ANTS IN THE DISHWASHER
 

For the last 2 years our house has been under assualt by small black,
sugar-eating ants. I reluctantly called a pest service last year. They
sent this fat guy with a big tank of bug spray on his belt. He
proceeded to spray my kithcen floors and counter. Big deal. I can do
that with Raid.
This year my son and I launched a counterstrike. We hit them outside,
setting up baits of sugar and following their trails to several
colonies, most nearly the base of large trees. We put diazanon granules
all over the yard and sprayed around the exterior of the house
regularly. But alas they are tough. We won some battles but the ants
are still winning the war. Now we notice that when we open the
dishwasher there are thousands of them. Are they coming thru the
dishwasher drain? Any suggestions would be appreciated. This is the
21st century and we should be able to beat these little *******s.

Thanks

The dishwasher!

Dishwashers are usually sealed pretty well or you will experience water
leaks. The drain sounds like a possible entrance place since it is about the
only opening into a dishwasher assuming it is mostly closed though I can't
figure how they would get into it. Dishwasher drains usually are a flexible
tube or hose that goes to the drain for your sink above the trap. If that is
your case try putting some sugar in the sink to see if they show there and
check your under sink areas real good with a flashlight and remove the
bottom access panel to your dishwasher to see if you can see anything under
there.

You say you spray around the exterior. I don't know if you mean the
foundation also. My foundation is about six inches above ground level and I
spray it all around the house top to ground level and make sure that there
are no plants or weeds that grow up the side of it. I suppose if you have
any cracks in it they still may be able to get in underground. If you can
view your foundation walls in the basement or crawl space then check that
out and try to seal or spray any cracks. Be careful and read instructions
and warnings for any pesticide particularly if you have children or pets
that you care about.

I buy ant killer concentrate that I can put in my weed sprayer tank so that
I can make a few gallons economically and have plenty to spray. It has
helped control ants when we have problems but we do not have near the
problem you seem to have. My wife and daughter would go absolutely nuts if
they saw ants in our dishwasher! A good pest control place will usually give
you a guarantee of their job for a reasonable timeframe though be careful to
not sign a contract that requires regular visits for a year unless that is
what you want. Good luck. --- Steve


wrote in message
oups.com...
For the last 2 years our house has been under assualt by small black,
sugar-eating ants. I reluctantly called a pest service last year. They
sent this fat guy with a big tank of bug spray on his belt. He
proceeded to spray my kithcen floors and counter. Big deal. I can do
that with Raid.
This year my son and I launched a counterstrike. We hit them outside,
setting up baits of sugar and following their trails to several
colonies, most nearly the base of large trees. We put diazanon granules
all over the yard and sprayed around the exterior of the house
regularly. But alas they are tough. We won some battles but the ants
are still winning the war. Now we notice that when we open the
dishwasher there are thousands of them. Are they coming thru the
dishwasher drain? Any suggestions would be appreciated. This is the
21st century and we should be able to beat these little *******s.

Thanks

wrote in message
oups.com...
For the last 2 years our house has been under assualt by small black,
sugar-eating ants. I reluctantly called a pest service last year. They
sent this fat guy with a big tank of bug spray on his belt. He
proceeded to spray my kithcen floors and counter. Big deal. I can do
that with Raid.
I don't understand what the fact that the exterminator was fat has anything
to do with your problem.

JerryL, 8/22/2005, ,6:07:30 AM,
wrote:

I don't understand what the fact that the exterminator was fat has
anything to do with your problem.

Maybe when he bent over a larger crack developed.

--
"The harder I work, the luckier I get." -- Gary Player

wrote:
For the last 2 years our house has been under assualt by small black,
sugar-eating ants. I reluctantly called a pest service last year. They
sent this fat guy with a big tank of bug spray on his belt. He
proceeded to spray my kithcen floors and counter. Big deal. I can do
that with Raid.
This year my son and I launched a counterstrike. We hit them outside,
setting up baits of sugar and following their trails to several
colonies, most nearly the base of large trees. We put diazanon granules
all over the yard and sprayed around the exterior of the house
regularly. But alas they are tough. We won some battles but the ants
are still winning the war. Now we notice that when we open the
dishwasher there are thousands of them. Are they coming thru the
dishwasher drain? Any suggestions would be appreciated. This is the
21st century and we should be able to beat these little *******s.

