Getting Rid of Ants

Q.    I have a question about ants. We have had a problem with the small, brown ants.  We have tried the borax & sugar, and poison, nothing works. Does anyone have any suggestions?

• We have 'them, too. About everybody we know does, here in Southern California. We don't like to spray poisons around, so we have to put up with them to some extent, but we have found that they hate baby powder (preferably scented talcum). If you find a trail of them in your house, or some "scouts" looking for food so they can bring the rest of their nest to enjoy it, just sprinkle the baby powder on the ants and wherever they are coming in from, if you can find it, and you will see them begin to get upset. After a while, they'll be gone, and they won't be back again for awhile, even after you remove the powder. We dust  baby powder on our honey jar and sugar bowl, as well as the outside of the cats' dish and it keeps the ants off.

• Sounds crazy, but try vinegar! Fill a squirt bottle with plain old cheap white vinegar, and squirt it anyplace you've seen ants (kitchen counters, windowsills, etc) and let it dry. It's non-toxic, won't harm anything, and the smell will go away in just a couple of minutes. It worked for me!

• I have a suggestion for the ant problem; plain old cinnamon. I put in or at the site of the ant invasion, they back off quick!

• Black pepper is a nonlethal, poison free, cheap, and safe way to get rid of ants - sprinkle the black pepper where you see them congregating and watch 'them scatter. Follow them to where they're exiting - which is the same spot they're entering in at - and sprinkle the pepper at that spot to keep them from coming back in. It's safe to use in your cabinets, on windowsills, near your pets and kids, around food, etc.

• I have a book with several tips for the use of apple cider vinegar. One of them is getting rid of ants.  Make a mixture of 50/50 water and vinegar and pour it into a spray bottle. Spray the surface with the solution several times a day. Ants guide themselves with their scent. Vinegar has a natural chemical that alters ants' scent and which ants avoid.

• My husband was in conversation recently with a gentleman in the pest control business. This man preferred to use environmentally safe methods to control pests. His recommendation for ants was: equal parts Windex and Ivory Soap. Simply mix, and spray problem areas.

• Most ant poisons have a sweetness to them that attracts most but not all ants. Some ants are attracted to grease. Observe your ants and see what they like, maybe you need a different bait. Also, though this is sometimes difficult, see if you can trace them back to where they are getting in, because caulking is usually the best solution, as it prevents recurrence.

• I live in south Florida, the bug capital of the world, and I don't use anything toxic in or around my home. I discovered a safe way to get rid of ants. I found Shakley's Basic H. It is a non-toxic soap made from soybeans. I take a pint spray bottle, fill it 1/3 with Basic H and 2/3 with water, mixing gently. Follow your trail of ants to try to discover where they are entering. Spray a thin stream of the mix around where they are coming in. I also spray around my door frames and into any openings where they might enter. Caulking any little holes or openings is also helpful. Please remember this is a SOAP. Do not spray where it will be stepped on and someone will slip. I reapply it as needed. Try to keep it off painted surfaces as it will eventually bubble the paint. You can also put three tablespoons into a Miracle Grow feeder full of water and spray outside around the foundation of your house. It will soak into the soil and get into the nests. Do this once or twice a month until the problem abates. As an added bonus, use the same mixture in your feeder and spray your lawn to keep it flea free.  I also keep the little spray bottle handy to spritz any bugs that try to dash in the door when it's open. If it can kill a palmetto bug (roaches that are as big as B-52's), it will kill anything!

• I had a bad problem with them last year and tried everything. Then, I read in a book to place Bay Leaves on your counters and preferably along the trail where they are coming in (if you can find it). It worked. Now I make sure that I keep some behind my canisters, etc. on my countertops.

• We use plain white chalk drawn in a line at the place they come in they wont cross for some reason and also I use comet cleanser sprinkled where children/animals don't go.

