Ant Issue

Aegis

Some background: As I live at university, this year and the past year I've rented a basement apartment. This problem first appeared near the end of last year (it was my fault, leaving around a food source that I had no idea was still in the box, but I'd imagine they were already around before that and I had just not noticed) but is now reappearing this year. The ants in question are not terribly obtrusive, in that, they're small enough that I don't start noticing they're back until one makes its way up the wall or somehow get atop my desk and then I bend down and see there are ants crawling across my carpet (they're tiny).

Last year I knew exactly where they were coming from. It was a hole in the wall heading to a cool room, because that's where I had ended up accidentally (didn't know the whole was there to let them in) left this box with food material in it. This year, they're crawling around the bottom of my computer desk (a pain in the ass) by the legs. I'm assuming this is because I tend to eat the odd snack at my desk and thus the odd crumb and whatnot will make its way down there, thus providing a food source. I have not located where exactly they're getting in through the wall: the old hole on the other side of the room from last year shows no mass entry of ants and neither does my door, so I'm having to assume that there's either a small hole behind my computer desk or they're coming in from the corners where I can't get to.

After I discovered them this year, I've been sucking the buggers up every 2nd day or so (or at least twice a week if I can remember), vacuuming vociferously which causes, naturally, all the ants to go to heaven and me not see any crawling around. But of course, they come back in a few days.

My question is: If I keep doing this, if I suck the buggers up and make sure to vacuum -alot-, will they eventually just go away? Or am I simply covering up the problem and they'll forever come back and die each time? Should I be investing in something more tailored like ant killing stuff?

Thanks for any suggestions in advance.

Erios

Put ant traps closer to their emergence point than the food source the ants frequent.

Aegis

Erios wrote: »

Put ant traps closer to their emergence point than the food source the ants frequent.

I'd have to find that first. As mentioned, I'm not 100% sure where they're actually coming into my room from.

Erios

Aegis wrote: »

Erios wrote: »

Put ant traps closer to their emergence point than the food source the ants frequent.

I'd have to find that first. As mentioned, I'm not 100% sure where they're actually coming into my room from.

All that matters is that you are closer to it. If you can handle it, place the traps near the feet of your computer desk. Also, intermittent traps near water sources, corners, undersides of counters and doors might help a great deal. Once traps are down, your problems will lessen significantly after 72 hours.

Alternatively, train a brood of small wandering spiders to obey your every command.

TheCapn

I've had some recent ant trouble. Generally I've been able to follow a trail of them back to were they are getting in, and I put down some ant bait gel stuff right there. I keep refilling it until they stop coming back. They take it back with them to the colony and eventually they all die.

I doubt you will be able to get rid of them by just vacuuming.

supabeast

If I keep doing this, if I suck the buggers up and make sure to vacuum -alot-, will they eventually just go away

You probably just live somewhere that ants start moving indoors when fall settles in. The only good thing to do is find out where they get in and block it off.

Aegis

Yea, I'm assuming this problem will solve itself when it starts snowing (I saw no bugs at all during the winter last year). Unfortunately the recycling bins are stored on the outside wall just at the back of the house (I think it's next to the cool room), and there tend to naturally be a lot of ants heading in those bins so they'll probably always be around enough to get food from there (and thus annoyingly explore the basement).

With regard to traps, does any old grocery store (ie- Loblaws in Canada) carry these and any particular brands? Should I be informing my landlord? We're on good terms, I'm just not sure if this is that much of an issue to bother her with if I can solve it myself.

stawk

Terro ant killer works wonders. Little bastards love the stuff.

of course you could always catch a few and put their heads on some toothpicks as a warning to the others.

ohh and tiny little land mines.

Aurin

Another option - Ortho Home defense. Buy the gallon or whatever at Home Depot, spray it around all the baseboards, and it should kill the little buggers. You can also spray outside as well. My sister lives in Georgia and gets the same type of little ants that you do, and she swears by the stuff.

Here in Arizona well... I don't get bugs much to begin with, but it helped kill off my flea problem from the new kitty, and seems to keep the crickets out. :P

starmanbrand

I dont know if they have it up north, but i assume so. Raid Ant Killer spray works awesome. Just spray around the baseboards or whatever in your room or any place they could possibly dream of coming in. The stuff, as the can says, repels ants for up to four weeks. I can attest that once you spray down a spot, as long as you dont wash it, they dont come over it again for a long time.

Beren39

You mentioned they were tiny, so I'm assuming exceptionally tiny for an ant, which leads me to believe you have Pharaoh ants. They're pesky little buggers, very adaptive reproductive process (many queens) compared to other ants, and a known indoor nuisance. Try to locate the point of emergence and utilize poisoned bait, don't use sprays or any instant kill solutions as this causes 'budding', essentially a fragmentation of a previously singular colony, making your problem worse. Try to do this quickly, as compared to other ants which may just be moving in with fall weather, this species will actually set up nests within your house (everything from pantry shelves to phone earpieces, you definitely don't want that).

Aegis

Oh no, they're not that tiny. It's more like, if I walk across the room standing up or sit down and glance at my floor I don't see them (as opposed to some larger ants I've seen which are plainly obvious even walking past, like a beetle). But if I crouch down I can see them clearly scampering across the carpet. Probably at least a few times bigger than that picture.

Aoi Tsuki

Sounds like sugar ants; if they're very light-colored (almost amber-looking on white paper or counters) and you've never been bitten, that's probably it.

I'd be extra vigilant about putting away food and watching them for a few more days, then ask the landlord about it. You don't have to demand extravagant measures, just deliver an FYI and maybe get a few tips. (Make sure you can reassure them you're not exacerbating the problem first.)

Tofystedeth

If you mix some borax into pancake syrup, and place tiny cups of it, like bottle caps, around their entrance points, they should go for that. It works as a nice decoy, because its usually tastier and more foody than whatever stuff you have under your desk, and if you get the borax mix right (I'm not quite sure the proportions) the ants don't die until they return the poison to the nest.

JaysonFour

Stop eating at your desk. No crumbs = no ants. Start eating everything at the kitchen table and clean up after you're done. The fact that the ants are still coming in means they've found a steady supply of food in your place. But yeah, during the winter, pull out your stuff, look for the access point, then caulk/seal that sucker up tight.

embrik

stawk wrote: »

Terro ant killer works wonders. Little bastards love the stuff.

of course you could always catch a few and put their heads on some toothpicks as a warning to the others.

ohh and tiny little land mines.

This. Terro is amazing. Put a little pool of it on a small square of cardboard (like a piece of the box it comes in) and watch them all come to feed. After seeing way more than you'd think were there, they'll all be gone and won't come back.

Aegis

JaysonFour wrote: »

Stop eating at your desk. No crumbs = no ants. Start eating everything at the kitchen table and clean up after you're done. The fact that the ants are still coming in means they've found a steady supply of food in your place. But yeah, during the winter, pull out your stuff, look for the access point, then caulk/seal that sucker up tight.

Don't have a kitchen table. Literally my desk is the only flat surface with a chair next to it in my apartment that isn't my clothes drawer.

I think I'll try out some of the suggestions for brands mentioned so far. Thanks for the pointers. And with regard to what type of ants they may be, they're not amber or light coloured. Just your regular black.