Ants...aack!

Submitted by Brittany on Thu, 07/24/2008 at 5:30pm.

We have been dealing with a huge ant infestation this summer...worse than I can ever remember. They seem to originate in our kitchen near our sink, but are now showing up in the cupboards surrounding the sink area and as I just noticed, in the dishwasher. We set out ant motels and it seemed to help for a bit. They are now back in full force and short of abandoning the kitchen and never cooking/eating again, we/I don't know what to do! Any advice?

» posted in Brittany's blog

173 reads | 11 comments |

1 vote:

Comments:

by laura - 3 years ago
Sandy, UT United States

Member Since: Feb 2007
Member Points: 1505

Ants are a pain - sorry! You can try spraying around the perimeter of the house with some strong ant spray, or have a professional do it (is this at your parents' house or an apartment you're renting?). If you can follow the trail to the source sometimes spraying those specific areas helps. Good luck!

by Franky - 3 years ago
Sherwood, OR United States

Member Since: Apr 2007
Member Points: 921

Britt is this at your folk's house or where you are baby sitting?

by Chaco - 3 years ago
LO - aka The Bubble United States

Member Since: Jan 2007
Member Points: 3068

Brent has LOTS of advice... Go to Home Depot and buy Combat -- looks like a big syringe. Squirt some onto the path of the ants. They will eat it and take it back to the queen. And goodbye ants. Don't kill the ants (this is the hard part for me, Charlotte) because you have to let the ants take the poison back to the queen to kill the source. Eventually, the ants will come back somewhere else, then you repeat the process. Have fun!!

by scott - 3 years ago
Salem, OR United States

Member Since: Jan 2007
Member Points: 3721

We had them here in our new house the first year. I went into the crawl space, sprayed Raid up 'under' the floorboards and we really haven't seen any since.. .knock on wood.

by Valorie - 3 years ago
Orange County United States

Member Since: Jan 2007
Member Points: 13594

Had ants here in the kitchen for the first couple of years and I just followed their trail out the window and around the perimeter of the house and sprayed it every time I saw them and it must have got them cause for the last 6 years never an ant to be seen.

by Robie - 3 years ago
United States

Member Since: Jan 2007
Member Points: 5180

In Los Banos we had them so bad we had to pay for a bug spray service to come every month. I had heard that baby powder works. They track it back to the the ant hill and somehow it kills all of them.

by Tachale - 3 years ago
Tualatin, OR United States

Member Since: Feb 2007
Member Points: 601

Wow - I guess I should get on turtlefox more often. I feel embarassed - kind of like airing my dirty laundry - but since Brit saw fit to tell everybody our "dirty little problem" - I might add that I have been paying 90 bucks a month for Terminx to spray the exterior for little pests like this, and the problem has only gotten worse. I will send Greg to Home Depot and cancel that Terminx contract!

by Valorie - 3 years ago
Orange County United States

Member Since: Jan 2007
Member Points: 13594

Wow, I would ask for a refund from Terminx.

by emmybass - 3 years ago
Central Point, OR United States

Member Since: Mar 2007
Member Points: 492

4 tsp. boric acid powder
3 cups water
1 cup sugar

Boil this mixture together to dissolve parts. Set out in little milk gallon caps or lids where they are coming out. The ants will of course come out like crazy to eat the sugar. They bring it back to their nest, the boric acid forms crystals in their stomach and it kills them. Don't let kids and pets eat this. It's a nice, cheap, home remedy without inhaling all the sprays.

Temporary fix - spray baby oil on places where you don't want them coming out.

by Valorie - 3 years ago
Orange County United States

Member Since: Jan 2007
Member Points: 13594

Cool. Thanks

by hseverson - 3 years ago
Portland, OR United States

Member Since: Jan 2007
Member Points: 2273

I've also used the borax/sugar mix with success. I never heard about dissolving it, though. I have just combined sugar and borax and sprinkled it. It probably works better the other way.