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Ants invade house again, this is war!
Several times a year I undergo an ant invasion in my kitchen,
principally. They always seem the same - very small black ants, at the most 1/10 inch long. This time, it's different. They are much larger, probably 2-3 times the mass of the usual ants and around 1/8 inch long, black. I'm in Berkeley, CA. Last week it was a little cooler and these ants were very slow, and they wandered all over my kitchen, all solitary (no trails) and I'd kill every one I saw with a sponge. I always keep things pretty clean, but they still come. They kept coming all week. I used to use those little Antrol bottles with an opening years ago, with considerable success, placing the "traps" outside. For whatever reason, I've been unable to locate external nests or ant trails leading into my present house. I believe they are nesting in my walls, which have brick facade, with crumbling mortar and many large cracks. About 2000 or 2001 I bought a small plastic viol of Victor Ant Control orthoboric acid sugar-ant solution (5% orthoboric acid, 95% "inert ingredients"). I had little success with the smaller ants using this, but these larger ants that began their invasion about a week ago just love the stuff and I've been giving them a steady and considerable diet of it for the last 36 hours. However, they don't seem to be letting up, much less dieing off. They're coming in large numbers now and forming trails. How long does it take (or does it work)? Is it possible the solution has gone bad sitting on my shelf for 6-7 years? I suppose I can buy some boric acid at the pharmacy(?) and mix it with some pancake syrup or sugar solution in a concentration similar to the Victor stuff. I'd appreciate some help because if I can't get the problem under control in the next 10 days, I'm going to have to pass up seeing my relatives at Thanksgiving and spend that 4 day period instead combating my insect invaders. Thanks for any help! Dan |
Ants invade house again, this is war!
"Dan_Musicant" wrote in message ... Several times a year I undergo an ant invasion in my kitchen, principally. They always seem the same - very small black ants, at the most 1/10 inch long. This time, it's different. They are much larger, probably 2-3 times the mass of the usual ants and around 1/8 inch long, black. I'm in Berkeley, CA. Last week it was a little cooler and these ants were very slow, and they wandered all over my kitchen, all solitary (no trails) and I'd kill every one I saw with a sponge. I always keep things pretty clean, but they still come. They kept coming all week. I used to use those little Antrol bottles with an opening years ago, with considerable success, placing the "traps" outside. For whatever reason, I've been unable to locate external nests or ant trails leading into my present house. I believe they are nesting in my walls, which have brick facade, with crumbling mortar and many large cracks. About 2000 or 2001 I bought a small plastic viol of Victor Ant Control orthoboric acid sugar-ant solution (5% orthoboric acid, 95% "inert ingredients"). I had little success with the smaller ants using this, but these larger ants that began their invasion about a week ago just love the stuff and I've been giving them a steady and considerable diet of it for the last 36 hours. However, they don't seem to be letting up, much less dieing off. They're coming in large numbers now and forming trails. How long does it take (or does it work)? Is it possible the solution has gone bad sitting on my shelf for 6-7 years? I suppose I can buy some boric acid at the pharmacy(?) and mix it with some pancake syrup or sugar solution in a concentration similar to the Victor stuff. I'd appreciate some help because if I can't get the problem under control in the next 10 days, I'm going to have to pass up seeing my relatives at Thanksgiving and spend that 4 day period instead combating my insect invaders. Thanks for any help! Dan This is what I do, YMMV. I buy the sacks of granules that look like sawdust. The ants carry them back to the nest, and that way you get the nest. Buy the bags that have the built in screen. You open the top, the screen's there, there's a handle on the bottom, and you just walk around spreading the granules while you walk. Put it around foundations, in flower beds, etc. I like it because it is poison that is spread around lightly, but covers a large area. It's not something your pet would eat. It just falls on the ground, and you can spread it specifically where you want it. Works for me. Steve |
Ants invade house again, this is war!
