Tiny ants everywhere - help

[Octobermommy]

We moved to a new house and there are ants everywhere. The tiny ones that are looking for food and with a toddler and preschooler they find food. I know we need to not have the food source for them but what can I do *safely*. I don't want to have pest control spray poison. Is there anything I can do?

[urquie]

from an old post of mine...
i've been successful using cornmeal to kill ants. they take it home to eat but can't digest it. it's important to keep the cornmeal dry.


HELP: ANTS! Would you let them spray inside?
http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=324828&highlight=cornmeal

[brittone2]

Mint (essential oil) stuck on a piece of tissue works well if you can find where they are coming in. A line of chalk can deter them too supposedly. Some people use a mix of borax and sugar (can google for more info). Borax is pretty mild but you wouldn't want kids ingesting it, so you'd need to keep it away from them.

[Octobermommy]

Thanks! I will try it today.

[Clarity]

We've used Terro Ant Bait with success. But, yes, tuck it away where the kids can't access it.

[Happy 2B mommy]

I swear our house is built on top of a giant anthill! I've had good luck with the following

Bio Block Organic Pest Control - LOVE this. Not as good as ant poisons/chemical sprays, but works pretty well. I re-apply weekly until the ant go away. I get mine at Walmart

http://www.bio-block.us/

I also second the Terro ant baits for places little ones can't get to.

[zag95]

Lavendar oil in water and spraying around works- also vinegar and water also seems to be effective...

[deannanb]

We've used Terro Ant Bait with success. But, yes, tuck it away where the kids can't access it.

:yeahthat: - love this stuff - it really works - you might see twice as many ants after you put it out - but don't kill them....

when I first discovered ants I read everything I could about them -
don't kill the ones you see - let them eat the bait and take it back to the queen - that is the only way to get rid of them - if you kill the worker ants the queen produces more!

[Carrots]

:yeahthat: - love this stuff - it really works - you might see twice as many ants after you put it out - but don't kill them....

when I first discovered ants I read everything I could about them -
don't kill the ones you see - let them eat the bait and take it back to the queen - that is the only way to get rid of them - if you kill the worker ants the queen produces more!

Jeesh! I never even thought to not kill them. Thanks for the advice.

I seem to have the larger black carpenter ants running around. I found they were eating the wood door frame in the front of my house and sprayed the crap out of them earlier this year, but am still seeing them (and squashing them) every so often. I will stop stepping on them and set some bait.

[MommyAllison]

Terro worked great for us too. Be forewarned, it is *nasty* how many ants will swarm the bait!! We had a line of them marching in and out at all times, with like 20 hanging out by the bait. It was so gross. But two days later, they were gone and haven't been back!

[Mikey0709]

This post could have been me a month ago when i was at WAR with ants... in my kitchen, bathroom - EVERYWHERE! I read online about Terro baits which you could buy at Home Depot ($$$) - - but also read that Terro is nothing but Borax! I bought a box of Borax (laundry aisle in the grocery store) and mixed with equal part of powder sugar and a few drops of water to make a paste. I put it on an old plastic lid and within hours had THOUSANDS of ants swarm it and eat it. I would say by the next day - all were gone!!!! I have no idea where - but it was incredible! I was at war for weeks and tried every natural remedy I could find, plus Raid, ant baits, etc. I wish i would have known about this a long time ago

[Jen841]

We had another problem brewing and DH put out one trap on the counter at night and we only saw one ant the next day. I killed over 20 the day prior! Stuff is amazing.