Bleach.

Pour it in the drains and the chlorine gas will drive out anything coming in through the drains.

Your WD-40 may only be a temporary impediment to ant progress.

At the advice of some on forum I bought Terro traps. Last week I had 4 of them lined up on the counter each loaded with ants. For three days I resisted getting out the vacuum. Then, suddenly, they disappeared... and..... there aren't even any ants around the house outdoors.

I haven't used the bait, but I use the liquid outdoors. Whenever I see ants, I put down a few drops. They immediately start feeding on it. Supposedly they take it back to the nest and it kills the entire colony. I can't say whether that's true or not, but I haven't had ants in the house for several years, although they do pop up in outdoor areas where they are promptly treated to some Terro.

I really need to hit the areas in the front yard. I was watering my roses this morning and had ants crawling on my legs. Ick!

wanda

I've been getting the ants-up-the-leg treatment, too, when I water certain "dry" plants! The neighbors must get a kick out of seeing me doing the Mexican hat dance. Then, I end up stomping right into a spider web, so my arms get to flailing, too.

"What is she doing out there....?"

Brenda

My ant invasion started about three weeks ago. Bought the Terro traps and it took care of the first batch (reddish ones), but then the tiny, tiny, ones showed up and it took care of them also. Now, a new group of black ants have appeared out of one of my light switches, next to my counter, but they seem to be more resistant and then numbers haven't diminished as quickly as the first two batches.

I'm going to replace the Terro traps, but I think I'm going to have to heed everyone's advice and deal with them outside.

We have 5 acres of really mean red ants. They seem to cluster around where my drip emiters are. They woke up my 13yo DD the other night as they were streaming out of the electric plug in a line straight to her bed. They were all over her bedding. She spent the rest of the night on the sofa. I'm going to Walmart tomorrow to invest in some chemical warfare. With 5 acres, I clear up one area and they just move to somewhere else.
Donna in hot Orland

I think with the drought and dryness we are going to be seeing more and more of this agressiveness.
I had a 2-3 in bathroom for about 3 days in a row. I set off a fogger bomb and haven't seen them since. I think the key is to keep them outside. I also spray all landscaping once a month.

Donna-thats horrible. I can't imagine that. Are you sure they aren't fire ants? They have made it to Orange county last year but not sure if any further north or not.

I'm not sure if they are the fire ants or ordinary red ants. Their sting or bite sure hurts. I have learned not to wear sandles out in the garden. I wear socks & tennies and that has left me with a farmer's tan. I have tan legs from wearing shorts and white feet and ankles from my socks. It sure looks funny when I want to get dressed up. I just wear slacks to church so people can't see my white ankles.
Donna in hot Orland

To get ants with non-toxic stuff:

Windex kills them (although it has to be wet to also repel them)

OFF (or any mosquito with deet)REALLY gets them and they stay away--but you have to be careful because it will melt plastic (for example, the base of my toothbrush charger) I've also used OFF on black widows and wasps.
Carla in Sac

Donna: this Terro also has a dry grain-like bait for outdoors. Maybe you could make some bait stations with this stuff and use it all over your property. Terro also has liquid out-door bait stations for around the house.

Our little ants bite and then you itch for days. I've found that Benadryl Cream helps the itch.

Donna, I have the same tan! LOL!
You'll know if fire ants, cuz you well swell up much larger than mosquitios and they hurt. Basically everybody is allergic to them, but I got 3 bits on my foot in tx years ago and ended up in emergency and couldn't wear shoes for a week...they didn't fit.
I forgot about the Terro granules westelle mentioned. I have used that also. I like the foam spray for cracks and crevices.

Where do you get this Terro? We have a lot of ants outside, which one works better for planters?
sanda

Sanda, you can get it at Lowes, Osh and probably home depot I also. I don't go there if I don't have to.
All the packages are orange so you can't miss it.
Osh is the only place I can find the foam spray.
Also comes in the granuals, liquid and bait stations.
For planters you mean raised beds? I would use the granuals. Depending on your watering you will have to reapply every so often.

I found some of the liquid at Walmart. We also bought some stuff to spray all around the outside of the house. I will see if it works.
Donna in very hot Orland

Just wanted to report back on the black ants that were coming out of my switch plate and roaming around on the small counter next to my stove. They would subside and then reappear. After feeding them with the Terro for three weeks or more, I just finally removed the liquid traps, cleaned the small counter area well, and hit the stragglers with some Windex. Now, they're gone and have been for days. While the Terro worked well on the red ants, it just seemed to feed the black ants.

My hubby threw away my bate traps. He said they were attracting more ants then we had before. I have been using the granuals out in the yard and they work well. In the old days, we would spray clordaine into the crawl space under the house and wouldn't see an ant for years. We can't get that anymore.

I remember using the chlordane too. It worked great, kept us bug free, but I guess it didn't do much for the enviornment.

caavonldy wrote:
"My hubby threw away my bate traps. He said they were attracting more ants then we had before."

Umm. That's what they're supposed to do.

A good ant bait attracts lots of ants which then take some of the bait home to share with friends and family.

Ta da; the ants stop coming.

I tried to explain that to him. He said that if it hadn't killed the ants in over a weeks time, it wasn't working. He just sprays with ant killer in a can. It really stinks up the house. He is 79 and stuck in his ways, won't listen to anyone.

Donna in Orland

I highly recommend the Toro traps. They are relatively easy on the environment. For anyone considering chemical warfare I suggest you Google the active ingredient. You may not want use it after you educate yourself. Also chemicals are long lasting in the environment and tend to concentrate in things like insects, earthworms and puddles when it rains and this can affect birds and other wild life. Being ant free today is not worth cancer or other affects from poison down the road.

they are like cockroaches, immune to everything, and they will be around after us!