HELP! I Can't Get Rid of the Ants!

If you are in a home use Grants Ants sticks from Home Depot. They are animal and kid ok. We used to have major problems and have used them for 3 years and have never seen an aunt again!!

Hi L.,

I had this problem too. I use cinnamon. I guess they hate it and it. I like the fact that you can use it near food.

I put some out by my doors and sprinkle it around my dog dish and around food.

Hope this helps. Good luck

L. C
Herbalife Wellness Coach
Personal Nutritionist
www.herbalmom.com

If you've got ants, there are many known deterrents, such as salt, chalk and talcum powder. Spread a thin line of any of these white powders and the ants will not cross. If they have already invaded, a quick, easy solution is Windex with ammonia. Simply spray onto a line of ants and you'll stop their march in a flash. The ammonia is lethal to the ants. However, it does not have a long-lasting effect, so you will have to repeat until you can find and wipe out the source. When you find the ant hill, pour a kettle of boiling water into the entrance.

Original Blue Dawn—Not Just for Dishes

Take a look under the sink where you keep your cleaning products. See a bottle of Original blue Dawn Dishwashing Liquid? Say “Hello” to a very versatile and surprisingly multi-purpose household product.

ICE PACK. Partially fill a strong zip-type sandwich bag with Dawn dishwashing liquid, close and freeze. Just to be safe, double bag it. Freeze. The liquid soap stays cold much longer and it can be re-frozen many times. It will conform to the place you need an ice pack.

BUBBLE PARTY. Combine ten parts distilled water and one part Dawn Dishwashing Liquid to make your own bubble solution. And add 1/4 part white corn syrup (like Karo ) if you want to make more sturdy bubbles. Gather up things like clean soup cans that have both ends cut off or Hula-Hoops with makeshift handles attached. If you want to, you can pour the solution into a plastic kiddy pool and make huge bubbles. Turn it into a scientific experiment and go on a hunt for bubble-making items in your kitchen. This is a super cheap idea that's lots of fun.

HAND DEGREASER. Forget those pricey automotive hand cleaners. Full strength blue Dawn Dishwashing Liquid cuts through grease and gets hands and nails clean with no harsh chemicals.

CLEAN AUTOMOTIVE TOOLS. Soak them in a solution of Dawn dishwashing liquid before you put them away to remove all the oil and grime. As a bonus Dawn will help prevent rust from forming on the tools
MANICURE SECRET. Soak fingers in full-strength blue Dawn. It makes the cuticles soft and easy to work with. And it removes the natural oil from the fingernails, which allows the polish to adhere very well.

REPEL ANTS. Spray countertops, cupboards and any other area where you see ants with a solution of Dawn and water. Wipe dry. The slight residue of Dawn that remains will not be a problem at all for kids or pets, but ants hate it. Should you see a trail of ants, go ahead and hit them with the Dawn spray. You'll see. It will kill them.

BATHROOM CLEANER. Original blue Dawn Dishwashing Liquid has some kind of miraculous quality about it that makes it “melt” through stubborn soap scum and hideous build-up on showers and tubs, no matter whether porcelain, acrylic or fiberglass. Use it straight up and you'll bless the day you read this column.

HAIR PRODUCT BUILDUP. Once a month use original Dawn as you would shampoo. It will remove excess oil from your hair and scalp and strip away any build-up of styling products—without any damage. Perform this once a month and you won't have to buy expensive salon products that do the same thing.

STAIN SPOTTER. Original blue Dawn Dishwashing Liquid used full-strength gets just about any kind of spot out of washables. Keep a small squeeze bottle in the laundry room so it's always handy.

BONUS: Dawn Dishwashing Liquid is biodegradable, while other chemical solvents may not be.

****I did try this for ants and I dont know if it was the magic trick of this solution or the fact that we'd tried so many other things too...lol I must say when I did try it, they did die! My husband had loaded the dishwasher before leaving for work. I had decided to lay down and later when I went to the kitchen you'd thought we'd been invaded! He hadnt started it and the ants had taken over...that fast! They were everywhere...only 1 me and lots of them! In fact for about a day or 2 I even thought they were crawling on me since I'd killed so many of them...lol! Lucky for me this is the brand I had...who would've thought Id need it for more than dishes?!? The funny thing is, this isnt the scent I originally wanted when I bought it but it's the only 1 they had left on the shelf (must've been a good sale that week on the other 1's). ****

Good Luck!
Let me know if you try this or any of the other suggestions and if they worked for you!

http://www.psrla.org/pestinfo.htm

There's great tips on here.

i use one by orhto that is good indoors and out it's called ortho home defense max it works great i spray it along the baseboards in the kitchen in the cupboards let it dry then take a paper towel and wipe the insides, i do it every summer and no ants, also spray along the outside of your house, this is the only thing that has worked for me and i love it cuz it really does work

http://www.ortho.com

Hi L.,
We have the same problem every summer one day my daughter put some baby powder down on them because it wasn't anything else in the house to use.
We went about an hour later to the same spot so sprinkle the baby powder at and they were dead.
I read up on that and see why that baby powder kills them and it says that ants can't breath powder so when they inhale it choaks them.
Try it I use this every summer when we get ants it works much better than the sprays and it want harm kids.

