I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response. So
I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant problem
with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators (costly),
but they were only successful for a period of time before the ants
returned.

I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and
borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The problem
is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options that I
don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial products, and
also stay as "green" as possible.

TIA


--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Monday, 08(VIII)/25(XXV)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Labor Day
6dys 5hrs 31mins
*******************************************
The Definition of an Upgrade: Take old
bugs out, put new ones in.
*******************************************

On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:31:17 +0000, Wayne Boatwright wrote:

I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response.
So I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant
problem with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators
(costly), but they were only successful for a period of time before the
ants returned.

I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and
borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The
problem is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options that I
don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial products,
and also stay as "green" as possible.

TIA

Its nice to "Stay Green" but you have to look at it from the side of
going to war with the Ants. We live up in Indiana with alot of large oaks
in the yard. We fight ants all the time.

If your going to really control them then you should get some type of
poison that they carry back to the nest and kill the others. Especially
the queen.

Probably the reason the exterminators where only successful for a period
of time is because they didnt use something that would be taken back to
the nest to destroy the queen and such.

We use the stakes you put in the ground with the poison in them. Havent
seen too much of the ants after we started this. Takes a week or so.

Good Luck,

coffee

On Mon 25 Aug 2008 07:18:05p, coffee told us...

On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:31:17 +0000, Wayne Boatwright wrote:

I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response.
So I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant
problem with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators
(costly), but they were only successful for a period of time before the
ants returned.

I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and
borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The
problem is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options that I
don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial products,
and also stay as "green" as possible.

TIA

Its nice to "Stay Green" but you have to look at it from the side of
going to war with the Ants. We live up in Indiana with alot of large oaks
in the yard. We fight ants all the time.

If your going to really control them then you should get some type of
poison that they carry back to the nest and kill the others. Especially
the queen.

According to what I read about using the water/sugar/boric acid solution,
it's supposed to be taken back to the nest to feed the queen. In theory it
should work.

Probably the reason the exterminators where only successful for a period
of time is because they didnt use something that would be taken back to
the nest to destroy the queen and such.

Supposedly they did use such a product, but it certainly wasn't permanent.

We use the stakes you put in the ground with the poison in them. Havent
seen too much of the ants after we started this. Takes a week or so.

What sort of stakes did you use? I'm not familiar with them.

Good Luck,

coffee


Thanks!


--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Monday, 08(VIII)/25(XXV)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Labor Day
6dys 4hrs 12mins
*******************************************
I let my mind wander and it never came
back.
*******************************************

On Aug 25, 9:31 pm, Wayne Boatwright
wrote:
I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response. So
I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant problem
with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators (costly),
but they were only successful for a period of time before the ants
returned.

I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and
borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The problem
is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options that I
don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial products, and
also stay as "green" as possible.

Ants are not the dominant species on the planet by accident.

Pussyfooting around with ants is likely to make the problem worse.
When a colony is placed under significant stress it will subdivide to
assure survival. You might see fewer ants for a while, then they'll
come roaring back in greater numbers.

Check out Talstar One.
http://www.fmcprosolutions.com/Home/...1/Default.aspx
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov...ds&id=19022035
-----

- gpsman

4 tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of water, 1 teaspoon of boric acid or
boraxo.

Don


I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and
borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The problem
is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options that I
don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial products, and
also stay as "green" as possible.
****

On Mon 25 Aug 2008 07:46:33p, told us...

On Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:18:05 -0500, coffee
wrote:

On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:31:17 +0000, Wayne Boatwright wrote:

I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response.
So I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant
problem with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators
(costly), but they were only successful for a period of time before the
ants returned.

I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar,
and
borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The
problem is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options that
I
don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial products,
and also stay as "green" as possible.

TIA

Its nice to "Stay Green" but you have to look at it from the side of
going to war with the Ants. We live up in Indiana with alot of large oaks
in the yard. We fight ants all the time.

