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#1
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
Hey Guys --
I've posted a thread or two about this over the last few months, but I figured I'd start a new thread since my question is alittle different. Basically our problem is over 3 months ago we found our house was being invaded by fire ants coming up through the sand trap under one of our bathtubs. Our bug guy, who has already rid the yard of ants and about any other type of insect, used Termidor which seemed to kill them there, but now they're entering through any other opening in the house they can find, like around the toilet, under the second bathroom sink, and even through the pipes feeding our washer in the laundry room. Mind you these locations are all 10-20 feet apart. He's sprayed the bathroom and laundry room pipes inside the wall with Termidor, and I've sprayed around the toilet with Ortho Home Defense, but given there's obviously a colony of ants under the house and we have a concrete slab what recourse do we have short of drilling holes in the concrete, which even that is a crap shoot since we have no idea where the colony is. The bug guy said Termidor should in time work, hopefully within 3 weeks to 3 months, which it's been alittle over a month since he sprayed the first time, but I'm afraid that might not be enough. There are literally zero ants in the yard, so they are sustaining themselves on whatever's under the house, which it's only 7 months old so there can't be much. So are we just destined to have ants from now on? Am I not giving Termidor enough time to work? I've not read one case where it didn't work, but with a baby and toddler I really can't afford to wait too long. The bug guy has done a great job trying to fight back, but he said he's even dumbfounded as to why they're being so aggressive since it seems that we're doing a great job cutting off their food source. Is our case just that unique? Anyway, thanks for any advice anyone has. |
#2
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawlspace
Alex wrote:
Hey Guys -- I've posted a thread or two about this over the last few months, but I figured I'd start a new thread since my question is alittle different. Basically our problem is over 3 months ago we found our house was being invaded by fire ants coming up through the sand trap under one of our bathtubs. Our bug guy, who has already rid the yard of ants and about any other type of insect, used Termidor which seemed to kill them there, but now they're entering through any other opening in the house they can find, like around the toilet, under the second bathroom sink, and even through the pipes feeding our washer in the laundry room. Mind you these locations are all 10-20 feet apart. He's sprayed the bathroom and laundry room pipes inside the wall with Termidor, and I've sprayed around the toilet with Ortho Home Defense, but given there's obviously a colony of ants under the house and we have a concrete slab what recourse do we have short of drilling holes in the concrete, which even that is a crap shoot since we have no idea where the colony is. The bug guy said Termidor should in time work, hopefully within 3 weeks to 3 months, which it's been alittle over a month since he sprayed the first time, but I'm afraid that might not be enough. There are literally zero ants in the yard, so they are sustaining themselves on whatever's under the house, which it's only 7 months old so there can't be much. So are we just destined to have ants from now on? Am I not giving Termidor enough time to work? I've not read one case where it didn't work, but with a baby and toddler I really can't afford to wait too long. The bug guy has done a great job trying to fight back, but he said he's even dumbfounded as to why they're being so aggressive since it seems that we're doing a great job cutting off their food source. Is our case just that unique? Anyway, thanks for any advice anyone has. You may have to dig a moat around your slab and fill it with toxic chemicals. -- LSMFT Simple job, assist the assistant of the physicist. |
#3
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
I've posted a thread or two about this over the last few months, but I
figured I'd start a new thread since my question is alittle different. Basically our problem is over 3 months ago we found our house was being invaded by fire ants coming up through the sand trap under one of our bathtubs. Our bug guy, who has already rid the yard of ants and about any other type of insect, used Termidor which seemed to kill them there, but now they're entering through any other opening in the house they can find, like around the toilet, under the second bathroom sink, and even through the pipes feeding our washer in the laundry room. Mind you these locations are all 10-20 feet apart. He's sprayed the bathroom and laundry room pipes inside the wall with Termidor, and I've sprayed around the toilet with Ortho Home Defense, but given there's obviously a colony of ants under the house and we have a concrete slab what recourse do we have short of drilling holes in the concrete, which even that is a crap shoot since we have no idea where the colony is. The bug guy said Termidor should in time work, hopefully within 3 weeks to 3 months, which it's been alittle over a month since he sprayed the first time, but I'm afraid that might not be enough. There are literally zero ants in the yard, so they are sustaining themselves on whatever's under the house, which it's only 7 months old so there can't be much. So are we just destined to have ants from now on? Am I not giving Termidor enough time to work? I've not read one case where it didn't work, but with a baby and toddler I really can't afford to wait too long. The bug guy has done a great job trying to fight back, but he said he's even dumbfounded as to why they're being so aggressive since it seems that we're doing a great job cutting off their food source. Is our case just that unique? Anyway, thanks for any advice anyone has. *Many years ago my sister suddenly had an invasion of ants in her slab built townhome which was several years old at the time. They were coming out in the bathrooms and kitchen from where the pipes penetrated the walls. She tried hardware store ant traps to no avail. She called an exterminator who took specimens to an entomologist who identified the specific species of ant. The exterminator came back with traps similar to the hardware store type, but were for that species and within days the ants were gone and have not been back since. I am no expert, but I thought the correct treatment is to have the ants take the poison bait back to the nest thereby killing all of the occupants. |
#4
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Dec 15, 2:26*pm, Alex wrote:
