Ants in the kitchen, they are the tiny ones, can't get rid of them!?
Question:We did research on how to get rid of them, we tried the traps--they just ignore them. We tried spraying with a product called 7even on that side of the house, which is where our deck is. The deck makes it hard to access, but this product has a hose attachment, and my husband sprayed under there as best he could. We tried setting out the Borax and sugar, and they didn't seem to go for that either. I pulled all the appliances away from the wall and cleaned well, then sprinkled Borax back there. We've done everything we can think of, and still they persist! They are definitely coming in under the deck. Any other things we can try? Thanks!
Answers:
Check to see if Terro is available in your area. I use it in our house every year when the ants find their way in. It is a boric acid solution in a syrupy liquid. Locally I can get it in bait trays, or in a bottle. You pour a little on a piece of cardboard and slide it behind the appliance or somewhere else out of reach of pets and children. At first you will notice more ants, because they love the stuff. But after a day or two, suddenly, no ants! They carry it back to the nest and feed it to the queen and the larvae and it kills off the colony.
ants hate the smell of peppermint..try to get some peppermint air freshener, this has worked for me more than once
My house is on a slab, so I've had ant problems numerous times. What's worked for me was Boric Acid powder, mixed with a tiny bit of powdered sugar. I've never used Borax., as a neighbor said it didn't work and Boric Acid powder works better, and he was right. With a disposable spoon, put the boric acid powder and powdered sugar mixture around the baseboards. You can even put some under the deck, if you have no pets. Be careful if you have pets or small children. If pet walk in it and lick their paws later, they could be in danger.
Also, I've had good luck with ant traps, but it usually takes at least 2 weeks before they disappear. I put 3 or 4 ant traps down in the same area. Good luck!
She's right, ants do hate peppermint. Get some peppermint oil (can be easily found at a health food store), dillute it in water and wash down all the surfaces of your kitchen. Get inside the cabinets very well, too.
You're also not going to see an immediate effect with the Borax, but the long term one is fantastic! What happens is the ants take the Borax back to their home. It doesn't kill them, exactly. It softens up their exoskeletons and eventually erradicates the colony because they just simply can't survive with that type of deformity.
Hope that helps!
Edited to add: Make sure you wear gloves or wash your hands very well after using the peppermint oil treatment. It can be highly irritating to skin. Best of luck!
Get Raid ant poison in the spray can. I have this problem every year. Had to spray last week and they were all gone over night and haven't come back. I usually only have to treat once or twice throughout the whole summer with it. Just barely press the nozzle down enough to give out a stream instead of the full spray (so it won't get everywhere) and let it run down the seems of the counter/walls where ever they are coming in. Make sure to get around widow seals etc. I wouldn't spray this outside because it can harm wildlife and pets. Be careful about spraying around fish aquariums or bird cages and their food sources...and yours.
She is right.Terro is the way to go. My kids think it is cool to see all the ants clustered in a circle around the little pool of Terro liquid. And believe me alittle of this goes along way and it works like a charm. Most of the time the bottle will come with these little cardboard pieces that you can tear for the base to put the terro on but you can use just a little piece of paper or cardboard from anything. You would cut like an inch little square and add a few drops of the terro in the center. That and just sit back and say bye bye to the ants. Most of the ants will feed the day you put it out and it only takes alittle while for them to find it. Believe me you will be glad that you did. Oh and you would use this inside your house. But she is right, they feed it to the colony and in a few days no more ants.
Why not ask at the garden center? You have just proven that all home remedies are questionable.
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