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How to Get Rid of Ants

November 20th, 2009 by admin
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Ant barriers

Now that all of your cabinets are packed away neatly let's take a good look around for anything else that may be attractive to the ants. Potted plants, unprotected pet food, open bowls of fruit or nuts are all possible targets. We can keep these things safe by erecting barriers that the ants can not or will not cross.

 

Sticky ant barriers Sticky goo's like Tanglefoot are normally avoided by ants. Use them on table legs and around plant platters and pots. They can also be used on the stems of plants that you wish to protect in the garden.

 

Detergent ant barriers Detergent barriers are made by placing something (a potted plant or your pets food dish for example) in a larger dish or platter partly filled with a water and detergent mix to create a moat. The detergent will break the water's surface tension causing any ants that attempt to cross it to drown.

 

Other ant barriers Following is a list of substances that people have reported success with when used as barriers or deterrents:

3. Ant control: Colony management

Once you've battled the ants back this far, consider stopping if the number of remaining ants is tolerable. With no more human-foods left, they will focus on picking up tiny organic crumbs that would normally be food for cockroaches and beetles. On top of that, they will also eat other pest insects like termites (Learn how to get rid of termites), bedbugs (For bedbug extermination, read how to get rid of bedbugs), fly eggs and larvae, flea eggs and larvae, silverfish and moths. The population size is relative to the amount of available food, and will actually help you keep the house clean.

Moving ant colonies

Ant hillIf you have a colony that is right next to your house, you can make the ants relocate by repeatedly flooding the earth where they reside. A soapy water mix works best as it kills some ants, and causes the rest to grab their stuff and go. If the ants aren't inside of your home don't worry about them unless they bite. Many species will repel termites, so it's cheap insurance. If you are unlucky enough to have had a colony take up residence in a potted plant here is how to send them packing:
  1. Place the potted plant in a plate partially filled with soapy water (To keep the ants from leaving).
  2. Fill a bucket of similar size with loose, dry earth and place it also in a plate of soapy water.
  3. Create a bridge from the plant to the bucket with a ruler, some twigs, a length of tape, anything that the ants can easily cross.
  4. Begin flooding the plant. Flood it and let it drain - then flood it again and keep repeating. You will see the ants start to swarm out and clamor across into the bucket carrying their eggs and young. Continue flooding until you see no more ants emerging to escape.
  5. Take the bucket outside and dump it out away from your home.

Killing ant colonies

If moving isn't good enough and you're set on destroying the ants, then there are several poison possibilities available to you. Remember to always keep poisons inaccessible to children and animals, especially the sweet-tasting baits. Following is a break down of some of the less toxic solutions:

 

Sorptive dusts Sorptive dusts such as diatomaceous earth work by damaging and drying out the ants and causing them to die of dehydration. These can be placed in walls and blown into cracks and holes. They work slowly at first, but last a very long time.

 

silica gelSilica gel & Pyrethrums This combination will kill ants quickly and works well but it's important to purchase in packages that come with applicators that keep the dust out of the air. Revenge, Pursue, and Drione all come with effective and safe applicators.

 

Insect Growth Regulators (IGR's) Insect growth regulators work by inhibiting the natural growth of an insect. This will not effect current adults, but will cause any ants that are not yet mature to die. These take 3-4 months to begin working but will last for a long time.

 

Poison ant baits poison ant baitsPoison baits are more effective at controlling ant populations then eliminating them. They are generally mixes of poison and a favorite food, like sugar (for sugar ants). If a good ratio of poison to food was used, then the ants that eat the poison will live long enough to bring some of it back to be fed to the colony-dwellers, who will then die. The catch is that the queen is usually the largest ant in the colony, so the magic ratio is not always adequate to kill her and the ants can come back. Drax is one of the least toxic products available (It uses Borax).

 

DIY poison ant bait It's easy to make your own Borax-based poison bait. Just purchase a quantity of borax and a box of pint-sized mason jars and then follow these steps:
  1. Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water.
  2. Mix in 4 teaspoons boric acid.
  3. Fill 4-8 mason jars with about 1 cup of bait each.
  4. Loosely pack cotton into the jars to about the half way point so they sit in the bait solution and then saturate the rest of the dry material with more bait.
  5. Separately, take the lids and poke 3-5 holes in each lid top with a hammer and nail.
  6. Screw the complete lids tightly onto the mason jars.
  7. Place the jars out in the areas of infestation. Keep these inaccessible to children and pets!
If the sugar doesn't work, trade it up for something you've seen the ants go for already. Protein or grease perhaps?

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    Related Keywords

     
    1. Ants
    2. Termite
    3. Roaches
    4. Ant Control
    5. Fire Ant

     

     
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    1. Laurie Says:

      I have used Terro ant killer it is sold in stores. Its a plastic tray of some form of ant killer, they come into the plastic thing and die. There is also another one that you put some liquid on a dot and they eat it or something like that. My family has used it for years and years and it is what I am currently using. I have a huge infestation and am trying to figure out where they are coming from and this is atleast attracting them so I can try to find where they are coming from.

    2. Michelle Langford Says:

      I noticed large black ants on my patio,and garage door sprinkle the hottest red pepper you can find, get an big bag,or jar crushed or powdered,is fine as long as its dry,I did this 6:00 this morning, it is now 8:32 not an single ant or anything, Ive gone out to check an few time,if the peppers set your mouth on fire think what it will do to them.try it,

    3. sylvia ramirez Says:

      Boric acid can be found in most dollar stores for only a few dollars. I’m going to try it outdoor, where we have a huge red ant mount.