Thanks


You have a good chance of killing everything BUT the ants and changing
your grand children's genetic pattern :o) Jeesh! Buzz around the
house, caulk up cracks and openings and then clean the kitchen really
well. Leave a little ant bait. If it is extremely wet or dry weather,
they may be looking for secondary sources of food and water. I have
always used a bait with sugar/boric acid which works very well until the
next year. Never have had ants in the house without a very pelentiful
food supply (pet food crumbs, kid spills, sticky stuff on counter,
etc).If you have a sink or tub that is not used much, run some water so
the traps are full. Clean the filter if there is one in the diswasher.

In article .com,
says...
:) For the last 2 years our house has been under assualt by small black,
:) sugar-eating ants. I reluctantly called a pest service last year. They
:) sent this fat guy with a big tank of bug spray on his belt. He
:) proceeded to spray my kithcen floors and counter. Big deal. I can do
:) that with Raid
:)
You may also try putting out protein based baits in case the ants have
changed their needs from sugars along with possibly be a different type
of ant than originally seeing altogether. If you go the route of a pro
again, find one that will apply Termidor around the foundation...means
he is up to snuff on what's what for ant control and will properly bait
the interior also, though the termidor alone will probably stop them for
the rest of the year.
--
Lar

to email....get rid of the BUGS

I can only see three ways into a dishwasher, through the drain as mentioned
below, through a bad door seal, or the door was not fully closed, or one
other way since the ants may be looking for water, they may enter through
the vacuum breaker on the water inlet. This is open to the air, after the
electric water valves, to prevent siphoning soiled water back into the water
supply. There is an inlet for air and the ants may be using it to enter.


"Steven L Umbach" wrote in message
...
The dishwasher!

Dishwashers are usually sealed pretty well or you will experience water
leaks. The drain sounds like a possible entrance place since it is about
the
only opening into a dishwasher assuming it is mostly closed though I can't
figure how they would get into it. Dishwasher drains usually are a
flexible
tube or hose that goes to the drain for your sink above the trap. If that
is
your case try putting some sugar in the sink to see if they show there and
check your under sink areas real good with a flashlight and remove the
bottom access panel to your dishwasher to see if you can see anything
under
there.

You say you spray around the exterior. I don't know if you mean the
foundation also. My foundation is about six inches above ground level and
I
spray it all around the house top to ground level and make sure that there
are no plants or weeds that grow up the side of it. I suppose if you have
any cracks in it they still may be able to get in underground. If you can
view your foundation walls in the basement or crawl space then check that
out and try to seal or spray any cracks. Be careful and read instructions
and warnings for any pesticide particularly if you have children or pets
that you care about.

I buy ant killer concentrate that I can put in my weed sprayer tank so
that
I can make a few gallons economically and have plenty to spray. It has
helped control ants when we have problems but we do not have near the
problem you seem to have. My wife and daughter would go absolutely nuts if
they saw ants in our dishwasher! A good pest control place will usually
give
you a guarantee of their job for a reasonable timeframe though be careful
to
not sign a contract that requires regular visits for a year unless that is
what you want. Good luck. --- Steve


wrote in message
oups.com...
For the last 2 years our house has been under assualt by small black,
sugar-eating ants. I reluctantly called a pest service last year. They
sent this fat guy with a big tank of bug spray on his belt. He
proceeded to spray my kithcen floors and counter. Big deal. I can do
that with Raid.
This year my son and I launched a counterstrike. We hit them outside,
setting up baits of sugar and following their trails to several
colonies, most nearly the base of large trees. We put diazanon granules
all over the yard and sprayed around the exterior of the house
regularly. But alas they are tough. We won some battles but the ants
are still winning the war. Now we notice that when we open the
dishwasher there are thousands of them. Are they coming thru the
dishwasher drain? Any suggestions would be appreciated. This is the
21st century and we should be able to beat these little *******s.

Thanks

That is good to know. I thought of a bad door seal but I thought that would
probably also leak , but maybe not or he has not noticed a very small leak
yet. I know those ants are very small and don't need much room. I suppose a
marginal seal could also expand when the hot water hits it to seal it during
most of the wash. -- Steve

"EXT" etonks@sunstormADD-DOT-COM wrote in message
anews.com...
I can only see three ways into a dishwasher, through the drain as mentioned
below, through a bad door seal, or the door was not fully closed, or one
other way since the ants may be looking for water, they may enter through
the vacuum breaker on the water inlet. This is open to the air, after the
electric water valves, to prevent siphoning soiled water back into the
water
supply. There is an inlet for air and the ants may be using it to enter.


