On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:43:24 -0400, wrote:

On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:32:31 -0700, "Ulysses"
wrote:

So far boric acid looks like the way to go.

Just figure out what they eat and make your bait out of that, about
12:1 or less. As other posters have said, not too much BA or you just
kill the first few ants that eat it and the rest will stop eating that
stuff.

Agree. Some people make baits using jam and BA. A local article by a
state entomologist stated to use peanut butter with BA mixed at 10:1.
We went on to say that if you see dead ants along their path, reduce
the BA.

"Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth" (DE) is used as an insecticide.* Not
the same DE for pools, though. Buy it a farm/feed supply store.

"Diatomite is also used as an insecticide, due to its physico-sorptive
properties. The fine powder absorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer
of insects' exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate. Arthropods die as
a result of the water pressure deficiency, based on Fick's law of
diffusion. This also works against gastropods and is commonly employed
in gardening to defeat slugs. However, since slugs inhabit humid
environments, efficacy is very low. It is sometimes mixed with an
attractant or other additives to increase its effectiveness.
Medical-grade diatomite is sometimes used to de-worm both animals and
humans. It is most commonly used in lieu of boric acid, and can be
used to help control and eventually eliminate a cockroach infestation.
This material has wide application for insect control in grain
storage"

*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatoma...h#Pest_control