Thanks,
Nikki

Hi L.,

I use a product that I purchase on-line, it's environmentally safe, it has no chemicals that can hurt you or your family or pets and it smells good too!!! And it's affordable!!!! It kills those little pesky ants we just hate having in our homes, especially the kitchen and they stay away!!!

I can totally relate to your frustration. We just recently bought a new house, and I swear it's sitting on a giant ant hill. We had ants in our kitchen, bathroom and my daughter's room. I used this stuff in the kitchen on the counters around the floorboards and I could even leave it without worrying about my daughter breathing in the fumes or even worse touching it. I also sprayed the perimeter of the house, they haven't been back since. Email me with your phone number and I'll be glad to give you all the information, or you can call me too. ____@____.com - Good Luck.
E. Moreno
El Segundo, CA
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ants dont like cayenne pepper.

Borax soap and powdered sugar. Put a teaspoon of each into a bottle cap and set it out wherever you have ants. For a week or so it will look like you are breeding the suckers but then you won't see em again.

Last year or the year before, I learned from a friend that they HATE bay leaves. You first clean ALL the counter tops, cabinets, the floor… EVERYWHERE their “trail” can be traced. Then put a fresh bay leaf in EVERY drawer, cabinet, and hidden space you can find. It REALLY worked. We need to go back through and do the same again this year, because they’re coming back. I think it was 2 years ago, because I don’t think my son was walking yet when we did last time. We hadn’t seen hardly a single ant in the kitchen during that entire time! It didn’t work as well in the bathroom, but that may be because you can’t hide nearly as many bay leaves in there.

I hope it works as well for you~ J.

I had this same problem, and still do! I keep my home extremely clean, and they still find their way in!! My husband is constantly caulking every nook and crany we find them crawling through. I use products from a wellness company that are non-toxic that kill them, and keep them away for a few days, but they always seem to come back. I hear that cinnamon and/or a stick of Big Red gum keeps them away. But I haven't tried either as I don't want to shake cinnamon all over my cabinets, or have a sticky piece of gum laying around, that might attract other types of 'bugs'. Everyone I know has a problem with them - it's the area.
K.
http://kellyis.stayinhomeandlovinit.com
myspace.com/luvinstayinhome

Well, I'm going to recommend chemicals, but they don't smell, you don't spray them, and they're pretty much kept inside a container. Try "Grant's Ant Stakes." They're little metal things with a tiny hole on top. The ants crawl in the hole, take the poison out, and bring it back to their little friends. Ants are a huge summer problem where I live, and this is the only thing I've found that actually works.

You might have to use a chemical insecticide, to initially get rid of the ant population....since they seem to be large quantities of them right now. Then, after you get rid of the initial population, you can use organic methods. One really GOOD ant killer I've used (and which works everytime) is by the company Terro. Their link is: www.terro.com The "liquid ant baits" are excellent and very easy to use. Put it out, and give it up to a week, and you will see the ant population disappear. After that, you can just use it for maintenance. It's not smelly, and it kills the ants... the ants ingest it or touch it, bring it back to their nest, and it kills the colony. Versus, other chemicals are just 'repellants' or you have to actually spray the insecticide ONTO the actual ant to kill it. With this Terro ant killer, you just leave it out (there is a container for it in the box), and leave it be. The ants are attracted to it and will congregate to it by the dozens, and then they will disappear! No more ants! I've bought it from my local garden or hardware stores, or Long's. It REALLY works, consistently, every time. Try it. Good luck!
~Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo

Hi L.,

We had the same exact problem two years ago. What we found is TERRO Ant Bait. They sell it @ Lowe's and I think Home Depot. I've even found ____@____.com bait really works! Someone in the store told me about it. The ants are attracted to it by scent and they'll come from all over to get it, then take it back to their homes. You'll see ants dying all around you! Just be careful where you place it because it's a clear sticky bait kids and animals may want to get to it and don't place it anywhere food is present.

