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So the ants are back in droves this year - any pest control techs out there?
Most years they show up when we get some heavy rain or extended dry periods and they are searching the kitchen. Normally my mix of boric acid and simple syrup (sugar water) nips them in the bud in a few days, or in a worst case scenario I sprinkle some food grade DE (Diatomacious Earth) along the window sill and base boards for a day or two and no more ants.
This year we are getting hit hard - the typical small black ants (argentine I think) and some that are slightly larger, also they are showing up everywhere - bathrooms, kitchen, living room and bedroom. They seem to be taking the bate and keep on coming this time around.

I think my next step is to clean out the gutters again (found an ant colony up there a few years back and they were gone for the season after a clean out), spray around the foundation with some of the home defense stuff and see if that helps.
Any suggestions on how to permanently rid ourselves of the ant hordes would be greatly appreciated.
 
20 Mule Team Borax, it contains Borax and ants and roaches don't like it.
This was suggested by an Orkin worker.
I've used it for years.
Sprinkle it around outside your house, as well as inside.
Much easier on the pets.
Or, use it to wash your clothes, if you don't like it.
 
I'll give that a try around the perimeter of the house and see if that helps - wonder if it holds up better than the home defense spray - problem up here with it is ya never know how long it will work with all the rain we get. Down south it was never an issue - spray the foundation once or twice a year and virtually no bugs would come in - but it only rains the few months of winter there so the residue didn't get washed away most of the year.
 
A mix of fresh active dry baker's yeast and honey worked for me.

This is the truth: Ants can't pass gas. When they eat the active yeast, the yeast in their digestive tracts gives off gas as a by-product, and it kills them. They also take it back to the nest and share so the whole bunch gets some.

It took about 4 days and that was it. It helps if you pulverize the yeast (weaponize it) before mixing it with the honey.
 
GO to the Dollar Store and buy several bottles of the Blazin' Blends 'Zesty seasoning' it's dark red due to the cayenne pepper in it. Locate the the main nests and encircle the openings with it. Season them well - also sprinkle it on their runs. I literally removed all my ants last year and I got the big uns' - carpenter ants.
 
I own my own pest control company
(Yes one of the good ones).
Its very fun to see what a lot of the home remedies folks come up with so I may just watch this thread.
:)

There are tons of variables and integrated pest management techniques that can better resolve or eliminate the infestation(s).
Some of these home remidies get spread throughout the interweb because some guy who knows a guy who knows a guy swears it works..
Meanwhile he didnt notice that potential outside elements could have aided
(if not been the direct cause) of his pest elimination thus the home brew is born.. Told to friends and neighbors.. Only to get most folks no where.
Example: Mayonnaise and mustard mixed in liquid dish soap and water.. He Swore it worked for spiders.. Haha.

The physiology of ants can vary, you first need to identify which type you have, next look at your yard.. See what vegetation surrounds it and also potentially feeds them (secondary food source)

From there you can treat more effectively.

We could go on and on, but effective treatment methods take time to explain and time is money.. There is a reason pest control is a trade job like anything else. Years of leaning and practice.. And in some cases trial and error. Because of those variables.. One treatment method that works for one guy may not work for another.

Just going to note:
If you cant get a wrangle on the little guys..

I do barter and I do give the
"mate rate" for NWFA members as well as family and friends. :)
 
I use tarro ant killer liquid, ants love the stuff to death. A few drops on the paper for a few days and no more ants. Good stuff!
Yep, that's what I use. A couple of days and they're gone for a few more months. It's interesting watching them gather around the drop of poison and watch the path too and from the crack in the wall. When they're all gathered around that drop, looks like cattle around a pond from several thousand feet up.

My wife gets upset and sprays bug killer everywhere to kill them. She doesn't have the patience to feed them the bait so they can take it back to the nest.
 
I use the Terro stuff as well to keep them controlled. About 2 years ago we moved from around the coast range near Gales Creek to around Mcminnville. Maybe it's the much warmer weather but there were many more bugs and the spiders were HUGE, and the ants, everywhere. The day before the pest control tech was scheduled to come out I went up into the attic of my garage for some car parts. There were 2 masses of those little ants and eggs, 1 as big as a football and the other as big as my whole arm. Turned my stomach. In the 15 minutes it took me to find the bug killer they moved the entire mess somewhere else. A few days later I snuck up without a flashlight and saw another moving mass. I had prepared ahead and had a can of ant spray and my shop vac. All the eggs and ants almost filled up the filter bag in my 5 gallon vacuum. Just about turned my stomach but hardly any ants since. Double bagged it and sent it to the land fill. Maybe that's like ant paradise?
 
Yep, that's what I use. A couple of days and they're gone for a few more months. It's interesting watching them gather around the drop of poison and watch the path too and from the crack in the wall. When they're all gathered around that drop, looks like cattle around a pond from several thousand feet up.

My wife gets upset and sprays bug killer everywhere to kill them. She doesn't have the patience to feed them the bait so they can take it back to the nest.

You guys have got it pretty covered.....This is exactly what I've done. I will also keep the counter extra clean with something like Softscrub, but I leave their trail to the bait pads alone. I figure the bleach in the Softscrub can eliminate the scent from their trails and does a pretty good job of keeping them right on track to the bait.

Spraying "Bug Killer" all over is a waste of money and my not be to healthy for the human inhabitants of the house. Most of the stuff doesn't have any residual effect and after it's dry the ants just walk right over it without harm, or find a different path!

Mike
 
I'm not trying to be snotty, but I always found that just waiting two weeks got rid of the ants. They come out of a sort of hibernation every spring and send scouts out everywhere looking for food sources. The scouts explore your house, and if it is clean (harder if you have kids!) the ants find no food and disappear.

Now if you are troubled by huge black carpenter ants, that is another issue! Normally they need a water source and come up from the ground, but in a couple areas of the Northwest there is an AERIAL carpenter ant that FLIES to nest in roof rafters! I once found them in the ridge beam when I had to re-roof my house. I was forced to use a nasty nerve toxin spray to exterminate them. Not fun. If you find huge black ants in your attic consult a pro!
 
I'm not trying to be snotty, but I always found that just waiting two weeks got rid of the ants. They come out of a sort of hibernation every spring and send scouts out everywhere looking for food sources. The scouts explore your house, and if it is clean (harder if you have kids!) the ants find no food and disappear.

Funny, maybe. I think it's a lot more fun to treat 'em like tiny cattle though. Seeing the things crawling all over the pantry and the food prep areas is a nightmare from the rental we used to be in. I'm not going to have 'em where I eat!

I haven't had them for some time. I bought up a bunch of Dursban granuals, AND liquid Dursban, before it went off the market, and I also have kept the areas around the foundation clear of the kind of stuff they nest in.
 
The Terro liquid is the bomb when it comes to ant bait, not only do they ingest it but it gets on their feet and they kill the other ants they walk on in the nest. The little plastic bait stations you buy at the store are a waste of money, I have never once seen an ant consume the bait.
 

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