If your going to really control them then you should get some type of
poison that they carry back to the nest and kill the others. Especially
the queen.

Probably the reason the exterminators where only successful for a period
of time is because they didnt use something that would be taken back to
the nest to destroy the queen and such.

We use the stakes you put in the ground with the poison in them. Havent
seen too much of the ants after we started this. Takes a week or so.

Good Luck,

coffee

That "take it back to the nest and destroy the queen" thing is largely
a myth. You can teach the ants not to eat that particular food but the
colony (or one of the princesses) will survive and they won't be
eating that bait anymore.
I had the ants so well trained here the only thing they would eat was
dog food the dog had chewed on, then I baited with that. Then they
just walked around and I never really saw them eating anything.
Finally I tracked down the nest and dosed them with Ortho Ant and
Termite ... with extreme prejudice. (3 gallons of mix at label
strength) I haven't seen them for a while now.


I'll have to take a look at that stuff. Thanks!

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Tuesday, 08(VIII)/26(XXVI)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Labor Day
5dys 18hrs 26mins
*******************************************
Thesaurus: An ancient reptile with an
excellent vocabulary.
*******************************************

On Mon 25 Aug 2008 08:45:52p, gpsman told us...

On Aug 25, 9:31 pm, Wayne Boatwright
wrote:
I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response.
So I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant
problem with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators
(costly), but they were only successful for a period of time before the
ants returned.

I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar,
and borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The
problem is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options that
I don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial
products, and also stay as "green" as possible.

Ants are not the dominant species on the planet by accident.

Pussyfooting around with ants is likely to make the problem worse.
When a colony is placed under significant stress it will subdivide to
assure survival. You might see fewer ants for a while, then they'll
come roaring back in greater numbers.

Check out Talstar One.
http://www.fmcprosolutions.com/Home/...OneMultiInsect
icide/tabid/1221/Default.aspx
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov...ds?tbl=brands&
id=19022035
-----

- gpsman


Thanks, but unless I'm misreading this, I can't purchase this product
unless I'm a professional. We've had professionals for 2 years. If
treatment is ongoing, I have to find a way to do it myself.

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Tuesday, 08(VIII)/26(XXVI)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Labor Day
5dys 18hrs 24mins
*******************************************
Nothing is said that has not been said
before. - Terence
*******************************************

On Mon 25 Aug 2008 10:40:54p, RVer Don told us...

4 tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of water, 1 teaspoon of boric acid
or
boraxo.

Don


I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and
borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The
problem
is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options that I
don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial products,
and
also stay as "green" as possible.
****




Thanks, Don. This is exactly what I wanted to know!

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Tuesday, 08(VIII)/26(XXVI)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Labor Day
5dys 18hrs 22mins
*******************************************
Are you really American if your
ethnicity has to be hyphenated?
*******************************************

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response.
So I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant
problem with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators
(costly), but they were only successful for a period of time before
the ants returned.

I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar,
and borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The
problem is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options
that I don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial
products, and also stay as "green" as possible.

Borax and boric acid are two totally different things. You want boric acid.
The proportions of water/sugar/boric acid aren't particularly important. I
prefer using 50/50 flour and boric acid with enough water to make a paste.
After drying, either crush it to small pellets and put them where the ants
are and go or just leave it as a cake and put those cakes in a few strategic
places.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Wayne Boatwright wrote in
5.250:

Are there other homemade options that I
don't know about?

Put them between two boards and crush them.

On Tue 26 Aug 2008 05:43:40a, dadiOH told us...

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response.
So I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant
problem with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators
(costly), but they were only successful for a period of time before
the ants returned.

I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar,
and borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The
problem is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options
that I don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial
products, and also stay as "green" as possible.

Borax and boric acid are two totally different things. You want boric
acid. The proportions of water/sugar/boric acid aren't particularly
important. I prefer using 50/50 flour and boric acid with enough water
to make a paste. After drying, either crush it to small pellets and put
them where the ants are and go or just leave it as a cake and put those
cakes in a few strategic places.



