ants decided to invade our kitchen and front entry way. they are coming in the front door and going into the kitchen. any ideas on how to get rid of them? i'm looking for some safe things to do, as i have an 18 month old.
thanks ladies!
Thanks so much for all of the responses!
I tried putting Equal around the door where they were coming in, and in the morning we had lots more ants. I was so hoping it would do the trick.
I bought the Terro traps this morning. I put them where my daughter can't get to them. There have been trails of ants marching to the traps, but it also looks like they have multiplied as well. I sure hope they are gone by morning.
We have been experiencing lots of rain, so I think they are trying to take refuge in a dry place. I sure hope they go back out and drown in all the rain, so they can't come back.
Thanks again!
We used Terro for years - with success but only for a few days. Ants use smell to find water which is what they are looking for in most cases so new ants would just follow the same path and we had to use more Terro. Someone finally recommended wiping down the point of entry with a vinegar solution - but that didn’t always work. We finally just had an exterminator come - they claim to be safe. We'll see if it works!
I haven't tried it, but I have read that if you sprinkle cornmeal there, the ants take it back to their nests for food; however, it's not digestible to them so it blocks their system and kills them. As for the ones outside, I've also heard that they will not cross a chalk line so if they're marching up pavement and inside, you might be able to stop them before they come to your front door.
Once dry, the liquid insecticide an exterminator sprays is your house is safe for people and animals. The one I use will come back and spray again for free (within a certain period of time) if the ants come back.
Call an exterminator. If it's a few ants, regular ant spray from the store, taking care of the dirty dishes promptly, and moving the trash can away from the door will do it. But if it's a lot, like it sounds like, you gotta call in the professionals.
The exterminators are safe. If you're concerned, you can just keep the kids out of the room while they're spraying and maybe for an hour afterward. Go out on the deck with baby and play outside while they spray and for awhile after, or go run errands as soon as they're done.
I use Milberger Pest Control and have had good luck with them. They sprayed my house for ants and my attic for silverfish a couple weeks ago. They're careful not to spray the kid's toys and not to make a mess. They also offered some advice on yard maintenance to help keep the ant problem down. They said ants were really bad this year.
Please try to stay safe and go natural and organic when you are looking for ways to get rid of ants. The only product out there that is safe and works is called Terro. If you buy the bottle of Terro you pour a tiny amount on pieces of cardboard and place them where you see the ants. Do not place them where your toddler can get them because even though they are safer then many insecticides, it can still be harmful. They have a new Terro product that is more of a trap that lures the ants in and is a little safer to put out. They also have granules that you sprinkle around the perimeter of your house. You will see the ants increase tremendously over the first few days as the ants will signal to the other ants where the "food" is. The ants will then take the Terro back to their nest and feed it to the other ants, thereby killing them.
Obviously, don't leave food out and wipe up spills immediately, otherwise the ants will be attracted to the food and continue to come back. (I know- hard to do with a toddler!)
I have had ant problems for years, and after spending tons of money and risking my child and my pets lives over stupid ant traps and poison sprays, I have settled for spending the money for a good exterminator, they do my house and my yard surrounding the house pretty cheap...
Haven't had ants since!
I used to have a problem with ants as well. Last year I sprinkled Commet around the outside of my house and by the door and window that they were comming in. I do not know what it is about Commet but I have not seen an ant in my house this year. Of course I now have a dog in the back yard and that was where they were getting in. I did not use the commet in the house. Good luck.
What about diatomaceous earth? It is a powder made of crushed fossils, and they cut the bodies of bugs when they walk over it, killing them. But it is completely harmless to people since the sharp pieces are too tiny to hurt us. It contains no pesticides, so it can't poison anyone or anything. We got ants for the first time this year (8 years in this house). I am tidier than ever in the kitchen, but with three little ones, it's hard to clean it up completely after every meal. Our dishwasher cleans dishes really well, so we didn't used to even rinse them first, but now I rinse them immediately and set them in the sink. Loading the dishwasher at all before I was ready to run it immediately seemed to attract more. As long as I rinse everything and keep all food put away, they seem to have gone. Darn fruit flies are still around, though!
Find where they are coming in and pour a little Equal or Splenda in the crack. I did this 2 years ago and haven't seen one since. And NO I don't consume either, but have packets available for when friends come to the house.
I don't like chemicals either. In the past, I have sprinkled baby powder around the doorway...just like the chalk, they don't like to cross the line of powder either.
On the kitchen counters, I have sprayed the vinegar water solution, and it worked pretty well.
I just read the other day about using cinnamon too.
Cayenne pepper and baby powder also work great for keeping rabbits from eating your plants, or keeping someone's dog or cat out of your yard. :)
Terro is the only thing that has ever worked for me.
spray around the outside of your house with home defense.. It works well and sometimes have to reapply after it rains especially in the spring months.
We had the same problem with ants in our kitchen. Like you, we knew their point of entry, so we used some of those ant spikes you put outside. They have poison that attracts the ants, then they carry them back to the nest (hive?). Anyway, the kind we got was Spectracide Ant Shield, and within a week we had no more ants. You'll just want to keep an eye on your little one when he's outside around them. Best of luck!
We had a terrible ant problem for 5 years. Every time it rained we spent a couple of days getting rid of ants. We tried all kinds of sprays and nothing kept them away for longer than a week or two at a time. One day a new co-worker suggested using ant spikes. We put down Raid Ant Spikes around our house and that ended our ant problems. Not one time have we had ants come in during the 2 years that we've used these Ant Spikes!! It's of course poisonous, but I wanted to suggest them to you, in case you're as frustrated as we were with the ants. I'd rather keep an eye on my now 2-year old while being outside our house (like I should anyway) than deal with the ants.
I am with you there! I hate hate hate ants. Use the Bengal spray. Spray in the doorways, window seals, and any holes in your walls, under sink... you get the picture. Anywhere the ants are coming in is where you spray.
Use straight vinegar, works well. spray it around the outside of your home and and along the base boards in your home. Also setting out a bowl of straight vinegar helps too.
This isn't safe for an 18 month old, but ,if you can find a corner that your child can't get into, liquid Terro is the best thing to get rid of ants. I use it everytime ants start coming in and it gets rid of them within 24 hours.
We have successfully used cinnamon and Chili powder. Sprinkle it heavily at their point of entry.
