So, here is the deal. I have a huge bush of some sort just next to my backdoor, and deck. I have noticed lots of ants on this bush, and being a live and let live sort of lady, I just kind of said hi and continued on with my life. However, today an ant invaded my house-I killed it, (felt bad, but not bad enough to allow it in my kitchen.) So what I need to know is–is this tiny black ant a baby carpenter ant? Do I need to do something about this, or is this just an innocent visit from a confused cutie who didn’t realize he was straying from his bush? I am more than willing to give them the bush, but I draw the line at turning over my kitchen as well. Whatdya think, and what should I do about it?
Whether this was a carpenter ant or not, you should take some kind of action. Otherwise, ants will invade your house and make you miserable. Carpenter ants will do damage to your wood, but non-union ants will infest your food, crawl all over the place and just annoy and disgust you in general.
You didn’t mention how close the bush is to your house and deck. If any part of it is touching the house or deck, trim it back. Tree and shrub limbs can be a natural bridge to allow ants into your house.
You may want to do a perimeter treatment around the foundation of the house, and especially near doors and windows that are close to the source of ants. Either granular formulations or microencapsulated sprays are called for.
I know this might go against your live-and-let-live perspective, but at this point, negotiations have broken down. They breached your borders, and you must take agressive action. Don’t treat the bush, if you don’t want to, just sort of create a barrier between your house and their bush. A chemical detente, if you will.
If it makes you feel better, salve your conscience with the thought that, although some of them will be affected by any insecticide you apply, the main nest remains untouched and thriving (more or less).
Where’s there’s one cute little ant, there are many many more of the critters. Get yourself some poison pretty soon before they move in and become part of the family.
Don’t let the ants fool you–they aren’t as helpless as they look. When I was younger, living in the suburbs, ants would mercilessly invade our home every spring and summer. And I dont mean one and every once and a while, I mean 100+ ants all at once, several times. Nasty creatures. After a while it seemed to me like they were testing areas of the house for danger, probing to find the best way to get in. They’d rush under the front door, through the back door, and I’m almost positive that they used calculated distraction tactics to lure us away from the site of the real attack. Beware the superintellegent hivemind!
Sorry it took me so long to reply, but when I read your post I ran screaming to the bathroom, threw my jeans on (it turned out they were inside out, but in an emergency I guess sartorial concerns aren’t important) and drove 90 miles an hour to my local KMart, where I maxed out my credit card on pesticides, ant traps, and a stray nuclear bomb that I saw while waiting in line at the checkout counter.
Then I came home and washed my hair. Twice.
That ought to fix the little dears, don’t you think?
Yep. We have ants. The few that I’ve seen are probably scouts on a reconnaissance mission.
I’m ready for them, though. The last major campaign was two years ago and I managed to beat them back. They fell back behind their lines after two weeks of intense chemical warfare ( Borax and bleach ).
No prob. I’m a pro. Any other pest control advice I can proffer, just give a holler.
Wally
It took you two weeks? How much borax did you use? There are products marketed specifically for ants and other household pests, and if used properly, the amount of toxins you spew around your house probably would be less and yield better results than borax and bleach.
Pesticides are our friends, folks. Just read and follow label directions, sorta like microwave popcorn, and you’ll be just fine. Don’t worry about poisoning yourself. I’ve worked with the stuff everyday for five years now, and I’ve never suffered any harm at -438fdgh02ihgfoisoi- all. (sorry. Damn these uncontrollable muscle spasms)
I’ve tried those ant traps, (the little cans that you punch holes in) and found them to be useless. I also tried something in liqid form that you place in droplet form on their pathways. Also useless.
Or was I being too impatient? Perhaps I didn’t give these products a fair chance?
As you are our resident expert on this matter, I would take any advice that you care to give.
When I registered on this board, I didn’t realize that I was going to enter an entire information network.
It is very comforting to know that from now on, I never have to worry about anything. You all will take care of any little or big problems I might encounter.
I will sleep better tonight!
