Is there anything that ants can't crawl on?

Am starting to have problems with ants in my kitchen, they seem to be specifically going after the breadbox which sits on the counter. Don't see them anywhere else in the house. Is there something that I could set it on that they wouldn't be able to crawl up to get into the breadbox? Kitchen is pretty clean, having just cleaned up after doing some work in there. Cleaning up any currently uncleaned areas would involve pulling the bottoms out of cabinets etc. Can't see where they're coming from, although I thought I saw one crawl out from inside a corner cabinet with a lazy susan in it (great. I'm sure that'll be fun to take apart.) No food is stored in that cabinet though so that makes no sense.

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel
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My advice, teach them to stop eating bread. Make a bait with about 1 part boric acid and 12 parts bread crumbs. You might not kill the whole colony as the legend implies but you can make them stop eating bread. I have taught my ants to stop eating just about everything in my house. Sugar was a slam dunk, Terro does that. Then I worked my way through the proteins, dog food, bacon grease chicken fat etc You will think you killed them all when they take the bait, but they will be back, just a lot more selective in what they eat. They still walk around here occasionally but I never see them swarming on anything I have baited them with.

Reply to
gfretwell

True story: I saw some little ants. Bought Terro. Put the UNOPENED package on the counter. Ants disappeared and have not come back!!

Lou

Reply to
LouB

The other response suggesting to poison them with poisoned bait makes sense to me.

In addition, I would not have any unsealed food or crumbs in that breadbox.

Beyond that, I suspect a plastic item made of polyethylene (one variety of which has recycling symbol of 2 in that triangle of 3 curved arrows), smeared with mineral oil, will probably be unclimbable by insects. Maybe put that on some sort of lid or tray to hold any oil running down.

Maybe better still, put the breadbox on something in a tray that has mineral oil maybe 1/8 or 1/4 inch deep. I doubt insects can walk over or swim though that.

But back to earlier - I would avoid having anything yummy-smelling in any way where ants can smell the odor if they come around to explore for food.

===========================================

Possible trap for insects and other similarly small critters, known to work for slugs:

A small tray or deepish lid filled with beer or wine. Critters come in for a drink, and drink themselves to death. Sometimes they decide to take a swim in it, and alcohol is absorbed through their skins to an extent that kills them in a few minutes. Beware - the alcohol may evaporate enough to make the brew non-lethal in a day or so or less, though a few critters (especially slugs) will swim into beer a couple to a few days old and not come out alive.

- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)

Reply to
Don Klipstein

We've been keeping ants away with Hot Shot Liquid Ant Bait. You want to get them to take poison back to nest to kill colony otherwise if you keep them away from one food item they'll be foraging around for others. Also a good idea to treat house foundation outside.

Reply to
Frank

I would check the nearest door and windows, and foundation cracks. Seems this is nest-building time, and food on a countertop definitely draws ants. An air-tight container for bread would help. Easiest fix is to use a few drops of boric acid ant bait near the bread container. In Florida, most people I know keep bread and cakes in the fridge because ants are persistent year-around. Just treated a column of ants in our atrium, as they were marching in the direction of my kitchen :o) Most hardware stores have liquid ant bait, like Terro, which has always worked well for me.

Reply to
norminn

I've had the best luck for getting rid of *all* insects with sticky insect traps, fly strips, sticky mouse traps, etc.

I'll put the sticky fly strips down low in corners and they catch all sorts of crawling insectsm spiders, etc. Up high and flying insects, especially near outside lights.

The best time is right now - Spring. Place them all around the house inside and out, up and down. Then the insects you catch will not be able to reproduce, thus exponentially fewer insects around in the summer/fall.

The only problem with these is the wind can blow them against your outside walls, then the sticky stuff will get all over the wall and it is hard to get off. They dry out soon if in the direct sun. And don't put any low if you have curious dogs or you will be pulling sticky stuff of their mouth!

Reply to
Bill

You could hang it from the ceiling on greased monofilament.

"Clean" is a relative term.

Insects are like water leaks; where you see them is not necessarily where they're coming from (or going).

Ants are not the dominant species on this planet for nothing.

Generally, by the time a homeowner sees ants, they've been around for some time, and perhaps a colony has grown so large relative to the available food supply (or is experiencing other "stress") that the colony "splits".

As a former PCO treating for ants I would use (1) Talstar, or (2) Tempo (WP or SC), and maybe Delta Dust, all available to homeowners without license.

(In the late '90s) I would shoot your kitchen for about $60, w/o warranty, or your entire structure (or whatever part of the structure is yours) for about $240 with a 6 month re-treat warranty that you won't see ants anywhere inside 30 days after treatment.

Often if not usually there is access to squirt under cabinets above the kick plate.

Just because you don't see ants is no evidence they are not where you can't see them, which is why I am not a disciple of "baiting". -----

- gpsman

Reply to
gpsman

Have heard sugar plus borax! Ants take it back to nest and it poisons them..

Reply to
stan

I'd suggest a big tray of Clorox bleach, they are unlikely to be able to traverse that.

If you would like some advice on killing ants and ant colonies, I'd be happy to share what worked for me. But, you didn't ask.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

They won't take granular borax - Terro and similar products are liquid, with sugar, water and borax.

Reply to
norminn

They musta' heard about it on the internet - crawling on yer' network cable, perhaps? :o)

Reply to
norminn

I'm glad (or hopeful) you aren't teaching school. Terro killed the sugar-eating ants. The quit eating your bread with boric acid because they don't eat boric acid dry...a little Terro mixed with fatty food will kill them because they take it back to the nest....they aren't running to the neighbor's for an order of salami without Terro :o)

If you leave chocolate cake on the counter, make sure none of the "crumbs" are moving :o)

Reply to
norminn

LOL

Lou

Reply to
LouB

Spray any nearby window/trim crevaces with Raid ant and roach spray, it works great for me every spring. I see the ants in early spring, after spraying I see numerous dead ants for a couple days, then no more ants at all. The ants like to walk crevaces near trim so hit crevace between cabinets and wall too or any passages within cabinets. Also do outside house perimeter.

Reply to
RickH

I have used those little square flat poison things. The ants think it's food, and take it back to the hive. They are cheap and for me they worked. All enclosed, safe.

Reply to
maynard

I've successfully stopped ants from coming into my kitchen by making an unbroken line of liquid dish soap around the perimeter. Dish soap is cheap, alkaline/basic, and ants are acidic. Drop a bit on an ant sometime, it'll kill 'em dead. Bonus is that it also cleans up whatever the scent trail is that they've left behind Apologies for my highly scientific language there, heh.

Reply to
Matt Dunphy

What is Terro?

Reply to
Ulysses

An old RVer trick is to sprinkle Comet or Ajax cleanser (or whatever brand you have) around the trailer jack and/or wheels. Supposedly the ants won't cross it. I've had mixed results but a light dusting might at least reduce the ant problem and it's likely you already have some cleanser on hand. I've also had good results by spraying Black Flag or Raid along the baseboards and counters etc but I always remove the dog food and water first and never spray near where the dogs eat. The bug spray seems to be good for about two weeks or so.

Reply to
Ulysses

When you can teach them to play basketball, then you can start crowing.

Reply to
Randy

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