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.

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.

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.

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 $

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

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.

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?

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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...

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...

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 )

"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

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.