In article , Dan_Musicant wrote:
Several times a year I undergo an ant invasion in my kitchen, principally. They always seem the same - very small black ants, at the most 1/10 inch long. This time, it's different. They are much larger, probably 2-3 times the mass of the usual ants and around 1/8 inch long, black. I'm in Berkeley, CA. Last week it was a little cooler and these ants were very slow, and they wandered all over my kitchen, all solitary (no trails) and I'd kill every one I saw with a sponge. I always keep things pretty clean, but they still come. They kept coming all week. Ant problems are pretty much a fact of life in the Bay Area. I had little success with the smaller ants using this, but these larger ants that began their invasion about a week ago just love the stuff and I've been giving them a steady and considerable diet of it for the last 36 hours. However, they don't seem to be letting up, much less dieing off. They're coming in large numbers now and forming trails. Examine the trails, really, really carefully. Where are they coming from and where are they going to? Very often, they are seeking water. They will find tiny leaks in pipes/faucets/drains long before they become visible to the human occupants. In that case, plug the leak before you have to deal with mold, rot and other issues. If they've found a food source, move the stuff to an airtight container. Personally, I spray the outside of my house every 2-3 months using a professional-grade spray. That's essentially solved the problem for me. And although I don't really like using these chemicals, at least they're used outside. Without that, the ants *will* come indoors and I'll have to start using chemicals inside and that's worse. You can find gallon sized ant sprays at Home Depot and some of these are approved for indoor as well as outdoor use. Ortho is one such brand. In my experience, these are very effective, but not for very long. The ants are back within a few weeks and that's why I use a more potent/persistent product. Nevertheless, something like the Ortho should get rid of the ants for the Thanksgiving holiday. -- |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| | Malcolm Hoar "The more I practice, the luckier I get". | | Gary Player. | | http://www.malch.com/ Shpx gur PQN. | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
Ants invade house again, this is war!
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Ants invade house again, this is war!
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Ants invade house again, this is war!
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Ants invade house again, this is war!
On Wed, 08 Nov 2006 22:14:43 GMT, Dan_Musicant wrote:
On Wed, 08 Nov 2006 18:17:20 GMT, (Malcolm Hoar) wrote: :Examine the trails, really, really carefully. Where are they coming :from and where are they going to? : :Very often, they are seeking water. They will find tiny leaks :in pipes/faucets/drains long before they become visible to the :human occupants. In that case, plug the leak before you have to :deal with mold, rot and other issues. If they've found a food :source, move the stuff to an airtight container. : :Personally, I spray the outside of my house every 2-3 months :using a professional-grade spray. That's essentially solved :the problem for me. And although I don't really like using :these chemicals, at least they're used outside. Without that, :the ants *will* come indoors and I'll have to start using :chemicals inside and that's worse. : :You can find gallon sized ant sprays at Home Depot and some :of these are approved for indoor as well as outdoor use. :Ortho is one such brand. In my experience, these are very :effective, but not for very long. The ants are back within :a few weeks and that's why I use a more potent/persistent :product. Nevertheless, something like the Ortho should get :rid of the ants for the Thanksgiving holiday. What exactly are you using and where do you get it? Thanks. Malathion works well. Put it in a hose applicator and spray a perimeter line around the house. Don't let it in the house. |
Ants invade house again, this is war!
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Ants invade house again, this is war!
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Ants invade house again, this is war!
