ISO- HELP: Black ant infestation!

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
CWS4322

CWS4322

Chef Extraordinaire
Joined
Jan 2, 2011
Messages
13,420
Location
Rural Ottawa, Ontario
Help--I have black ants all over one room in my house. I have no idea where they came from except I have been patching some dry wall in that room. I have a dog so am concerned about using a poison/spray. S/one said cornmeal, but I want them gone now. They are not sugar ants and they are not carpenter ants. I tried bleach--they swim through that. HELP!!! Vinegar? What? For now, I have "barriers" of white shaving cream at the door and along the base boards. Shaving cream works, but I want them gone. Plain white shaving cream + hydrogen peroxide works great on blood stains. I always have some white shaving cream in the house for laundry. Works good on immobilizing ants until another measure can be taken (so I have discovered tonight--didn't know that until I tried it). It doesn't stain or bleach color, washes up easily.
 
Last edited:
Terro Ant Killer has worked for me. It's liquid borax. Goop on little cardboard squares, near points of entry. Vinegar will deter them, but it will take awhile.

They are nasty beasties! Good luck!
 
I have powdered Borax for laundry as well. Can I just make that into a liquid or will the powdered form work as well? I have immobilized 80% of them with shaving cream. Now, to figure where they came from....
 
Yes, you need to find where they're coming in. Borax paste should work, mix the dry with a bit of water, maybe put on small pieces of cardboard or wax paper.
 
They won't cross abrasive sink cleanser (Ajax). I learned that from RV usage. With RVs you sprinkle a barrier around your wheels and your leveling jacks. It works.

And what you need to do is go outside and find where they're coming from and spray ant killer on their hive entrance. You'll never get rid of them until you go to the source.

I have a dog too. Just keep him/her inside for a few hours and don't go crazy with the spray. A little spray at the hive entrance, and ignore the trails leading to your house. The army thins out and disappears without hive support.

And remember it's just a battle, not the war. You'll never win the war. All you can do is win each battle.
 
I have to say, the shaving cream has worked very well. I do have to deal with the problem, but the solution for tonight worked and will try both suggestions. I will have to tell the story of 6 cans of shaving cream and 20 bottles of hydrogen peroxide to clean the blood from a dog that was bit and bleeding from an artery out of my van sometime (a/k/a how I learned how effective shaving cream and hydrogen peroxide were for cleaning blood stains). And hence, why I always have both on hand.
 
Oh, good grief. Buy a package of ant traps. You put them where you think the ants might be coming in and exiting. they are only about an inch or so square. The ants go in then take the poison back to their friends, and w/i a day, gone. I always have pet friends, and of course they are attracted to their food. I just put them where the doggies or kitties can't get them. I've never had a problem last for more than 24 hours after placing them.
 
sometimes you have to look at the bright side.

you have well shaved ants with the whitest whites that would make the navy proud!


sorry, i can't be of any help. why not put down one of those whole house barrier sprays. they're supposedly safe as soon as they're dried.
 
I will definitely be doing s/thing tomorrow--I was trying to find something I could do tonight to "rein in" the infestation before it took over the whole house. Thanks, everyone.
 
CWS4322 said:
And I'm armed and dangerous with my can of shaving cream--go ahead, make my day you little 6-legged brats! You have no idea the weekend I've had...;)
Click to expand...

Put the girls to work. They love to eat bugs. Make them earn their living. :ohmy:
 
We have two dogs and I don't like using poison, either. But I've had to resort to using Black Flag before and just keep the dogs away from the restricted area for a day. Once the ant problem is cleared up, just clean the area up well.

(By the way, CWS, I tried to PM you but your inbox is full.)
 
I have both a dog and a cat. We use diatomaceous earth to rid us of ants. We sprinkle it around the foundation every spring and haven't had an ant in the house since we started. It's a natural substance, not dangerous to pets. You can find it in the garden sections of the hardware stores.
 
jabbur said:
I have both a dog and a cat. We use diatomaceous earth to rid us of ants. We sprinkle it around the foundation every spring and haven't had an ant in the house since we started. It's a natural substance, not dangerous to pets. You can find it in the garden sections of the hardware stores.
Click to expand...
I provide DE for the girls' dirt baths. It helps to keep lice and mites away from chickens. I buy it in the 25 lb bag. The girls love taking their dirt baths. In the winter, they have a DE "sandbox" inside placed in a spot where the sun shines through the window. They love having baths year-around. I left the last bag I bought at the farm, but will put it on the list of things to bring back next trip! DE is great stuff. Supposedly fleas don't like it either.
 
apparently people are taking food grade DE saying it cures what ails you, I would have to do a little more research before I digested the stuff, LOL

Yeah, I've heard the DE works great for insects and is one of the best things for bedbugs.
 
bakechef said:
apparently people are taking food grade DE saying it cures what ails you, I would have to do a little more research before I digested the stuff, LOL

Yeah, I've heard the DE works great for insects and is one of the best things for bedbugs.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't eat it!

DE works for slugs too. You do need to reapply after rain.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

arvanlaar
Help with Preserving Grandmother's "Recipe"
Replies
16
Views
2K
arvanlaar
arvanlaar
blissful
Tempeh, making it
Replies
17
Views
1K
larry_stewart
larry_stewart
medtran49
Mascarpone Brownies
Replies
7
Views
2K
dragnlaw
dragnlaw
N
ISO help w/cream-cheese whipped cream
Replies
8
Views
2K
neptune
N
Jennifer Murphy
Foolproof boiled eggs for idiots
3 4 5
Replies
86
Views
7K
fmw
F

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom