I have to backtrack and also apologize :?
08-24-2011, 07:04 AM
#31
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Piedmont Virginia in the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mtns.
Posts: 8,562
Thank all of you for your great tips!!
I've tried many of them with varying degrees of success over the years and only opted for the strong, poisonous stuff this year out of final frustration.
They already seem diminished since last Sunday's heavy rain. <punching fist in the air> Yeah!! Can hardly wait for the predicted hurricane this weekend to just drown those little suckers; doubt seriously it'll bother me much as I plan to pretty much sleep through it all! :mrgreen:
As of this year, this cottage has been here for 200 years, through the War in the 1860s, the rebuilding of my beautiful state in the rest of the 1800s, Hurricane Camille in 1969, through a tornado in 2002, and who knows what other mishaps along the way. The roof doesn't leak normally (though I will have to remember to hike to the attic and close the window at the top of the stairs), so I should be fine for a day of inland hurricane this weekend.
Let's hope the DAs won't!
Jan in VA
I've tried many of them with varying degrees of success over the years and only opted for the strong, poisonous stuff this year out of final frustration.
They already seem diminished since last Sunday's heavy rain. <punching fist in the air> Yeah!! Can hardly wait for the predicted hurricane this weekend to just drown those little suckers; doubt seriously it'll bother me much as I plan to pretty much sleep through it all! :mrgreen:
As of this year, this cottage has been here for 200 years, through the War in the 1860s, the rebuilding of my beautiful state in the rest of the 1800s, Hurricane Camille in 1969, through a tornado in 2002, and who knows what other mishaps along the way. The roof doesn't leak normally (though I will have to remember to hike to the attic and close the window at the top of the stairs), so I should be fine for a day of inland hurricane this weekend.
Let's hope the DAs won't!
Jan in VA
08-24-2011, 07:06 AM
#32
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: New York State, but I will always be Canadian!
Posts: 933
We've been fighting them and fruit flies this year. As with others, we've put out bait and they don't care. I still squish them on my counters almost every day. The fruit flies are abating thank goodness...considering I haven't had fruit in the house in like a month!!
Good luck with your ants...hope you manage to banish them to the outer realms somehow!
Good luck with your ants...hope you manage to banish them to the outer realms somehow!
08-24-2011, 08:43 AM
#33
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Live Oak, Texas
Posts: 6,133
The best thing I have found to get rid of them is to take the little blue packages of equal sweetener which was first made as ant killer. Mix a little powdered sugar to attract them put it in little soda bottle caps around where crawl. They were gone out of my kitchen for good in a short time. I also wash everything down with orange oil. They hate that.
08-24-2011, 08:49 AM
#34
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,406
Originally Posted by crafty pat
The best thing I have found to get rid of them is to take the little blue packages of equal sweetener which was first made as ant killer. Mix a little powdered sugar to attract them put it in little soda bottle caps around where crawl. They were gone out of my kitchen for good in a short time. I also wash everything down with orange oil. They hate that.
Jan - your writing is hilarious!
08-24-2011, 09:04 AM
#35
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Junction City, OR
Posts: 481
From clear across the country, I'm having the same problem!!! I have to empty the trash every night, wipe ALL the counters down, and basically be the clean freak I never was. When we got the kitchen tackled, they moved to the bathroom (2 males in the house = lots of overspray). So I have to wipe down the bathrooms a couple times a week. I sympathize and you're so brave for admitting you were wrong :)
08-24-2011, 09:19 AM
#36
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 853
www.doityourselfpescontrol.com carries termidor for ants. It is more costly than the home defense type sprays. However, it lasts for up to 6 months and gets rid of not only ants, but other things. I will never go back to the other methods.
08-24-2011, 09:32 AM
#37
Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Southern Indiana
Posts: 38
The little buggers try to invade our house about once a year as they are thick outside. This year was more like 3 times. Terro liquid and the self control to leave it alone so they will eat and take home a doggy bag to the nest makes us ant free in about 4 days.
08-24-2011, 10:03 AM
#38
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Tucson AZ
Posts: 2,104
Originally Posted by Jan in VA
On August 18th I posted the following: "There should be support groups for women who can't put their dishes in the dishwasher dirty." http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-146133-1.htm
Well, wouldn't you know it, I have had to either eat my words -- which I still fervently espouse -- or eat the DA (Damn Ants!) that are invading my house! It's been hot and often dry in my part of VA this year and the ant problem has been the worst ever.
