We’re under attack! It’s those little ants, some folks call 'em “piss ants” or “grease ants”.
Besides spraying the house foundation, which I did this morning, is there anything that’s non-toxic that we can wipe the counters with to discourage them? They are, of course, on the hunt for anything we may have left out on the kitchen counters. (We’re keeping them extra clean just because of this.)
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Rob V
non-toxic to whom?
I declared chemical warfare on these bastards. I emptied 1 x huge can of RAID™ into the areas around the stove and cracks between the cabinets. They haven’t been back, and my family is still alive.
A neighbor said cinnimon will work.
Here’s a site that suggests that baby powder (or even tumeric) is effective. Of course, using any substance in the kitchen can be bothersome because you don’t want to contaminate food, but if you can keep them from entering the kitchen then the majority of your problem is solved.
We called them sugar ants. For some reason, they seemed to go for the laundry detergent (!). Other than making sure all spills are cleaned up and no food or crumbs (a crumb is a main course for an ant) or pet food is left out, I’m not sure what to tell you. Perhaps cleaning all surfaces with a bleach or ammonia solution might help, but they’re fairly tenacious.
Here’s a site that suggests that baby powder (or even tumeric) is effective. Of course, using any substance in the kitchen can be bothersome because you don’t want to contaminate food, but if you can keep them from entering the kitchen then the majority of your problem is solved.
http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/health/ants.html
Here’s another site that suggests instant grits:
http://www.thegreenscene.com/shows/020.html
I had ant problems once. It took me a few hours to combat them. I just followed their trail to the outside source. Then I flooded their trail away using many cups of water. Finally, I got rid of all of the ones I could see inside. They are persistent little buggers.
Cinnamon is good, they won’t cross it because it burns them. Mint is also an excellent outdoor solution, they hate it.
IIRC, I found a kid-and-pet-friendly solution, but it smelled really gross. I think it was vinegar, liquid dish soap and water. Worked like a charm.
See this thread:
Non-dangerous way to kill ants?
An apartment I had in Florida a few years back had this problem. The kitchen was in the back and the windows up front in the living room. It looked like a long crack in the wall where on closer inspection was two lines of these guys. Some coming in and some going back. I set up a bunch of “food stops” along their route with that poison that looks like syrup, just drop a blob and they will start to feed. They then carry it back to the nest and feed the others. 24 hours later the “line” had dwindled with the lone travelers moving pretty slowly. Another 24 hours later they were all gone.
Ooh, Hampshire, you gotta share the love! What is the “poison that looks like syrup” you used?
Can’t remember the name of the stuff but I can always seem to find it when I need it at any grocery store. It looks like a tiny bottle of “goo gone” or “goof off”. The instructions tell you to place a small amount on a piece of paper or cardboard. I just put it directly on the counter and make sure to clean it off well when done.
Thank you, all. The things like the vinegar and dish soap solution, cinnamon, and borax were the kinds of things I was looking for. We have a couple cats, so I didn’t want to use the ol’ can o’ Raid, it IS the kitchen, after all.
A friend of mine got a kitchen ant infestation a while back, and he got this stuff called Dr. Moss Kills Ants. It’s basically a borax solution. He said after putting this stuff out (and constantly re-flling the little cups) over a period of less-than-a-week, they were gone. He gave me the rest of the bottle and two of the little cups. We had 'em in the bathroom this time. So I filled the two little cups, and they went for it like mad. They looked like a bunch of teeny black cows all lined up around the trough.
I kept expecting to see less and less of them, but the little bastards ended up suckin’ down the whole rest of the bottle! When I finally quit putting the stuff out, they quit comming in!
We must have had a BIG colony.
Again, thanks for the ideas, and the links folks.
Rob
Oh, and one more thing I wante to comment on: I cannot FIND the bloody ant trail! I’ve looked all around the foundation of the house and cannot find where they’re getting in. It must be in one of the few places where I can’t get to, or won’t go. (I’m a recovering arachnaphobe)
The stuff is called Terro, it works great. It contains borax.
It’s great fun watching the ants crawl all over themselves getting to the stuff.