go the boric acid route using corn syrup or peanut butter as bait. Ants are
either sweet or protein loving. Home Depot sell boric acid for about $5 a lb, a lifetime supply. Takes about a week to do them in. "Dan_Musicant" wrote in message ... Several times a year I undergo an ant invasion in my kitchen, principally. They always seem the same - very small black ants, at the most 1/10 inch long. This time, it's different. They are much larger, probably 2-3 times the mass of the usual ants and around 1/8 inch long, black. I'm in Berkeley, CA. Last week it was a little cooler and these ants were very slow, and they wandered all over my kitchen, all solitary (no trails) and I'd kill every one I saw with a sponge. I always keep things pretty clean, but they still come. They kept coming all week. I used to use those little Antrol bottles with an opening years ago, with considerable success, placing the "traps" outside. For whatever reason, I've been unable to locate external nests or ant trails leading into my present house. I believe they are nesting in my walls, which have brick facade, with crumbling mortar and many large cracks. About 2000 or 2001 I bought a small plastic viol of Victor Ant Control orthoboric acid sugar-ant solution (5% orthoboric acid, 95% "inert ingredients"). I had little success with the smaller ants using this, but these larger ants that began their invasion about a week ago just love the stuff and I've been giving them a steady and considerable diet of it for the last 36 hours. However, they don't seem to be letting up, much less dieing off. They're coming in large numbers now and forming trails. How long does it take (or does it work)? Is it possible the solution has gone bad sitting on my shelf for 6-7 years? I suppose I can buy some boric acid at the pharmacy(?) and mix it with some pancake syrup or sugar solution in a concentration similar to the Victor stuff. I'd appreciate some help because if I can't get the problem under control in the next 10 days, I'm going to have to pass up seeing my relatives at Thanksgiving and spend that 4 day period instead combating my insect invaders. Thanks for any help! Dan |
Ants invade house again, this is war!
You can buy "Roach Proof" at Home Depot. It is a boric acid fine
powder. Make a "duster" by wrapping a cotton ball around a wire. Ants don't like agricultural lime or chalk either. There are numerous other products available, but the boric acid is effective, especially when mixed with a bait. "Terro" is a good product. On Wed, 08 Nov 2006 16:35:00 GMT, Dan_Musicant wrote: Several times a year I undergo an ant invasion in my kitchen, principally. They always seem the same - very small black ants, at the most 1/10 inch long. This time, it's different. They are much larger, probably 2-3 times the mass of the usual ants and around 1/8 inch long, black. I'm in Berkeley, CA. Last week it was a little cooler and these ants were very slow, and they wandered all over my kitchen, all solitary (no trails) and I'd kill every one I saw with a sponge. I always keep things pretty clean, but they still come. They kept coming all week. I used to use those little Antrol bottles with an opening years ago, with considerable success, placing the "traps" outside. For whatever reason, I've been unable to locate external nests or ant trails leading into my present house. I believe they are nesting in my walls, which have brick facade, with crumbling mortar and many large cracks. About 2000 or 2001 I bought a small plastic viol of Victor Ant Control orthoboric acid sugar-ant solution (5% orthoboric acid, 95% "inert ingredients"). I had little success with the smaller ants using this, but these larger ants that began their invasion about a week ago just love the stuff and I've been giving them a steady and considerable diet of it for the last 36 hours. However, they don't seem to be letting up, much less dieing off. They're coming in large numbers now and forming trails. How long does it take (or does it work)? Is it possible the solution has gone bad sitting on my shelf for 6-7 years? I suppose I can buy some boric acid at the pharmacy(?) and mix it with some pancake syrup or sugar solution in a concentration similar to the Victor stuff. I'd appreciate some help because if I can't get the problem under control in the next 10 days, I'm going to have to pass up seeing my relatives at Thanksgiving and spend that 4 day period instead combating my insect invaders. Thanks for any help! Dan |
Ants invade house again, this is war!
I've used plain old cinnamon a few times....doesn't kill them...but
they hate it. Just sprinkle on your window sills and doors.... sprinkle some in your carpet if you've gotta. It's also safe for kids/pets...and it makes your home a holiday smell. ;-) Cinnamon is 50 cents a can at walmart under a generic label...might be worth a shot. |
Ants invade house again, this is war!
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Ants invade house again, this is war!
