How do you get rid of "sweet ants" ?
Question:I live in a condo and I'm considering buying it, but we have "sweet ants". I don't expect to get rid of them for good, but I do want to keep them away as much as possible. Let me just say that I live in a condo that is connected to other condos to the left and right. There's no one underneath us, we're in a townhouse. I have found that bleach kills them and alcohol, but I have small children and I want to think about safety too. Please help me!!
Answers:
Terro ant killer. Follow the instructions on the box. You can get it at Wal-Mart. The box says it takes up to 2 weeks for complete control, but you will see results almost right away. It contains Borax so just place it out of reach of the kids, or if they are old enough tell them to leave it alone. You will see the ants drawn to the stuff! They eat it, carry it back to the nest on their legs and it kills all.
Salt.
Boric acid.
Figure out where they're getting in. Bait them, and seal the cracks/holes
Ask them nicely to leave, if they are really sweet ants they will respect your wishes! HA HA :)
Ask the neighbors if it's a constant problem or if it happens a couple of times a year. I used to manage an apt. building and we'd get ants coming out twice a year. They would be around for a couple of weeks each time and then go away. Usually they are looking for water, you find them in the bathroom and kitchen.
Sweet ants,aka grease ants can be eliminated using Grant's ant stakes. They
are available for both inside and outside use. For outside elimination, you can use
an insecticide that comes in a grey granular
form that will keep them out of your house
by applying the granules all around the outside of your house. However, you must
be sure to form a barrier completely around
your house. If you miss 1/8 inch, they will still manage to get in. You can also use copper wire or strands and surround your
house completely. Ants do not like copper.
Copper is also a very effective deterent
to keep these ants from attacking your fruit
trees. You can buy copper sheeting at agricultural supply outlets and surround the
base of your fruit trees (total circumference)
and the ants will not cross that copper barrier so you will have a higher yield on your trees. However, you must understand
that these ant have colonies that connect
for hundreds of yards or even miles. There
is evidence that some colonies are connected for hundreds of miles from one
county to another. All you can do is to keep
them at bay and from entering your house.
But you will never eliminate them completely. In your living situation, it appears that your neighbor (s) are leaving
food or dirty dishes in their kitchen or other
living quarters which are attracting the ants.
If I were you, I would talk to your neighbors
about this situation.
Mix 1/4 cup Borax with 1 cup sugar syrup (warm syrup helps dissolve the Borax). Put a drop anywhere you see the ants, they will eat it and feed it to the queen ant. They should die out in about a week. P.S:Keep this stuff away from your kids...
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