• So far this has worked in my house. First you need to find out where they are coming in at. To kill ants that have entered  your home without poison I use straight Simple Green. Believe me it works. Then after they are all dead, clean the area and spray the area with a peppermint spray. Fill a spray bottle with water and add approximately 10 - 15 drops of peppermint essential oil , sometimes called Peppermint Spirits. Ants won't cross the area because they hate the smell. Hope it works as well for you as it has for me. Please note this can be dangerous to cats!

•Ants will crawl away from mint.  I did this as a science experiment and it worked.  Just plant mint all around your house.  Especially near doorways.

• A line of cayenne pepper usually stops them from crossing over it.

• Try putting some whole cloves around. I put them on the window sills and door jams and also sprinkled a few around in my bottom cabinets. It worked.

• I recently purchased the book “The Garden Guy – A Seasonal Guide to Organic Gardening in the Desert Southwest” by Dave Owens. Below is quoted information that may help you out.  Dave Owens, does the Garden Guy's segments on KTVK (Channel 3) in the metro Phoenix area during Good Morning Arizona. – C.L.

Outdoor Ant Control
Supplies: 1 to 2 gallons water
Stove or barbecue grill
Instructions: Heat water to 160 to 170 degrees. Quietly sneak up to the mounds of ants and pour the boiling water down the hole.
Note: I normally try to do this between 11am and 2 pm.

Indoor Ant Control
Supplies: 1 tbsp. boric acid
  1 tbsp. mint jelly or peanut butter
  1 cracker
  Small cardboard box
Instructions: Mix the boric acid and mint jelly; spread mixture on a cracker. Punch pinholes in a cardboard box; place cracker inside. Place box in an area where ants cause problems, but away from children and pets.
Note: The mint jelly or peanut butter lures the ants in and the boric acid kills them.

Indoor and Outdoor Ant Control
Supplies: Diatomaceous earth
Instructions: Dust food-grade diatomaceous earth along the ant’s pathways.
Note: The white powder will cut through their exoskeleton and they will dehydrate and die.

Indoor and Outdoor Ant Control Supplies:
1 1/2 cup Cream of Wheat
Instructions: Place a dish of Cream of Wheat where the ants can access it.
Note: After they eat it, the cereal expands and the ants will explode.

• Red chili powder !! I've been using it to repel ants for years. Make a paste using a little water, find where the little black pests are coming in and going out and paste the area. you can sprinkle the powder too, but I find adding water makes it more potent. The ants hate the stuff. Brooke and Mary B.

• To trap ants leave an open bottle of maple syrup (cheap stuff is ok) the ants love it and they drown happy. Just make sure you your children and sig. other know about it (LOL). Also I have had luck with the Torro ant poison. It's like a syrup. This they take back to the colony. - Lucy

• Mix borax with sugar water. Place it on the ant trails and where the ants are coming in. It kills any ant that eats the mixture. From CSinbad

• Some mint oil and mint chewing gum help repel ants in a house. placed a stick or open pack of chewing gum on a shelf. Outside you can plant mint around the foundation. It makes a good groundcover and is fragrant when it's stepped on. I hope this helps. Please let me know. - Diana

For More Ant Removal Suggestions Click here!

Re: Ants article

Ants
make a pile of sugar at the bottom of the garden. Lead a thin trail to the point where ants are entering the house. Sweep up any ants in the house. The rest go to the pile of sugar.
QED

gdpeel@btinternet.com - May 06, 2012, 03:25:36 PM

Clean out ants

You ever tried Charlie's Soap All-Purpose Cleaner? There's not much it won't clean, but it kills ants, too. Really. There must be something to it, if only because of their delightful "caution" on the bottle: "Do not spray directly on cockroaches, fire ants, fleas, ticks, termites, spiders, scorpions, wasps or hornets. In case of accidental exposure, rinse unlucky cratues with potable water for 15 minutes and contact your local Humane Society or qualified insect veterinarian for further instructions."

jim - April 25, 2012, 08:10:15 AM

Re: Ants article

Make sure you read all the posts because there are lots of suggestions.  Off the top of my head, I would try what this poster stated:

Borax and suger...i was usinf 2 cup suger 2 cup borax 2gallons water. water must be hot stir until suger dissolves. soak mound around the nest just enough to wet mound. leave for 24 hours and your promblem should clear in that nest. solution must be dissolved. outdoor only because it could be sticky.

*******

If you can't find the mound, we have taken a medicine cap and filled it with the solution and watched them drink up.  Just put it in their path to find it.  If you can't find Borax we actually used Boric Acid.  I think it took a few days but never came back.

Forum Admin - April 05, 2012, 08:06:43 AM

ants.

i have ants and ants and ants and nothing rids them. they  like sweets. and protiens. and everything else. peppermint schnapps? they like that too. they are coming in everywhere. its like they live in my house too. im going nuts. terro worked last year but not this year. what do i do????

B. S. Zoidberg - April 04, 2012, 06:45:18 PM

Kill ants w/o chemicals.

I am glad to have eco friendly answers to getting rid of pesky ants. I haven't used them yet but can see things that will not harm my grandchildren or cat. This is of course just as important. Thank you.

CarolynK - March 26, 2012, 12:26:35 PM

Re: Ants article

I am a tech guy, so Terro   which is essentially the same Boric Acid and sugar riecpe my grandpa sold in his hardware store 75 years ago   was about the **last** product I tried to control ants.  Instead, over the years I have used every chemical bait system known to the FDA and then some. Of course, bait is the only way to go with ants; you never want to kill them directly because that will only increase their egg production and make the problem worse.  Its total nest elimination, or else a worse problem a few weeks later. Over the years, I have found some decent modern bait systems. But this year, we were invaded by Argentine Ants.  Literally thousands of these tiny eating machines appeared.  I tried every ant bait I could find in home depot, menards and Lowes   to absolutely no effect.  Interestingly, they actually ate roach bait I had and they loved it (but no effect from that either). Finally, I bought Terro which was quite literally the last product available from the big box retailers that I had not tried: what chance did Boric Acid have where Avermectin, Dinotefuran, and N-Methyl-N'-Nitro-N-Tetrahydro-3-Furanyl-Methyl-Guanidine all failed?? I set 5 drops spread on the windowsill of the window where I saw the most ants.  In 15 minutes, thousands of ants were swarming the drops.  They fed all day and all night 24 7 (have to hand it to the Argentine Ant   they are truly amazing creatures).  I had to replenish the drops which were gone after about 5 hours!  The feeding kept up for 2 days, and then I noticed a sharp dropoff in the number of ants and a lot of dead ants.  A day after that, no ants. Moral?  Don't be fooled by thinking modern science can hold a candle to this stuff.  If you have sugar eating (Sweet) ants of any kind, get this stuff.

Gabrieel - March 15, 2012, 07:31:23 AM

Ants article

Thanks for the article on ants!  Was very helpful.

Shane - March 06, 2012, 01:07:04 AM

outdoor ants with pavers

Borax and suger...i was usinf 2 cup suger 2 cup borax 2gallons water. water must be hot stir until suger dissolves. soak mound around the nest just enough to wet mound. leave for 24 hours and your promblem should clear in that nest. solution must be dissolved. outdoor only because it could be sticky.

David - February 19, 2012, 12:57:27 PM

Re: Ants

I've lived with ants for years, I've tried just about every remedy mentioned above. I try to keep my house as clean as possible and pay an exterminator to come in once a month. The ants are imuned to everything by now. This should be my worst problem.

lena - January 30, 2012, 12:21:14 PM

Ant riddance

I find the best way us to go outside and look for a ant trail up or along an outside wall. See where they are entering and block the hole. They get very confused but move along to another spot. Do same treatment. Eventually they disappera. Mike

Mike - January 26, 2012, 07:19:04 AM

yip

after reading these comments i went and tried the body talc idea. To discover that this is a very affective and fast action plan. I put on the front doorsteps, and on the carpet where entry points are. within minutes the ants went nuts and they were gone.