On Thu, 09 Nov 2006 06:07:00 GMT, "Jeff" wrote:
:go the boric acid route using corn syrup or peanut butter as bait. Ants are :either sweet or protein loving. Home Depot sell boric acid for about $5 a :lb, a lifetime supply. Takes about a week to do them in. Thanks for the tips. I believe I defeated a fledgling invasion of cockroaches some years ago with a judicious application or boric acid powder in a small boombox in the kitchen. I think they liked the heat coming from the transformer (it was winter and quite cool in the house). I don't think I have any more of the powder, though, so I'll check out HD. It's been about 60 hours since I started feeding these ants the Victor boric acid solution and there are very few ants showing an interest now. It's down to a tiny trickle, whereas there were dozens and dozens feeding within the first day, and I had to replenish the bait many times. I'm hopeful that in a day or two I won't see any. However, I've seen an occasional smaller ant on the floor, a sentry (probably) from another species of ant, maybe a protein eater, is my thinking (because the smaller ants I've seen don't much care for the boric acid solution). I think I may chance leaving for Thanksgiving. The thought of coming home to a kitchen teaming with thousands of ants spooks me, though. |
Ants invade house again, this is war!
On 9 Nov 2006 07:04:21 -0800, "
wrote: :I've used plain old cinnamon a few times....doesn't kill them...but :they hate it. :Just sprinkle on your window sills and doors.... sprinkle some in your :carpet if you've gotta. : :It's also safe for kids/pets...and it makes your home a holiday smell. :;-) : :Cinnamon is 50 cents a can at walmart under a generic label...might be :worth a shot. Thanks! I used to try cayenne pepper. Don't know where I got that idea. Cinnamon is one thing I have plenty of. A former housemate laid a big old can on me he acquired while he did a stint in the Navy in the Mediterranean. I still have about 1/2 lb. left. I may lay a bit of it around while I'm out of town for some insurance. |
Ants invade house again, this is war!
In article , Dan_Musicant wrote:
On Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:10:29 GMT, (Malcolm Hoar) wrote: :I've been in the Bay Area for about 14 years and each :home I've owned has had ant problems -- even a 4th floor :condo! The Suspend SC really does seem to keep 'em outside. Thanks! I'm afraid it wouldn't work in my case if my thinking is correct that the ants are residing in the house itself, in the walls. I went outside a few days ago and carefully inspected the entire perimeter of the house and couldn't find a single ant on the walls, windows, whatever! Even if they're nesting inside the house, they still need food. If their food source is indoors, you need to eliminate it. Otherwise, they must be going outdoors to find food. I suspect there *is* an indoor/outdoor trail, somewhere. It's not always at ground level. They may be entering the house via a tree/plant/trellice or some other structure, even overhead wires. As I said before, follow those trails. If the ants are residing entirely in your home, the trails will help you find the food supply they've already found. And if you eliminate that, you'll be well on the way to solving the problem. -- |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| | Malcolm Hoar "The more I practice, the luckier I get". | | Gary Player. | | http://www.malch.com/ Shpx gur PQN. | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
Ants invade house again, this is war!
Put down small piles of cornmeal around where they come in.
They eat it but can't digest it & they die. Dan_Musicant wrote: Several times a year I undergo an ant invasion in my kitchen, principally. They always seem the same - very small black ants, at the most 1/10 inch long. This time, it's different. They are much larger, probably 2-3 times the mass of the usual ants and around 1/8 inch long, black. I'm in Berkeley, CA. Last week it was a little cooler and these ants were very slow, and they wandered all over my kitchen, all solitary (no trails) and I'd kill every one I saw with a sponge. I always keep things pretty clean, but they still come. They kept coming all week. I used to use those little Antrol bottles with an opening years ago, with considerable success, placing the "traps" outside. For whatever reason, I've been unable to locate external nests or ant trails leading into my present house. I believe they are nesting in my walls, which have brick facade, with crumbling mortar and many large cracks. About 2000 or 2001 I bought a small plastic viol of Victor Ant Control orthoboric acid sugar-ant solution (5% orthoboric acid, 95% "inert ingredients"). I had little success with the smaller ants using this, but these larger ants that began their invasion about a week ago just love the stuff and I've been giving them a steady and considerable diet of it for the last 36 hours. However, they don't seem to be letting up, much less dieing off. They're coming in large numbers now and forming trails. How long does it take (or does it work)? Is it possible the solution has gone bad sitting on my shelf for 6-7 years? I suppose I can buy some boric acid at the pharmacy(?) and mix it with some pancake syrup or sugar solution in a concentration similar to the Victor stuff. I'd appreciate some help because if I can't get the problem under control in the next 10 days, I'm going to have to pass up seeing my relatives at Thanksgiving and spend that 4 day period instead combating my insect invaders. Thanks for any help! Dan |
Ants invade house again, this is war!