Thanks! Interesting twist to what I've been reading on the 'net. BTW,
what's the diference between Borax and boric acid? I thought they were the
same thing.

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Tuesday, 08(VIII)/26(XXVI)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Labor Day
5dys 17hrs 49mins
*******************************************
FLOPPY DISK: Serious curvature of the
spine.
*******************************************

wrote:
....
That "take it back to the nest and destroy the queen" thing is largely
a myth. You can teach the ants not to eat that particular food but the
colony (or one of the princesses) will survive and they won't be
eating that bait anymore.

I disagree (strongly).

Andro ant bait (and some others) work quite well and will kill the colony.

Wayne, you can try all the borax and homemade remedies you want, but
unless you find nests and use an effective pesticide you'll have a
continuing infestation.

Judicious use is obviously the key to being politically correct as well
while still managing to control the problem.

You will, of course, never be able to entirely eliminate all ants but it
should be possible to find dens of the large ants or at least their
working trails and baiting them will eliminate the high numbers pretty
effectively.

We have the large red ants here -- it's a continual battle as it's a
farmstead surrounded by over a mile of unbroken native grass in all
directions (so the ground isn't tilled to help disturb the critters). I
carry a shaker w/ me on the tractor when mowing around the outbuildings
and corral, etc., and eliminate new colonies as I find them. That keeps
them pretty much from establishing new colonies inside the actual yard
area itself. The little ants for the most part I ignore unless they
think it's time to move into the house. I've never had a pinch of Andro
fail to stop them in that case, either, altho the wife will use the
borax thingie for weeks w/ little real effect before I'll (usually
surreptitiously) spike her efforts. Then next morning she'll usually
remark she "won"...

--

"RVer Don" wrote in message
. ..
4 tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of water, 1 teaspoon of boric acid or
boraxo.

Don
Don't forget a tbsp of Amdro.

Ask Barack to come and speak with them. They're black, and should listen.

Steve

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

Thanks! Interesting twist to what I've been reading on the 'net.
BTW, what's the diference between Borax and boric acid? I thought
they were the same thing.

Not even close.

Borax...
Na2B4O7·10H2O or Na2[B4O5(OH)4]·8H2O

Boric acid...
B(OH)3

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Mark wrote:
Wayne Boatwright wrote in
5.250:

Are there other homemade options that I
don't know about?

Put them between two boards and crush them.

Don't forget vinegar

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

wrote:
On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:57:59 -0500, dpb wrote:

I disagree (strongly).

Andro ant bait (and some others) work quite well and will kill the colony.

It won't kill them if they don't eat it.

I've never had it fail yet when provided to them at the nest or on
active foraging lanes.

--

On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:50:20 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
wrote:

According to what I read about using the water/sugar/boric acid solution,
it's supposed to be taken back to the nest to feed the queen. In theory it
should work.

Boric Acid dissolves the exoskeleton when the critter walks on it.
They don't eat it, but simply walk across the powder. Soon they
evaporate, so to speak. They may carry the acid into the nest and
other ants die as a result.

Make a sweet spot and have them walk over the acid. Mom called it a
Cupcake.

Mix a small amount of water into dry bori acid. Keep this water at a
minimum. The idea is make a thick paste.

Use a bottle cap and fill it with paste.

A small drip of stawberry preserves on top. Sprinkle around the
preserves with dry boric acid.

They can't resist the sweets :-)

On Aug 25, 10:18*pm, coffee wrote:
On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:31:17 +0000, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response.
So I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant
problem with large black ants in the yard. *We have had exterminators
(costly), but they were only successful for a period of time before the
ants returned.

I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and
borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. *The
problem is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? *Are there other homemade options that I
don't know about? *We're trying to steer clear of commercial products,
and also stay as "green" as possible.

TIA

Its nice to "Stay Green" but you have to look at it from the side of
going to war with the Ants. We live up in Indiana with alot of large oaks
in the yard. We fight ants all the time.

