Ants

In article , snipped-for-privacy@myfam.com says... :) I being overrun with ants. They start coming into my house about this :) time every year. I have chemicals and I use them but I hate to use :) them. :) Is there a way I can eliminate the ant without dangerous chemicals? :) :) It can depend on what you consider a dangerous chemical :/

If you can get an I.D. of what species of ants they may be, you may be able to aid yourself with no chemicals at all. This time of year the Odorous House Ant is a common invader...squish one and see if by chance it gives off an odor. If so, you probably can find the colony just outside the house where you are seeing them inside. They do not nest in the ground like other ants, but will be in loose leaf matter or under a potted plant, usually somewhere moist. There will be no mistaking when you come across a colony, just remove and dispose of as needed. Other ants probably will need a bait to stop them...numerous products on the market ranging from extremely low toxic baits, to the bit more toxic boric acid based baits. It can be guess work at times figuring out if they are feeding on sweets or proteins, their diets can change depending on what the colony needs at the time.

Not everyone considers ants to be pests, but I don't care for ants in the house either. There are ant traps and poisons to kill them. But if you are interested in just repelling the ants you can puree hot chili peppers and pour this as a barrier around doors, foundations, and other places. Ants dislike aromatic plants such as mint, lavender, chives, garlic, etc. I have used powdered lime or chalk to repel ants (apparently it is irritating to them)--pulverized charcoal and bone meal are also known to work.

I got the "plant mint" advice last summer to take care of ants. The ants loved the mint, and built their hill around it. Boiling water in the ant hills works wonders, though.

Doesn't help the nasties that get in the house, however. We're coming up on ant time, so I'm getting prepared.

Stacy Grand Island, NY Zone 5

I place a few drops of oil on pennyroyal on or about our basement exterior wooden supports. Use half an ounce per year sometimes every other year. Also I mix boric acid powder available at your local drug store with 5 or ten parts sugar. Same time frame. I place 1 oz. of this mixture in containers and place about in basement and kitchen in childproof areas, Up high or under cabinets. Once had carpenters in by sons bedroom window sill. Drilled a small hole placed a few drops of pennyroyal in, sealed the hole and the next day they were gone. Make sure the smell is not offense before using it if your basement is open to living areas.

Don¹t eat any of this stuff of course.

Bill

Where do I get penneyroyal?

Local Herb and flower shop would be my first choice.

Bill