luck!

We used a transmitter that emits some ultrasonic sound to get rid of ants and all other kinds of bugs and mice. We got it at Costco for around $17 and it comes with 6 or so units to place around the house. (You plug it into the wall.) It has worked well without any mess, poisons or oil! Good luck!

Personally I just use a good ole' Blow Torch! Takes care of the Ants and then you will also have no place to cook, so the hubby will be forced to take you out to dinner! :)

But if that method is a little to extrem, I would call Gunslinger pest control the number is ###-###-####. They are awesome. They dont give up until the little pains in the tushy are gone! When we moved into our house last year I freaked over the ants. Called Gunslinger and they got rid of them. Took a couple different tries, but I havent seen one since March of last year.
Lucky for my husband or he'd still be taking me out to dinner everynight!
Good Luck

Sounds like sugar ants.
I had the pest control guy come out this past tuesday and he said I had sugar ants. He told me that if you squish them or spray them, it does no good and in fact, they will multiply faster. He told me he had to lay a gel treatment so they will take it back to their nest and the rest of the ants eat it too and die.
They are most prevalent around outlets and water sources.... windows too.
I know I didn't offer any solutions but hopefully some info that was helpful.
Good luck!

I put out instant grits when I found ants in my laundry room. They were gone the next day.