We've got ants in the kitchen and I can't figure out where they're coming in. I have the bait traps on the counter and windowsill, I have scrubbed all the counters with white vinegar, we aren't leaving dirty dishes in the sink, and I rinse the dog's food bowl after every feeding. I've even started vacuuming every day to get any crumbs. They're on the counter that is against the window (tiny galley style kitchen), which has the stove, dishwasher, sink, dish drainer, and microwave. I took the dish drainer apart and ran it through the dishwasher Sunday. I've scrubbed the microwave. I opened the dishwasher this morning to put my breakfast plate in and there were ants all over the inside of the door. I'm running it now but I kind of want to throw up and then burn the house down.
Ok, I'm getting the Terro. I put the Raid ones out last year and they worked well, but this year they aren't doing shit and it's been three weeks. I even put fresh ones out last week.
We had to do 3 rounds of Terro to get rid of the ants in our kitchen. They are persistent little buggers, but it is the ONLY thing that worked.
If you can figure out where they are coming from, I recommend getting some clear caulk and sealing up the entry point. It'll help prevent them (or at least slow them down) in future years.
Look behind your electrical outlets. That is where we figured ours came from. I ended up having to tape around the cover to stop them from coming out. We did the raid liquid stuff which worked ok.
And as gross as it is, I just let them be so I know they're getting the poison and then back to the nest. So, I watch them marching back and forth for a day. Then they're all gone.
This is key (we also have ants). If you kill them right away, they don't bring the poison back to their nest or queen, and it won't solve the problem.
And as gross as it is, I just let them be so I know they're getting the poison and then back to the nest. So, I watch them marching back and forth for a day. Then they're all gone.
This is key (we also have ants). If you kill them right away, they don't bring the poison back to their nest or queen, and it won't solve the problem.
Little fuckers.
Another benefit of this is you might see their pattern/where they are coming from.
"Why would you ruin perfectly good peanuts by adding candy corn? That's like saying hey, I have these awesome nachos, guess I better add some dryer lint." - Nonny
We had to do 3 rounds of Terro to get rid of the ants in our kitchen. They are persistent little buggers, but it is the ONLY thing that worked.
If you can figure out where they are coming from, I recommend getting some clear caulk and sealing up the entry point. It'll help prevent them (or at least slow them down) in future years.
Our house is about a hundred years old and the previous owners did a pretty shoddy job of repairs/renovations, so it could be anywhere. One of our outlets is crooked and there's a gap between the edge of the plate and the tile. There are places along the baseboards where the quarter round just stops. We just redid our bathroom and the kitchen is next, because it really needs to be taken down to the studs and redone properly.
We had to do 3 rounds of Terro to get rid of the ants in our kitchen. They are persistent little buggers, but it is the ONLY thing that worked.
If you can figure out where they are coming from, I recommend getting some clear caulk and sealing up the entry point. It'll help prevent them (or at least slow them down) in future years.
Our house is about a hundred years old and the previous owners did a pretty shoddy job of repairs/renovations, so it could be anywhere. One of our outlets is crooked and there's a gap between the edge of the plate and the tile. There are places along the baseboards where the quarter round just stops. We just redid our bathroom and the kitchen is next, because it really needs to be taken down to the studs and redone properly.
I'm putting out cinnamon right now.
Yup. I have an 80 year old cape and I'm going to need to buy more caulk soon. I feel your pain! Unfortunately, old homes seem to have more bugs, even if they don't have the big problems ones (termites). Good luck with the renos!
Our house is about a hundred years old and the previous owners did a pretty shoddy job of repairs/renovations, so it could be anywhere. One of our outlets is crooked and there's a gap between the edge of the plate and the tile. There are places along the baseboards where the quarter round just stops. We just redid our bathroom and the kitchen is next, because it really needs to be taken down to the studs and redone properly.
I'm putting out cinnamon right now.
Yup. I have an 80 year old cape and I'm going to need to buy more caulk soon. I feel your pain! Unfortunately, old homes seem to have more bugs, even if they don't have the big problems ones (termites). Good luck with the renos!
Thanks! H bought the house before we met and sometimes I look at him and just shake my head. Good luck with your caulk. Heh.
"Why would you ruin perfectly good peanuts by adding candy corn? That's like saying hey, I have these awesome nachos, guess I better add some dryer lint." - Nonny
I know you're already getting the Terro, but I feel like I need to say get the Terro anyway. Haha.
Raid didn't work for us. Cinnamon didn't work for us. We put Terro out, watched a little ant brigade hit up the Terro buffet, then poof.... no ants a day later. It was amazing.
The thing with the cinnamon is it will deter them (maybe? It never worked for us, either), but not actually solve the problem. You want to solve the problem.
I get ants every spring, so this year I lined the edge of my counter against the window sill with baking soda. A few ants came by but then stopped, nothing like in past years. Also, I've heard that if you pour bleach on any ant hills you find outside along the perimeter of the house, that will get rid of them.
Post by kellykapowski on Jul 29, 2015 12:02:03 GMT -5
Terro. Best crap ever.
Be warned, the ants will swarm the bait for a few hours. There will be A LOT of ants coming in. Don't give up, though. Just leave the bate alone. They will eat it up, take some home to share, and then the deed will be done. It's magic.
We have the same issue and coincidently hired a company who left a poster on my door. They came out last Tuesday and haven't seen an ant since. The product they use is these small pellets and safe for kids and animals. It was some sort of special where I pay 85 dollars a quarter for one year.
If they return in between treatments they come out for free. I have never used a company but just like you I was getting fed up with cleaning everything, everyday and still seeing no reduction.
Let me find the company name; they are out of Norristown I believe.
ETA: The company is called Insight; I believe this is their site.
I had a bad ant problem a couple months ago. I didn't want to use any poison because I was afraid my small dog would get into it. What worked for me was putting a ton of cinnamon on the floor under the window and on the windowsill where they were coming in. Stopped them coming in within a day.