It is that time again:-)

The annual trickle of queen ants tromping across our carpeted dining
room to the West facing window has grown to an invasion leading to a
management conflict.

The strips of masking tape blocking off the usual routes have been
by-passed as the scouts have dug/discovered a convenient corridor
between the skirting and the carpet gripper.

Repetitive clearings with the vacuum cleaner identified the likely
source and the reluctant decision to lift the carpet and take off a
section of skirting was made. 6" MDF secured with 3" hard nails!

Rolling back the carpet revealed a settlement crack in the floor screed
although the ants were appearing from a gap between screed and wall
plaster.

The crack and gap were opened out and filled with *one coat* plaster as
the only filler to hand. In retrospect I am wondering if ant jaws are
capable of quarrying this in time for next year.

The other concern is that the access point is at least 2m from the
nearest outside wall. Floor screed over 50mm polystyrene insulation may
provide a comfortable home:-(
--
Tim Lamb

On 28/06/15 09:35, Tim Lamb wrote:

The other concern is that the access point is at least 2m from the
nearest outside wall. Floor screed over 50mm polystyrene insulation may
provide a comfortable home:-(

On the odd occasion I find an ant trail in the house, one end gets a
dusting of ant powder which seems to do the job.

Nippon might be helpful as it has always claimed the workers carry it
back to the colony and kill the rest. However, you need to watch to see
if they actually take it or avoid it - some reviews suggest mixing some
sugar in with the liquid works.

In article , Tim Lamb
scribeth thus
It is that time again:-)

The annual trickle of queen ants tromping across our carpeted dining
room to the West facing window has grown to an invasion leading to a
management conflict.

The strips of masking tape blocking off the usual routes have been
by-passed as the scouts have dug/discovered a convenient corridor
between the skirting and the carpet gripper.

Repetitive clearings with the vacuum cleaner identified the likely
source and the reluctant decision to lift the carpet and take off a
section of skirting was made. 6" MDF secured with 3" hard nails!

Rolling back the carpet revealed a settlement crack in the floor screed
although the ants were appearing from a gap between screed and wall
plaster.

The crack and gap were opened out and filled with *one coat* plaster as
the only filler to hand. In retrospect I am wondering if ant jaws are
capable of quarrying this in time for next year.

The other concern is that the access point is at least 2m from the
nearest outside wall. Floor screed over 50mm polystyrene insulation may
provide a comfortable home:-(


You have to give it to them there're clever robust little bu^^ers;!....


I've found in the past you can sometimes buy them off with a few lumps
of sugar near their nests.

A soft of protection payment;!..
--
Tony Sayer

tony sayer wrote:
In article , Tim Lamb
scribeth thus
It is that time again:-)

The annual trickle of queen ants tromping across our carpeted dining
room to the West facing window has grown to an invasion leading to a
management conflict.

The strips of masking tape blocking off the usual routes have been
by-passed as the scouts have dug/discovered a convenient corridor
between the skirting and the carpet gripper.

Repetitive clearings with the vacuum cleaner identified the likely
source and the reluctant decision to lift the carpet and take off a
section of skirting was made. 6" MDF secured with 3" hard nails!

Rolling back the carpet revealed a settlement crack in the floor screed
although the ants were appearing from a gap between screed and wall
plaster.

The crack and gap were opened out and filled with *one coat* plaster as
the only filler to hand. In retrospect I am wondering if ant jaws are
capable of quarrying this in time for next year.

The other concern is that the access point is at least 2m from the
nearest outside wall. Floor screed over 50mm polystyrene insulation may
provide a comfortable home:-(


You have to give it to them there're clever robust little bu^^ers;!....


I've found in the past you can sometimes buy them off with a few lumps
of sugar near their nests.

A soft of protection payment;!..

An equal mix of icing sugar and borax* is usually effective. The ant
take back to the nest on their boots and it kills the rest of em.

*genuine borax is still available on ebay. I've not tried the borax
substitute sold for laundry use but I think it best to stick with the
'real thing'

An equal mix of icing sugar and borax* is usually effective. The ant
take back to the nest on their boots and it kills the rest of em.

*genuine borax is still available on ebay. I've not tried the borax
substitute sold for laundry use but I think it best to stick with the
'real thing'

Sounds like the ants were there before the screed. I've only ever
experienced them when there's been a sugary incentive, but maybe they
like to overwinter in the warm

In message , stuart noble
writes

An equal mix of icing sugar and borax* is usually effective. The ant
take back to the nest on their boots and it kills the rest of em.