They are covering the trash, even though I sprayed the can and am double bagging; they are crawling over the dishwasher because those dishes are not prewashed; climbing up the refrigerator licking up the drops of spilled Coke I didn't reach; even a few hiding out in my chair, for Pete's sake, going after the crumbs and me where I sit and eat cookies after dinner!!! :shock: What the hey is that?! :evil: Now every little tickle makes me jump looking for the crawlies!!!
So I've taken to rinsing the designs off the dishes before putting them immediately in the machine after eating, what a pain! :cry:
I cleaned the outside of the refrig on my knees....I NEVER get on my knees!! The getting up is NOT pretty. But I was darned if I was gonna clean the inside right now, too! Whoever sees it but me anyway, certainly not the DAs!
I've even taken to washing the garbage from all sweet, greasy, odorous residue before bagging it, can you imagine?! :shock:
I put out no less than 10 DA baits, they enjoyed themselves in there and keep on coming.
I sprayed around the baseboards and spent time gagging in the bathroom and breathing that stuff as the AC spread it through the house. That is SO gross!
I've spread bags of granules around the whole cottage outside, and had to wash my shoes when they were covered with them, thunk-athunka-athunk in the washer.
Chagrin! I thought I'd never see the day I'd be reduced to this level of compulsiveness.....and have to admit it here. :oops: And apologize to those poor, dear ladies who might have had the bad luck to have had a difference of opinion with my original post. :? :oops:
Maybe the amazing rain we got on Sunday, and the really weird, rare earthquake that came today, has driven these DAs back into their holes in the ground and they'll leave me the heck alone to be as lazy, glorious retired as I wish to be!!:roll:
Jan in VA
Well, wouldn't you know it, I have had to either eat my words -- which I still fervently espouse -- or eat the DA (Damn Ants!) that are invading my house! It's been hot and often dry in my part of VA this year and the ant problem has been the worst ever.
They are covering the trash, even though I sprayed the can and am double bagging; they are crawling over the dishwasher because those dishes are not prewashed; climbing up the refrigerator licking up the drops of spilled Coke I didn't reach; even a few hiding out in my chair, for Pete's sake, going after the crumbs and me where I sit and eat cookies after dinner!!! :shock: What the hey is that?! :evil: Now every little tickle makes me jump looking for the crawlies!!!
So I've taken to rinsing the designs off the dishes before putting them immediately in the machine after eating, what a pain! :cry:
I cleaned the outside of the refrig on my knees....I NEVER get on my knees!! The getting up is NOT pretty. But I was darned if I was gonna clean the inside right now, too! Whoever sees it but me anyway, certainly not the DAs!
I've even taken to washing the garbage from all sweet, greasy, odorous residue before bagging it, can you imagine?! :shock:
I put out no less than 10 DA baits, they enjoyed themselves in there and keep on coming.
I sprayed around the baseboards and spent time gagging in the bathroom and breathing that stuff as the AC spread it through the house. That is SO gross!
I've spread bags of granules around the whole cottage outside, and had to wash my shoes when they were covered with them, thunk-athunka-athunk in the washer.
Chagrin! I thought I'd never see the day I'd be reduced to this level of compulsiveness.....and have to admit it here. :oops: And apologize to those poor, dear ladies who might have had the bad luck to have had a difference of opinion with my original post. :? :oops:
Maybe the amazing rain we got on Sunday, and the really weird, rare earthquake that came today, has driven these DAs back into their holes in the ground and they'll leave me the heck alone to be as lazy, glorious retired as I wish to be!!:roll:
Jan in VA
Pat
08-24-2011, 10:21 AM
#39
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Maryland
Posts: 3,586
I don't care what anybody says I'm still not washing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher--if I do that I may as well throw out my dishwasher and save the electricity! We have ants really bad here and funny thing is they are not in my kitchen--they invaded the living room! When I sprayed and left ant baits around in there, they just crawled up the side of the house into the second story bedroom :evil: I fight this battle each and every year. One year we had hoardes of carpenter ants--now that was a scary sight! What I do now is put baits in all windows and doors (they were marching right into my front door) and it took about a week but soon they were gone!
08-24-2011, 10:55 AM
#40
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Utah
Posts: 8,845
Here's a remedy using peppermint oil. I haven't used the oil but have had success with mint leaves.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4448573_get-...eppermint.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_4448573_get-...eppermint.html
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