I started working for company a few months ago that has a lot of
experience
in solving building problems with the least toxic method. It was an
eye
opener to me how many of the commonly used products contaminate our
air.
I work on the Dear Sammi SaferBuilder column.
They use barriers like builders foil for outlets and caulk to seal up
other
openings. Builder's foil is similar to aluminum foil. It can be taped
over
openings to make things air tight.
If you can find the nest, then they've told me that they've used
boiling
water to get rid of ants. In their case, there were multiple queens,
so
they had to pour it for a few days in a row. Also the nest was adjacent
to
the house so they weren't putting water on their foundation.
Another time, when the nest was under the house, the used baits. They
like
borate (boric acid) based baits since they are generally effective and
the
least toxic.
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Contractor Worksheets, Environmental Disclosures,
Certificates of Good Standing
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aurgathor wrote:
I'm having some problems with ants. I first noticed them about a year ago,
and I don't seem to be able to get rid of them. First, they moved into an
electric outlet in my kitchen (a very convenient place, I guess) so I
vacuumed them out and sprayed the outlet with "Ortho HighPower Home defense"
against ants and roaches. So they moved to another outlet. I cleaned that
one, too, and sprayed all other outlets in the kitchen. I also made sure
that the kitchen was cleaned up. However, the ants are still there
somewhere, they apparently just moved to some place I can no longer find
them. (they might be underneath my home)
So, what's the best way to tackle them? I'll be doing a complete remodel of
my kitchen in a couple of months, and if there were something I could spray
behind and underneath the cabinets before putting them back, that could
probably help tremendously.
TIA