TAZZ - November 30, 2011, 05:02:35 PM

Re: Ants

I have had tiny brown ants invade my kitchen but only on one side of my kitchen where the food cupboard is, ,I was told by a friend of ours who works with pesticides to use Boric acid or Borax laundry detergentand mix it with powdered sugar, 1 quarter cup of sugar to 1 half cup boric acid or the detergent. I watched where the ants were comming from so I put this mixture on my cupboard by their opening to the wall that they were using and after a couple hours I had a trail of many ants comming and going carrying this mixture into my wall where they must have been nesting,after about a week I never saw another ant after that. The boric acid is also the same ingredients used in pesticdes for ants.I have had many friends also try this same remedy and they swear by it! Please do not kill any ants if you spot them,they give off a danger oder to other ants and they will move their nest elsewhere in the house which could be harder to find where they are comming from next time! Please keep this mixture out of reach from pets and children!.

Mardy - October 28, 2011, 04:53:15 PM

Re: Ants

I have just spent the last half hour or so reading anti ant posts and having a laugh about marvellous concoctions for doing away with the annoying little blighter’s. (some good, some not). Ants are either sweet eaters (carbs) eg. flower nectar, aphid milk, scale insect milk, jam on kitchen benches etc. or meat eaters (protein) eg. insects dead or alive, dried up snails, pet food, etc. Queen ants need a bit of both. The active ingredient I use to lace their last supper is borax powder, mixed with blood and bone garden fertiliser, for the meat eaters, at a rate of 20:1 blood& bone -- borax power. Mix in well with a stirrer and add a little cooking oil to help with the adhesion of the powder to the b&bone. Place the bait where the ants are preferably in a container with access for the critters and out of the way of your pets. For the sweet eaters mix 20:1 maple syrup --- borax powder. Mix well with 1-tsp icing sugar add a little water to make a runny consistency and place in a flat container eg. jar lid, where the ants are, being vigilant to keep away from your pets. Now for bull ants. I live in Tasmania with nasty bull ants called "jack jumpers" that can kill men with just one sting and have done so in the past. The only effective way deal with these marauding soldiers is to locate their nest mounds, which may take a bit of time. This can be done by following a fully laden individual with food in its jaws as they usually make a B line strait to their nest. Once the nest is located be careful not to aggravate them and return to the site at dusk when the troops are back home. Pour petrol down the entrance to the nest. No ignition is necessary as the volatile vapours do the job. This kills them outright, queen and all. This seems a bit over the top but it works. By the way don’t smoke when you carry out this last exercise. Good luck

Max - October 20, 2011, 05:16:07 AM

Re: Ants

They are driving me NUTZ!! and to think that feeding colonies is helping the environment is even nuttier. I may consider myself an environ-mentalist...but I don't feed ant colonies. So we tried the borax/sugar/peanutbutter mixture. It was more liquid than pasty. Perhaps we failed in making the right mixture. Irregardless, 3 cups of sugar to one cup of borax and pb simply bored them. Not a single curious ant. Not a lick, not a nod. Windex was used as the first thing to grab upon discovering a 'train' in the kitchen lined up to the chicken packaging in the trash. HUH? they aren't interested in sugar....they are meat eaters?, The Windex killed them on contact and softened the paint on the cupboards. But it didn't stop the cavalry from returning time and again. I did not have any opened food in the cupboards, so they seemed to stay away until today. I now take whatever piece of trash outside to the trash can and have turned into a neurotic vigilante, armed with Windex. They never bothered with the fruit bowl on the counter, or the containers of grains...sealed before they arrived. Cinnamon headed them off at the pass, but the thousands of armies only relocated elsewhere in the yard, and most likely under the house where it is a crawl space with screened air vents. There is a huge colony in the base of our orange tree...and they plowed through the 'Great Wall O' Cinnamon' with swords drawn and royal shopping carts filled to the brim for their Queen. I might try the corn flour around the foundation? Maybe some Castille mint soap? mint plants? I dunno!! I need HELP!! I think our problem is gargantuan, and any effort is nothing more than using a tin can to bail out the applesanic. What's left? I feel like I'm ready to arm myself in true Elmer Fudd fashion and just blast their wasskally holes to smithuweeeenes, but that wouldn't help and I don't own a gun anyways. Sooooooo, chemicals? I might be ready....since my kitchen counter is covered with sterilized pots n' pans & de-greased skillets. All food is hermetically sealed, and I'm going away for a week. YIKES! What will I come home to? I would consider feeding them cat food, but the possums who make nightly visits to our orange tree would simple gorge themselves. HELP!! HELP!! HELP!!