"Steven L Umbach" wrote in message
...
The dishwasher!

Dishwashers are usually sealed pretty well or you will experience water
leaks. The drain sounds like a possible entrance place since it is about
the
only opening into a dishwasher assuming it is mostly closed though I
can't
figure how they would get into it. Dishwasher drains usually are a
flexible
tube or hose that goes to the drain for your sink above the trap. If that
is
your case try putting some sugar in the sink to see if they show there
and
check your under sink areas real good with a flashlight and remove the
bottom access panel to your dishwasher to see if you can see anything
under
there.

You say you spray around the exterior. I don't know if you mean the
foundation also. My foundation is about six inches above ground level and
I
spray it all around the house top to ground level and make sure that
there
are no plants or weeds that grow up the side of it. I suppose if you have
any cracks in it they still may be able to get in underground. If you can
view your foundation walls in the basement or crawl space then check that
out and try to seal or spray any cracks. Be careful and read
instructions
and warnings for any pesticide particularly if you have children or pets
that you care about.

I buy ant killer concentrate that I can put in my weed sprayer tank so
that
I can make a few gallons economically and have plenty to spray. It has
helped control ants when we have problems but we do not have near the
problem you seem to have. My wife and daughter would go absolutely nuts
if
they saw ants in our dishwasher! A good pest control place will usually
give
you a guarantee of their job for a reasonable timeframe though be careful
to
not sign a contract that requires regular visits for a year unless that
is
what you want. Good luck. --- Steve


wrote in message
oups.com...
For the last 2 years our house has been under assualt by small black,
sugar-eating ants. I reluctantly called a pest service last year. They
sent this fat guy with a big tank of bug spray on his belt. He
proceeded to spray my kithcen floors and counter. Big deal. I can do
that with Raid.
This year my son and I launched a counterstrike. We hit them outside,
setting up baits of sugar and following their trails to several
colonies, most nearly the base of large trees. We put diazanon granules
all over the yard and sprayed around the exterior of the house
regularly. But alas they are tough. We won some battles but the ants
are still winning the war. Now we notice that when we open the
dishwasher there are thousands of them. Are they coming thru the
dishwasher drain? Any suggestions would be appreciated. This is the
21st century and we should be able to beat these little *******s.

Thanks

wrote in message
oups.com...

Big deal. I can do that with Raid.

I applied Ortho Home Defense Max (big jug for about $7 at HD) last spring. I
did all the baseboards and under kitchen cabinets inside and sprayed it all
around the foundation and vents out side. Haven't seen a critter inside
since and the stuff is odorless. RM~

PS, We do rinse all containers before putting them in the trash can.

log on to www.gardensalive.com and look for liquid ant bait. comes in two
ounce bottles. Follow the directions. Worked for me.

--

Christopher A. Young
Do good work.
It's longer in the short run
but shorter in the long run.
..
..


wrote in message
oups.com...
For the last 2 years our house has been under assualt by small black,
sugar-eating ants. I reluctantly called a pest service last year. They
sent this fat guy with a big tank of bug spray on his belt. He
proceeded to spray my kithcen floors and counter. Big deal. I can do
that with Raid.
This year my son and I launched a counterstrike. We hit them outside,
setting up baits of sugar and following their trails to several
colonies, most nearly the base of large trees. We put diazanon granules
all over the yard and sprayed around the exterior of the house
regularly. But alas they are tough. We won some battles but the ants
are still winning the war. Now we notice that when we open the
dishwasher there are thousands of them. Are they coming thru the
dishwasher drain? Any suggestions would be appreciated. This is the
21st century and we should be able to beat these little *******s.

Thanks

wrote in message
oups.com...
For the last 2 years our house has been under assualt by small black,
sugar-eating ants. I reluctantly called a pest service last year. They
sent this fat guy with a big tank of bug spray on his belt. He
proceeded to spray my kithcen floors and counter. Big deal. I can do
that with Raid.
This year my son and I launched a counterstrike. We hit them outside,
setting up baits of sugar and following their trails to several
colonies, most nearly the base of large trees. We put diazanon granules
all over the yard and sprayed around the exterior of the house
regularly. But alas they are tough. We won some battles but the ants
are still winning the war. Now we notice that when we open the
dishwasher there are thousands of them. Are they coming thru the
dishwasher drain? Any suggestions would be appreciated. This is the
21st century and we should be able to beat these little *******s.

