I hate ants

[crl]

This rental house has a huge ant problem. We've been battling them here for 2 freakin' months. We've put out traps, sprayed in the garage, cleaned and cleaned so there's no food or crumbs out, etc. I finally called Terminex and they set out more bait and said they think we've got a colony living IN THE HOUSE.

I'm blaming the owner--they lived here before we moved in (we're the first renters) and DH came early and cleaned--used an entire bottle of bleach killing mold along the baseboards, etc. I think the owner just ignored the ants for years. Yuck.

Anyway, Terminex said not to kill the ants, because we need them to take the poison from the baits back to the nest to kill the queen. This is killing ME. I have ants swarming all over my kitchen sink.

BLECH,

[candybomiller]

That is nasty, nasty, nasty! Your landlord should be paying for all of the traps, sprays, etc. Make sure you submit your receipts when you pay your rent!

[tylersmama]

Ick! Ants gross me out. The vacation rental we had in Montana this summer had ants, so when our friends arrived (they got there first), they set off a bug bomb to kill them. That was great, except for the ant carcasses that were left all over the house. They vacuumed, but didn't get them all. I swear, the only time I took my shoes off the whole week was when I was either in the shower or in bed. I'm grossed out for you.

And I really hope the landlord is paying for Terminex!

[MamaMolly]

((((((((hugs!!!!!!))))))

Oh man, I feel you!

Our rental had/has crickets, then mice, now cucurachas. HATE, HATE, HATE it.

I am sooooooooo sorry!

M

[cstack]

Are they big black ants? if so, they're carpenter ants and they are living in rotten wood somewhere. It could be rotten timber in the house, or rotten wood growing next to or leaning against the house. You can try all you want, but it will be very hard to get rid of them unless you get rid of the wood. We had them, they were eating our bathroom and the only way we got rid of them/got to the source of them, was when we tore that bathrrom off (it was an old addition that was built on an old porch and turned into a crawl space). That's when we found the nests. Ick!

[crl]

Thanks for the sympathy. Yes LL is paying for Terminex. I e-mailed in advance and arranged to deduct from next months rent.

They are tiny black ants. Argentine ants according to Terminex. They are still swarming my sink (I moved one of the baits there)---yuuuccckkk.

[Jacksonvol]

Terra ant bait. I love it. the ants eat, crawl back to the nest and kill the larvae. You do end up with a lovely parade of ants. I used it this summer and put some outside as well. Next to where they were going through the mortar into the foundation. Also had the bug guy put bait in the crawl space and corrected some drainage issues that provided them with water.

do hate the tiny ant bodies in the house. actually tried to encourage spiders. sigh. With luck, you will have a good hard freeze to shut them down.

[punkrockmama]

EWWWWW. Catherine, honey, I am sorry and sending you all the ant killing mojo I can muster. Bugs are just plain gross and I feel for ya.

[tny915]

Yuck! I'm sorry you've got an infestation. Hopefully it will be over soon.

A bait that works for us is Grants Kills Ants ant bait. But I don't how it would do on the volume of ants it sounds like you have.

Hang in there!

[jal]

At least ants are not the disease problem roaches are.

I realize this might not be much of a consolation, but for those that didn't know, ants don't spread diseases like roaches do. This is because their bodies secrete something that is like an antibiotic. It prevents an ant from bringing a disease back to the colony where it might wipe out the entire colony.

[crl]

Thanks again everyone. The swarm on my sink is dwindling to a trickle. Fingers crossed that this means the bait is working, rather than that they have just moved to a different part of the house and I haven't found them yet.

And, yes, as awful as the ants are roaches would be far worse. Disease carrying, DS is allergic and even grosser than the ants.

Unfortunately there will be no hard freezes to get rid of them--we're in San Francisco. And here I thought a mild winter would be a good thing!

[crl]

DS was helping me clean up from painting tonight and when he saw the ants on the sink, he started reciting the fish's lines from Cat In the Hat. "You should not be here, you should not. . . ." It was hilarious.

[scoop22]

i use the dustbuster and sweep them up.. everyone of them. until they are right back at it.. i hate it. then i let dh take care of it. they gross me out.

definitly save the receipts. i would bill the landlord
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