Ants in the kitchen!
 

In 15 years, we've had ants in the kitchen twice before now. They are coming in around the sink area. We keep everything very clean, dirty dishes immediately go into the dishwasher, and we empty the trash frequently. Besides wiping the counters with bleach or white vinegar (which I've done), does anyone have other natural solutions???

Many thanks! :eek:

Yes, wipe some orange oil on your counter tops where you have the ant problem. It can be purchased at a garden supply or hardware store. It is not expensive and it is not harmful to people and/or animals. It also leaves a nice scent in your home.

Last year a day or two before leaving on an extended vacation, we were bombarded with an invasion of ants. Someone suggested Terro Ant Killer and it is the best. It is a 2 oz. bottle with some cards. You can buy it at Home Depot, Lowes, Target, Walmalt, etc. You put a few drops on a piece of the cardboard and place it in the ant trail. The ants are attracted to it and take the solution back to their nests. Within a day the ants were gone and we haven't had them back. Good luck.

The Terro Ant Killer that is now for sale is basically powered by borax. There are recipes that you can make yourself for sugar/water/borax or boric acid to be found on the internet. It is of low toxicity to people and pets, but the ants take it home and feed it to the colony, and it does the trick. You can put a little bit of it out in a bottle cap where the ants are traipsing around, and they will find it.

My pet ants love this stuff. Each summer they have returned with their offspring to feed on the Terro. By the end of the summer they have doubled in size and are very brave. They reward me for feeding them Terro by giving me as many love bites as possible. I think our house must be the roof of a major colony.

I used cinnamon around my place and it did the trick a few years back.

they are hard to get rid of but I used Apple Cider Vinegar to wipe down counter tops and they are completely gone.

Spread some bay leaves around in the room. I cured my ant problem by making sure all tress and shrubs outside are kept trimmed so they do not touch the house. I also sprinkle Sevin dust all around my house along the foundation.

I live in Florida and have the small ants come in all the time. The only thing that used to work was Raid Ant Gel. Now it seems like they have built a resistance to it. I am going to try the vinegar and orange oil and see if it works.

Ants
 

Try sprinkling grits around the house outside. The ants eat the grits and it kills them. I have heard that cornmeal will do the trick also.

Dawn dish detergent! I had ants that were marching in a special place on the foundation of the house. I sprayed multiple times and they kept on marching. Out of frustration I took the Dawn bottle out and squirted it in the trail and it seems to have worked! Also put it across the floor at the overhead door to the garage and they have moved out of there, too. The little white "huts" by Raid seem to have some deterrent, too, but the Dawn is apparently keeping them outside.

We have had the tiny buggers for years. I agree with June, they love Terro and bring all there friends. They come back bigger, stronger and more brave. I have tried cinnamon, bay leaves, vinegar, borax and everything else I have found on the internet. Nothing has worked. My husbands gets Terro and some other brand stakes to put in the yard next to the house. This is the only thing that has worked. I still find a rogue scout every so often but nothing like before. They were always in the bathroom but not this year. None in the bathroom, they all went to the kitchen instead.

Used to have sweet-eating ants (the tiny ones) every year. Not this year. We had a few large ants for about a month this spring.

Sprinkle coffee grounds around the outside of the house up against the foundation and around the trees that have hummingbird feeders on them. I would try the grits or cornmeal also.

I agree...Terro ant killer is the best.

I use sugar and baking soda. Found this idea on Pinterest and it really works. The sugar attracts them then they go back to nest and baking soda swells them up and kills them. No mess to clean up.

Does anyone know that the little buggers can bite? We have these tiny black ants that come in and get on your end table next to the window and from their to my chair where they proceed to get on my arm and bite. How can something that small put its' tiny mouth on my ample arm area?

My grandma used to put lids with baking soda all along the edge of the kitchen counters. I have put a trail of puffed rice out before and that worked for me. It increases in size when they eat it and they explode.

