I have found an ant nest next to the house foundation. Will ant traps or chemicals work better, or do I have to dig deep to remove the whole nest ( which I prefer not to do) ? I appreciate any good suggestions.
Mix up a gallon or so of Sevin (using label directions) and pour it on the nest.
In the past, I had good luck with granular poisoned ant bait. You spread the stuff around, the ants take in to the queen and the colony dies off.
Were it my house, I would use the "bait" type traps. They come in various forms. The ones I just got from WallyWorld are a plastic container with a special liquid and a wick at the top. The trap is keep moist until deployed by a foil cap.
Anyway, you just place these baits where you see the ants and remove the foil cover. The ants come for a drink and take some poison home with them. In theory it will kill the queen who is safe in the middle of the nest.
Since they depend upon the ants taking poison home with them, the directions say to NOT use these baits in close conjuction with regular poisons: you want them to take the poison home and spread the wealth.
gasoline and a match
If you know where the nest is, most anything will kill them, amonia, bleach, gasolene,etc.
Let the gas set a bit. Diesel fuel without fire. Grits (best) or corn meal around the mound (ole home remedy method) and they carry the food into the nest. Rain and moisture will expand grits (explode) in the nest.
What kind of ants are these? Helps with the answer.
"Luckyme" wrote
Old fashioned remedy and works without chemicals or harm. Dry day, take a handful of regular (non-instant) grits. Pile them on there. They eat'em and cant handle them but will carry to the queen as well.
No more ants.
No self-respecting Southerner would use instant grits! Much less, have them in the cupboard.
Geez are they bothering you? I have a theory, if its not a hazard leave it be.......
this applies to everything
Terro. You'll see hundreds of ants for 1-3 days, then the whole colony including the queen dies. No need to dig.
Why do you feel the need to remove them? Getting into the house?
Amdro Ant Block does the job for me. Look in the garden department at any home center or hardware store.
Since I got my house treated with Termidor I dont have a problem with ants. Once in a while I will see a new hill but usually within a week they are gone.
Jimmie
Dilute out a half gallon of ammonia to a gallon or two, enough to fill the nest.
No more nest.
Jon
remove their food source
Keep in mind that there are many different kinds of ants and different areas of the country make for different solutions.
Can you identify the type of ant and tell us what part of the world you live in?
2 Tbs. Sugar mixed with 1 Tbs. boric acid set where the suckers are coming in; simple and easily removed once the problem moves on. Mix up a cup's worth and pour around ant hole.
The Ranger
Good grief! Mix with water and a few drops will do it.
"I guess the laws of physics cease to exist on top of your stove. Were these magic grits? Did you buy them from the same guy who sold Jack his beanstalk beans?"
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