Hope your ant problem goes away soon!

we used to get ants VERY badly and we finally called an exterminator a few years ago... SO glad we did b/c we have not had a single ant in 3 years (knock on wood)! i still see them outside so i know they are around but they don't come in the house at all. the exterminator will put boric acid (which IS a poison but since it is inaccessible it doesn't really matter) inside your electric plug panels and in a couple of very small holes under your sinks. the ants will be gone within a week. if they ever do happen to come back you just call the company and they are there within an hour to get rid of them. (we use Western Exterminators)

As someone else suggested, cinnamon works really well and Raid makes an organic bug spray that's made of rosemary and other non-harmful ingredients.

a little touch off topic.. if anyone has issues with mice..as I live in a heavily wooded area.Try peppermint oil. All of our houses can smell like the holidays all year round!

Use Terro. It is great. I get it from the local hardward store. It is a clear jel in a clear little bottle with an orange label on the front. You will use a couple of small dots in the area(s) that you have problems with the ants. It will draw the ants out in fact you will think that you are being over run by the ants and then all the sudden they will be gone. It is a sweet jel that they eat and then they take it back to there home base which kills them. It is great stuff.

We have ants too, it may be the season.
Windex works but it is a chemical.
Good luck

Sounds like they're in the walls... once they're in there, there's pretty much no going back unless you rip out the counter and get in there. I know you're against chemical repellants but we have had to resort to that and it actually does help because it creates a barrier, and if the ants cross that barrier they carry the insecticide back to the nest, killing all the other ants and the queen. Terminex has been really great for us in all but one room, the bathroom- where there is OBVIOUSLY no food, but where they live in the walls and the ground outside the wall. It's a battle!! We didn't want to use exterminators either because of our child but she has been doing well and it's supposed to be totally safe for us once it's dry, as long as she's not licking it or something! good luck!

Hello L.! I mix 1/3 of fabuloso cleaner (purple or pink)and 2/3 of water,spray the ants,and keep using it to clean your counters, tables and to mop the floors;not only the ants will be gone your house will smell fresh.It has always worked for me no matter where I live.

For a quick fix windex works well. I have the same problem but in my bathroom. I went to Home Depot & got a spray called "Home Defense" it comes in a big jug with a spray nozzle. Its safe for kids and animals. The smell is not over powering at all and it usually keeps them away for a bit. I spray the inside of my house twice a year.

Good luck.

You can try insecticide chalk. I use it around my doors and windows and haven't had an ant problem since. You can find it at ethnic grocery stores (asian or middle eastern). It comes in a small yellow or orange box with the picture of a bug on it.

L.,
I had that same problem a couple weeks ago. I use Melaleuca and they are non toxic cleaners, but they really helped a lot! You can purchase a couple of their cleaners - the Tough and Tender and the Sol-U-Mel and they will tackle the ants (and make sure you get the spray bottles!)

Their website is www.melaleuca.com. Unless you joined (and if you want to hear more about that I can tell you) then you pay the non-member price, a little more but totally worth it! The cleaners will last you for at least a couple months because they are concentrated!

Good luck and let me know if you want to know more!

B.
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I don't like to use chemicals either. One thing that I do is find where they are entering and use plain old white chalk to draw through their trail and around the point of entry. Ants do not like chalk as it is abrasive to them. It is not an instant fix but the ants do start to leave pretty quickly. You need a thick line of chalk though. Once they are gone you can just wipe the chalk up!

CHALK. lots of chalk

I have heard that sprinkling pure spearmint oil around the areas ants crawl to and from repels them. let me know if this works. I was told that years ago, but never tried it. good luck!

Try baby powder! or cinnamon they don't like the way it feels on the feet! It will look funny but at least the both smell good and they are not harmful!!

have you tried those little disks that you put in the cupboards and the ants take the food out, bring it home and they all die? It takes a couple of days, but I'd give that a try. There are many brands available and I've had good luck with them (and I live in Hawaii, where we have LOTS of bugs)

L.,

I just read a tip that if you put cornmeal out the ant will eat it but because it can't digest it, it will die back at the nest...

Worth a shot!

K.

I got toothpicks and wrapped double sided tape around them and dipped them in cayenne pepper, and stuck the toothpicks in the holes they were coming in thru. They started to come thru and then just turned around and left. They never came back. I think ants hate cayenne pepper and it was definately safe having out with toddlers. I just warned my boys not to touch because it was HOT HOT SPICY!

Good luck!!

Try baking soda-sprinkle it where the ants have their trails...and even though you might not want to use chemicals anymore, Windex is a sure bet! Try to follow where the ants are coming from and block the entrance with Baking Soda or spray Windex on the area. Hope that helps!

L.

There is not much you can do. We have an exterminator come out once a month and that doesnt even work. This season the ants are horrible. They are coming out of my walls as well.

I agree TERRO is the best.