Hey Guys -- I've posted a thread or two about this over the last few months, but I figured I'd start a new thread since my question is alittle different. Basically our problem is over 3 months ago we found our house was being invaded by fire ants coming up through the sand trap under one of our bathtubs. *Our bug guy, who has already rid the yard of ants and about any other type of insect, used Termidor which seemed to kill them there, but now they're entering through any other opening in the house they can find, like around the toilet, under the second bathroom sink, and even through the pipes feeding our washer in the laundry room. *Mind you these locations are all 10-20 feet apart. He's sprayed the bathroom and laundry room pipes inside the wall with Termidor, and I've sprayed around the toilet with Ortho Home Defense, but given there's obviously a colony of ants under the house and we have a concrete slab what recourse do we have short of drilling holes in the concrete, which even that is a crap shoot since we have no idea where the colony is. The bug guy said Termidor should in time work, hopefully within 3 weeks to 3 months, which it's been alittle over a month since he sprayed the first time, but I'm afraid that might not be enough. There are literally zero ants in the yard, so they are sustaining themselves on whatever's under the house, which it's only 7 months old so there can't be much. So are we just destined to have ants from now on? *Am I not giving Termidor enough time to work? *I've not read one case where it didn't work, but with a baby and toddler I really can't afford to wait too long. *The bug guy has done a great job trying to fight back, but he said he's even dumbfounded as to why they're being so aggressive since it seems that we're doing a great job cutting off their food source. Is our case just that unique? Anyway, thanks for any advice anyone has. Granular bait by Bayer and Spectracide has worked on my Carpenter ants. They take it back to the nest. sprays dont last or do anything unless you hit the nest inside. I had a crooked spray man, Im much richer now learning he was a crook as I know most are from my real experiance. Ive found Mr Spray Bug is usualy a bug himself, bugging for $ |
#5
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
"A. Baum" wrote in message news On Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:26:03 -0800, Alex wrote: Hey Guys -- I've posted a thread or two about this over the last few months, but I figured I'd start a new thread since my question is alittle different. Basically our problem is over 3 months ago we found our house was being invaded by fire ants coming up through the sand trap under one of our bathtubs. Our bug guy, who has already rid the yard of ants and about any other type of insect, used Termidor which seemed to kill them there, but now they're entering through any other opening in the house they can find, like around the toilet, under the second bathroom sink, and even through the pipes feeding our washer in the laundry room. Mind you these locations are all 10-20 feet apart. He's sprayed the bathroom and laundry room pipes inside the wall with Termidor, and I've sprayed around the toilet with Ortho Home Defense, but given there's obviously a colony of ants under the house and we have a concrete slab what recourse do we have short of drilling holes in the concrete, which even that is a crap shoot since we have no idea where the colony is. The bug guy said Termidor should in time work, hopefully within 3 weeks to 3 months, which it's been alittle over a month since he sprayed the first time, but I'm afraid that might not be enough. There are literally zero ants in the yard, so they are sustaining themselves on whatever's under the house, which it's only 7 months old so there can't be much. So are we just destined to have ants from now on? Am I not giving Termidor enough time to work? I've not read one case where it didn't work, but with a baby and toddler I really can't afford to wait too long. The bug guy has done a great job trying to fight back, but he said he's even dumbfounded as to why they're being so aggressive since it seems that we're doing a great job cutting off their food source. Is our case just that unique? Anyway, thanks for any advice anyone has. Buy a couple pet anteaters http://goo.gl/UqjtD He said these are FIRE ants. Everyone knows anteaters don't eat FIRE ants. Nothing does. Bob-tx |
#6
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Dec 15, 3:26*pm, Alex wrote:
Anyway, thanks for any advice anyone has. I'll tell you what I think I know, from reading, c. 1999, my last year as a PCO with no hands-on fire ant experience. Termidor is not labeled for fire ants, or indoor residential application. You need a new PCO, and your money back. And I'd return that Ortho stuff. We called Raid and that kind of crap "liquid foot". Sure, it'll kill most things, if you spray it directly on them, but it has no more persistence than stepping on them (no matter what the label says). Ants in general can be tricky to treat, and you don't want to be half- stepping. Stress a colony and it may split. You might not see ants for months, then they come roaring back. You should contact your local Dept. of Ag. county extension agent. They should be familiar with the best pest control companies. It's a short list of materials that are effective for fire ants, possibly made shorter by your state EPA. Dursban would probably be my choice, if your new PCO is licensed to use it and your state allows it. It stinks to high heaven, and keeps stinking for a good while. Still, exclusion is an essential defense. You need to close their accesses to the home interior and move the fight outside. ----- - gpsman |
#7
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Dec 16, 9:37*am, ktos wrote:
throw some water on them to put out the fire. I've found the most effective thing for invading ants is hmemade bait using borax and sugar or peanut butter. There are a recipies on the internet. If they don't take the sugar based one then switch to the proten one (peanut butter). Takes a few days. The borax mix kills slowly so they have time to take the food back to the colony. |
#8
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Dec 16, 6:07*am, gpsman wrote:
On Dec 15, 3:26*pm, Alex wrote: Anyway, thanks for any advice anyone has. I'll tell you what I think I know, from reading, c. 1999, my last year as a PCO with no hands-on fire ant experience. Termidor is not labeled for fire ants, or indoor residential application. *You need a new PCO, and your money back. And I'd return that Ortho stuff. *We called Raid and that kind of crap "liquid foot". *Sure, it'll kill most things, if you spray it directly on them, but it has no more persistence than stepping on them (no matter what the label says). Ants in general can be tricky to treat, and you don't want to be half- stepping. *Stress a colony and it may split. *You might not see ants for months, then they come roaring back. You should contact your local Dept. of Ag. county extension agent. They should be familiar with the best pest control companies. It's a short list of materials that are effective for fire ants, possibly made shorter by your state EPA. *Dursban would probably be my choice, if your new PCO is licensed to use it and your state allows it. *It stinks to high heaven, and keeps stinking for a good while. Still, exclusion is an essential defense. *You need to close their accesses to the home interior and move the fight outside. *----- - gpsman Hi gpsman, After our bug guy used it I did some research and saw it's only suggested to use outside and they didn't list Fire Ants even though they didn't specifically say it didn't work on them. I've read on a few other pest control sites that Termidor has been used in the manor in which our bug guy used it with great success, and honestly after he put it down it did pretty much stop it for a few weeks -- but now they're starting to trickle back in. I'm thinking and really hoping that the ants are hanging around due to a toilet in one of our bathrooms which we just discovered was leaking. The tile grout under the toilet has started turning colors, so we have a plumber hopefully coming out tomorrow to check it out and reseal the toilet. While it's pulled I hope to use cement caulk to seal around the pipe so with this plus a newly sealed toilet hopefully that'll cut of one place where the ants might be getting water. But not unlike getting a second opinion on anything else, I'm thinking of calling another pest control company just to see what they'd suggest. The one I'm using is highly recommended in our area, but as I said I think our case is rather unprecedented even from what I'm reading online. I hate to think we'd need to treat this like a termite extermination with drilling holes in the concrete, but who knows. |