If your going to really control them then you should get some type of
poison that they carry back to the nest and kill the others. Especially
the queen.

Probably the reason the exterminators where only successful for a period
of time is because they didnt use something that would be taken back to
the nest to destroy the queen and such.

We use the stakes you put in the ground with the poison in them. Havent
seen too much of the ants after we started this. Takes a week or so.

Good Luck,

coffee- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

This is excatly what our exterminator did. He sprayed not only around
the house, but our fence where he noticed them, and the 2 oak trees on
our property. It's been 3 months now and still no sign of black or red
carpenter ants. I paid like $300. I was skeptical, but it worked. He
used something that gets tracked back to the nest, so even later when
ants try to make a nest of it, they'll get killed too. Not sure how
long the stuff lasts, but so far, so good.

On Aug 25, 10:18*pm, coffee wrote:
On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:31:17 +0000, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response.
So I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant
problem with large black ants in the yard. *We have had exterminators
(costly), but they were only successful for a period of time before the
ants returned.

I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and
borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. *The
problem is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? *Are there other homemade options that I
don't know about? *We're trying to steer clear of commercial products,
and also stay as "green" as possible.

TIA

Its nice to "Stay Green" but you have to look at it from the side of
going to war with the Ants. We live up in Indiana with alot of large oaks
in the yard. We fight ants all the time.

If your going to really control them then you should get some type of
poison that they carry back to the nest and kill the others. Especially
the queen.

Probably the reason the exterminators where only successful for a period
of time is because they didnt use something that would be taken back to
the nest to destroy the queen and such.

We use the stakes you put in the ground with the poison in them. Havent
seen too much of the ants after we started this. Takes a week or so.

Good Luck,

coffee- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Oh, and it was a liquid poison that he sprayed. So the ants "tracked"
it back to the nest.

On Aug 26, 2:45*pm, Oren wrote:
On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:50:20 GMT, Wayne Boatwright

wrote:
According to what I read about using the water/sugar/boric acid solution,
it's supposed to be taken back to the nest to feed the queen. *In theory it
should work.

Boric Acid dissolves the exoskeleton when the critter walks on it.
They don't eat it, but simply walk across the powder. Soon they
evaporate, so to speak. They may carry the acid into the nest and
other ants die as a result.

Make a sweet spot and have them walk over the acid. Mom called it a
Cupcake.

Mix a small amount of water into dry bori acid. Keep this water at a
minimum. The idea is make a thick paste.

Use a bottle cap and fill it with paste.

A small drip of stawberry preserves on top. Sprinkle around the
preserves with dry boric acid.

They can't resist the sweets :-)

But carpenter ants dont eat sweets. Your method is probably good for
the tiny ants.

On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:15:04 -0700 (PDT), Paul
wrote:

On Aug 26, 2:45*pm, Oren wrote:
On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:50:20 GMT, Wayne Boatwright

wrote:
According to what I read about using the water/sugar/boric acid solution,
it's supposed to be taken back to the nest to feed the queen. *In theory it
should work.

Boric Acid dissolves the exoskeleton when the critter walks on it.
They don't eat it, but simply walk across the powder. Soon they
evaporate, so to speak. They may carry the acid into the nest and
other ants die as a result.

Make a sweet spot and have them walk over the acid. Mom called it a
Cupcake.

Mix a small amount of water into dry bori acid. Keep this water at a
minimum. The idea is make a thick paste.

Use a bottle cap and fill it with paste.

A small drip of stawberry preserves on top. Sprinkle around the
preserves with dry boric acid.

They can't resist the sweets :-)

But carpenter ants dont eat sweets. Your method is probably good for
the tiny ants.

I'm just glad we don't have Leafcutter ants.

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and
borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The problem
is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boric_acid)
suggests this recipe:

1 tsp boric acid (powder);
10 tsp sugar;
2 cups water.

It works for me.

