Ants in the kitchen!

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

Help! My kitchen has been invaded by tiny brown ants. They were first present a month ago, but I super-cleaned and put out those ant traps and hadn't seen but a few since. They have returned though, and in full force. They just walk right in and out of those bait traps and seem unaffected by them. What else can I try? Does anyone have a tried and true solution?

-- Mary (zoots25@hotmail.com), September 01, 2001

Answers

I've always had luck with Terro ant killer on sugar ants in the kitchen. You put out little cardboard patches with a drop or two of the liquid on it. Place them in the path the ants are using, you'll soon see the cardboard patches full of ants eating the bait, they take it back to whereever it is they call home and it gets all of them.

-- Susan (smtroxel@socket.net), September 01, 2001.

I have used cinnomon. I just put it down were they are entering the house, it has worked everytime so far. Mike in WNY

-- Mike in WNY (Jake@2ki.com), September 02, 2001.

There is such a thing as Grease ants that are not drawn to sugar. That makes it harder to get them. Try going to www.ppdl.purdue.edu/ppdl/ or www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/ both are Purdue University and should have the answer.

-- Mel Kelly (melkelly@webtv.net), September 02, 2001.

Get you a little piece of card board, like the flat part of a match book, put a little jelly on it , mix in boric acid. Put this tastie treat where the ants are, if you want to protect it, put it in a T connection of pvc pipe. The ants take this back home to the rest of the colony. Sherry

-- sherry (chickadee259@yahoo.com), September 02, 2001.

Ooooh! Ooooh! (Hand held high and waving.) I had the same problem a couple of months ago, and I happened upon a "cure" by accident.

I use a homemade room freshener made of water (8 oz.), peppermint essential oil (2-3 eyedroppers-full), and whiskey (1 capful, to preserve). The above mix is placed in a spray bottle. To use, SHAKE and spray on linens, etc.

I used the spray on those little ants. Instant death. The peppermint oil evaporates, making everything smell wonderful, and then there's just the water and ants left to mop up with a towel. They kept coming back for a couple of weeks, but I kept spraying them and now they're gone.

Later, I read somewhere to use peppermint oil for ant infestations. It doesn't take much to do the job.

-- Sharon (pinnow@inwave.com), September 02, 2001.



The terro Works great and fast.

-- Dennis Humphrey (lovinlife9315109@aol.com), September 02, 2001.

Try Borid (with Boric Acid) I found it at Thrifty. I swept the ants in the house up in the sweeper, then put this powder down where they were coming in. I have not seen any since. It even says it kills Carpenter Ants, and Termites,Silverfish,Waterbugs,Palmettobugs, and Cockroaches. Boric Acid also would also be fine. I just came across this one day while shopping and it seems to do the job. It is a 1# bottle so I bought 2 and put it around the outside of my house also. I was in hopes it would kill the spiders, but I dont think it has fazed them. A couple years ago I killed Ants in a camper with Comet Cleanser powder. It worked also for some reason.

-- the pooles (mpoole@link2000.net), September 03, 2001.

I usually spray a solution of water and a squirt of dish soap on and around them and that keeps them away. You could also add a drop or two of Tabasco...

You didn't say, but is it dry where you are? Ants often come inside looking for water.

Another thing to try is leaving a sweet trail (or grease trail, depending) for them to follow out to the yard somewhere.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), September 03, 2001.


I used to have a terrible problem with ants in the springtime. I hate to spray and I found that I couldn't really keep up with them using vinegar on my countertops, etc..

So I finally discovered that I could spray the nasty stuff (store bought RAID) around the outside of my windows and sliding glass door and that did the trick. I only did it once as it warmed up in the spring and that did it.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), September 03, 2001.


Spraying Pine=Sol does the trick for me. I just wipe off the counters with it, and then spray it in the tracks of the sliding door and windows and anywhere I think they are entering the house. It works everytime. Be careful with Pine Sol though if you have small pets, like cats etc. I have been told it is toxic to them.

-- Carole (carle@earthlink.net), September 06, 2001.


I think you will find either inside or out -- fresh mint is your answer -- a few sprigs left around in cabinets, etc. where the ants are congregating will send them running -- I do not know why -- but I also know I had a prize rosebush that was being decimated by them and I planted mint next to it and within a few weeks they were all gone.

-- (mormor@rivnet.net), September 24, 2001.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