#9
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Dec 16, 8:37*am,
(frits@scottsmiraclegro) wrote: responding tohttp://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/Killing-fire-ant-colony-unde...frits@scottsmiraclegro wrote: Recommend trying Ortho Home Defense Max Indoor and Perimeter, which is labeled for fire ants. Seems not. qWhat it Controls Insects: Kills Roaches, Ants, Fleas, Ticks, Spiders, Earwigs, Silverfish and other listed insects. Up to 12 month control indoors for listed insects: Crickets, Spiders (excluding Black Widow and Brown Recluse), Carpet Beetles, Earwigs, Firebrats, Moths and Silverfish./ q http://www.orthohomedefense.com/smg/...001&tabs=usage http://tinyurl.com/ohdmiap ----- - gpsman |
#10
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Dec 16, 10:35*am, "dadiOH" wrote:
gpsman wrote: On Dec 16, 8:37 am, (frits@scottsmiraclegro) wrote: responding tohttp://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/Killing-fire-ant-colony-unde... wrote: Recommend trying Ortho Home Defense Max Indoor and Perimeter, which is labeled for fire ants. Seems not. qWhat it Controls Insects: Kills Roaches, Ants, A fire ant is still an ant. To those who know nothing or less about ants. http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/articles/tf0053.aspx And I stand corrected, kind of. While Ortho Home Defense Max Indoor and Perimeter is not specifically labeled for fire ants, its active ingredient, Bifenthrin, is, but I wouldn't recommend their 0.05% concentration. ----- - gpsman |
#11
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawlspace
On 12/16/2010 10:06 AM, Alex wrote:
On Dec 16, 6:07 am, wrote: On Dec 15, 3:26 pm, wrote: Anyway, thanks for any advice anyone has. I'll tell you what I think I know, from reading, c. 1999, my last year as a PCO with no hands-on fire ant experience. Termidor is not labeled for fire ants, or indoor residential application. You need a new PCO, and your money back. And I'd return that Ortho stuff. We called Raid and that kind of crap "liquid foot". Sure, it'll kill most things, if you spray it directly on them, but it has no more persistence than stepping on them (no matter what the label says). Ants in general can be tricky to treat, and you don't want to be half- stepping. Stress a colony and it may split. You might not see ants for months, then they come roaring back. You should contact your local Dept. of Ag. county extension agent. They should be familiar with the best pest control companies. It's a short list of materials that are effective for fire ants, possibly made shorter by your state EPA. Dursban would probably be my choice, if your new PCO is licensed to use it and your state allows it. It stinks to high heaven, and keeps stinking for a good while. Still, exclusion is an essential defense. You need to close their accesses to the home interior and move the fight outside. ----- - gpsman Hi gpsman, After our bug guy used it I did some research and saw it's only suggested to use outside and they didn't list Fire Ants even though they didn't specifically say it didn't work on them. I've read on a few other pest control sites that Termidor has been used in the manor in which our bug guy used it with great success, and honestly after he put it down it did pretty much stop it for a few weeks -- but now they're starting to trickle back in. I'm thinking and really hoping that the ants are hanging around due to a toilet in one of our bathrooms which we just discovered was leaking. The tile grout under the toilet has started turning colors, so we have a plumber hopefully coming out tomorrow to check it out and reseal the toilet. While it's pulled I hope to use cement caulk to seal around the pipe so with this plus a newly sealed toilet hopefully that'll cut of one place where the ants might be getting water. But not unlike getting a second opinion on anything else, I'm thinking of calling another pest control company just to see what they'd suggest. The one I'm using is highly recommended in our area, but as I said I think our case is rather unprecedented even from what I'm reading online. I hate to think we'd need to treat this like a termite extermination with drilling holes in the concrete, but who knows. Fire ant infestations of the magnitude you describe aren't normally isolated problems. Your county extension service (or state) should have information and the best practices for eliminating them. Off-the-shelf remedies are unlikely to get rid of them. Amdro is a great bait that worked on our Florida lawn infestations, but ours were never an indoor problem. Caulking around all the pipe entries through the slab, and sealing off the unpaved areas under tubs, would be a primary concern....if your area is dry, the fire ants may be entering the house looking for moisture. Have you tried calling your homeowners' insurance company? |
#12
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Dec 15, 4:26*pm, Alex wrote:
Hey Guys -- I've posted a thread or two about this over the last few months, but I figured I'd start a new thread since my question is alittle different. Basically our problem is over 3 months ago we found our house was being invaded by fire ants coming up through the sand trap under one of our bathtubs. *Our bug guy, who has already rid the yard of ants and about any other type of insect, used Termidor which seemed to kill them there, but now they're entering through any other opening in the house they can find, like around the toilet, under the second bathroom sink, and even through the pipes feeding our washer in the laundry room. *Mind you these locations are all 10-20 feet apart. He's sprayed the bathroom and laundry room pipes inside the wall with Termidor, and I've sprayed around the toilet with Ortho Home Defense, but given there's obviously a colony of ants under the house and we have a concrete slab what recourse do we have short of drilling holes in the concrete, which even that is a crap shoot since we have no idea where the colony is. The bug guy said Termidor should in time work, hopefully within 3 weeks to 3 months, which it's been alittle over a month since he sprayed the first time, but I'm afraid that might not be enough. There are literally zero ants in the yard, so they are sustaining themselves on whatever's under the house, which it's only 7 months old so there can't be much. So are we just destined to have ants from now on? *Am I not giving Termidor enough time to work? *I've not read one case where it didn't work, but with a baby and toddler I really can't afford to wait too long. *The bug guy has done a great job trying to fight back, but he said he's even dumbfounded as to why they're being so aggressive since it seems that we're doing a great job cutting off their food source. Is our case just that unique? Anyway, thanks for any advice anyone has. It may take the Termidor several months to take care of the problem but it also concerns me that you said SPRAYED. Normally holes are drilled in the foundation and many gallons of the termicide pumped in. My home is 1700 sq ft and think he used over 100 gal to treat it. If he just went around spritzing with a spayer he didnt apply enough. Jimmie |
#13
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Dec 16, 8:07*am, gpsman wrote:
On Dec 15, 3:26*pm, Alex wrote: Anyway, thanks for any advice anyone has. I'll tell you what I think I know, from reading, c. 1999, my last year as a PCO with no hands-on fire ant experience. Termidor is not labeled for fire ants, or indoor residential application. *You need a new PCO, and your money back. And I'd return that Ortho stuff. *We called Raid and that kind of crap "liquid foot". *Sure, it'll kill most things, if you spray it directly on them, but it has no more persistence than stepping on them (no matter what the label says). Ants in general can be tricky to treat, and you don't want to be half- stepping. *Stress a colony and it may split. *You might not see ants for months, then they come roaring back. You should contact your local Dept. of Ag. county extension agent. They should be familiar with the best pest control companies. It's a short list of materials that are effective for fire ants, possibly made shorter by your state EPA. *Dursban would probably be my choice, if your new PCO is licensed to use it and your state allows it. *It stinks to high heaven, and keeps stinking for a good while. Still, exclusion is an essential defense. *You need to close their accesses to the home interior and move the fight outside. *----- - gpsman Termidor is now labeled for ants. Think this happened the the last 2 or 3 years. Jimmie |
#14
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Dec 16, 11:06*am, Alex wrote:
On Dec 16, 6:07*am, gpsman wrote: On Dec 15, 3:26*pm, Alex wrote: Anyway, thanks for any advice anyone has. I'll tell you what I think I know, from reading, c. 1999, my last year as a PCO with no hands-on fire ant experience. Termidor is not labeled for fire ants, or indoor residential application. *You need a new PCO, and your money back. And I'd return that Ortho stuff. *We called Raid and that kind of crap "liquid foot". *Sure, it'll kill most things, if you spray it directly on them, but it has no more persistence than stepping on them (no matter what the label says). Ants in general can be tricky to treat, and you don't want to be half- stepping. *Stress a colony and it may split. *You might not see ants for months, then they come roaring back. You should contact your local Dept. of Ag. county extension agent. They should be familiar with the best pest control companies. It's a short list of materials that are effective for fire ants, possibly made shorter by your state EPA. *Dursban would probably be my choice, if your new PCO is licensed to use it and your state allows it. *It stinks to high heaven, and keeps stinking for a good while. Still, exclusion is an essential defense. *You need to close their accesses to the home interior and move the fight outside. *----- - gpsman Hi gpsman, After our bug guy used it I did some research and saw it's only suggested to use outside and they didn't list Fire Ants even though they didn't specifically say it didn't work on them. *I've read on a few other pest control sites that Termidor has been used in the manor in which our bug guy used it with great success, and honestly after he put it down it did pretty much stop it for a few weeks -- but now they're starting to trickle back in. I'm thinking and really hoping that the ants are hanging around due to a toilet in one of our bathrooms which we just discovered was leaking. *The tile grout under the toilet has started turning colors, so we have a plumber hopefully coming out tomorrow to check it out and reseal the toilet. *While it's pulled I hope to use cement caulk to seal around the pipe so with this plus a newly sealed toilet hopefully that'll cut of one place where the ants might be getting water. But not unlike getting a second opinion on anything else, I'm thinking of calling another pest control company just to see what they'd suggest. *The one I'm using is highly recommended in our area, but as I said I think our case is rather unprecedented even from what I'm reading online. *I hate to think we'd need to treat this like a termite extermination with drilling holes in the concrete, but who knows.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - What you see is probably scouts, they come in from the outside seeking food and water and go back and "tell" the others. They also take back the Termidier with them. If it was applied correctly they will go back to there colony and poision it. This is the way Termidor is supposed to work sO from time to time you will probably see ants especially near sources that would attract them. I often see new ant beds in my yard but none of them ever achive any significant size. Jimmie |
#15
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Dec 16, 4:15*pm, JIMMIE wrote:
On Dec 15, 4:26*pm, Alex wrote: Hey Guys -- I've posted a thread or two about this over the last few months, but I figured I'd start a new thread since my question is alittle different. Basically our problem is over 3 months ago we found our house was being invaded by fire ants coming up through the sand trap under one of our bathtubs. *Our bug guy, who has already rid the yard of ants and about any other type of insect, used Termidor which seemed to kill them there, but now they're entering through any other opening in the house they can find, like around the toilet, under the second bathroom sink, and even through the pipes feeding our washer in the laundry room. *Mind you these locations are all 10-20 feet apart. He's sprayed the bathroom and laundry room pipes inside the wall with Termidor, and I've sprayed around the toilet with Ortho Home Defense, but given there's obviously a colony of ants under the house and we have a concrete slab what recourse do we have short of drilling holes in the concrete, which even that is a crap shoot since we have no idea where the colony is. The bug guy said Termidor should in time work, hopefully within 3 weeks to 3 months, which it's been alittle over a month since he sprayed the first time, but I'm afraid that might not be enough. There are literally zero ants in the yard, so they are sustaining themselves on whatever's under the house, which it's only 7 months old so there can't be much. So are we just destined to have ants from now on? *Am I not giving Termidor enough time to work? *I've not read one case where it didn't work, but with a baby and toddler I really can't afford to wait too long. *The bug guy has done a great job trying to fight back, but he said he's even dumbfounded as to why they're being so aggressive since it seems that we're doing a great job cutting off their food source. Is our case just that unique? Anyway, thanks for any advice anyone has. It may take the Termidor several months to take care of the problem but it also concerns me that you said SPRAYED. Normally holes are drilled in the foundation and many gallons of the termicide pumped in. My home is 1700 sq ft and think he used over 100 gal to treat it. If he just went around spritzing with a spayer he *didnt apply enough. Jimmie Hi Jimmie, It was sprayed under our bathtubs into the sand traps plus inside the walls where some of the pipes enter behind a sink and toilet. It seems to be helping but it hasn't eliminating the problem. Question though, you said they used 100 gallons of termidor, but how much did that cost? That stuff is like $50 for 20 ounce bottle, and with 128 oz per gallon that's like $30K (give or take). Also was yours for ants or termites? I've heard of people having under the slab treated for termites but not ants, though I'm afraid it might come to that if we don't nip it soon. Also something else we've noticed is we have a toilet seal leaking and ants have been entering from that toilet (among other places), so I'm wondering if that could be part of whats drawing them under the house as well. We have a plumber coming out to fix it tomorrow, so hopefully that helps too. norminn, You mentioned caulking around pipes and sealing the sand trap, but what could we use for the sand trap? I'd be game for that, but I don't know what we'd use. One tub is a garden tub where the side comes off so we can get to that one easily, but the other tub is harder to get to. Just curious if you suggested this from experience since it's something I've thought of but I've not seen anyone mention it yet. Also I called our county extension office today, but everyone was away from the office. I left a note for someone to call me back, so maybe tomorrow I'll get some word from them. |