Good luck

On Aug 26, 3:48*pm, Oren wrote:
On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:15:04 -0700 (PDT), Paul
wrote:





On Aug 26, 2:45*pm, Oren wrote:
On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:50:20 GMT, Wayne Boatwright

wrote:
According to what I read about using the water/sugar/boric acid solution,
it's supposed to be taken back to the nest to feed the queen. *In theory it
should work.

Boric Acid dissolves the exoskeleton when the critter walks on it.
They don't eat it, but simply walk across the powder. Soon they
evaporate, so to speak. They may carry the acid into the nest and
other ants die as a result.

Make a sweet spot and have them walk over the acid. Mom called it a
Cupcake.

Mix a small amount of water into dry bori acid. Keep this water at a
minimum. The idea is make a thick paste.

Use a bottle cap and fill it with paste.

A small drip of stawberry preserves on top. Sprinkle around the
preserves with dry boric acid.

They can't resist the sweets :-)

But carpenter ants dont eat sweets. Your method is probably good for
the tiny ants.

I'm just glad we don't have Leafcutter ants.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

After having my house treated for termites with Termador all the ants
disappeared also and that has been 7 years ago.
I do occasionaly see a new ant hill but it soon disappears. I think
part of this success is that all my neighbors also had their homes
treated with Temador.

At work we also had an ant problem that we had been battling for many
nears. After getting the building treated for termites with Termador
the ant problem was also alleviated.

I got liquid ant bait from www.gardensalive.com and it worked to kill off my
indoor carpenter ants.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Wayne Boatwright" wrote in message
5.250...
I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response. So
I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant problem
with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators (costly),
but they were only successful for a period of time before the ants
returned.

I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and
borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The problem
is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options that I
don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial products, and
also stay as "green" as possible.

TIA


--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Monday, 08(VIII)/25(XXV)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Labor Day
6dys 5hrs 31mins
*******************************************
The Definition of an Upgrade: Take old
bugs out, put new ones in.
*******************************************

On Aug 25, 9:31*pm, Wayne Boatwright
wrote:
We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant problem
with large black ants in the yard. *

A problem with large ants in Arizona? Close enough to New
Mexico...damned atomic testing. Buddy, unless you can get James
Whitmore, James Arness, and Fess Parker to help you out, you're
screwed.

Interesting non-funny suggestions from the group - will have to mark
this thread as a reference the next time I have to battle the Little
Black Ants...

AMDRO is the product you need..look at Lowes etc

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant
problem with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators
(costly), but they were only successful for a period of time before the
ants returned.

On Aug 26, 8:38 am, Wayne Boatwright
wrote:
Check out Talstar One.
http://www.fmcprosolutions.com/Home/...starOneMultiIn...
icide/tabid/1221/Default.aspx
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov...brands?tbl=bra...
id=19022035

Thanks, but unless I'm misreading this, I can't purchase this product
unless I'm a professional.

You can buy it on ebay, probably, depending on your state law. You
can get a Birchmeier backpack sprayer there, too. Bifenthrin is not a
USDA or EPA restricted use pesticide. It's marketed primarily for
termites, but it's a broad spectrum (kills a lot of things) multi-use
(interior/exterior/turf & ornamental insecticide.

You might get it, or something like it at your local greenhouse.

We've had professionals for 2 years.

Eh. "Professional" often means "gets paid" in the pest control
business.

If
treatment is ongoing, I have to find a way to do it myself.

I am imagining a very large ant population, although you only
described the "problem" as "significant". The two don't necessarily
go hand in hand...

Anyway... controlling... rather "eliminating"... a significant ant
population outdoors is going to be a multi-application job, unless you
were to use a tree sprayer.

(One of the benefits of having your trees sprayed (by a real
professional) is the overspray, so you might want to think about
that.)

I have heard and read good reports regarding interior treatment ant
"baiting" (the junk they take back to the nest, etc.) but I remain
skeptical. Just because you don't see ants doesn't mean they aren't
there, but I hear the callback rate is low.

