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

"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

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. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In article ,
says...
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?


Boric acid doesn't go bad, if the ants are eating the bait and ingesting
the boric acid they will die. Boric acid is a slow acting stomach poison
so sometimes weeks are needed depending on the ant population to see
results.

Ant success can also be aided by knowing what type of ant you are
dealing with, letting you know where they may be nesting at and so on.
If by chance the new invader gives off an odor when you smash it, it is
an Odorous House Ant. They do not have typical ant nests, but are little
nomads moving about. One day they may be in the leaf matter under the
hedges next to the house, later that afternoon the colony is seen moving
under the welcome mat on the porch, the next day they may be in the leaf
matter in the gutters. But they will usually be found close to moisture,
be it dampness from the sprinklers or a leaky pipe.
--
Lar
---- to email get rid of the BUGS!

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
f 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
roduct. 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.

Dan

On Wed, 8 Nov 2006 13:40:55 -0600, Lar wrote:

:In article ,
:says...
: 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?
:
:
:Boric acid doesn't go bad, if the ants are eating the bait and ingesting
:the boric acid they will die. Boric acid is a slow acting stomach poison
:so sometimes weeks are needed depending on the ant population to see
:results.
:
:Ant success can also be aided by knowing what type of ant you are
:dealing with, letting you know where they may be nesting at and so on.
:If by chance the new invader gives off an odor when you smash it, it is
:an Odorous House Ant. They do not have typical ant nests, but are little
:nomads moving about. One day they may be in the leaf matter under the
:hedges next to the house, later that afternoon the colony is seen moving
:under the welcome mat on the porch, the next day they may be in the leaf
:matter in the gutters. But they will usually be found close to moisture,
:be it dampness from the sprinklers or a leaky pipe.

I don't think these are Odorous House Ants. I think I have a pretty
acute sense of smell and I've been squashing these bugs by the hundreds
and hundreds and detected no odor whatsoever.

I have no idea how I can determine the variety short of possibly
bringing some specimens to the U.C. Berkeley Extension Entomology folks,
who I have visited a time or two, quite some time ago. Perhaps I'll give
them a visit if I can't get things under control shortly. It's been
nearly two days (44 hours) since I began feeding them the boric acid,
and maybe their numbers are dwindling somewhat. I really need to feel I
have a leg up on this problem before I fly out of here on Nov. 21st or
I'm going to have to cancel the Thanksgiving plans. Thanks for the
help!!

Dan

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
f 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
roduct. 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.

In article ,
says...
Malathion works well. Put it in a hose applicator and spray a perimeter
line around the house. Don't let it in the house.


Malathion only will have a residual for a few days though, plus much
more odor than most other products
--
Lar
---- to email get rid of the BUGS!

In article ,
says...
I don't think these are Odorous House Ants. I think I have a pretty
acute sense of smell and I've been squashing these bugs by the hundreds
and hundreds and detected no odor whatsoever.


you would need to sniff your finger after the smashing...just don't let
the neighbors witness this. If you have a digital camera and if you can
get a clear shot that can see the antennae clearly, then email them out
to local colleges or pest control companies.
--
Lar
---- to email get rid of the BUGS!

In article , 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
f 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
roduct. 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.

"Suspend SC". It's not available retail but you can find it
on-line. e.g.:

http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/suspend.htm

I spray the outside of the house -- a narrow 6-12 inch
border around the perimeter every 2-3 months in the
summer and 3-4 months in the winter. Also around the trunks
of some shrubs and trees that touch the house.

A one pint bottle will protect my 2500 sq ft single
family home for about 2.5 years.

It's solved my problem for the last couple of years. I
have seen the ocassional scout ant but that really is
all we've seen inside the house.

I treat this stuff with considerable respect -- only
spray when the kids are away for a few hours, on a calm
day, while wearing gloves etc. The spray nozzle is set to
wet a small area without any fine mist so I'm in control
of where it ends up.

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.

--
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Malcolm Hoar "The more I practice, the luckier I get". |
| Gary Player. |
| http://www.malch.com/ Shpx gur PQN. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

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

In article . com,
says...
Put down small piles of cornmeal around where they come in.
They eat it but can't digest it & they die.


The only downfall with this myth is that adult ants don't eat solid
foods. They can't digest it because they can't eat it....
--
Lar
---- to email get rid of the BUGS!

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

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
nes, 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

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". |
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