#1piecemaker

I want to tell you about my experience before I tell you my fix. Just so you will understand just how crazy my life can get. My mama's house has just been invested with ants for the past couple of years. We have sprayed, called Terminex, cussed, and used almost every concoction we could think of, to get rid of the little pest. We have even eaten a few of them. hahaha!! (on an accident, of course) My mother is 92 years old. She has seen a little bit of everything in her lifetime. But, nothing has worried her like these ants! They don't bite or sting except on occasions. The old folks called them little sugar ants.
Well, I went around her house the other day looking for trails of where they were coming in at. I found several and all lead from some holes that had been knocked in the side of the tile where pipes were either going or coming out of. So, I went to the Dollar store and bought a can of that spay foam insulation. You know.... the kind that grows and fills the area it is plugging about 3 times the amount that you put in. Of course I tackled the biggest hole first. I sprayed and it came out about as fast as I put it in. So, without gloves...... I grabbed that wad of stuff and crammed it into the hole and smoothed it over. Well, it stuck to my hands like glue. I couldn't get it to come off. And, of course, who reads directions? Well, I tried water, then gasoline. Then I went to get my glasses to read the fine print and saw that I was not to use either one. It said I needed finger nail polish remover. There wasn't any in the house. None of us country girls ever painted our nails cause we always had our hands in dirt. My sister sensed my anxiety by that time and offered oven cleaner, achohol and perioxide. By that time cement couldn't have gotten any harder. Off to the store for finger nail polish. Paid nearly 2.00 for a bottle at the country store. Soaked my hands in it for 30 minutes and still wouldn't budge. Finally my sister asked me if I had tried washing my hands with dirt. I said What!!! She said, haven't you ever been on the river bank and had to wash the goo off your hands from the worms? So, I reached down and grabbed a handful of dirt and began rubbing. I dipped my hand in a barrel of rainwater and kept rubbing. I noticed a little bit of difference. So, I went back and got more dirt. I kept this up for about 6 or 7 trips to the rain barrel and waaaalaaaa........ most of it was gone. So, when all else fails, try a little dirt to get to some of the toughest chemicals to break loose! Go figure!!!! No wonder we always had our hands in the dirt when we were kids!

Tartan

​The dirt probably worked as an abrasive to clean it off. Whatever works!

AngeliaNR

I've used dirt to get tar off my hands before--glad it worked for your mess!

I have ants this time of year, too. My husband calls them water ants. Once it warms up for good, they seem to disappear.

lynnie

Great, interesting story. dirt is good for some things.

Kimkankwilt

Try diazinon for the ants if you can find it. A few little granules and no more ants.

momto5

Or, since you live in the South, sprinkle some grits on their trails. they eat them, drink a bit of water, and BOOM! no more ants!

Mariposa

Ha!Ha! After all that, and dirt works the best! Gotta remember that. Thanks for sharing~

mike'sgirl

Good grief, Leesa , what an ordeal! I'm so glad your sister thought up a good idea. I hope your hands aren't raw from all that scrubbing. Gina

cathyvv

Try cinnamon around the ants point of entry to the house, and sprinkle it around the perimeter of the house several times a year.

I had an ant super high way several years ago, and sprinkled cinnamon on it. Within 2 hours the ants had abandoned that highway! I think cinnamon interferes with the ants sense of smell and destroys their ability to follow the trail left by the scout ant - the one who found the "gold mine". If directly poured on them, it kills them.

I sprinkled it under the outside of the door jams, and repeat that every year, and have had no more ants in the house.

There is no guarantee that this will work - your ants may be different from the ants here in SC - but it's cheap to try. If you could make some kind of a paste with the cinnamon, you might be able to "paint" it on the pipes or in the tiles.

WARNING: I don't recommend using this on fire ants because they are so aggressive, and may not be affected by cinnamon! I've never tried cinnamon on them because of that.

sewingsuz

Wow, I am glad you found something or how could you sew! Thanks for the info. Who would know.