#16
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawlspace
On 12/16/10 6:52 AM, Bob-tx wrote:
"A. Baum" wrote in message Buy a couple pet anteaters http://goo.gl/UqjtD He said these are FIRE ants. Everyone knows anteaters don't eat FIRE ants. Nothing does. Bob-tx My BIL's turkeys love to find a fire-ant mound and eat all the ants. But would fire ants nest under a slab? I thought they needed mounds for solar heat. |
#17
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawlspace
On 12/16/10 5:45 PM, Alex wrote:
It was sprayed under our bathtubs into the sand traps plus inside the walls where some of the pipes enter behind a sink and toilet. It seems to be helping but it hasn't eliminating the problem. Question though, you said they used 100 gallons of termidor, but how much did that cost? That stuff is like $50 for 20 ounce bottle, and with 128 oz per gallon that's like $30K (give or take). Also was yours for ants or termites? I've heard of people having under the slab treated for termites but not ants, though I'm afraid it might come to that if we don't nip it soon. Also something else we've noticed is we have a toilet seal leaking and ants have been entering from that toilet (among other places), so I'm wondering if that could be part of whats drawing them under the house as well. We have a plumber coming out to fix it tomorrow, so hopefully that helps too. If they _are_ fire ants, they may be helping you. They could be eating a nest of termites in wood buried under the slab, and they come up for a drink. When they finish eating the termites, you could look for their mound near your house. I keep a one-quart pump-up sprayer with about a teaspoon of termidor concentrate in a quart of water. When I find a mound, I squirt about a tablespoon of the dilute mixture on a spot in the middle of the mound. If I kick the mound a week later, there will be no response. |
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Dec 16, 6:45*pm, Alex wrote:
On Dec 16, 4:15*pm, JIMMIE wrote: On Dec 15, 4:26*pm, Alex wrote: Hey Guys -- I've posted a thread or two about this over the last few months, but I figured I'd start a new thread since my question is alittle different.. Basically our problem is over 3 months ago we found our house was being invaded by fire ants coming up through the sand trap under one of our bathtubs. *Our bug guy, who has already rid the yard of ants and about any other type of insect, used Termidor which seemed to kill them there, but now they're entering through any other opening in the house they can find, like around the toilet, under the second bathroom sink, and even through the pipes feeding our washer in the laundry room. *Mind you these locations are all 10-20 feet apart. He's sprayed the bathroom and laundry room pipes inside the wall with Termidor, and I've sprayed around the toilet with Ortho Home Defense, but given there's obviously a colony of ants under the house and we have a concrete slab what recourse do we have short of drilling holes in the concrete, which even that is a crap shoot since we have no idea where the colony is. The bug guy said Termidor should in time work, hopefully within 3 weeks to 3 months, which it's been alittle over a month since he sprayed the first time, but I'm afraid that might not be enough. There are literally zero ants in the yard, so they are sustaining themselves on whatever's under the house, which it's only 7 months old so there can't be much. So are we just destined to have ants from now on? *Am I not giving Termidor enough time to work? *I've not read one case where it didn't work, but with a baby and toddler I really can't afford to wait too long. *The bug guy has done a great job trying to fight back, but he said he's even dumbfounded as to why they're being so aggressive since it seems that we're doing a great job cutting off their food source. Is our case just that unique? Anyway, thanks for any advice anyone has. It may take the Termidor several months to take care of the problem but it also concerns me that you said SPRAYED. Normally holes are drilled in the foundation and many gallons of the termicide pumped in. My home is 1700 sq ft and think he used over 100 gal to treat it. If he just went around spritzing with a spayer he *didnt apply enough. Jimmie Hi Jimmie, It was sprayed under our bathtubs into the sand traps plus inside the walls where some of the pipes enter behind a sink and toilet. *It seems to be helping but it hasn't eliminating the problem. Question though, you said they used 100 gallons of termidor, but how much did that cost? That stuff is like $50 for 20 ounce bottle, and with 128 oz per gallon that's like $30K (give or take). *Also was yours for ants or termites? *I've heard of people having under the slab treated for termites but not ants, though I'm afraid it might come to that if we don't nip it soon. Also something else we've noticed is we have a toilet seal leaking and ants have been entering from that toilet (among other places), so I'm wondering if that could be part of whats drawing them under the house as well. *We have a plumber coming out to fix it tomorrow, so hopefully that helps too. norminn, You mentioned caulking around pipes and sealing the sand trap, but what could we use for the sand trap? *I'd be game for that, but I don't know what we'd use. *One tub is a garden tub where the side comes off so we can get to that one easily, but the other tub is harder to get to. *Just curious if you suggested this from experience since it's something I've thought of but I've not seen anyone mention it yet. Also I called our county extension office today, but everyone was away from the office. *I left a note for someone to call me back, so maybe tomorrow I'll get some word from them.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - That price is for concentrate. It is mixed with water. All the drilling, appllication, filling the holes cost me aound $1000. Took care of ants termites and a lot of other insects including roaches and crickets. Still works after 10 years. Works best if your neighbors also have their homes treated with Termidor.If he came in with a little sprayer and spritzed the stuff around he is ripping you off. Doubt if he is even applying Termidor. Jimmie |
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
That price is for concentrate. It is mixed with water. All the
drilling, appllication, filling the holes cost me aound $1000. Took care of ants termites and a lot of other insects including roaches and crickets. Still works after 10 years. Works best if your neighbors also have their homes treated with Termidor.If he came in with a little sprayer and spritzed the stuff around he is ripping you off. Doubt if he is even applying Termidor. Yes he used the 20oz bottle of Termidor, I saw the bottle and read the label. He targeted the ants under our garden tub coming up from the sand trap, and as expected within a few days they were gone from there, but I think they've moved to a second bathroom around a toilet that we've found to have a leaky seal which we're getting fixed this afternoon. Termidor can't be used around the toilet, but I hope by replacing the wax ring and also caulking around the toilet drain that'll keep them away from that area. And if this is their primary source of water under the foundation and it's removed maybe that'll drive them away. Also if you got your house sprayed 10 years ago, termidor was just introduced in 2000 so you were one of the firsts And if it cost you $1000 them I bet it'd be MUCH more today. But if after fixing the toilet and baiting the yard once more (it's been 3 months since it was baited last) and the ants are still around, I'll see if we can go with under the foundation treatment regardless of the cost. dadiOH -- Are you 100% sure they are fire ants? Been stung? What state are you in? Yes they are, and yes I have, and we're in Central Texas... Before we found the primary source of the ants we had them literally in every room of the house, even in the ceiling (attracted to moisture in the AC vents). Me, my wife, and daughter got stung several times during that fiasco, but since having the sand traps sprayed they're just trickling in... no lines of ants, just one or two here or there. When it's damp outside we get a break from them, but given a few days of dryness we see worker ants coming back in. I've sprayed around the bathroom parameters with Ortho Home Defense which keeps them isolated to the bathroom. Like I said before hopefully fixing the leaky toilet will remove their source of water and make them move elsewhere. |
