ANTS!

fightinfilipino

so we've got these little jerks running around our kitchen



we keep our kitchen as clean as possible. we've also tried borax traps, as i've had luck with those before (sugar, water and borax traps; or peanut butter with a bit of borax). the ants have gone for these, but they don't seem to be working this time.

any advice? what should we try to control these tiny jerks?

amateurhour

Non lethal: I have good luck with lemon juice along their path

Lethal: Windex, same idea.

LostNinja

If you can find where they are coming in from (exterior door, door to garage, etc.), spraying some Raid in that area has worked for me in the past. It kills the ones coming in and then they eventually stop coming within a few days.

fightinfilipino

LostNinja wrote: »

If you can find where they are coming in from (exterior door, door to garage, etc.), spraying some Raid in that area has worked for me in the past. It kills the ones coming in and then they eventually stop coming within a few days.

they seem to be coming from behind our kitchen cabinets and oven, i'm afraid. i'll do a lookover of our external walls, but i'm not sure if that will help.

(obligatory "they're in the walls!" joke)

ArbitraryDescriptor

fightinfilipino wrote: »

LostNinja wrote: »

If you can find where they are coming in from (exterior door, door to garage, etc.), spraying some Raid in that area has worked for me in the past. It kills the ones coming in and then they eventually stop coming within a few days.

they seem to be coming from behind our kitchen cabinets and oven, i'm afraid. i'll do a lookover of our external walls, but i'm not sure if that will help.

(obligatory "they're in the walls!" joke)

With any luck they'll have a mound as close to the entry point as possible by now. If you find the way in: seal it so they'll have find a new way in next time. (Spray insulation is good for this on two levels)

dispatch.o

In my experience this time of year I always get a few ants in the kitchen depending on where I happen to be living. In California/Oregon as soon as fall starts. In the Midwest/Southern States it happened mid/late summer.

The best solution I've found is just keep cleaning and put out the bait traps mid-summer in the typical access locations, windows, kitchen corners, along the fireplace shelf.

If they come inside they're never in some organized harvesting line. It's always brave little scouts looking for water or crumbs. So keep any areas where you feed pets very clean and use your cleaner of choice around the pet feeding areas and your sink. Windex or Simple Green are my go-to.

TNTrooper

Terro traps are fantastic. Ant genocide in a little plastic box.

zepherin

TNTrooper wrote: »

Terro traps are fantastic. Ant genocide in a little plastic box.

My dad used to do those and perimeter spray. The ants used to flee into my basement room and die.

Unfortunately my dad did this 5:30 in the morning first thing.

First year he did it and I woke up covered in dead ants, I thought he just wasn't thinking...2nd year he did it I knew he thought it was funny.

Shadowfire

We had a problem with ants at our last apartment. Finding where they were getting in and spreading a liberal amount of diatomaceous earth around the area took care of them quick.

fightinfilipino

TNTrooper wrote: »

Terro traps are fantastic. Ant genocide in a little plastic box.

we ended up picking up some Terro and put them out an hour ago. the traps are FULL of greedy little ants right now.

hope this will control them in the next few days.

Ketar

fightinfilipino wrote: »

TNTrooper wrote: »

Terro traps are fantastic. Ant genocide in a little plastic box.

we ended up picking up some Terro and put them out an hour ago. the traps are FULL of greedy little ants right now.

hope this will control them in the next few days.

It usually takes about one full day. Two at the most. Those things are ridiculously effective.

Calica

zepherin wrote: »

TNTrooper wrote: »

Terro traps are fantastic. Ant genocide in a little plastic box.

My dad used to do those and perimeter spray. The ants used to flee into my basement room and die.

Unfortunately my dad did this 5:30 in the morning first thing.

First year he did it and I woke up covered in dead ants, I thought he just wasn't thinking...2nd year he did it I knew he thought it was funny.

:bigfrown:

Enc

If you own the property, having a professional pest control service on contract is worth it. They'll get rid of them, and also have the liability if they come back and do damage.

zepherin

Calica wrote: »

zepherin wrote: »

TNTrooper wrote: »

Terro traps are fantastic. Ant genocide in a little plastic box.

My dad used to do those and perimeter spray. The ants used to flee into my basement room and die.

Unfortunately my dad did this 5:30 in the morning first thing.

First year he did it and I woke up covered in dead ants, I thought he just wasn't thinking...2nd year he did it I knew he thought it was funny.

:bigfrown:

Hey dad next year could you give me a heads up when you are spraying for ants? I woke up covered in it and my room smells like raid.
Sure thing son.

*next year*

:x

dad was always a prankster, I learned to walk on the opposite side of the sidewalk to our house when it snowed, so my dad wouldn't use the snow blower and bury me coming around the blind corner.

Enc

Prankster might not be the right word.

DeShadowC

I kept having them come back a few months after treatment. I found success in sealing every crack and crevice in the kitchen.

Unknown

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Shadowfire

electricitylikesme wrote: »

DeShadowC wrote: »

I kept having them come back a few months after treatment. I found success in sealing every crack and crevice in the kitchen.

Be wary if they may have moved into one of your cupboards or the bottom of a cereal box. I've had both happen - we thought it was external, then we kept finding them - they had built a weird external nest inside one of the cupboards.

Calica wrote: »

:bigfrown: