I’m pretty sure that’s what they are. I have researched them somewhat, and the behavior of the ants in question seems to fit the description.
Anyway, my friend has all his table legs standing in little tupperware moats, bless his heart, but the ants still get on his TV table via several cables attached to things on the table – his phone cord, clock/radio cord, local thermostat extension so he can turn the heat up from his chair (he is elderly) etc. He is set in his ways and there really isn’t a practical way to relocate the appliances off of the table.
So I was thinking, what if I wrapped several inches of double-sided tape around the cables? My friend thinks the ants could just walk right across it. He may well be right; but then again, flypaper works pretty well on flies. (except for that few hours after they’re caught but before they expire. Heh.)
One article I read online said that “crazy” ants aren’t attracted to conventional ant bait. Anybody have some personal empirical data for me on that? Or, what other things can effectively discourage them?
These ants are truly off the hook – they were getting into his freezer and piling up in drifts, until I made a second inner seal with museum wax!
P.S.: Yes, I already have my own experience with crazy uncles, and I believe it will suffice. Thanks anyway!
Has he tried conventional bait? My bug guy recommended Terro liquid ant bait placed across ant trails - it takes a couple of days, and at first the numbers increase because they’re all attracted to the bait, but then they dwindle and disappear. This is for “odorous house ants”, so I don’t know if it necessarily applies to your “crazy ants”, but I would think that bait and traps would be a good idea to start with. My ants keep coming back now and then, but the bait routine is working and now when I see them, I see fewer of them.
Failing that, get professional help. There are people who get rid of bugs for a living! Also, they could positively identify the type of ant, which may help in getting rid of it.
ETA: Wikipedia mentions the use of the poison Fipronil to control “crazy ants” on Christmas Island, so one assumes that poison is an option. It was specifically chosen for use there because it wouldn’t hurt the rest of the ecosystem - it’s entirely possible that a widely available ant poison would work well in your friend’s house, where he’s not looking to preserve any local species.
Could you use the moats for the cables?
I assume that the cables lay along the table top and go directly from the appliance to the wall outlet. But could you run the cables down the table legs, into the moat, and then along the floor or whatever to the the outlet.?
Yeah, I know-- electric cables and water usually ain’t a very safe combination…
Maybe thread the cable through a short piece of rubber , waterproof tubing. Put the rubber-tubing covered section of the cable in the moat. Tie the cables tightly along the table legs so they stay in place , and in the moat. Leave enough slack along the table top so the man can move the appliances a bit, but without moving the part of the cable that sits in the moat.
I’ve yet to encounter any of these little buggers even though I live in Crazy Ant Ground Zero (Houston), but I do get a lot of other ants which I eradicate with Diatomaceous Earth. It’s like little shards of glass at ant-scale, wreaking havoc on them when they walk through it, but is completely harmless (and perhaps even beneficial) to mammals.
The effectiveness varies depending on the particular species, but it’s worth a try. Just make sure to get the insecticide or food grade variety, not the coarser stuff that’s used for pool filters. My local Ace Hardware carries it in the pest control aisle.
I had the same thing happen - the ants were hell-bent on getting into the freezer, where they’d expire and pile up in huge quantities. I was totally mystified, never did figure out what was attracting them. Presumably, no food or water was making it back to the nest, so I’m not sure why they kept following that trail.
To control them, we made our own bait out of brown sugar, water, and boric acid. I don’t remember the proportions, but I’m sure you can find a recipe online. We put the mix in a shallow bowl in the back of a bookshelf near where the ant trail entered the house. It took a few days, but after that time they were no more.
These were Argentine sugar ants, by the way. I live in the SF bay area, and they’ve completely taken over here.