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
Also note to whoever suggested it, I did talk to our county extension
office, and after telling them everything that's happened they said they've never heard of fire ants being this aggressive in our area or otherwise. The person I talked to is sending the details to an expert in urban ants (or something like that) and they'll follow-up with me with more info. So again from this and everything I've read our case is rather unique... |
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawlspace
On 12/17/2010 12:57 PM, Alex wrote:
Also note to whoever suggested it, I did talk to our county extension office, and after telling them everything that's happened they said they've never heard of fire ants being this aggressive in our area or otherwise. The person I talked to is sending the details to an expert in urban ants (or something like that) and they'll follow-up with me with more info. So again from this and everything I've read our case is rather unique... Fire ants are a huge problem in Texas, especially with livestock, so there should be plenty of expert help available....in Florida, they aren't often an indoor problem, but treatment methods are common knowledge. Since yours seem to be seeking moisture, that is what I would focus on...as with termites, KEEPING THEM OUT is most important, although lots of folks seem to think they need to kill all in the neighborhood. Caulk everything that can be a point of entry (plumbing and electrical entries), cracks around doors and windows, all baseboards (esp. in bath and kitchen). Sprinkle bait in your "sand traps" and any entry points presently in use. Amdro is an excellent BAIT and effectively changed our yard from unuseable to comfortable - got attacked rather badly a couple of times working on irrigation sys. outside. Once knelt on a nest and before I realized they were on me, they had swarmed - over 100 bites on one leg. That seems to be their trick - I normally feel any bug that touches, but there were hundreds on my leg before I felt them and they seem to bite in unison. A lot of advice from people who have never experienced them, and general advice about ants does not really apply. There have been a couple of "mass attacks" on nursing home patients in Florida - not something to mess with or trust to amateurs. We used Amdro where we found the sites fire ants favored - along walks, pavers and patios. Label advises broadcasting, but for us it was not needed. We used it pretty sparingly and took care not to hit the nest . sprinkled around the opening, it didn't take long for them to start taking the bait. Pretty interesting to watch, as well. I've never understood the reason for leaving slabs open underneath bath tubs, but caulking a hunk of plastic over those openings would at least discourage the ants. |
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Dec 15, 4:26*pm, Alex wrote:
Hey Guys -- I've posted a thread or two about this over the last few months, but I figured I'd start a new thread since my question is alittle different. Basically our problem is over 3 months ago we found our house was being invaded by fire ants coming up through the sand trap under one of our bathtubs. *Our bug guy, who has already rid the yard of ants and about any other type of insect, used Termidor which seemed to kill them there, but now they're entering through any other opening in the house they can find, like around the toilet, under the second bathroom sink, and even through the pipes feeding our washer in the laundry room. *Mind you these locations are all 10-20 feet apart. He's sprayed the bathroom and laundry room pipes inside the wall with Termidor, and I've sprayed around the toilet with Ortho Home Defense, but given there's obviously a colony of ants under the house and we have a concrete slab what recourse do we have short of drilling holes in the concrete, which even that is a crap shoot since we have no idea where the colony is. The bug guy said Termidor should in time work, hopefully within 3 weeks to 3 months, which it's been alittle over a month since he sprayed the first time, but I'm afraid that might not be enough. There are literally zero ants in the yard, so they are sustaining themselves on whatever's under the house, which it's only 7 months old so there can't be much. So are we just destined to have ants from now on? *Am I not giving Termidor enough time to work? *I've not read one case where it didn't work, but with a baby and toddler I really can't afford to wait too long. *The bug guy has done a great job trying to fight back, but he said he's even dumbfounded as to why they're being so aggressive since it seems that we're doing a great job cutting off their food source. Is our case just that unique? Anyway, thanks for any advice anyone has. Something I found on Termidor that may explain your experience with it: Termidor is made to bond to soil and will only last extended periods of time when placed into the ground for termite control. Also, when you treat in a trench in the ground for termites, you are pouring in 4 gallons per 10 feet. Termidor will only last for 10 years when applied in a trench for termites. When you use Termidor as a spot treatment indoors on wood, it will only last for 6 weeks at the most, because it is not made to bond and last on wood, it is meant for soil treatments. Although you can use it indoors for spot treatments in wall voids for termites only, you cannot use Termidor as a pest control spray indoors. Jimmie |
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:57:59 -0800 (PST), Alex
wrote: I did talk to our county extension office, and after telling them everything that's happened they said they've never heard of fire ants being this aggressive in our area or otherwise. My experience agrees (though I'm in Florida, not Texas). Your theory about water-seeking seems sound, except that it's highly unusual in my experience for fire ants to be found inside isolated from a nest. I would work hard to locate the nest or nests, which are probably out in a sunny area -- these ants do not like shade. (In fact, where I used to live, the ants gradually retreated as the trees grew and shaded them out.) If the weather has been dry, you may not see the classic mounds. The ants only build the mounds when the soil is sufficiently damp. The nests can be flat on the ground until then. The person I talked to is sending the details to an expert in urban ants (or something like that) and they'll follow-up with me with more info. Very good idea. In particular verify the identification. In the southern US, "fire ant" usually means Solenopsis invicta, the South American invader, but some people use the term for any stinging ant. Did the stings you received result in white welts, that look like large pimples, after 24 hours, and take a couple of weeks to heal? That would be strong evidence that they are indeed S. invicta. However, the unusual behavior -- coming inside so aggressively -- merits making sure of the ID. As for Termidor, I gather from reading that it's intended to soak into wood and soil. Though approved for ants, this action is more appropriate for termites, and the approval for ants is recent. The active ingredient, fipronil, is sold in bait form, but Termidor is not a bait. It may be that the ants are not taking enough of the fipronil back to the colony to kill the queens and that the colony quickly regenerates, and then follows paths which have been "cleaned" of fipronil. Yes, queens, plural. Unlike many ants, fire ant colonies have multiple queens, making them more resilient. Interesting tidbit found on Wikipedia: S. invicta was first identified by E O Wilson, the famous ant expert -- when he was 13 years old. Edward |