going nutty - October 14, 2011, 09:13:00 PM

Re: Ants

Those Chinese hot oil ointment works too! we just had ants coming out of out electric outlet. So I dab some of the ointment on a cotton swab around the outlet. And within 10 seconds, none came out anymore. Some might not like the smell but it goes away real quick. Plus you dont need to put a lot. One swab is enough.

Akamyi - October 12, 2011, 09:56:08 PM

AWE AND SHOCK VERSUS HEARTS AND MINDS

I agree with Martin #74 and here is why. I use to hire a bug company and they sprayed everywhere esp. outside to combat the ants. Problem became worse. I realized when they sprayed outside. Hmmm. this killed all the food for ants. so they came inside and moved under my house I believe. 2 things have helped me. I feed them cat food around the perimeter of my backyard they love it and also let these daddy long leg spiders reside in all the corners of my house. they are benign and when you look at the pile of ant bodies below their webs you will be amazed. so they kill the few scouts who meander in and I feed the large flock outside. The ants have actually built a pyramid with my face on it outside (just kidding) but I have had the best antless summer. (occasional attacks occur that are shortlived.) Hearts and minds so to speak.

robert - October 10, 2011, 01:15:40 AM

noise

We live in the desert and have small but very sturdy ants with blocky heads. They appear in waves and will avoid cinnamon but what works best for them is noise. Bang a pot lid near them and they zoom back out the way they come in. We've gotten them trained so tapping a spoon will even get them skedaddling. These ants drown easily so we're careful not to leave puddles or crumbs of food around. When we do slip up and there are hundreds appearing out of nowhere, the spoon or pot lid has them disappear in moments..

jacob - October 10, 2011, 12:27:42 AM

Mankind deserves to live free of ants in our homes!

Well, the person who said to feed the ants is an environmental nut! I hope no body still believes in global warming as caused by mankind. One volcano eruption produces more pollutant than all of the industrial age. I think the best solution to KILL ants is the diatomaceous earth and ant baits. Keep everything scrupulously clean and mop with bleach/white vinegar. I wish I could plant the mint but this is totally desert and growing anything is difficult.

Linda - September 22, 2011, 09:54:13 AM

We should avoid killing Ants because they deserve to Live.

I have read most of this article comments and I agree with encouraging ants to walk away and try to find food somewhere else. But I don't agree in killing them, they are hard workers, they diserve to live like we do. They are among us for a good purpose, God knows what he is doing. Anyway try to do like me. I feed about 20 ant nest every day shredding some biscuits in my yard. - Regards to anyone who likes my idea.

Martin Buttigieg - Malta - September 16, 2011, 02:53:20 AM

Re: Ants

try using lemon. I tried baking soda at first and they crawled right over it, then I remembered hearing about using lemon to kill them, I squeezed it where they were coming in over the baking soda and it started a chemical reaction that killed them immediately! I left the lemon wedges where they were coming in by my sliding glass door and so far so good. hope this helps!

cherie - September 07, 2011, 10:17:59 AM

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