Attack of the Ants?

[Kedar Mhaswade]

Requesting some recommendations for do-it-yourself adhesives, sprays etc. to combat copious ants in a new house.

Thanks, Kedar

[Dottie]

The only thing I have found is Terro. I have seen some new ant baits by Terro but haven't used them. I've only used the kind that you squeeze a dollop on a piece of cardboard and the ants eat it and take it back to the nest.

[franz frippl]

Look for insecticide with permethrin. Mix according to directions and spray foundation exterior. There are also granulated insecticides you can spread around the building. I have done a 3-4' border.

One thing to consider is your landscaping. Organic material attracts insects. Shredded bark is akin to a red carpet for ants, earwigs and others.

One caveat about insecticides is to consider affect on songbirds.

[Phisherman]

Mix up a batch of bait. One teaspoon boric acid, 6 tablespoons of sugar, and just enough water to make a syrupy paste. Mix well and place onto small cardboard squares. If these are grease ants, use peanut butter instead of the sugar. Your ant colony will die in

5-10 days, including the queen!

[JoeSpareBedroom]

New house meaning newly constructed, or used house you just bought?

[Pond Scum]

I've had great success with both the old liquid Terro that comes in the bottle and the new pre-filled bait stations which are clear plastic capsules that you cut open with scissors. Actually, what I did was pour out some of the contents of the capsule on the ground so I was using it like the old stuff. In my case I got a massive swarm of ants for a few days as they eat up the poison and a week or two later they're all gone and stay gone for months (years actually).

Terro liquid and killer is just a sweet sugary syrup with borax in it - just like the homemade recipe described in another post. They claim it's harmless to pets and humans.

-Jonathan

[ds549]

malithion on your yard and foundation,, terro bait on the inside..feedem till they quit comming.

[Norminn]

That sounds like overkill to me. No need to treat a yard, as the ants belong there. Terro or similar formulas have always worked well for me.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

The guy's spelling alone is enough reason to doubt anything he recommends.

[gfretwell]

That's all great until you run into ants that are a little more selective about what they eat and have evolved to stop eating things that kill them. I have trained the ants around my house to stop eating just about everything I bait them with but they still come. I haven't seen a sugar eating ant in years.

[Uncle Monster]

Ever think of getting a pet Giant Anteater. It big enough to scare the hell out of your neighbors and eat a lot of ants.

[8~{} Uncle Monster

[Christopher Young (on newer c]

Log on to

and buy liquid ant bait. Use as directed. I did, and after years of having carpenter ants, I no longer have them.

I like to put a little of the liquid in bottle caps, and leave it out for the ants. Let the ants drink as much as they want.

They love to send new catalogs, and they love to send coupons. So, buy gently the first order, and wait for the coupons.