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Sun, 19 Dec 2010 14:29:59 -0500, Edward Reid
wrote: The person I talked to is sending the details to an expert in urban ants (or something like that) and they'll follow-up with me with more info. Very good idea. In particular verify the identification. In the southern US, "fire ant" usually means Solenopsis invicta, the South American invader, but some people use the term for any stinging ant. Did the stings you received result in white welts, that look like large pimples, after 24 hours, and take a couple of weeks to heal? That would be strong evidence that they are indeed S. invicta. The larger "fire ant" (Florida), that leaves a white pustule welt, my grandfather called 'em "**** ants". When asked why: "They bite the **** out of you." "Fire ants" can be of various sizes. Chart: (Queen is on the right) http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/images/Biosecurity_EnvironmentalPests/FireAnts-RIFATexas-UniQueen-And-WorkerSizes-500.jpg |
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawlspace
On 12/19/2010 4:19 PM, Oren wrote:
On Sun, 19 Dec 2010 14:29:59 -0500, Edward Reid wrote: The person I talked to is sending the details to an expert in urban ants (or something like that) and they'll follow-up with me with more info. Very good idea. In particular verify the identification. In the southern US, "fire ant" usually means Solenopsis invicta, the South American invader, but some people use the term for any stinging ant. Did the stings you received result in white welts, that look like large pimples, after 24 hours, and take a couple of weeks to heal? That would be strong evidence that they are indeed S. invicta. The larger "fire ant" (Florida), that leaves a white pustule welt, my grandfather called 'em "**** ants". When asked why: "They bite the **** out of you." "Fire ants" can be of various sizes. Chart: (Queen is on the right) http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/images/Biosecurity_EnvironmentalPests/FireAnts-RIFATexas-UniQueen-And-WorkerSizes-500.jpg I found two websites with extensive and helpful info about fire ants, one for Florida, one for Texas, below. The Texas site also has an email addy for assistance/questions - it would be the logical place to go for a domestic infestation problem. The Texas site gives info about NATIVE Texas fire ants (not a huge problem) and the imported ants, as well as control advice. They also recommend Amdro (and some other controls) for indoor problems. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/lh059 http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~gilbert/re...ts/faqans.html |
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Dec 17, 11:57*am, Alex wrote:
Also note to whoever suggested it, I did talk to our county extension office, and after telling them everything that's happened they said they've never heard of fire ants being this aggressive in our area or otherwise. *The person I talked to is sending the details to an expert in urban ants (or something like that) and they'll follow-up with me with more info. So again from this and everything I've read our case is rather unique... Jimmie, Can you send me the link where you read this on the Termidor site??? Also for others who have used Amdro, with it being dry out the ground and foundation have separated so would pouring Amdro or some other bait in this area in a decent quantity maybe draw them out from under the house to 'feed' and maybe they'd carry it back to their nest? My fear though is that it would attract more ants which would be counter productive. Our bug guy has been treating outside with granular bait sprinkled around the house, but I'm thinking it might take a generous quantity to entice the ants under the house to come out and grab some. I've sprayed Ortho Home Defense around the bathroom counters so though they're crawling out they're dieing pretty fast, so I hoped they'd eventually give-up and look elsewhere for food/water, but thus far no dice. It's definitely not the invasion it was a few months ago, but I want to get the ant count to zero, not one or two a day. Thanks for the great info... |
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Dec 17, 11:43*am, Alex wrote:
But I'll post back after the plumber leaves with news of what we find under the toilet. Plumber came out on Friday and pulled the toilet, but it was clean -- no leak. We flipped the toilet over and I didn't see any evidence that there was a leak or even any ants which I wasn't expecting. So that theory went out the window. In talking to our bug guy about it and he said if the toilet seal was made of bee's wax that could've been attracting them. I had the plumber caulk the outside of the toilet though so if they were attracted to the wax ring maybe that will cut off that food supply. Though I have the baseboards in that bathroom covered in Ortho Home Defense I haven't seen any in there since early last week and none since the toilet was resealed and caulked. I do however see about 2 or 3 a day in the other bathroom, though Ortho Home Defense is killing them as soon as they get out. My only fear is this this bathroom backs up to one of our kids rooms, and though I haven't seen any in there yet I can imagine there's more coming up that I'm not seeing. Our bug guy is coming out this week to spray Termidor inside the wall behind the sinks so maybe that'll help. The only thing he's done back there thus far is dusted, but I don't think the dust got deep enough to do much good. |
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawl space
On Dec 17, 5:06*pm, JIMMIE wrote:
Something I found on Termidor that may explain your experience with it: Termidor is made to bond to soil and will only last extended periods of time when placed into the ground for termite control. *Also, when you treat in a trench in the ground for termites, you are pouring in 4 gallons per 10 feet. *Termidor will only last for 10 years when applied in a trench for termites. *When you use Termidor as a spot treatment indoors on wood, it will only last for 6 weeks at the most, because it is not made to bond and last on wood, it is meant for soil treatments. *Although you can use it indoors for spot treatments in wall voids for termites only, you cannot use Termidor as a pest control spray indoors. Jimmie Jimmie, Can you send me the link where you read this on the Termidor site??? Also for others who have used Amdro, with it being dry out the ground and foundation have separated so would pouring Amdro or some other bait in this area in a decent quantity maybe draw them out from under the house to 'feed' and maybe they'd carry it back to their nest? My fear though is that it would attract more ants which would be counter productive. Our bug guy has been treating outside with granular bait sprinkled around the house, but I'm thinking it might take a generous quantity to entice the ants under the house to come out and grab some. I've sprayed Ortho Home Defense around the bathroom counters so though they're crawling out they're dieing pretty fast, so I hoped they'd eventually give-up and look elsewhere for food/water, but thus far no dice. It's definitely not the invasion it was a few months ago, but I want to get the ant count to zero, not one or two a day. Thanks for the great info... |