Thanks


I believe you had this problem before. Here is some question: Are you
positive the they are ants? Are the ants dead? If the ants are dead Try not
washing any coffee related items in the dishwasher especially the filter.
Have you ever pulled the dishwasher and inspected under it for any water
leaks. water damage? This would indicate a leak witch could be a passage for
the Ants. While the washer is out if you do see any water leak indication or
if you don't go and buy a new dishwasher because if ants are getting in it
there is something wrong.

"Sacramento Dave" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
For the last 2 years our house has been under assualt by small black,
sugar-eating ants. I reluctantly called a pest service last year. They
sent this fat guy with a big tank of bug spray on his belt. He
proceeded to spray my kithcen floors and counter. Big deal. I can do
that with Raid.
This year my son and I launched a counterstrike. We hit them outside,
setting up baits of sugar and following their trails to several
colonies, most nearly the base of large trees. We put diazanon granules
all over the yard and sprayed around the exterior of the house
regularly. But alas they are tough. We won some battles but the ants
are still winning the war. Now we notice that when we open the
dishwasher there are thousands of them. Are they coming thru the
dishwasher drain? Any suggestions would be appreciated. This is the
21st century and we should be able to beat these little *******s.

Thanks


I believe you had this problem before. Here is some question: Are you
positive the they are ants? Are the ants dead? If the ants are dead Try
not
washing any coffee related items in the dishwasher especially the filter.
Have you ever pulled the dishwasher and inspected under it for any water
leaks. water damage? This would indicate a leak witch could be a passage
for
the Ants. While the washer is out if you do see any water leak indication
or
if you don't go and buy a new dishwasher because if ants are getting in it
there is something wrong.



I don't know why everyone is talking about possible leaks and bad seals. I
mean, most of the time the dishwasher door is unlatched and there is plenty
of space for ants to come in, no?

On 21 Aug 2005 23:44:40 -0700, wrote:

For the last 2 years our house has been under assualt by small black,
sugar-eating ants. I reluctantly called a pest service last year. They
sent this fat guy with a big tank of bug spray on his belt. He
proceeded to spray my kithcen floors and counter. Big deal. I can do
that with Raid.
This year my son and I launched a counterstrike. We hit them outside,
setting up baits of sugar and following their trails to several
colonies, most nearly the base of large trees. We put diazanon granules
all over the yard and sprayed around the exterior of the house
regularly. But alas they are tough. We won some battles but the ants
are still winning the war. Now we notice that when we open the
dishwasher there are thousands of them. Are they coming thru the
dishwasher drain? Any suggestions would be appreciated. This is the
21st century and we should be able to beat these little *******s.

Thanks


It seems I get them every year for a while, particularly after a
extended rainey spell or after an extended dry hot dry spell (go
figure). They come in through a kitchen window seal and I've not been
able to seal them out. they mostly then wander around the kitchen
counters, looking for food. I put a couple of those little bait
traps on the window sill and in a few days they are gone.

By the way, one time they got so bad they got in the dishwasher

"jstp" wrote in message
...
"Sacramento Dave" wrote in message
...

I don't know why everyone is talking about possible leaks and bad seals. I
mean, most of the time the dishwasher door is unlatched and there is
plenty
of space for ants to come in, no?

Goggle "Latch the door"

You're right, JerryL.
When I spoke to the receptionist for the exteminator on the phone I
told her I wanted my single story gutters sprayed as well as the
exterior foundation and my crawlspace. She said fine. Not any easy job
but I was waiting with my checkbook. About 2 hours later this obese
gentleman drove up in a 1988 Oldsmoblie carrying a tank and came to my
door with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He was arrogant as hell
and seemed miffed that I wanted my whole house sprayed on the FIRST
trip. After he sprayed my kitchen floor and counter he told me that
would be $140. I gave him a check for $75 (which was still outrageous)
and told him if he had a problem with it tell his boss to call me.
The guy was about 5'11" and weighed 340 lbs +. I would have paid the
extra $ 65 just to see the fat ******* squeeze thru my crawlspace door.
And forget about him climbing a ladder to spray my gutter.
So my point is this guy was not physically able to do the job I
requested when I made the appointment.