Help! We have been invaded by ants in the kitchen! Mostly under the kitchen table where my 15 month old eats...coincidence? :o) I vacuum there everyday and try to keep it clean. I want to get rid of the ants ASAP--any suggestions? I do not want to put out the chemical traps with my little man running around.
are they only in kitchen? we have ants too, but it turns out they are Farrow Ants...very hard to get rid of and they don't respond to any type of spray or trap poison. they only respond to a special protien bait that only professionals can get.expensive ants. very upsetting situation. the other thing i was going to ask is if you have a rug under the table. if you do, get rid of it,,,,rugs and food and kid equal ants. best of luck
Sarah,
Hello. It says here that you are in the Greenville area. I too had a bad case of ANTS at one time. They almost took over the house. Almost anything will make them come into you home. I tried all the products from Wal-mart etc., but it did not help. I went to a place in Greer called Do it youself pest control. The lady there gave me some liquid to mix with water and spray inside and out. Yes it says it is safe to spray inside. I was surprised. It doesn't even have a smell to it. That has been almost a year ago and so far no ants! I've also heard that you can put some cornmeal outside and they love it. Once they eat it they can not digest it and will die. Haven't tried that one. Good luck.Hope this helps.
Jennifer
well here's a few i did when i stayed in hampton I tried all these at the same time so i don't know what worked....first ever heard the song the ants go marchin'? they walk in a straight line find that line. where they are entering just follow it. They way to get rid of ants is to kill the queen. you can do two of the 3 things i did. 1. sprinkle oatmeal!! they carry it home and it expands in their stomaches when they eat it. 2. To control it for the mean time put a cup of syrup in their path and they'll walk right up a sink into heavenly syrup bliss. 3. This isn't really child friendly but works mix a little borac acid with sugar they take it home and feed it to the queen.
Consider this:
For my new home I bought home defense to avoid the problem. it dries very quickly (30 mins) and pets and children can be around it after it dries. It keeps pest out and all that get in won't stay alive for long even flies. You apply it once per season. Here's the website but you can get it from walmart and garden centers like home depot: http://www.ortho.com/
I had the same problem but they were marching one by one to the cat food bowl!!! Nothing I bought from the store helped at all!! I ended up called Strand Termite to come out and treat the inside and outside for general pest control for $50. I was also having a problem with spiders in the house (wasp and hornet spray works great on them!!) and crickets!! I was tired of waking up to stepping on dismantaled cricket parts from my cats playing with them in the middle of the night! Best $50 I had spent in a long time!!
Sharie
Do you have pest control??? luckily we did bc i had the same problem i just got them to come spray and that was the last of them...do you know what kind of ants they are>??
Hello Sarah,
We had the same problem for 3 years till I decided to get Terminex to come out and spray for them. We ended up signing a contract with them which is kinda expensive for the first year but they do have payment plans. Since they have come for over a year now we have had none at all !!! Thank goodness!! Also, a good thing with them is what they use has no harm on people and you can call as many times as you want for them to come out and spray till the little critters are gone for good. I can say this was worth it due to them getting in the cupboards and getting in our food. I thought I was going to losae my mind. Another thing is you can get ant traps but to me they didn't work that well. Good luck and I know how you feel. It's amazing how such little things can drive you crazy!!
Okay this is going to sound really strange, but get a few packets of sweet-n-low and sprinkle it around the base broad where the ants are coming in. One of my teachers from college give me the idea over the summer. It will look like they are getting wrose, but don't worry there's something in the
sweet-n-low that kills the ants when they eat it.
I had the same problem when I was in my apartment. Next time you see the ants, before you start killing them try to find where they are coming from. There will usually be a "line" of ants from where the majority of the ants are eating to the wall, countertop, corner, etc where they are coming from. Plug where they are coming from. You can put vinegar in a spray bottle, and use it like bug spray. Its not instantanious like bug spray, but it does work, and its safe for you little one. Also spray vinegar around where the ants were coming from and along the trail they used to get from there to under your table. Good luck!
I was a pest control, termite, and moisture inspector and treater for 5 years. I was also a home inspector for 2 years. I know what you are going through. Ants are difficult to get rid of sometimes for numerous reasons. It depends on the kind of ant that you have coming in for the best way to get rid of them. If you have carpenter ants you will need to get some professional help. Carpenter ants are not ones you can take care of yourself, no matter what you see in Home Depot or Lowes. You need to find out where they are coming from. Take some time and watch them. Ants follow in lines because of pheromone scent trails they leave. You must find where they are coming from in order to get rid of them. Ants are persistent. Ants usually inside homes are coming for the food and water supply. Kitchen, bathrooms and laundry areas are most popular. Here are a few suggestions:
Inside things to do:
~Put foods that are open or easily opened in your cabinets into plastic containers.
~Wipe down the area with bleach...counter tops, fronts of cabinets, inside of cabinets, floors, walls, inside windows, etc. Some of these area you may not be able to apply bleach to so you can use vinegar, but bleach is best.
~Caulk up your splash guards behind you sinks and counter tops in kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry area.
~Go under your sinks and where the pipe comes into the wall, caulk good there too.
~If you spill something, no matter what it is, clean it up with soap and water. Water alone will not be enough. Ants don't just go for sugar sweet things. It depends on the time of year and the sugar and protein needs of the colony.
~If you have a pet(cat or dog) make sure to keep the food area clean. If ants seem to be going to that area move it often. You can show your pet where their food and water are located.
Outside things to do:
~Do you have mulch against your home? If so get rid of it! If you like the look of mulch (like I do) there are companies that sell mulch substitutes. They look good and last a long time. They are more expensive at first but are well worth it. You can bring ants and other insects to your house in mulch.
~Look for shrub and tree growth that either over hangs your house (roof) or is touching your home. Cut them back. Ants and other insects can follow that right into your home. This also will help your foundation, exterior siding, and roof components. Cutting shrubs and trees back will allow for sunlight and good air flow to these areas which will help you in many other ways besides the insects.
~There are good lawn products that help with ants and other insects that you can use yourself and can purchase at your favorite store. Read instructions carefully. They are there for you and your families protection.
If you have to call a professional make sure that you know what they are using and how much. Ask to see the labels on all chemicals used inside or outside your home. The treater should be able to provide those labels because EPA law requires them to carry all label sheets for all products they use. If they (the treaters not inspectors) say they don't have the label sheet I would not trust them to do the work. One time treatment for ants usually don't help the problem long term. They are just a temporary fix to an ongoing problem. Please don't waste your money on one timers. If you want a professional to take care of your pest problems they should come every 3 months. Most pesticides last 60 to 90 days. I also would not suggest sprays inside or outside your home for ants. Sprays will kill the ones it comes in-contact with but does nothing for the other and there are others. With sprays they will just find a new place to come in and the problem starts all over again. Baits are what is most effective treatment. They eat it and take it back to the others. Baits take longer to see effects but the effects are longer lasting. Baits also are meant to attract ants so you might see more of them at the beginning. Don't be discouraged by this it means that they like it and want to tell their friends :) So more die!!! I hope that some if not all of this helps you and your family.
Best wishes:)
Sarah,
I saw your request was back from January, but I thought I would reply to see if you had gotten rid of the ants and also I want to suggest a way that was safe for my pets and my children: the Ortho Home Defense Spray. It doesn't have a nasty smell or anything and if a little bit gets on a pet or child, it's ok. I spray it around any area that goes outside and I've never had another problem since.
try to use kitchen cleaner to clean the ant pheromone trails... the call an exterminator http://www.getmybugs.com