My goodness, ants are everywhere and they are annoying. Unfortunately, I can no longer use the sprays, etc., that I used before Patrick was born. Can anyone recommend other products that aren't harmful to children. Thanks in advance.
Thanks!
When we moved into our house last summer it was overrun by ants. They were everywhere! I did some research and found a product called "Torro". What you do is put a little bit on a small piece of paper or cardboard, and put it near where you see the ants. They will eat it (and you will have to replenish it often at first) and take it back to the nest to feed to others. It took us only a month or so to get rid of the majority of them, and now only have to set this stuff out once in a while if one of the kids have spilled something and not cleaned it up right away. I have recommended this stuff to everyone that asks me and they all love it. And the best part is, I bought three bottles (and they are not big bottles) and I still have like half of one left. This stuff lasts forever and should take care of your problem at the source.
Good luck!
A trick that I was told for fleas was to place a flea collar into the vacuum cleaner bag and vacuum the area every day for a week. Something similar with sticky paper or such could be done for ants.
Megan
Hi, Paula - This may sound strange, but Pre-Spot, by Melaleuca, kills ants. I use it every spring, when I tend to get ants around my dog's food bowl area. Good luck!
In my opinion you use the same things you used before he was born the only thing is you don't use them while he's setting next to you. Most of these things are no more dangerous for you than him. I mean they would kill you just as easily if you sprayed them in your face as him. We had bad roaches in a house we used to live in that the landlord refused to fumigate. We sprayed spray i just told my daughter to leave the room when i did it or i sprayed them when she napped. If i was really going to town i would open all the windows. My daughter is now almost 7yrs old with no prob. Just like Antibacterial soap people obsessed about these things when there is no reason. Good luck
Paula,
I use Ortho home defense spray. I have 2 children and 2 cats and it does not harm them. It even smells nice so that the kids are not attracted to touching it. Like Rachel said however, anything you spray in your face would harm you the same if it was sprayed in your son's face. Just have your son in a different room when you spray so he does not get any ideas to going near it.
You can also use Cayenne pepper. It deters the ants. Kids will think it is spicy.
I've read that aspartame works. This seems like the cheapest solution to try. Read here: http://www.execonn.com/poison.html
Also, I've had great success with Terro. It's hard to find, though. The only place I've found it is Lowe's.
I've heard that if you can find where they are coming in, to wipe rubbing alcohol across the trail to erase the scent!
Try sprinkling corn starch around the perimeter of your room. I've used this in the house as well as outside and it works great!! If you can, look to see how they are getting in your house. You may have a nest that needs to be cleaned out or they will continue to party in your home.
Ellen Moss
Local Childcare Coordinator,
Cultural Care Au Pair, Baltimore
410-960-8338 - cell
[email protected]
http://emoss.aupairnews.com
So I use boric acid gel, you can get it at lowes, probably walmart as well. You do NOT put this stuff everywhere, just one or 2 spots where you think they're coming from. For me I put it in the windowsill in the kitchen and a drop in the door frame of the front door. You only need a drop, probably dime size or smaller. The ants will actually pick it up and take it back to the colony and it will kill them all. The nice thing is anything left after about 24-48hrs can be wiped up, but usually it's gone by then. The other nice thing is you only have to put a drop in a an area they kids can't get to for ~day or so and the ants are gone, no spraying and they won't come back. We put down the drops each year same spot and no ants!! Good luck!!
Hey Paula,
I'm with Natalie B--I don't know her but we always seem to give the same advice--Melaleuca products!!! She recommended Pre-Spot--which happens to be my favorite product for carpet stains not just laundry. That one kills spiders in my house too. Another Melaleuca product is their all-purpose cleaner, Tough & Tender. I've used that on ants and it works great. Their Tub & Tile works on wasps!!
And best of all--no harsh chemicals so that baby will be safe!!
You can see all of their cleaning products (that have all kinds of alternative uses) on their site: www.saferforyourhome.com.
Hope that helps!
