These ants are driving me insane!!

[Clint]

Originally Posted by maclufrontier

We've been battling ants in our house for weeks now. I've tried ant traps (the kind where they take poison back to their home and it is supposed to Kill Em All), I've siliconed around the baseboards, and we've cleaned the house from top to bottom. It never fails... 30 minutes after I get rid of a bunch off of the floor, 15 more are their to replace the dead ones. I don't know where they are coming from!!

Never use silicone as nothing sticks to it. If you put it where the molding meets the paint next time you paint you are in for a major surprise. The paint will bead up like water on a waxed car. I had a customer who siliconed the whole house because his wife freaked out over the ants. After I showed him how the interior couldn't be painted because of his handy work he sold the house. You will see the old color under the silicone against the new color paint. He put silicone on the baseboards, door and window casings around the entire 5 bedroom house.

[rorybellows]

go around your house and spray windex where you see them coming out then spray with fabreze sounds corny but it worked for us

[japan4racing]

also, if you have any area on your house where a tree or plant touches the house get rid of it! if you have a tree limb or some kinda plant that touches your house above ground level those ******** will figure it out and use that as a path

[mdawg4x4]

Originally Posted by igbar

This won't kill them but, once you find their point of entry, gob the hole/holes with Vaseline. They won't cross over it if it's in front of them, let alone try to burrow a hole through the stuff.

It'll slow them down a little, I guess.

They've been around millions of years before man and I think they'll be around after us too.

I found them walking the TV cable from a tree in the yard to the house and coated the cable with a good dose of Vaseline. It stopped that point of entry. A good exterminator contract helps.

I have also heard you can sprinkle grits around the yard, when it is dry outside. The grits swell after the ants eat them. Kill the queen and the rest leave.

[maclufrontier]

Originally Posted by WeeHooker

I get ALLOT of ants, (even carpenter type) since I live in the sticks with lots of shade/shrubs around the house. The best solution I've come up with ( after 15 years of reserch/battling) is to make my own bait from Borax. Borax is a notoriously good ant poison and very cheap to buy.
You can get some from your local hardware, farm store etc. ( Comes in a powder form in a small bottle.) Mix equal parts each maple syrup, suger, water & Borax and dribble it (or fill bottle caps) in places that they travel through. Aints GOBBLE this stuff up and take it right to the colony. Usually within 2 days they are all dead/gone. Works better than any commercial solution I've tried ( minus $300 exterminator visit.)
hth

The only Borax I could find was in the laundry section at Wal-Mart. I read the back of it, and it doesn't mention that it can be used as an ant killer. Do you figure Borax is Borax, or do I need to buy Borax that specifically says it is for ants?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Clint

Never use silicone as nothing sticks to it. If you put it where the molding meets the paint next time you paint you are in for a major surprise. The paint will bead up like water on a waxed car. I had a customer who siliconed the whole house because his wife freaked out over the ants. After I showed him how the interior couldn't be painted because of his handy work he sold the house. You will see the old color under the silicone against the new color paint. He put silicone on the baseboards, door and window casings around the entire 5 bedroom house.

I actually used the paintable DAP product. I know what you mean about true silicone - it is a pain in the butt!!

Originally Posted by Phil'sFrontier

Well first things first, you have to find out where they are coming from. Once you do that, if they are inside, you might want to start taking off drywall. Get them before they spread too far. As a carpenter, I had to deal with them once. Luckily we were demo-ing so it wasn't too big of a deal. but holy crap! The ants had a nest starting in the floor, going all the way up the wall, and into the ceiling.
I imagine it is very easy for them to travel around your house, they would just use the wiring/plumbing as pathways.

I would call a professional and get them to come take a look(like an estimate)

Wow! That's scary!! Hope the ants haven't gone to that extent in my place!

[igbar]

Originally Posted by mdawg4x4

I found them walking the TV cable from a tree in the yard to the house and coated the cable with a good dose of Vaseline. It stopped that point of entry. A good exterminator contract helps.

I have also heard you can sprinkle grits around the yard, when it is dry outside. The grits swell after the ants eat them. Kill the queen and the rest leave.

I kept them out of my trash cans by slathering a ring around the bottom of trash can. You could see them looking for a way around the Vaseline.
I also heard about grits. Never tried it though.
Since I moved up here to WA, no ant problems whatsoever...yet.
I hope I didn't just curse myself.

[Delta]

Atleast they ain't fire ants. Those things are taking over my yard badly. It's really bad when you're washing your vehicle in your bare feet and you step on them. People in the deep South will know what I mean.

[Zero Six LE]

Originally Posted by Delta

Atleast they ain't fire ants. Those things are taking over my yard badly. It's really bad when you're washing your vehicle in your bare feet and you step on them. People in the deep South will know what I mean.

I can totally relate to fire ants. They consider us a food source now. I have seen fire ants devour a small snake in an hour.

[Phil'sFrontier]

Originally Posted by Clint

Never use silicone as nothing sticks to it. If you put it where the molding meets the paint next time you paint you are in for a major surprise. The paint will bead up like water on a waxed car. I had a customer who siliconed the whole house because his wife freaked out over the ants. After I showed him how the interior couldn't be painted because of his handy work he sold the house. You will see the old color under the silicone against the new color paint. He put silicone on the baseboards, door and window casings around the entire 5 bedroom house.

Um....I guess neither he, nor you know about the wonders of paint-able silicone. NExt time your at the Home Depot or whatever you may want to look into it....or get a coloured silicone. Or just go with Acrylic.