Ants in the spring....

[mseaglecook]

Ants in the spring make me want to set my whole house on fire... rrrr

 

[msmofet]

Me TOO!

 

[caseydog]

I noticed last week after a heavy rain that fire ant mounds are popping up in my yard. They don't enter the house, but if you step in an unseen mound in the yard or garden, you regret it for hours. Most of the colony lives underground, but heavy rains force them to form mounds above ground, and if you don't pay close attention to where you walk, you are in for some serious pain.

CD

 

[pepperhead212]

I had that problem last year...well, almost every year, and no matter what I did, they came back! But Dollar General had a sale on a new product - STEM - and it was basically half price, buying 2, and there are two varieties, a spray bottle, that says "Kills Ants, Roaches, Flies", while the other, an aerosol can, says "Kills Ants, Roaches, Spiders", though they have the same ingredients - Geraniol, and Lemongrass Oil (safe for kids and pets, the label says, so I assume it's safe for adults!), which killed those ants! I sprayed behind the cabinet, and where the ants seemed to be going. And I never saw any again last year. I've been watching this year, but haven't seen any in the kitchen.

 

[Andy M.]

I live in a town house condo complex. Every year the association pays to have the exteriors of all the building foundations sprayed. For a small additional amount each resident can have their home's interior sprayed. The ant problem we once had is in the past.

A product called Home Defense works great to spray the exterior of you foundation. I got it at Home Depot.

 

[jennyema]

I’m over it. I don’t care. But my wife is apoplectic about the arrival of the ants, which happened on Sunday.

 

[caseydog]

If you get Pharaoh ants, AKA sugar ants in your house, don't spray them with insecticides. The colony will divide into multiple colonies for survival. You need to use ant baits, like Combat. The ants treat it like food, and by the time they start dying, it is too late for them to divide into new colonies. It is also pet safe. You just place them in line with ant trails. A great place to put them is near your sink, as they come in looking for water.

I learned that from an honest exterminator who told me that spraying for Pharaoh ants would just make things worse, and have him coming back in a few weeks to charge me more money.

I had a plumber like that once. I had a problem, and he was booked solid for over a week. I described the problem, and he asked me if I had tools and was handy. I told him I did, and I was. He then told me on the phone how to fix the problem myself. It took me fifteen minutes.

Needless to say, they both earned all my future exterminating and plumbing business.

CD

 

[dragnlaw]

You were/are very lucky casey. Not often you find guys like that. I too had a plumber and electrician who were great helps, phone or stand and instruct me for next time. Even my Propane supplier was a gem. Saved me quite a few times and was honest enough to tell me there was nothing more to do when it was a hopeless, a far too expensive fix to even think about it.

 

[Marlingardener]

Here in Texas we know what season it is by the insect populations. We have ant season, red wasp season, beetle season, crane fly season, etc. Makes for exciting spraying and swatting!

 

[taxlady]

As to the helpful, honest trades people, I am reminded of a locksmith. I came home and couldn't get my key in the lock. It was a round key with a divot that had to face upwards and fit through a slot. But, that ring had somehow moved and was at 10 o'clock, instead of 12 o'clock. It was about 9:30 PM. I phoned the locksmith. I had to go find a phone, because it was about 1993 and I didn't have a cell phone. The locksmith asked me about the problem. Then he told me that it would be a very expensive visit at night rates. He said to file off the divot. If that didn't work, to call back.

Well, the hardware store was closed and I couldn't get into my flat to see if I had a file that would do it. I stopped in at a local resto that I frequented. I asked if they had a file I could borrow. I explained what it was for. The Derek, the proprietor and head chef, had a look at the key and filed the divot off with one of his knife sharpening stones. That did the trick. I always recommended that locksmith after that. I went home to see if the key worked and it did. i went back to the resto and had supper. It cost less than it would have cost to have the locksmith do it. I wasn't even a previous customer of that locksmith.

 

[Sweetbun]

Ants in the spring make me want to set my whole house on fire... rrrr

Ugh, this is exactly why I hate spring so much. They're just everywhere.

 

[caseydog]

Here in Texas we know what season it is by the insect populations. We have ant season, red wasp season, beetle season, crane fly season, etc. Makes for exciting spraying and swatting!

You forgot June Bug season, which has already started. Dumbest creatures in the animal kingdom. Crane fly season just ended. I am seeing red wasps. and watching for nests to knock down before they get established on my soffits.

CD

 

[mseaglecook]

We use Diatomaceous Earth inside and outside of the house. It has never failed us. I just hate having them come in at all. Also after the DE gets wet you have to re-apply.

I have also heard of people using Sweet and Low sugar packets to kill ants. (Fake Sugar) Something about they take it back to the center of the colony and it kills all who eat it.

 

[GotGarlic]

We use Diatomaceous Earth inside and outside of the house. It has never failed us. I just hate having them come in at all. Also after the DE gets wet you have to re-apply.

I have also heard of people using Sweet and Low sugar packets to kill ants. (Fake Sugar) Something about they take it back to the center of the colony and it kills all who eat it.

I've used borax, too. Just sprinkle it around the perimeter and in windowsills. They eat it and it kills them.

 

[msmofet]

Tried that and didn’t work.

 

[caseydog]

We use Diatomaceous Earth inside and outside of the house. It has never failed us. I just hate having them come in at all. Also after the DE gets wet you have to re-apply.

I have also heard of people using Sweet and Low sugar packets to kill ants. (Fake Sugar) Something about they take it back to the center of the colony and it kills all who eat it.

Boric acid works for roaches. Down on the Texas Gulf coast, cockroaches are huge. I'm talking three inches long... and they can fly short distances. We put Boric acid at all the doorways, where they are prone to get into the house, when I lived down there.

CD

 

[mseaglecook]

Hey CD,

Please forgive my ignorance but what is Boric Acid? I assume it is a powder of some kind and where can you buy it. We get those ugly June bugs coming in our front door. Also can it harm my dogs and cats?

 

[GotGarlic]

Hey CD,

Please forgive my ignorance but what is Boric Acid? I assume it is a powder of some kind and where can you buy it. We get those ugly June bugs coming in our front door. Also can it harm my dogs and cats?

Yes, it's a powder. You can get it at any garden center or big box store - maybe even some grocery stores. It's harmless to mammals.

 

[mseaglecook]

Yes, it's a powder. You can get it at any garden center or big box store - maybe even some grocery stores. It's harmless to mammals.

Thanks GG I will get some this weekend...

 

[taxlady]

Hey CD,

Please forgive my ignorance but what is Boric Acid? I assume it is a powder of some kind and where can you buy it. We get those ugly June bugs coming in our front door. Also can it harm my dogs and cats?

Yes, it's a powder. You can get it at any garden center or big box store - maybe even some grocery stores. It's harmless to mammals.

Boric acid also has medical and other uses. You can get a very refined version at pharmacies. I first heard about it as something to use diluted in water, as an eye wash.