    4. Victor Says:

      We have ants coming out of our ceiling, around
      our skylight. These ants have wings and last
      July and August they flew from the ceiling all
      over me. We purchased an ant killing liquid to
      spray on them and the wooden ceiling cracks but
      they are still around. They show up dead on top
      of my window sill. Tonight I heard some kind of
      munching over our kitchen light. Are these
      carpenter ants? They look just like regular ants
      with segmented bodies, but have wings. Most are
      small, a few are large. Help! What can we do to
      get rid of them?

    5. joseph Says:

      non-cooked grits kills them very well it works like birds eating dry rice they explode its that simple

    6. Chad Says:

      You can purchase borax at any Wal-Mart. The last time I checked it was in the cleaning supplies department and the brand they carried was 20 Mule Team Borax. You can also sometimes buy it in the pest control section in the form of boric acid. However, it is more expensive per ounce than the 20 Mule Team and it is the exact same thing.

      Your grandma probably knows all about the stuff. They used to use it in washing clothes. They didn’t mess around with stains back in the day. Just throw a low grade acid on it. :-)

    7. chris Says:

      Dumb Question…where can one purchase borax? I have only found Boraxo which has soap mixed in…I’ve been overrun and need some soon.
      Thanks

    8. Jeff Says:

      Yeah i have fire ants too but i find them everywhere and i don’t know where they are but i found some in my sister’s bedroom,my brothers computer desk, my staircase, the floor, the kitchen, bathroom, and i am even scared to get bitten by these ants everywhere and my parents don’t know what to do and i am looking online to search for solutions. But i did a test and i found out that hot water doesn’t always work. It depends on how much you pour, and how hot it is because the hotter it is it will kill the ants easier. and i am going to try the vinegar. and sugar with borax and water. and i am going crazy. and my brother is telling me to tell my mom to hire a professional to do it. Red ants are really annoying -_-

    9. Laura Says:

      I don’t know about customs etc, but Chinese Chalk is still sold in Canada - usually in China Town or any Chinese/Vietnamese corner store.

      I’m using Borax now…so far it’s successful. I’m going to try the homemade ant bait this weekend.
      Thanks for the how-to all-natural tips!

    10. asrsjb4ever Says:

      I USE NAIL POLISH REMOVER OR VINEGAR THE BOTH WORK WELL

    11. BlueCornMoon Says:

      I mix a little 20 mule team borax with sugar or syrup & put it wherever I’ve seen ants. They take it back home & it kills the colony.

    12. alexis Says:

      well i know all about the chinese chalk stuff but i cant find the website anywhere!!! we used to buy it at soo kim in peoria illinois but kim had to stop selling it or the government was going to close down her shop… can you find the web address for me and email it??? i know when we did use that product it killed all insects, spiders, cockroaches, ants, and the like. it never harmed our pets, or myself or my family members, and i would like to get my hands on more. if you could be of any assistance that would be terrific. thanks so much, and your website has been very helpful. i have also found out that cloves and oatmeal make sufficient ant repellants if used in conjunction with each other. thanks again

    13. tom Says:

      use ant poison

    14. Lisa Says:

      We have ants living under our house, or at least we think thats where they are. We have laminate flooring, and they just come out from under the skirting board. We’ve tried tracking them, but they come from everywhere! So we’ve tried baby powder, but it doesn’t seem to help. Problem is, we also have a pet marmoset, who has a penchant for eating EVERYTHING he can. Hes only just recovered after eating an ant which had eaten ant poison, so we need to try something else. Is there anything we can use which will be harmful to the nts but not my monkey?
      I live in the UK if that helps. :)

    15. CR Says:

      Sadly, here in Los Angeles where they claim an entire unbroken colony stretches hundreds of miles nothing works.

      Best I’ve been able to do is keep food off floors and counters.

      Caulk cracks in window sills and floor boards.

      Use expanding foam around pipes and in places where there are big gaps.

      Around the house wet down the ants to give ‘em hell.

      An undisturbed colony is more efficient than one that’s under constant attack.

      The Terro baits don’t work. The ant stakes don’t work.

      There is supposedly a poison from China that makes the ants confuse their own scent with an invading ant and kill each other.

      Apparently they eat themselves to death.

      I didn’t believe it or want to wait so long for the poison, but then I saw on the news that some US scientist was claiming credit for designing a poison that did the exact same thing.

      Obviously they stole the formula from the Chinese stuff.

      You can find it online if you search.

      There are a lot who try sell different versions.

      Only one is the original.

      It’s a poorly designed website with crappy text and no photos.

      They ship from China and I think they might lie on the customs forms to get it here. I will try to find it again.

      I’m going to try the borax, however I’ve heard aspartame works on carpenter ants as powder and also fire ants when wet.

      Ants=pain in the but

    16. Christina Says:

      Huge problem, we have a new home being built next door and since the hot weather and the digging next door, I believe that is why our house is full of ants. Everyday, we wake up to tons of ants in our kitchen and sometimes even in our rooms. We clean our kitchen and mop it every night with some bleach and also our counters (that’s how bad its gotten) and no luck. Any suggestions?

    17. Rob Says:

      Well, for the quick, permanent, and very toxic way. vinegar and wd40. enjoy

    18. Kyli Says:

      For me I find the best way to get rid of ants is smushing them. Simple and cost free,just have a lot of time on ur hands..

    19. Sue Says:

      In the past I’ve used a bottle of Diatect Results Ant Killer. Their products are supposedly all-natural and safe around kids and plants. I found it to be extremely effective in eliminating my ant problem and it was only $20 for a bottle. I read lots of their testimonials and that’s what hooked me and I feel the need to pass it along to others.

    20. MrBill Says:

      Two different people from Texas have told me to sprinkle DRY OATMEAL around. The ants take it back to the queen, and ingest it, where it expands in their stomachs, making them explode.

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