NFT: Ant problem- Any tips to get rid of them

Terro

because the ground becomes saturated, which they don't like.

The often come up on your plumbing, so one thing you can do is seal the gaps around your pipes where they come through the wall.

the other thing is you can't leave food anywhere, even some food bits in the drain will draw them.

then use traps. They are effective. The problem is if the soil around your house is sandy or on low ground near the water, there will likely be multiple colonies. So, you kill one colony by having the ants take the poison back but then another appears.

There is no "magical" cure but if you do all of the above, you can keep them under control.

Make a strong solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spray it around the entrence points.

They hate vinegar.

If so, this has worked for me - a mixture of borax and mint jelly. Very simple and effective. Be sure not to exceed the amount of borax in the directions - even a little bit too much and the ants won't eat it.
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or in the bushes surrounding your house from previous seasons, get rid of them. Have a landscaper with blowers come and clean up the yard, or take an afternoon and rake them all out and bag them up. The pest control company who came to our house said that leaf debris and moisture surrounding the house may attract bugs who will get into the house.

The winoguy above has this right. Down here in South Florida we have a ton of what we call crazy ants. They are all over the place but once you put Terro down, they disappear overnight. You can find it at Lowes,Home Depot.

is a big proponent of old wife's tales.

We just recently had an ant problem in our kitchen. I put some barrier poison down where it wouldn't get on cooking or cleaning surfaces and I think I heard the ants giggling.
It didn't do shit.


My mother in law read that ants hate cinnamon and proceeded to sprinkle cinnamon around the kitchen. Of course, I ridiculed her.


But, erm….I haven't seen an ant in about two weeks. Maybe it's a coincidence but it's nice not having ants in my kitchen.

I fought Argentine ants for 3 years out in California. Tried about everything but using Terro was the turning point. After what I call the great ant massacre of 2017 they stopped coming back.

The ants will WIN.

In comment 14474267 JerseyCityJoe said:

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I fought Argentine ants for 3 years out in California. Tried about everything but using Terro was the turning point. After what I call the great ant massacre of 2017 they stopped coming back.

Argentine ants are pretty fascinating. Apparently there's basically a super colony in California that's basically, well, the size of California.

also. Sprinkle it around the problem areas and in access points... see what happens.

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but listen to Greg.

The active ingredient in Terro? Borax.

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They will come out in the thousands when you first put it down so be prepared. But it wipes them out quick. Keep checking it and if it needs to be replaced after a month or 2, do so. Keept it out all summer and they will not return.

is what the pest control near me uses. Saw it and just bought it myself on Amazon. $20 for a 4 pack of syringes. You apply the gel in the intrusion points. After a week you'll be in business.

And liquid baits are more effective than solid bait ant traps, but you probably need a lot of both.

Ortho Home Defense spray helps establish a barrier that they won't cross.

traps (Terro and others) usually contain a mixture of boric acid, water, and sugar, which you can make yourself and put on cotton balls but I don't think you save a ton of money vs. buying the pre-mixed, pre-made traps.

powder, and vinegar with so-so results. I sealed any holes, cracks, etc. near the entry points with better results until they started coming through other cracks. So, more sealing and using Ortho perimeter spray. In fact I sprayed this twice inside and out prior to ant season and we have seen a total of about 5 ants all spring.

For an infestation in the front wall of my house. Did two applications a week apart and I haven't seen any ants in weeks. That stuff is awesome. You can order 3 packs on Amazon.

I watched as the ants bellied up to the poison-bar and drank themselves silly. They carried it back to their asshole friends in the colony, and I haven't seen them since.

In comment 14474336 Bubba said:

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I was waiting for this. Well done.

In comment 14474248 Sneakers O'toole said:

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Make a strong solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spray it around the entrence points. They hate vinegar.

Cinnamon is also a poison to them.

In comment 14474372 Pete in MD said:

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traps (Terro and others) usually contain a mixture of boric acid, water, and sugar, which you can make yourself and put on cotton balls but I don't think you save a ton of money vs. buying the pre-mixed, pre-made traps.

I already buy borax for laundry and other cleaning purposes. So all I spend money on is a little jar of jelly. Costs about 3 bucks and lasts a while. I've been using the same jar of jelly for over 2 years.

As stated, in Florida we have all kinds of ants. We have an exterminator, but between visits I have used Terro and in two days - adios.

Put on a Dave Matthews CD and open the door

Yep, it’s a Boric Acid product. A couple of drops placed in their path does the trick.

Protexall Ant Kill - ( New Window )

Amazing.

You can place the drops where ever you see the ants. They take this stuff back to the nest and it wipes out the entire nest.

The best part is you can put the drops where your kids or pets can't go.
Ant B Gone - ( New Window )

As long as you're not dealing with carpenter ants

Be patient, it can take a while if you have a big colony. A bottle will last years. Put out fresh bait daily for about a week.

Worked really well for me. I bought a 6 pack of packets. Set up three, and never had to use the remaining 3.

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