Michele
[email protected]
you can sprinkle cinnamon, fairly thickly, around where they're coming in and along the path, and it deters them. obviously, this is good b/c there's absolutely no toxicity concern for kids or pets.
in addition, you can make a mix of:
10.5 oz water
3 oz tabasco sauce
2.5 oz Dr. Bronner's liquid peppermint soap
mix the ingredients together and then pour into a hand-pump spray bottle. spray where the ants are coming in. while you wouldn't want to ingest this, it doesn't have any toxicity concerns for you or your kid.
as an aside (of sorts), the woman who said that all of our concerns about toxicity (and anti-bacterial hand soap) are over-stated is sadly, and seriously, mistaken. there is ample scientific evidence to contradict her position. while her 7-year-old may ~seem~ "just fine," the reality is, the toxins that we use in our homes build up in our systems, and they can lead to long-term problems, including problems with endocrine glands which interferes with hormone communication throughout the body; kidney and liver damage; lung damage; paralysis; sterility; suppression of immune function; brain hemorrhages; decreased fertility and sexual function; heart problems; and the list doesn't stop there. again, there have been ample scientific studies, not just anecdotal evidence, to support this position, which directly contradicts her assertion that folks are worrying about nothing.
a 1987 study under the auspices of the National Cancer Institute found that children who lived in households where OUTDOOR pesticides were regularly used were six to nine times more likely to develop some forms of childhood leukemia; the figure increased four times when indoor pesticides were regularly used. and that's not even touching on the number of children (and pets) who are harmed our killed by accidentally ingesting pesticides; pesticides are the #2 cause of household poisonings in the US.
not only that, but when we use pesticides (and fertilizers) in our homes and gardens we don't just contaminate our own land, air and water, we contaminate that of the entire community.
Don't let other people's denial deter you from seeking safe solutions. there is absolutely no reason to use commercial, chemical pesticides when there are so many natural pest-control methods that have worked forever and are often even more effective b/c many pests are beginning to develop immunities to the chemicals (which doesn't happen w/ natural solutions b/c Mother Nature has a way of making things evolve together).
sorry to jump on my soap box, it's just that this stuff is dangerous and it bothers me when people are deliberately ignorant about what's going on.
best,
Kimberley
We are totally in the same boat here. Go to the farm supply store or home depot and get Terro ant bait. You have to put it where your son won't get it. It initially attracts lots of ants (gross!) and you have to make sure to add more bait as they eat it, but it will slowly poison the entire colony. It is only borax and syrup, so no neurotoxic chemicals like the other stuff. Hope this helps!
We use Orkin and the products they use are safe around kids and pets and we've been very happy with their services. Also, a quick fix that our Orkin person told us is that Windex kills the ants. It won't stop new ones from coming in but will quickly get rid of the ones you have. Good luck!
There is a mixture of dishsoap, vinegar and water that we use that works well. Google it to find the right recipe. I think I found it on a dollar stretchers website.
I just read that white vinegar is effective to get rid of ants and it is safe for the kids. I didnt try it yet but I will because we have ants problems here also and I have 3 little kids.
Diatomaceous Earth (DE, aka fossil shell flour) is the best thing, not just for ants but for all bugs. It's crushed up algae (diatoms, specifically) that looks like dust to us but to bugs it has sharp edges that cut through the exoskeleton and kill. There are two kinds, one is used for pools (found in pool supply sections, you don't want this) and the other is food grade. Yes, people eat this stuff. It's cheap and you can get a lot of it at a time. You can get a 1 lb. bag of it on Amazon for about $7. It really doesn't take much, just sprinkle it around the area. You can use it anywhere, indoors and out. 2 lbs. will cover an entire acre, to give you an idea of how far this stuff will go. Obviously, you want the food grade, but it's perfectly safe for everybody, people and pets. You can feed it to your pets (or yourself)to get rid of parasites or dust your pets' coats with it for fleas and ticks. Also, it is impossible for bugs to become resistant to it. Best stuff there is!
I posted about this last month and got lots of good advice. The Terro ant bait seems to be helping. I also put the cinnamon up. Other suggestions were fresh mint as a deterrant, Diametrious Earth, and sprinkling corn meal where they are coming in as it will expand in their stomachs and kill them.
We also spray our counters with a mixture of water and regular dish soap. It seems to obliterate their scent trail and prevent their fellows from following them across the counter.
Get a spray bottle - fill with 1/4 ammonia and the rest with water. Will kill the ants almost on contact and if sprayed along the paths, will stop them. Also spray inside waste baskets, particularly those with food materials. The ants also will clean up the dead and will learn not to enter, at least by that path.