Ants

[DrumNFeather]

We've been spraying all over our house for Ants. Not surprisingly, they just find some other place in the house to go. Anyone have any effective Ant-removal techniques or tricks?

We've sprayed a lot, and last year used cinamon along the border of our kitchen, which was actually pretty effective.

Any other ideas?

[Katy Lied]

I think these are seasonal intrusions, related to the weather.

1. Find out where they are getting in. You can bait them by leaving a dish of ant delish on a plate near where you notice the ants.

2. Come back later. Observe where the line of ants is snaking from. Do not move the bait. Caulk up the hole where they are coming from.

3. Come back later. Observe where the new line of ants is coming from. Do not move the bait. Caulk up the hole where they are coming from.

4. Rinse and repeat.

[pellegrino]

I think these are seasonal intrusions, related to the weather.

1. Find out where they are getting in. You can bait them by leaving a dish of ant delish on a plate near where you notice the ants.

2. Come back later. Observe where the line of ants is snaking from. Do not move the bait. Caulk up the hole where they are coming from.

3. Come back later. Observe where the new line of ants is coming from. Do not move the bait. Caulk up the hole where they are coming from.

4. Rinse and repeat.

this is what we did last year with good success. We'll see if it worked and prevented them from invading this year.

[DrumNFeather]

I think these are seasonal intrusions, related to the weather.

1. Find out where they are getting in. You can bait them by leaving a dish of ant delish on a plate near where you notice the ants.

2. Come back later. Observe where the line of ants is snaking from. Do not move the bait. Caulk up the hole where they are coming from.

3. Come back later. Observe where the new line of ants is coming from. Do not move the bait. Caulk up the hole where they are coming from.

4. Rinse and repeat.

Forgive me...is this an actual product? Or do you just mean some kind of food item?

[Katy Lied]

this is what we did last year with good success. We'll see if it worked and prevented them from invading this year.

Oh, they'll still try. Just seal the holes they come in through.

No need to thank the ants for pointing out where your house envelope has got penetrations.

Your energy bills will decline, and you don't have to spray a lot of toxic fumes around the interior of your house.

Win-win.

[Katy Lied]

Forgive me...is this an actual product? Or do you just mean some kind of food item?

some kind of food item delectable to ants.

[DrumNFeather]

some kind of food item delectable to ants.

Got it. Thanks!

[Levin]

Get one of those poisoned ant baits; the ants take the bait back to the mother colony and it kills them all. This has been very effective for us.

[wally]

Get one of those poisoned ant baits; the ants take the bait back to the mother colony and it kills them all. This has been very effective for us.

This is a good solution if you live in an old house like me. I would be caulking for weeks before sealing everything up, if it is even possible to seal ant corridor.

We used: with good success.

[BigPiney]

This is a good solution if you live in an old house like me. I would be caulking for weeks before sealing everything up, if it is even possible to seal ant corridor.

We used: with good success.

we have had really good sucess with the gel:

[creekster]

Btw, as you probably know, soapy water in a spray bottle kills ants instantly. It is a good way to kill the buggers without chemicals. It doesnt stop them from returning, but it gets rid of the ones you can see.

[TripletDaddy]

Southern california is notorious for ants in the summer, esp down in OC for whatever reason (UC Irivne Anteaters!).

Growing up, we would try all sorts of remedies. some worked, some didnt. We lost many a pie, cake, or other snack because it was left out overnight or for a few hours on the counter. We would come back to find that army ant trail of doom.

When I moved back after law school, I decided to bite the bullet and pay a spray service. We never had an ant problem since. If you can swing it, just pay the spray service. They come out frequently and you dont have to leave cinnamon all over your kitchen (as nice as that may smell).

[YOhio]

Stomp on them with your feet. Hard.

[Sullyute]

I think these are seasonal intrusions, related to the weather.

1. Find out where they are getting in. You can bait them by leaving a dish of ant delish on a plate near where you notice the ants.

2. Come back later. Observe where the line of ants is snaking from. Do not move the bait. Caulk up the hole where they are coming from.

3. Come back later. Observe where the new line of ants is coming from. Do not move the bait. Caulk up the hole where they are coming from.

4. Rinse and repeat.

Check out this article in the Family Handyman: How to get rid of ants.

It is similar to Katy Lied's suggestion but adds more on how to keep them from coming back.

[Parrot Head]

Those combat gels have been good for us. A friend actually called an exterminator to ask what they use because she was worried about the safety of the kids around harsh chemicals. Then she looked it up online and found it was the same stuff used in the anti-roach gels.

An interesting piece of knowledge... crush the common house ant in your fingers, then sniff. It smells like coconut! That's one of the cool things I learned from my time in pest control (the real work, not the sales stuff).