We are being overtaken with itty-bitty ants. Can't find where they are coming from,seldom have a trail, but they are having a wonderful reunion at our house. Any suggestions on how to move them out of here? Terro only seems to feed them.

Our exterminator has a gel that comes in a tube. I sprayed the ones I saw, then squirted it out where they trail and they disappeared and have not come back.

I wish I knew!! We have huge black ants!!

Do you know the name of the gel? I've used a spray but that only kills the one that get sprayed and then the rest come to the funerals! Big families apparently!!

Those bite, don't they?

I don't think so....they have crawled up my leg a few times. Besides if they bite me you can bet your sweet tunia I'm gonna bite back! :thumbup:

I have used Toro - little gel like stuff that you put on a piece of cardboard. Works great!

Check out that Ortho stuff- it has a nozzle that you spray a fine stream along all your baseboards and exterior foundation.
Works great. My sister had the same problem and she uses it twice a year or so and has never had a problem since.

I also use the ortho spray around the baseboards, windows and got rid of ants (also put a few ant traps out)

I have tiny tiny little black ants..they don't get in food..but they are on the counters in my kitchen. I put ant traps out and I still have them. Where to you buy Toro?
I am ready to pull my hair out!

I've heard you can put out some instant grits and they will haul it back to their home and everybody eats some and it swells up and kills them. Sounds kind of cruel!

The Terro that I have is from WalMart and I think most grocery stores sell it. It isn't doing anything for this batch of ants that I have. In fact, I think it's an aphrodesiac for this variety. When you spray the Ortho product, how much do you use? Is it hard on wood surfaces such as your baseboards.

My mom used to swear by Terro but it must not be the same as the product she used. Frankly, I don't care if those little creatures do explode. I've heard of using corn meal for them but these are so little that I wonder if they could carry that. When they are marching on my countertops and even across my plate on the table, they need to be gone whatever the means. Frustration!!!!

I think it is Toro he uses. He puts it down for me so I didn't see the name. But Toro sounds familiar.

The Ortho I have used is clear and when it dries you don't see it . So "should" be safe for hardwood floors. Also around the outside of my house I sprinkle Boric acid.. it is a white powder , keeps all kinds of critters from coming in and you can buy at Family Dollar.

Is it spelled "Terro"? I can't remember. DD has had them in her shower.

One drop on a piece of cardboard or paper inconspicuosly placed, and kills 'em dead.

I read an artical that said corn meal will kill them, slowly.... but it's not harmful to aminals & kids. Supposedly they can't digest it , so they eat it, and I don't know... die from it expanding in their bellys?????? I tried it in our back yard, I didn't put much out cuz' I didn't want to waste it if it didn't work.... they did haul it into the nest, I'd have to try it agin to say if it worked or not.... It's faster to use Diazinon (sp?) or Mathalizon (sp?)

We don't have them in the house (knock on wood); in drought conditions, they are more likely to find a way indoors, BUT, living here in Georgia means living with anthills in my yard, particularly annoying in flower beds and around tree trunks. I googled ant repellant info. and there is quite a long list of suggestions as to how to keep them out of your house; you might want to google and read.

Get rid of any sugar stuff, bleach down the drains every night. Then spray, spary, and traps. I get them stupid critters every year, since my neighbor has a tree infested with them and they refuse to tear it down. Good Luck

Another idea just came to me. My son told me that cinnamon deters them. I never heard of it but it works for him. He sprinkles in around the areas.

GROSS!! Too bad they can't just stay at the neighbor's! :(

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

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!

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

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!

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?

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.

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.

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...)

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.

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!!!!

Ants are a real problem. It really helps to know what kind of ant you have. Not all baits and/or poisons work on all types. For those of you that are worried about pesticides, try using diatomaceous earth. It cuts the exoskelaton of insects and other pests. You can get it anywhere there are pool suppliers, garden centers, etc.

To find the best solution for your infestation, you need to use a piece of clear tape to capture a couple ants, take it to someone (not a Home Depot or Lowes) that sells pesticides (we use one that sells to professionals but will sell to the public, they just don't advertise that part a lot). They can tell you what kind of ant you actually have and what the treatment the options are that they would recommend. They will tell you what is safe to use around your animals and children. Where you live makes a big difference in these matters (climate can be a big factor). Then, the decision to go the organic or chemical route is up to you (most carry both kinds of treatments now).

At our house, we use boric acid for some of the little buggers, baits for carpenter ants, diatomaceous earth as a general deterrent. It seems like a never ending story. Our are gets very few freezes and the bugs thrive.

We have been having a problem with the little ants too. I'm worried about what to use. We have the new little puppy and the cats. I don't want them to get sick.

When we were living in the South we had a huge problem with fire ants! Nasty, nasty creatures that bite, sitings like, you guessed it, fire.

I took perverse pleasure in getting rid of the ones in my yard organically. You need 2 fast people and 2 shovels. Dig out a shovel full of dirt and ants from both hills at the same time and run and dump them in the other hill. It creates an ant war, they kill each other off. Works great.

I love it! Your solution put a big grin on my face. See? __ :-D__

I have this problem every year too. One day, in the spring, they just come in. I use spray but it doesn't really help, except to kill the ones already there. Then one day a couple months later, all of a sudden they just leave. Don't like it but so far have learned to live with it. I have to keep anything but canned goods in the fridge or freezer. Happens every year.

I love it and can't anymore organic than that :thumbup: :lol:

The ants were getting into the bowl of dry catfood. A website suggested that the bowl be put into something containing water, essentially creating a moat that the ants can't cross. I sat it on a shallow saucer, put a little water in the saucer and, by golly, that works! Kitty no longer battles ants for her food.

What a great idea. I'm trying that til I can get rid of these little buggers.

we are having the same problem because of all the rain.

Marsye,
I think from your picture that yours probably ride motor cycles.

We used to get army ants that went from our garage to our barn. We used Diazonon (sp) and it got rid of them.
Now, when I am camping and there are ants, I take table salt and sprinkle a pretty good line around my camp site. I heard that they won't cross the line of salt. It seemed to work.