In about half the interior instances IME the homeowner had a
significant problem before they noticed the first ant.
-----

- gpsman

On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:31:17 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
wrote:

I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response. So
I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant problem
with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators (costly),
but they were only successful for a period of time before the ants
returned.

I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and
borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The problem
is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options that I
don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial products, and
also stay as "green" as possible.

TIA


Tero works for me. They now have a product that comes in easy-to-use
trays, no mixing. It works within a week and they are gone!

On Mon 25 Aug 2008 06:31:17p, Wayne Boatwright told us...

I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant problem
with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators (costly),
but they were only successful for a period of time before the ants
returned.

Following up to my own post, I just want to thank all of you for your
thoughtful and informative responses. You've offered many options, and I
have saved the entire thread to "study" and choose a course of action.

Thanks again!

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Wednesday, 08(VIII)/27(XXVII)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Labor Day
4dys 15hrs 43mins
*******************************************
I'm sorry, Reality is not in service
at this time.
*******************************************

On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:19:06 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
wrote:

On Mon 25 Aug 2008 06:31:17p, Wayne Boatwright told us...

I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant problem
with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators (costly),
but they were only successful for a period of time before the ants
returned.

Following up to my own post, I just want to thank all of you for your
thoughtful and informative responses. You've offered many options, and I
have saved the entire thread to "study" and choose a course of action.

Thanks again!


Look he

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Ants

Study long enough, and they will eat your entire house for lunch. Don't just
stand there, do something!

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Wayne Boatwright" wrote in message
5.247...

Following up to my own post, I just want to thank all of you for your
thoughtful and informative responses. You've offered many options, and I
have saved the entire thread to "study" and choose a course of action.

Thanks again!

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Wednesday, 08(VIII)/27(XXVII)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Labor Day
4dys 15hrs 43mins
*******************************************
I'm sorry, Reality is not in service
at this time.
*******************************************

On Wed 27 Aug 2008 01:40:39p, Phisherman told us...

On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:19:06 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
wrote:

On Mon 25 Aug 2008 06:31:17p, Wayne Boatwright told us...

I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant
problem with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators
(costly), but they were only successful for a period of time before
the ants returned.

Following up to my own post, I just want to thank all of you for your
thoughtful and informative responses. You've offered many options, and
I have saved the entire thread to "study" and choose a course of action.

Thanks again!


Look he

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Ants


Thanks!

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Thursday, 08(VIII)/28(XXVIII)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Labor Day
3dys 18hrs 22mins
*******************************************
Insert funny but obscure remark here.
*******************************************

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response.
So I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant
problem with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators
(costly), but they were only successful for a period of time before
the ants returned.


Green? In Arizona? In the desert?

And what's this business about war against "black" ants?

Remember, you once had a governor who said: "... sometimes a Black man is
the best man for the cotton-pickin' job!"

He was run out of office. Use caution.

On Thu 28 Aug 2008 07:26:55a, HeyBub told us...

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response.
So I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant
problem with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators
(costly), but they were only successful for a period of time before
the ants returned.


Green? In Arizona? In the desert?

And what's this business about war against "black" ants?

Remember, you once had a governor who said: "... sometimes a Black man is
the best man for the cotton-pickin' job!"

He was run out of office. Use caution.




Best laugh I've had in a good while!

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Thursday, 08(VIII)/28(XXVIII)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Labor Day
3dys 13hrs 12mins
*******************************************
Practice safe eating -- always use
condiments.
*******************************************

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response. So
I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant problem
with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators (costly),
but they were only successful for a period of time before the ants
returned.

I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and
borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The problem
is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options that I
don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial products, and
also stay as "green" as possible.

TIA



The recipe is 1 part of Borax and 19 parts icing sugar, then Add enough
water to make a thick slurry and deposit it anywhere you see the ants.
Don't overdo it with the Borax - a high concentration will kill the worker
ant before it can get to the queen.