We had 5 weeks of of down pours and OMG the bugs are out of control. My SIL never uses any kind of sprays.There are so many natural ways to be rid of pesky bugs. She normally uses Orange and lavender oils but this year the ants are not affected. She went to the feed store to see if they had any ideas. He handed her a 12pk of Raid ant traps and told her if they did not work he'd triple her money back.Within 2 days no more ants. She placed them in each window sill and the corner of the kitchen and bathroom counter tops and one outside at the doors. The critter flea's and skeeters are not responding to any treatment I've gotten from the vet So I bathed all my furry ones in 1/4 cup each of orange and lemon oils in their oatmeal shampoo. They have no fleas and the skeeters leave them alone too-

How timely! Haven't had ants for a month, but this morning I noticed a few so I got out the Terro bottle. Too bad I left the open bottle on the window sill!

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At least they are in one place so Raid for Ants works!

I lived in a place where there must have been a huge community of them but they came back in every summer. I tied everything but they just kept coming back.

I used to use Terro but then one year they were not even interested in it. so went online they said baby powder. it worked. for tiny grease ants I use whole cloves. no more grease ants!

lots of ideas here so will keep a list if my remedies quit working.

I had this problem for some time. Tried a little of everything. Finally bought Raid Ant Gel (in a tube) and applied it along the edge of the sink and at the backsplash. It does carry a warning label, but it worked just as it said it would. I prefer non hazardous fixes but frankly, I'd had it with the ants!

For the entire 15 years in this house we have had tiny ants. I had tried everything! Terro was pretty good, but it would take up to a week for them to get their fill and leave. Finally I couldn't stand one more year so I went to the hardware store and asked them. This stuff really works!! ORTHO HOME DEFENSE insect killer for indoor and perimeter. 12 month control.

It is safe to use in the kitchen. It is supposed to last up to a month. It was magic! Watch for the line of ants and see where they are getting in and spray this great stuff around the entrance. If you can't find that, just spray where they seem the worse. We have been two years ant free now. I did see a couple and quickly got out the spray and no more came in.

I've had those before, I use Bengal, no critters here!

Mix borax with some sugar and water. Dip cotton balls in it and place around where you see them. It's supposed to kill out the nest. I just use Terro.

That Terro Liquid Ant bates is the best. It comes in clear trays, which you peel top slightly and put is places where ants appear. This is very good. You need something they eat and take back to nest so they can also kill the rest. Home Depot has them, KMart also.

I spray around the outside of the house with Bayer Advanced Home pest and germ killer. I also spray it around the windows and doors. It is supposed to last up to 6 months and the bugs aren't supposed to cross the line. I also put small bowls of a mixture of powdered sugar and boric acid along my counters. My ants are finally gone.
We have had ants in our house since we built it 15 years ago. Since I started spraying once a year they are finally gone.

Have not read all the posts....but you did say "natural".....i have been told that ants will not cross a chalk like....worth a try i think. I use Terro too.....it works fast and does the job completely.....and only takes a drop or 2.

Sprinkle a fine line of Borax along the edge of the counter and fill any entry holes with toothpaste. They don't like it

I don't get ants in the house as I spray around the foundation outside and across thresholds with insect control product. If you find a place with a bunch of the critters, pour some vinegar on the area and they will disappear. I just took care of my neighbor's slate walkway about a month ago and they never came back.

Worked the same for me. NOT AT ALL. Terro did nothing for me. I called the company and was told that it takes time for the ants to carry it back to the nest. I have tried it again this year, with the same results.

worked for us
 

Boric acid in powdered sugar in a little container, or if your ants prefer protein, a little peanut butter, give it a couple days and ants will be gone

My dad always swore that Formula 409 got rid of ants in their kitchen. It took two applications a day or two apart.

Every place I put the liquid Terro on the little cardboard dot, the ants had a party and invited everyone they had ever known. No it did not stop in a couple days. I think they were importing them from another state. They loved the stuff but don't think it killed one of them. Now the bait you put outside, that stuff worked pretty well.

I saw somewhere that if they eat corm meal they will die and also take it back to the hill and kill more ants

I would take chalk and run a thick line around the window where they seemed to be coming. They also come in the water lines according to the pest folk.

We tried the borax, sugar water thing and I watched the ants go pass it. They would not go to it.
We replaced a greenhouse window with a regular window and that fixed the problem.

I also use Terro. When you first put it down it seems to draw the whole family & friends but after a couple days they are all gone. I really like the stuff. It almost looks like it makes them half drunk because they will just hang around & look half dead but when you go to pick them up to throw them away then they scatter. Really odd. It does work good for me though