What is the best way to erradicate ants?
My home is becoming overrun with ants! They are everywhere…The living room, kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom….I don’t know what to do. It’s not just one type of ant, either. I’ve seen red ants, black ants, small ants, large ants, you name it. There are alot of ant hills in my yard and the ants seem to be coming in from under the carpet. I’ve noticed them coming up from the baseboards all over the house. I keep the house very clean. I vacuum all the time, I’ve steam cleaned the carpets twice in the past month, I keep my kitchen and bathrooms swept and mopped, I clean my counter tops and don’t leave food sitting around, and I do my laundry whenever a load builds up, but I still have ants. They have gotten so bad, they infest my hamper and even swarm my bedside table if we leave food or a drink sitting there for more than a few minutes! I can’t really afford an exterminator and my landlord refuses to provide pest control services. It’s getting so bad, I’m almost thinking of finding a new place to live, which I’d hate to do since I’ve been here for 2 years, but I can’t deal with getting bitten while sitting at the computer and worrying about my kids playing on the floor or ants devouring us while we’re in bed. Please tell me what to do to eliminate the ants, especially since they seem to get in from everywhere! I swear, I think this house was built on one giant ant mound!
August 18th, 2011 at 11:37 am
I saw some ant bait packs at Home Depot or Lowe’s the other day. I’d try them 1st before spraying a bunch of chemicals around your house. The box said that the ants take the bait back to the colony where it will kill the queen. Consider putting the bait packs around the foundation of your home where the ants seem to be coming in and maybe near the ant hills in your yard. You don’t say whether you have children or pets so be careful where you leave the bait packs.
I believe, but am not sure, that Sevin will kill ants. Go read the label and if it does, then you could spray your yard and around the outside foundation of your house. It may take a couple of applications to do the trick.
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August 18th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
It sounds like the ants may have built a colony in the walls. It will take alot of time and willpower to get rid of them. If you have children or pets it may be easier to move.
Go to Lowes and get ant poison granuales (it will sicken or kill a child or animal if eaten). Start by putting some on each mound in the yard without disturbing the ant hills. Next, I would put a good border of the granuales around the outside of the house. As you walk, be sure to take notice of where the ants might be coming in at.
On the inside, pour granuales in disposable lids or make bowls out of tin foil and place them around the house in bothersome areas, under nightstand and bed, under sinks, behind toilets, corners, window sills, laundry areas, pantry area where canned foods are kept (dont put near dried food items). Dont sprinkle anything on the carpet because when you try to vacuum, you will be blowing the poisons into the air.
You might also want to invest in a carpet shampooer. You can mix liquid pesticides in the water to, hopefully, kill what is living under the rug. Spray all baseboards, under cabinets and in any cracks along cabinets and walls. Be sure to keep your shoes on when floors are still wet as you can absorb the poison through the bottom of your feet. Take it from me…..it WILL make you sick!
Or, instead of listening to us, call your local Co-op or Farm feed supply store and see what they can suggest
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