Dan_Musicant wrote:
Several times a year I undergo an ant invasion in my kitchen, principally. They always seem the same - very small black ants, at the most 1/10 inch long. This time, it's different. They are much larger, probably 2-3 times the mass of the usual ants and around 1/8 inch long, black. We get ants every year. I put down the packaged ant "traps", little boxes with poison in them. It's not long before you can see the trail they're taking. A few days and they disappear. -- "A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle; and patriotism is loyalty to that principle." -- George William Curtis |
Ants invade house again, this is war!
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Ants invade house again, this is war!
On Thu, 09 Nov 2006 18:09:30 -0600, clifto wrote:
Dan_Musicant wrote: Several times a year I undergo an ant invasion in my kitchen, principally. They always seem the same - very small black ants, at the most 1/10 inch long. This time, it's different. They are much larger, probably 2-3 times the mass of the usual ants and around 1/8 inch long, black. We get ants every year. I put down the packaged ant "traps", little boxes with poison in them. It's not long before you can see the trail they're taking. A few days and they disappear. I found that simply vacuuming up the tiny ants reduce their numbers enough that they dissapper. We don't get many invasions of the small ones, one or two times a year. later, tom @ www.carpenter-ant-killer.com |
Ants invade house again, this is war!
On Fri, 10 Nov 2006 14:53:05 -0500, Tom The Great wrote:
:On Thu, 09 Nov 2006 18:09:30 -0600, clifto wrote: : :Dan_Musicant wrote: : Several times a year I undergo an ant invasion in my kitchen, : principally. They always seem the same - very small black ants, at the : most 1/10 inch long. This time, it's different. They are much larger, : probably 2-3 times the mass of the usual ants and around 1/8 inch long, : black. : :We get ants every year. I put down the packaged ant "traps", little boxes :with poison in them. It's not long before you can see the trail they're :taking. A few days and they disappear. : : :I found that simply vacuuming up the tiny ants reduce their numbers :enough that they dissapper. We don't get many invasions of the small :ones, one or two times a year. : :later, : :tom @ www.carpenter-ant-killer.com Yes, this time I even did some vacuuming of ants, really just because I had the vacuum out. Normally, I use sponges and I have a pile of 15-20 of them at hand and ready! The ants have dwindled and dwindled and seem uninterested in the bait now. I see at most 1/2 dozen at a time, usually 2-3, but always there's at least one. They are sticking to the trails they were on when they were hitting the bait heavily. I sponged their trails, but they seem to know where they were, which puzzles me. I wonder if these are not stragglers who got lost in my kitchen and haven't made it home yet. I figure the nest may have been decimated now by the rather large ingestion of boric acid bait. I figure the queen is dead. What I'm wondering is if these ants have a plan B. IOW, if they don't have a princess or two in pupa stage waiting to take over the colony should the queen die for some reason. Dan |
Ants invade house again, this is war!
In article , Dan_Musicant wrote:
The ants have dwindled and dwindled and seem uninterested in the bait now. I see at most 1/2 dozen at a time, usually 2-3, but always there's at least one. They are sticking to the trails they were on when they were hitting the bait heavily. I sponged their trails, but they seem to know where they were, which puzzles me. Wipe the trails with a little Windex. Windex makes for a poor insecticide (yet another ant myth) but it's very effective at removing/covering the scent of the trails. -- |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| | Malcolm Hoar "The more I practice, the luckier I get". | | Gary Player. | | http://www.malch.com/ Shpx gur PQN. | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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