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawlspace
On 12/20/2010 11:24 AM, Alex wrote:
On Dec 17, 11:43 am, wrote: But I'll post back after the plumber leaves with news of what we find under the toilet. Plumber came out on Friday and pulled the toilet, but it was clean -- no leak. We flipped the toilet over and I didn't see any evidence that there was a leak or even any ants which I wasn't expecting. So that theory went out the window. In talking to our bug guy about it and he said if the toilet seal was made of bee's wax that could've been attracting them. I had the plumber caulk the outside of the toilet though so if they were attracted to the wax ring maybe that will cut off that food supply. Though I have the baseboards in that bathroom covered in Ortho Home Defense I haven't seen any in there since early last week and none since the toilet was resealed and caulked. I do however see about 2 or 3 a day in the other bathroom, though Ortho Home Defense is killing them as soon as they get out. My only fear is this this bathroom backs up to one of our kids rooms, and though I haven't seen any in there yet I can imagine there's more coming up that I'm not seeing. Our bug guy is coming out this week to spray Termidor inside the wall behind the sinks so maybe that'll help. The only thing he's done back there thus far is dusted, but I don't think the dust got deep enough to do much good. I posted some links a few messages back which gave some very useful information....one bit that I had not read before was that fire ants eat only liquids....Amdro's formula takes that into account, containing oil of some sort (don't recall all the details, but it was an authoritative source. You keep mentioning moisture...one thing that might attract ants indoors, aside from water, is toothpaste, especially in kid's bathroom. Learned that with other ants. If you see live ants indoors, you can certainly follow their trail...that's all you need to do to lay down Amdro bait. My experience is that they go after Amdro rather quickly, and it rid us of fire ant problems in our lawn .. may not have killed every ant, but we were able to do a lot of yard work without being swarmed and attacked, it took relatively small amounts and it lasted about a year. I don't think that covering the entire interior with insecticide will be as effective as solving what ATTRACTS them and then baiting near their trails. Cleaning up sweets and greasy stuff around the house is important, too. I'm sure that you will not rid the entire property and under-foundation of ants...just treat for the ones that are entering the house and correct the issues that attract or allow entrance. |
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawlspace
On 12/20/2010 12:09 PM, Alex wrote:
On Dec 17, 5:06 pm, wrote: Something I found on Termidor that may explain your experience with it: Termidor is made to bond to soil and will only last extended periods of time when placed into the ground for termite control. Also, when you treat in a trench in the ground for termites, you are pouring in 4 gallons per 10 feet. Termidor will only last for 10 years when applied in a trench for termites. When you use Termidor as a spot treatment indoors on wood, it will only last for 6 weeks at the most, because it is not made to bond and last on wood, it is meant for soil treatments. Although you can use it indoors for spot treatments in wall voids for termites only, you cannot use Termidor as a pest control spray indoors. Jimmie Jimmie, Can you send me the link where you read this on the Termidor site??? Also for others who have used Amdro, with it being dry out the ground and foundation have separated so would pouring Amdro or some other bait in this area in a decent quantity maybe draw them out from under the house to 'feed' and maybe they'd carry it back to their nest? My They do carry Amdro back to the nest...that's the entire purpose of it. It is bait that contains poison and hopefully is carried back to the queen, too. Ya' can't control how many in the nest die, but you should be able to kill of most of those that are foraging IN YOUR HOUSE. There is also concern that you kill off beneficial insects by overdoing the poison....lots of contractors will sell you everything you wish to buy, not necessarily what you NEED. fear though is that it would attract more ants which would be counter productive. Our bug guy has been treating outside with granular bait sprinkled around the house, but I'm thinking it might take a generous quantity to entice the ants under the house to come out and grab some. I've sprayed Ortho Home Defense around the bathroom counters so though they're crawling out they're dieing pretty fast, so I hoped they'd eventually give-up and look elsewhere for food/water, but thus far no dice. It's definitely not the invasion it was a few months ago, but I want to get the ant count to zero, not one or two a day. Thanks for the great info... |
#31
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Killing fire ant colony under house - concrete slab so no crawlspace
On 12/20/2010 12:09 PM, Alex wrote:
On Dec 17, 5:06 pm, wrote: Something I found on Termidor that may explain your experience with it: Termidor is made to bond to soil and will only last extended periods of time when placed into the ground for termite control. Also, when you treat in a trench in the ground for termites, you are pouring in 4 gallons per 10 feet. Termidor will only last for 10 years when applied in a trench for termites. When you use Termidor as a spot treatment indoors on wood, it will only last for 6 weeks at the most, because it is not made to bond and last on wood, it is meant for soil treatments. Although you can use it indoors for spot treatments in wall voids for termites only, you cannot use Termidor as a pest control spray indoors. Jimmie Jimmie, Can you send me the link where you read this on the Termidor site??? Also for others who have used Amdro, with it being dry out the ground and foundation have separated so would pouring Amdro or some other bait in this area in a decent quantity maybe draw them out from under the house to 'feed' and maybe they'd carry it back to their nest? My fear though is that it would attract more ants which would be counter productive. Our bug guy has been treating outside with granular bait sprinkled around the house, but I'm thinking it might take a generous quantity to entice the ants under the house to come out and grab some. I've sprayed Ortho Home Defense around the bathroom counters so though they're crawling out they're dieing pretty fast, so I hoped they'd eventually give-up and look elsewhere for food/water, but thus far no dice. It's definitely not the invasion it was a few months ago, but I want to get the ant count to zero, not one or two a day. Thanks for the great info... I'm thinking that any pest control contractor in either Florida or Texas who can't get rid of fire ants on the first go 'round might not know what the heck they are doing. Fire ants are so common both places that is really well known. Another spot that I forgot to mention is fire ants nesting in electrical boxes...saw it mentioned again in one of the articles I posted. Reason not known, but it is fairly commonplace. Another treatment/bait mentioned is peanut butter mixed with boric acid...works nicely for roaches, too. We got $500 worth when we had our Florida condo treated for roaches ) |
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