And,Dave, thanks again. If I am still around after my bomb goes off, I will be happy to return the favor if you need any help in my areas of expertise.
Hi, Scotti! It’s true, carpenter ants can cause major, expensive problems. I had to replace the deck of the front porch, and have new pillar bases made because carpenter ants had literally eaten them away inside.
The pillar bases were about a foot square, and the ants had eaten their way up inside them over 8". The porch roof and posts were basicallly supported by hollow bases, sitting on a riddled deck.
Even house ants can be a problem. One ant is probably a scout. When The Ex insisted on a yuppie ceramic honey jar w/ a hole for the tasteful swizzler thing, we had armies of ants troopping across the kitchen and pantry.
For you and Wally, Terro worked very well for me. It’s a little bottle of clear liquid (looks like Karo syrup); you put a dab on a piece of cardboard along their line of march. (Make sure it’s out of reach of pets and kids.) They slurp some down, hike on back to the nest and w/in a few days–no more ants inside.
For the past two years, I have attempted, unsuccessfully, to keep an ant farm in my classroom. Both times, all of the little buggers were dead–despite by-the-book care–within two weeks. (And his variety of ant has a 6mo-2yr lifespan!)
Meanwhile, the little pissants that infested my apartment cannot be killed. Oh, they come and go in waves…but they will not die.
I don’t miss the irony in being unable to keep the ones I want alive and the ones I don’t want dead. Sucketh.
I think the stuff you want to look into for destroying the ants is diazonin.
We don’t have a problem with ants ( knock on wood) but earwigs manage to make their way into our home every summer and very few things in this world creep me out more than earwigs.Nasty looking f*ckers. Diazonin sprinkled around the outside of our house took care of these visitors. Our well water tastes a little funny now and the dog has lost all her fur, but we don’t think the two are related.
When Dave checks in again, I’m sure he’ll set things straight, if his uncontrollable muscle spasms have quelled.
FTR, Scotti, Dave is DA MAN for pest control. He’s a terminator. [Arnie accent] He’ll be bhack ef zee bugs come bhack.[/Arnie Accent]
Shirley, you are too kind. ::blushes:: Shucks, ma’am, ‘tweren’t nuthin’. Garsh.
BTW, it’s spelled Diazanon, and it is very, very good for all things crawly.
Wally, it’s tough for me to recommend a product or method for you because a) I don’t know what state you reside in, therefore I don’t know what over-the-counter products are authorized for use there,b) I probably have access to more varied types of products and application methods than are generally available to the public and c) I don’t know if you are presently experiencing an infestion or just the occasional invaders and scouts. If you haven’t seen anything until the warm weather hit, they are occasional invaders, and not too tough to treat.
I would recommend looking around for an aerosol that has both a residual effect and a straw-type applicator tip on it; one that you can push into cracks and crevices around doorjambs, window frames and into the pipe openings under your kitchen and bathroom sinks. A brief 1-second spritz into each of these places should help a lot.
Then I would recommend either granular bait or a microencapsulated formula to apply around the foundation wall of the house. Again, I stress, read and follow label directions. Not only will they help keep you from overapplying or misapplying the stuff, but it actually is a Federal crime to apply a pesticide in a manner inconsistent with its labelling.
As for toxicity, relax. The stuff is no more toxic than the Comet or the Spic-n-Span you regularly clean your pots and floors with. They all carry “Caution” labels, which is the mildest level of toxicity. What makes a bigger difference is how it is handled and applied. Once again I refer you to the label. Perhaps some day I’ll start a thread on the irrational fear of pesticides in our society.
Sorry, Wally, I just read your profile. I didn’t realize you live in Canada. Obviously, then our federal regulations mean precisely nothing to you.
I would still recommend you find the types of products I outlined in my previous post. Again, I stress reading the label, making sure it’s manufactured for the pest you want to target and making sure that it has a residual effect (to keep on killing even after the spray dries).
But I have absolutely no clue as to what types of pesticides are available in Canada.