*genuine borax is still available on ebay. I've not tried the borax
substitute sold for laundry use but I think it best to stick with the
'real thing'

Sounds like the ants were there before the screed. I've only ever
experienced them when there's been a sugary incentive, but maybe they
like to overwinter in the warm

Bit of a bodge really. The builder was supposed to take up the old
quarry tile floor and put in a new base before insulation and screed.
The argument centred on whether the Victorian brick foundations were
deep enough for this work to be safe. In the event, they sealed the
quarries (Synthaprufe) and left them.

The nearest known Ant nests are under stone slabs which are away from
the wall by the width of the French drain. I have upped the slabs and
dosed with a powder insecticide.

None yet today but not warm enough for the queens to hatch out.

--
Tim Lamb

On 28/06/2015 12:46, Tim Lamb wrote:

8

The nearest known Ant nests are under stone slabs which are away from
the wall by the width of the French drain. I have upped the slabs and
dosed with a powder insecticide.

IME the trigger sprays work far better than the powders.
The so called ant traps keep the population down if you have somewhere
dry to put them.

I was once told to deal with ants outside the house. I am now obsessive
about putting powder on any that I see. I don't want them digging up my
block paving or getting into the house. I had problems at a previous house
where the floor screed seemed very sandy.

"DerbyBorn" wrote in message
2.236...



I was once told to deal with ants outside the house.

I tried that and it’s a lot easier said than done.
Nothing I did made any real difference outside.

I am now obsessive
about putting powder on any that I see. I don't want them digging up my
block paving or getting into the house. I had problems at a previous house
where the floor screed seemed very sandy.

Some summers I have a hell of a problem with an immaculate
concrete slab with a very good surface on it with concrete blocks
laid directly onto that and quarry tiles on top of the slab.

On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 11:01:38 +0100, tony sayer wrote:

You have to give it to them there're clever robust little bu^^ers;!....

Not that robust, we don't have ants. B-)

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 28/06/2015 13:02, Huge wrote:
Thank you for answering the question (albeit unwittingly) of what the
beetles are that we get zillions of in in the summer. I run a bead
of Nippon along the bottom of the integral garage floor, otherwise
we get dozens of them in the house. Since we're entirely surrounded
by wheat fields, I suspect their name may be a little inaccurate,
though!

That sounds more like thrips. Really tiny things, only 1mm or so long
and much thinner.

Andy

On 28/06/2015 21:07, Vir Campestris wrote:
On 28/06/2015 13:02, Huge wrote:
Thank you for answering the question (albeit unwittingly) of what the
beetles are that we get zillions of in in the summer. I run a bead
of Nippon along the bottom of the integral garage floor, otherwise
we get dozens of them in the house. Since we're entirely surrounded
by wheat fields, I suspect their name may be a little inaccurate,
though!

That sounds more like thrips. Really tiny things, only 1mm or so long
and much thinner.

Andy

An old acquaintance of mine is an genuinely internationally renowned
expert on fluid sealing. Apparently he studies thrips as a sideline. But
last time I spoke to him he still hadn't got one named after him.

Vir Campestris a écrit :
That sounds more like thrips. Really tiny things, only 1mm or so long and
much thinner.

Those we call corn flies. They make me crawl in around August, when
they are about. I'm told they are attracked to yellow coloured washing
hanging on the line.

Tim Lamb wrote:
It is that time again:-)

The annual trickle of queen ants tromping across our carpeted dining
room to the West facing window has grown to an invasion leading to a
management conflict.

The strips of masking tape blocking off the usual routes have been
by-passed as the scouts have dug/discovered a convenient corridor
between the skirting and the carpet gripper.

Repetitive clearings with the vacuum cleaner identified the likely
source and the reluctant decision to lift the carpet and take off a
section of skirting was made. 6" MDF secured with 3" hard nails!

Rolling back the carpet revealed a settlement crack in the floor screed
although the ants were appearing from a gap between screed and wall
plaster.

The crack and gap were opened out and filled with *one coat* plaster as
the only filler to hand. In retrospect I am wondering if ant jaws are
capable of quarrying this in time for next year.

The other concern is that the access point is at least 2m from the
nearest outside wall. Floor screed over 50mm polystyrene insulation may
provide a comfortable home:-(
Good eating, had some on cooking show in AU recently.

In message o.uk, Dave
Liquorice writes
On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 11:01:38 +0100, tony sayer wrote:

You have to give it to them there're clever robust little bu^^ers;!....

Not that robust, we don't have ants. B-)

grin We very rarely see ants since moving to Aberdeenshire. Very few
snails or slugs, either - certainly not enough to ravage the hostas,
which happened every year down south.
--
Graeme