SuziC

We use Home Defense. It's a spray that you use all around the outside of your house. It kills everything that crawls! It's safe for pets and kids. And you only have to use it in the spring and fall

illinois

The bottle of stuff I have is spelled Terro. Will spraying around the outside take care of these beasts if they are already inside the house?

I find it interesting that the responses are coming from all around the US. Is this a terrorist tactic to drive us all crazy??!! : ) Augh!

illinois

PS I find it interesting that the ad after this thread is from Terminex!!

clem55

Try Amdro. We got it at Lowes or Home Depot. Last summer we had tiny black ants crawling on the kitchen counter, and didn"t see any trail. I finally saw an ant crawl out of a tiny space along the edge of the window and molding( where you might put csaulking). Anyway, this stuff has a tiny nozzle and you put it right into or next to the space. NO MORE ANTS!! It can also be used outside. What we discovered later on, we had flower beds around the house that were filled with mulch. Try turning over the mulch, you will see thousands of ants! Now my beds next to the house are rocks!

illinois

Never fear, they will get into the rock beds, too. When I pull weeds out of the rock beds to keep them free of the weeds, the ants come up, too. I suppose they like the cool spot. But, yes, I've heard the wood mulch is really bad for attracting these things.

As to the boric acid, is that a repellent or will that kill the boogers?

Marjpf

I get an infestation every year when it starts to get too hot and dry outside. (Let's see, I'm an ant. It's hot and dry outside, and there air air conditioning and water inside, where would I be?) I have tried all of the above and more. The only thing I have found that works is to wipe down everything with diluted dish soap, then leave it to dry. I'm not sure if it get's rid of their scent trail, or if they just really hate the smell, but it works. Outside it put it in a sprayer and then go around the perimeter of the house.

sewgull

These are carpenter ants, they live outside and love to come in for a long visit. You will need to find the outside nest and destroy it before they will be gone.
Little ants will come in when it rains and they will come when it is dry. They are looking for protien, EX. soap.

redkimba

Use orange oil on the black ants. It's cheap effective and does not smell bad. You can get it at lowe's in the organic pest control section.

I also put down Ortho ant bait so they would take it back to the nest. (honey, I'm home, and by the way you're dead...)

Sandy1951

We've got them, too. Little ones on the kitchen counter and the big black ones on the floors in almost every room. I hate them! My hubby set out the bait that they take back to the nest, then last night he brought home something else that he sprinkled along the baseboards, but I didn't see what it was. Something is working, because I've only seen one of the black ants today and none of the little ones. I hope they're all gone soon.

QBeth

There was thread on this, back in the Spring, so you might try searching for that in case there's info there not already covered. I remember posting to it when I went to use peanut butter, put the container on the counter, and a flock of dark specks cascaded down. ANTS!! Freaked me out!!

We used the stuff from Home Depot that you spray outside along the foundation. Trick to it though.... you have to cut back any bush, flower, tree, that touches your house. If you don't the ants will use it as a bridge/pathway to get around the sprayed areas. Clever buggers!

As for cinammon, borax, etc., I was told that these things, including talcum powder, get in between their sections which is very irritating to them. Ahhh, to blinking bad! I sprinkled some talc on my kitchen counter, after doing the spray & cut back, and haven't had a problem lately.

Best of luck. Hate those critters! They came right into my sewing room thru an open screened window and chewed thru a canvas bag that I got at a quilt show. I'd left a piece of hard candy in the bag. Again, FREAK OUT!!!!