Help, I live in South Florida and I am being invaded with ants, what can I do?
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This year in south Florida is the worst I have seen for ants and I been here 32 years. I have sprayed and baited for a month, no luck. I have even cut back the plants that touch the house, still no luck. I am having a professional come to my house on Tuesday.
Move.
You need to tell us what kind of ants. Different ones will require different treatments.
i've had a lot of luck w/ terro liquid killer- you can buy it in several forms, from walmart or anywhere really.
Dust food-grade diatomaceous earth along the ant’s pathways. The white powder will cut through their exoskeleton and they will dehydrate and die.
Pour boiling water on ants, especially their anthill.
Vinegar poured on the anthill is said to work, too.
Some people use grated citrus rinds because orange oil is used against red ants. You can try Citrus Magic, an air freshener made from concentrated citrus oils (oranges, lemons, grapefruits, etc) which clings to the insect and permeates any exoskeleton & membrane.
Plant mint around the foundation & areas you don't want ants in (if you don't need it for a garden) & landscape with Cedar mulch. It would be effective & decorative too.
Or dig a hole into the nest with a shovel and pour in an insecticidal soap (a mixture of 1/3 cup rubbing alcohol, 1 tsp dish soap and water in a 32 oz spray bottle) into the nest and put back the soil. You may have to do this a few times to really get rid of the ants.
Borax is also effective. 1:1 mix of sugar and 20 Mule Team Borax detergent. Sprinkle the mixture in hard to reach places (away from pets) or put the sugar/Borax mixture in a small plastic margarine container with holes punched into it.
Aspartame (Nutrasweet ) seems to kill ants by interfering with their nervous system. It kills most ants by simply sprinkling in a corner & letting them take it back to their nest. For fire ants it worked best when moistened a little. Small black ants would not eat the aspartame until it was mixed with apple juice, then they would quickly take it back to the nest, and all would be dead within 24 hours, usually. http://www.proliberty.com/observer/20060...
Lots of suggestions here: http://www.thefrugallife.com/ants.html.. about using cayenne pepper, cinnamon, Simple Green, chalk, Bay Leaves, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, baby powder, Shakley's Basic H. (a non-toxic soap made from soybeans). Fill a pint spray bottle 1/3 with Basic H and 2/3 with water, mixing & spray.
Granular molasses applied with a spreader recommended here:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load...
Good luck! Hope this helps
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