# Frickin' ANTS, Help Me Please...



## fureverywhere (Jun 8, 2016)

The mice are somewhat disturbing. But they are cute and furry and they run away. The ants this year are incredible though. I know one thing I have to do is get outside and poison and boiling water on any ant hill I see. But inside it's making me nutso. I can't use spray. I have allergies and the dogs sneeze their heads off. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Blessed though, they are only little black ants. When we lived in Florida they had fire ants...who deserve their own little place in heck...


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## Butterfly (Jun 8, 2016)

In the front yard, where my dog doesn't go off-leash, I use a powder called Amdro Ant block.  You pour the little bitty kernels down on the ground and the ants take 'em back into their nest and it kills the queen.  Once you put the stuff down, you can just watch the ants coming from everywhere to grab some and take it home.  It's very effective.  If you kill the colonies in the yard, they won't come in the house.  I've gotten the stuff from Wal-Mart and Home Depot.  It really does work.  I haven't had a problem with ants since I started using it.


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## ossian (Jun 9, 2016)

As Butterfly says, powder does work. You can also pour some in a line outside the door of your house, they should not cross it.


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## IKE (Jun 9, 2016)

Thanks for the chemical name Butterfly I'll pick some up and put it down after I mow later today.

I don't have any problems with them coming in the house but I have noticed 'a lot' of ant hills in the backyard this year......they seem to run in cycles, I won't see them for a of couple years and then out of the blue they will reappear.


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## Ken N Tx (Jun 9, 2016)

A couple of drops of Terro and they will be gone in a week..


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## ossian (Jun 9, 2016)

IKE said:


> Thanks for the chemical name Butterfly I'll pick some up and put it down after I mow later today.
> 
> I don't have any problems with them coming in the house but I have noticed 'a lot' of ant hills in the backyard this year......they seem to run in cycles, I won't see them for a of couple years and then out of the blue they will reappear.


I know that we notice them worse when it has been dry. They tunnel through the sand below drives and patios and when it dries out, they have a great time building their catacombs. So, I assume that they prefer dry conditions.


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## Falcon (Jun 9, 2016)

Yes Ken.  Terro is the best IMO.


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## Don M. (Jun 9, 2016)

I've had good luck with TERRO.  We get a bunch of the small ants on our decks every year, and a few drops of Terro generally takes care of that nuisance within a few days.  It is impossible to stop them in the yard, and around the base of some of the trees, but if I can keep them away from the house, that is all I care about.  Besides, its kind of interesting to see the woodpeckers working on them throughout the year.


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## Pappy (Jun 9, 2016)

In Florida, we get these, I call them sugar ants, tiny ants that get into everything that's not sealed tight. They love the moisture around the sink area. We use terro too, but when one batch goes, another fills it's place. We have the house treated once a month and when the ants get bad, he will treat the inside of the house too.

And, the occasional Palmetto bug. Nice name for a giant roach. With the outside being treated, see very few of the roaches. One or two a year, maybe.


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## Loosey (Jun 9, 2016)

We have indoor cats so use cinnamon sticks on the window sills and kitchen counters.  They work perfectly to keep ants away.


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## tnthomas (Jun 9, 2016)

With ants in the house- they make pheromone(scent) trails along where they travel, so you have to spray your chemical deterrent all along the trail, all the was to where they actually *enter* the house.


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## Myquest55 (Jun 9, 2016)

We have also used Terro traps - available at ACE Hardware.  They take a while to work but the ants will eat and track the poison bait back to the nest where it will eventually do them ALL in.  We had a number of the sugar ant trails under the door last year but this year only one so far.  I am guessing the nests are gone.


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## jujube (Jun 9, 2016)

I've had great luck with spraying half ammonia/half water on the counters, the backsplash, etc.  It's what I use to clean anyway and it won't hurt anything.  What it seems to do is disturb their "scent tracks" and the new ones don't follow the others inside.  I get the little sugar ants twice a year like clockwork.


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## Ken N Tx (Jun 10, 2016)

jujube said:


> I've had great luck with spraying half ammonia/half water on the counters, the backsplash, etc.  It's what I use to clean anyway and it won't hurt anything.  What it seems to do is disturb their "scent tracks" and the new ones don't follow the others inside.  I get the little sugar ants twice a year like clockwork.



JMHO...That stops them in their tracks, but I want them dead!! Terro does that..


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## IKE (Jun 10, 2016)

I bought some Amdro yesterday and sprinkled a little around the mounds after I mowed......now it's wait and see.

Update: No ants in sight......the stuff apparently works.


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## jujube (Jun 10, 2016)

Ken N Tx said:


> JMHO...That stops them in their tracks, but I want them dead!! Terro does that..View attachment 29942



Oh, it does kill the ones that get sprayed and then keeps the other ones from coming in.


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## IKE (Jun 10, 2016)

IKE said:


> I bought some Amdro yesterday and sprinkled a little around the mounds after I mowed......now it's wait and see.
> 
> Update 6-10-16: There are no ants in sight......the stuff apparently works.


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## Butterfly (Jun 11, 2016)

IKE said:


> IKE said:
> 
> 
> > I bought some Amdro yesterday and sprinkled a little around the mounds after I mowed......now it's wait and see.
> ...


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## AprilT (Jun 11, 2016)

I might get some of that, I used boric acid, the worked for me, I also sprinkle cinnamon or similar spice across a pathway and that too has worked for me, but, lately I had seen the tiniest of ants around my sink, so I used the boric acid.  Not seeing anything in the past week of so since, but, I will be keeping that Amdro in mind just in case they do make another appearance.


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## IKE (Jun 11, 2016)

Butterfly said:


> IKE said:
> 
> 
> > I toldja so!  It works like a charm.  The first time I used it I was skeptical.  I stood there and watched all the ants busily picking up the grains and carrying them home!  Kinda keep an eye on them and put more down if you see stragglers.  You probably won't though, unless you've got neighbors with ants who come in your yard to repopulate.
> ...


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## Ken N Tx (Jun 12, 2016)

AprilT said:


> I might get some of that, I used boric acid, the worked for me, I also sprinkle cinnamon or similar spice across a pathway and that too has worked for me, but, lately I had seen the tiniest of ants around my sink, so I used the boric acid.  Not seeing anything in the past week of so since, but, I will be keeping that Amdro in mind just in case they do make another appearance.



Terro contains boric acid.


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## AprilT (Jun 12, 2016)

Ken N Tx said:


> Terro contains boric acid.



Oh, OK good to know.


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## Jackie22 (Jun 12, 2016)

We have a major problem with fire ants here in Texas, I use Amdro on them, but we are never really rid of them....at one time I had carpenter ants in the house a bait poison got rid of them.


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## WhatInThe (Jun 25, 2016)

tnthomas said:


> With ants in the house- they make pheromone(scent) trails along where they travel, so you have to spray your chemical deterrent all along the trail, all the was to where they actually *enter* the house.



This is where many over look getting rid of ants. Can't panic when you see them. Observe them and see where they are coming from( warning they have no problem taking the scenic route). Seal off the entry point then spray. Actually if you use a poison you have to let them eat a few days then seal off their entrance because the poison has to make it back to colony.  

And yes getting rid of their scent trail is critical. Leave it and they will eventually follow it again. That means clean their path. Just like tn said I spray pesticide on a paper towel or cotton and wipe areas they were or traveled.

I should add I've had good luck with cedar mulch. It doesn't work right away but after a few weeks in the sun and occasional waterings and stir up it has cut down the ants significantly. Spread about a 4 inch wide trail around the entire house. Even on a larger house it should only take 2 bags tops.


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## Debby (Jun 27, 2016)

fureverywhere said:


> The mice are somewhat disturbing. But they are cute and furry and they run away. The ants this year are incredible though. I know one thing I have to do is get outside and poison and boiling water on any ant hill I see. But inside it's making me nutso. I can't use spray. I have allergies and the dogs sneeze their heads off. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Blessed though, they are only little black ants. When we lived in Florida they had fire ants...who deserve their own little place in heck...




Do you have any bark mulch up against your foundation?  Because I have heard you should keep mulch at least 5 feet away from the foundation because ants like to shelter their cities under it and if it's close to your house, inevitably they'll just travel straight up the foundation and in through tiny cracks.


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## WhatInThe (Jun 27, 2016)

Debby said:


> Do you have any bark mulch up against your foundation?  Because I have heard you should keep mulch at least 5 feet away from the foundation because ants like to shelter their cities under it and if it's close to your house, inevitably they'll just travel straight up the foundation and in through tiny cracks.



Excellent point. That's why cedar mulch is recommended not bark. Ants will make a bridge out of anything including bark/chips. That means no vegetation touching the house, no branches period no matter the flower, bush, tree etc.


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## Carla (Sep 9, 2016)

I used Terro a week ago and it seems to have worked. I have to keep checking, there are a lot o pavers, two walkways and a patio. Worked better than the sprays or anything else I have tried. Thanks for the tip, it was easy to use and effective.


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## Ken N Tx (Sep 10, 2016)

Carla said:


> I used Terro a week ago and it seems to have worked. I have to keep checking, there are a lot o pavers, two walkways and a patio. Worked better than the sprays or anything else I have tried. Thanks for the tip, it was easy to use and effective.



Yes it works....Takes about a week but they are gone!!!


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## debbie in seattle (Sep 13, 2016)

I remember as a kid in Illinois someone left a sugar bowl on our table.   Came home from school and there was a black trail from a window, down the wall, across the floor, up the table leg, across the table to the bowl.   Don't know why I'd remember something like that or perhaps it was the hysterics going on when the rest of the family saw it.   Needless to say, hate ants and am so glad we really don't have them out here.


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## Carla (Sep 13, 2016)

debbie in seattle said:


> I remember as a kid in Illinois someone left a sugar bowl on our table.   Came home from school and there was a black trail from a window, down the wall, across the floor, up the table leg, across the table to the bowl.   Don't know why I'd remember something like that or perhaps it was the hysterics going on when the rest of the family saw it.   Needless to say, hate ants and am so glad we really don't have them out here.



I lived in very old home where there was an ant problem. Like you, they were coming up the wall at least 3" wide. They got into all my food--they even got into unopened jars! Even in the toothpaste! These were the little red ones! Exterminator told us they get into the foundations and continuously lay eggs. It was a real battle. There was a chemical on the market ( since been pulled) not environmentally friendly but we used it because this was an all-out-attack. I had to get rid of them. I won but it was not easy.


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## WhatInThe (Sep 14, 2016)

Carla said:


> I lived in very old home where there was an ant problem. Like you, they were coming up the wall at least 3" wide. They got into all my food--they even got into unopened jars! Even in the toothpaste! These were the little red ones! Exterminator told us they get into the foundations and continuously lay eggs. It was a real battle. There was a chemical on the market ( since been pulled) not environmentally friendly but we used it because this was an all-out-attack. I had to get rid of them. I won but it was not easy.



Might want to try keeping a 2-4" wide path of cedar mulch surrounding the house including sprinkling or laying right up to the walls of the house. It takes a while for the odors to soak into the surrounding/under lying soil but I've worked really hard keeping cedar mulch around the edges of the house and knock on wood cut the use of poison bait down in half and only have to spray where I've caught them coming in a few times a year. And destroy old colonies if you find them and clean any areas where there was a trail because they leave a scent for the rest of the colony to follow to food sources.


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