help! ants!

[stormer89]

so i have a bit of an ant problem in my apartment. ive tried raid and ant traps and cleaning my apartment and nothing seems to work. they just wont go away and they're everywhere. help! this is driving me crazy.

[AP670]

lI'll be back tonight I got this answer bookmarked at home.

[stormer89]

thanks! they're everywhere!

[TaciRain]

i have sugar gliders so i cant use anything too harsh for fear they'd be affected. but i douse my carpet in baby powder and then let it sit for a bit. vacuum it up. and then put ant traps down. the babypowder disguises the scent trails they've already let down and then they just find the ant traps.

[AP670]

What kinda ants?

You'll need:

water
alcohol
dish soap

Mix together in a 40:40:20 ratio water, alcohol, and dish soap, or in other words, equal parts water and alcohol, then half as much dish soap. You can spray this directly on the ants (kills them on contact... sorry ants, but you have to go), then wash along the trail line to eliminate their scent trail. Once you find where they are coming in, plug up the whole.

http://www.diylife.com/2008/06/05/all-n ... revention/

The first line of defense is to remove the attractants: keep counters free of crumbs and sticky spots. Cover the sugar and put the honey jar in a plastic baggie. Cut off water sources such as drips or dishes left soaking overnight.
If the ant invaders persist, try these simple measures:
Keep a small spray bottle handy, and spray the ants with a bit of soapy water.
Set out cucumber peels or slices in the kitchen or at the ants' point of entry. Many ants have a natural aversion to cucumber. Bitter cucumbers work best.
Leave a few tea bags of mint tea near areas where the ants seem most active. Dry, crushed mint leaves or cloves also work as ant deterrents.
Trace the ant column back to their point of entry. Set any of the following items at the entry area in a small line, which ants will not cross: cayenne pepper, citrus oil (can be soaked into a piece of string), lemon juice, cinnamon or coffee grounds.
Mix a half teaspoon each of honey, borox, and aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet, etc.), in small bottles. Place bottles on their sides, with lids off, in areas of most ant activity. Ants will carry the bait back to their colonies. Important: use indoors only; must be kept away from pets and children. Leave a small, low wattage night light on for a few nights in the area of most ant activity. The change in light can disrupt and discourage their foraging patterns.
Ants on the deck? Slip a few cut up cloves of garlic between the cracks.
Clove oil-based commercial ant deterrents are available online.

http://www.eartheasy.com/live_natpest_control.htm#a

...
...Ground Cinnamon

I, too, had a problem with ants when I moved into another house. Go to a dollar store and buy some ground cinnamon and put it where you think the ants are coming in. You can even put it on the window sills and it won't hurt your kids or pets. Try it. It works.
C

Catnip

I was investigating herb companions for my garden and came across this tidbit. Basil repels flies and mosquitoes. To deter ants, use catnip. Sprinkle it in their paths....
....
Try mixing this up. It works wonders for ants.

1 part active dry yeast


1 part of molasus or honey


a little water to thin


The consistency of this mixture should be like paste. Spread onto little two inch square pieces of cardboard and place anywhere you see ants. Replace as needed. It takes about two weeks, but this will get rid of ants.
Brent S....
...

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/980528a.cfm

...Ants follow “trails” left by other ants so that’s why you’ll see them in a line. If you put the food on the trail, they’ll find it. Others will go around it but soon you’ll have a line straight for your food source.

Apparently baby powder or talcum powder is not appreciated. I’m told if you dust the ants and the trail, they’ll stop coming.

I have used vinegar to destroy their trails and if you can get it close to the source, they’ll get confused and not come in for a while. I used it at full strength but some folks have diluted it with water. The other benefit to this of course is that it cleans the counters etc as you wipe out the ant trails.


Read more: http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/natural- ... JUjkUv0L&C...

....
http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/natural-ant-control.html
....

...Diatomaceous earth will cut up ants as quickly as it cuts up other small insects. You can scatter this around and it is not dangerous to humans or pets unless breathed in quantity

Read more: http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/natural- ... JUk6L8S3&C
...

Yep all these were saved in my bookmarks/favorits. and ohh so much more.... Go stumble....

[stormer89]

hm i like the cinnamon and catnip idea. i have pleanty of both. hm do you think itd work if you combine both with water into a spray bottle? thanks guys ill defiently have to try some of these ideas! i hope it works.

[AP670]

I think they work as a sprinkled line...so how's that work as a spray?

[Moon_Stone]

Just a note: be careful with anything you sprinkle or put out if you have pets. A lot of things are toxic to our pets as well but they don't know any better and will sniff or eat it up. I hide stuff under the couch and other furniture. :28:

~BB~
*M

[stormer89]

would cinnamon hurt a kitten?

[Moon_Stone]

I'm not sure, Stormer. I recommend calling a vet to ask that question-- there were some 25+ allergens I didn't even know about that were toxic to dogs that I had learned of recently-- I'd suggest you start with some Google research and go from there- but the general consensus is 'anything that isn't "animal food" (and even that's unsafe at times,) is considered questionable and possibly unsafe for the animal.'

Can't be too careful, really. Definitely call the vet before spreading anything potentially harmful around your home.

In the meantime, and not that I advocate killing any critters, but... soap kills ants and they hate it (the soap, not the being killed- though I'm sure they're not fond of that at all either). Get a wet papertowel with some soap on it and draw it across the ant-line... they won't be there anymore. (Generally takes a few sweeps before they stop coming back.) Toss the papertowel in a trash bin outside when you're through, some survive and will crawl right out of the towel. Then when you're done, rinse away the soap and there's no evidence of ants remaining for your kitten to get into.

~Bright Blessings~
*M

[theSeeker]

Plain old white rice will kill the ants once they eat it - when the rice hits the stomach and is absorbed by the gastric juices it will expand... hence exploding and destroying the body of the ant - causing immediate death.

Downy softening sheets is another way to keep ants (and other insects) away - just tie them around the ends of tables legs etc. I used this method to keep ants away from my sugar gliders sweet smelling food, worked like a charm.