I’ve been seeing some ants creeping into my apartment recently and would like to put an end to their trespassing. The problem is that I have a fairly young puppy and a cat, both of whom like to explore the world by licking and eating everything in it. Is there any bug spray I can use to kill the ants and repel their invasion without killing Jake or Mal?
You might want to try diatomaceous earth, available at garden supply stores amongst other places. Get the kind specifically labelled as used for killing indoor insects, you do NOT want the stuff sold for pool filters.
I get periodic scouting parties of ants and I have a cat. I dust a little DE around their entry points and it does the trick (DE is tiny sharp crystals, insects crawl through it, get scratched up and then dehydrate and die). Pour a tiny bit out (it’s like talcum powder) and then dust it into place using a cheap paintbrush.
I just rechecked the label on my box of DE and while you wouldn’t want to breathe a lot of the dust, it is safe for use around humans and animals. For flea control they specifically say to dust the animals living and sleeping areas.
Standard disclaimer, I am not a vet or ant expert.
You should also see about preventing the ants from coming in to begin with - clean up food spills, clean thoroughly (so there’s no trace on the floor or counters), scrub their paths down well (to eliminate their scent tracks so other ants don’t know "Aha, yummy stuff lies this way) and make sure there’s no source of food or water for them. Not 100% but it sure beats putting any kind of bug killer around.
EcoSmart spray. Only a temporary solution, until you can track down and eliminate the nest.