Links:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/TOOLS/ANTKEY/pavebait.html
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/menu.house.html
http://www.greensmiths.com/ants.htm


a

On Thu 28 Aug 2008 11:14:55a, a told us...

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response.
So
I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant
problem
with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators (costly),
but they were only successful for a period of time before the ants
returned.

I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and
borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The
problem
is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options that I
don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial products,
and
also stay as "green" as possible.

TIA



The recipe is 1 part of Borax and 19 parts icing sugar, then Add enough
water to make a thick slurry and deposit it anywhere you see the ants.
Don't overdo it with the Borax - a high concentration will kill the
worker
ant before it can get to the queen.

Links:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/TOOLS/ANTKEY/pavebait.html
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/menu.house.html
http://www.greensmiths.com/ants.htm


a


Thanks!

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Thursday, 08(VIII)/28(XXVIII)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Labor Day
3dys 12hrs 34mins
*******************************************
If your face were a tree, it would be
different.
*******************************************

Very first research I did after we got online about 12 years ago was
how to deal with an indoor carpenter ant problem. Found a university
(Michigan?) professor's web site with a recipe of equal parts canned
dog food (the greasier, the better) and cheap jelly, with a touch of
boric acid. Idea being, as others have said, to kill the queen. This
was actually an exterminator's advice; he said we were wasting our
money on monthly service and suggested we invest some time in getting
to the nest.

So, it was really interesting -- lengthy, but interesting -- to watch
the larger and larger ants do the 'gathering' as the smaller ones
obviously began to die off. Eventually, the guys that were coming out
approached a good inch and a half or better in size. Creepy, and oh so
hard to gulp and look the other way so they could take the bomb back
to Her Majesty. Finally, after countless weeks, no more ants, and I've
never seen another one since.I know that, theoretically, carpenter
ants don't do sugar/grease like the little red guys, but all I can say
is it worked for ours.

Key is, again, patience. My husband was of the more-is-always-better
philosophy, no matter what the project, so we got nowhere fast when he
was busy overdoing the boric acid. I finally took over the cooking and
we made progress.

Good luck!

Here's a site with some good info:

http://unexco.com/carpants.html



And here is a page on their website where you can buy a product that works
well:



http://www.unexco.net/store/bscview.mv (I assume you can also buy the
product elsewhere by doing a Google search).



I don't work for them, and I am not affiliated with them in any way. But, I
do live near their office and I bought this product from them a few years
ago and have used it at a number of different properties since that time.
It worked perfectly every time. In my cases, I just went outside and looked
for trees where the ants seemed to be coming from, put a little pile of the
stuff at the base of the tree, and a week later all of the ants were gone.



Hope this helps.



"Wayne Boatwright" wrote in message
5.250...
I posted the following to alt.lawn.home.garden, with little response. So
I thought I'd try here...

We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant problem
with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators (costly),
but they were only successful for a period of time before the ants
returned.

I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and
borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The problem
is that I don't know the proportions that should be used.

Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options that I
don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial products, and
also stay as "green" as possible.

TIA


--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Monday, 08(VIII)/25(XXV)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Labor Day
6dys 5hrs 31mins
*******************************************
The Definition of an Upgrade: Take old
bugs out, put new ones in.
*******************************************

Everyone knows they are Obama ants, now days.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


wrote in message
...
On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:38:54 -0500, jacy wrote:

Very first research I did after we got online about 12 years ago was
how to deal with an indoor carpenter ant problem. Found a university
(

Since you specifically related to these ants by their color, you have
proven that you are a RACIST. This is a hate message, and you have
violated the terms of this newsgroup. You have also violated human
decency and are politically incorrect. Shame on you !!!!

Janet Reno

I had great results with liquid ant bait from Gardens Alive. No more
Afro-Ant also known as carpenter ants.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"alta47" wrote in message
. ..
Here's a site with some good info:

http://unexco.com/carpants.html



And here is a page on their website where you can buy a product that works
well:



http://www.unexco.net/store/bscview.mv (I assume you can also buy the
product elsewhere by doing a Google search).