ants - preemptive strike?

[mike ring]

I'm beginning to see precursors of my annual ant nightmare, and I wondered if anyone knows how I could nip it in the bud.

I see a few of the little buggers wandering around the floor, but it's not clear where they came from or where they're going.

I know the areas of previous throbbing armies of flying ants, and I could put something around those places, but what would be effective; many claim to be, but I've not had much success, except dropping about a ton of powder on them when they're already swarming.

Any remedy should not endanger the moggie, I've got a perverse liking for the little sod.

Any help, please

mike

[Rick]

Google for armillatox

Rick...

[Lobster]

After suffering similar problems every season, last year I discovered the "Ant Stop Bait Station". It's a small, sealed plastic box containing poisoned bait which you just put on the floor/worktop, anywhere where ants appear, and the buggers are drawn to it, and seemingly transfer its contents to their nest where it does its work. Within a few days, no more ants.

The great thing is that not only is it safe with pets/kids, but there's no need to track the source of the ants either.

David

[al]

What's always worked for me is to line the outside of the house with powder about now. It doesn't look too pretty, but will settle down in a few weeks. The important thing is not to go overboard with it everywhere else in your garden. If you find a nest, zap it, but don't put the poison everywhere - drive the little bastards away by making one direction very unattractive and another not so bad!

a

[SmileyFace]

Salford ants don't seem to take any notice. They weren't impressed by Nippon either. Tough bugs round here. ;)

Last spring we waterblasted all the places they hang out in springtime, and July was relatively flying-ant free. Animal-friendly, non-hazardous and good fun if very messy.

Haven't yet accumulated enough tuits to fill all the gaps they used to creep into so I'll probably be out in me wellies again before long.

[romic]

There are many safe ways of deterring ants, although not necessarily destroying the source. Peppermint oil is one way.

Do a Google search for:

ants mint "essential oil"

and this will bring up various links

the link below is another one:

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- if you think you should have had a reply/comment, please e-mail me again. Ta!)

[Simon]

Same here. Unless you know their route, you can't stop 'em. The best you can do at this time is put ant powder down where they came in last time, or any other likely looking gaps, like exit of radiator pipes etc. Moved in last year, there was remnants of ant powder around the back of the house from the previous owner's unintelligent attempts to get rid or them. I tempted them out with loads of icing sugar, breadcrumbs etc. They follow a chemical trail, so find out the trail. They were marching from the floorboards near the front door, round the hall and into the kitchen. I put supermarket ant powder along the whole route and they were gone by the next day. One week later, they were back. This time central heating pipe gap in living room, round skirting, hall, kitchen. Powder all along this route. They were gone for good. This year, 6 ants in kitchen near radiator pipe. Put some powder there. Just have to wait and see. There are probably under the floor boards somewhere.

If someone could invent a way of making the ant chemicals visible, that would be clever. Oh well, I can't patent that now ! Your whole carpet would probably turn purple !

Simon.

[Jeff]

Nippon in the round plastic ant traps and patience, it takes about 2- 4 weeks of daily application to clear them for the rest of the year

Regards Jeff

[Lobster]

That's the whole point of the 'Bait Stations' I mentioned previously: you just sit them in an area where the ants frequent (eg intercept a trail) and it attracts them in. Last year we used ant powder unsuccessfully all round the outside of the house (and failed to find the nest); but a bait station just plonked on the inside kitchen windowsill stopped the problem completely in a few days.

David

[Holly in France]

Yes, we have used these too with some success, but it doesn't take them long to eat up the contents. This was outside, to stop them crawling up onto the outside table, so ant populations might have been be higher? If you can find the pathway they are using to come in, a smear of peppermint oil will stop them crossing at the entry point. You have to re-do it when they start to use the path again or if they find a new one. Cheap and harmless to children and animals.

[JD]

White powder all around the boundary of the house it don't look nice but helps and then ant stop from focus in side if required its a clear liquid and hasn't marked anything (Including carpets) i have used it on but Test an area first