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The Kitchen Table

Ants in the kitchen!

15 years ago

Only at night do I find 2 or 3 ants on my kitchen counter.

They are not the tiny sweet ant nor the big carpenter ant but one a size in between. I keep my counters clean and spray with Clorox clean up. The kitchen faces outside and is brick The counter is tile. I don't have a clue where they come from or what they are after but I want them gone. Any help out there???

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Comments (10)

azzalea
15 years ago
Have you tried cornmeal? I was having a problem with ants in my enclosed porch a couple of weeks back and remembered I'd heard something about cornmeal. They apparently like it and will take it back to the colony, but it's indigestible for them and ends up killling them. I sprinkled a little in the area where I was seeing them coming and going, left it for a couple of days. I saw fewer and fewer (and they were getting more and more sluggish), and now, I haven't seen any for about 2 weeks. Nice thing is, it's not toxic to us or our pets.
roseluver
Original Author
15 years ago
I will certainly try that. Thank you!
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We are having the same problem here in SoCal - Anaheim area. Our house is 40 years old and I am sure they have just built a colony under the cool slab. Recently, I was converting the bathroom to a dual sink and had to cut into the slab and uncovered a colony right in the middle of the house under the slab. The little buggers just crawl through any crack. They will also, much to my dismay, chew away at plastic, caulking and grout, until they get a hole big enough to come through. I also hate to use pesticide, but my wife found out that Simple Green is lethal to the little pests. And the effects are long term, too, i.e. they will not come back to that spot, provided you don't wipe it down clean again. They also seem to be driven by extreme heat, such as we are having right now in SoCal. I think they come out looking for water and other food sources, when it gets very dry and hot. My only blessing in the dark cloud is that 1) they don't bite or sting, otherwise it would be a whole different story, and horror one at that; 2) there aren't any subterranian termites under my house, since ants and termites are mortal enemies. I am going to try the boric around the house and see if that doesn't help. I know that their colonies are not hundreds or thousands of ants, but literally millions of them, and they are highly organized and intelligent for ants, which makes it frustrating. I can see them communicating which in itself it fascinating, but scary, too. But like I said, try Simple Green inside the house.
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Thanks for your suggestions. Last night I saw ants crawling out of a hole in caulk at base of toilet. Caulked it good and today took ceiling panel out (in garage) to see condition under toilet, dry and no sign of ants during the day. Apparently they are following the sewer line into the house & bathroom. I now assume since their path has been blocked to water in the toilet they should look some place else for a drink. Does AMDRO Block work on Carpenter ants? The exterminator we hired saw the ants and said they were carpenter ants. Ants would not go near the granules he put out in the house, apparently not their choice of food. After having the exterminator for a year, there was no change in ant traffic. Hopefully finding the hole in caulk will solve the problem.
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Sugar ants can literally take over a home. You need to get granule ant poison and sprinkle around the entire perimeter of your home. If yours is a crawlspace foundation, you need to toss in some of the granules into the crawlspace vents. Empty your pantry, get a can of Bengal Gold, and spray a line of it all around the ceiling, all around the floor, and up every corner. You need to do this inside your cabinets as well. Bengal is the only thing that works, and it stays active for a year or more. Any air-tight container will work. Walmart has some clear off-brand ones that hold up great.
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My sister told me this, and it has worked for both of us. Use whatever your favorite toxic or nontoxic method is to do away with the ones already in the house. They WILL likely come back eventually, though if you don't do something about how they get in. We both found that spraying the outside foundation of the house is a lasting cure. I have not had to do it more than one time in a year, although I don't live where it is warm year round, where you might need to do it 2 or more times a year. Since the spraying is done outside, you don't have to worry about it being in your house. Since it is on a vertical surface it doesn't pool, and isn't laying around where pets or playing children will likely come in contact with it. I just bought an bug/ant spray in a large container from Home Depot, diluted it in a inexpensive pump sprayer like you use for spraying roses or something, holds a gallon or two, dilute according to instructions and wet the entire foundation with it except the garage foundation (no problem with ants there) just until it looked wet, not dripping or anything. I haven't found anyone yet that this hasn't worked for. No matter where the ants are entering, they almost surely have to climb up the foundation to get to the crack, hole or whatever. I guess they just don't make it that far once the foundation is sprayed. Don't forget to do where cement steps meet the foundation and around basement windows and basement entry like a hatchway. At least you don't need to let chemicals into your house or on surfaces that might be dangerous to children or pets and if it needs to be done again even months later, it is quick and the cost is very reasonable. This doesn't get rid of the ones already in your house, but prevents re infestation. If you do it as soon as you see the first sign of an ant or two inside, you can just kill those manually and stop the problem in its tracks. I have only had to do it 2 or 3 times in 10 years because they never get well established inside. Sue
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vala55
15 years ago
I read an article that said you just wash away the scent trail with soap and water and they won't come back in the same place. Just wash where you find them. That worked for me. I don't use poisons unless I absolutely have to. And be careful of the Clorox Cleanup that's wicked stuff to use. Read the instructions. I used it in the kitchen sink and it ruined the metal stuff in the drain,looks like the parts are a 100 years old. Also I open windows and doors then leave the area for awhile.
enjoyingspring
15 years ago
I have been using equal parts of sugar and baking soda for years, works great.
taigen_gw
15 years ago
Well all I can say is good luck!! For more years than I can remember we have had ants come into our home in the early spring. We have never been able to find out where or why they come in, it only happens in the spring, we have tried EVERYTHING...except hubby won't let me pay an exterminator!! I kind of agree because we have cats...but wow...all these years and they still come. Good news is the house is still standing so they haven't eaten it yet!!
cynic
15 years ago
I've seen varied reviews of cornmeal. Many say it might work for a short while but also many caution that it'll also attract bugs which is what came to my mind. And considering the number of people who have had to toss a pantry full of flour, cornmeal and other staples infested with bugs, I think I'd rather have the ants!

Terro has always worked for me.
nanny98
15 years ago
Terro also works for us. We were gone for 3 weeks last month and I left the coffee pod in the Krueg Coffee pot....came home to a huge trail of ants to the coffee pot. They had built a nest inside the pot where you can't get to it and I have done everything...including sit it in 2 inches of water and...well they finally slowed down to a trickle, but the darned things are still "wanting" to be inside that coffee pot! Who'da thought! Only coffee....no fancy kinds. ?????
nodakgal
15 years ago
Terro here too! We seem to get them in the spring of the year in the bathroom. I put out liquid Terro on a little piece of cardboard and within 2 or 3 days they are gone! You will see what seems like more of them for a few hours, they cluster around it like cattle at a watering hole and eat it and take back to the "farm". lol It kills the nest.

Here is a link that might be useful: Terro
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
The cornmeal thing is a myth. Don't bother.

The Terro baits, already mixed boric acid and sugar, are amazing. You'll need to find a location where you have seen them forage, place a bait tray and leave it. Even when it is swarmed with ants, just leave it alone. In a short time, the ants will have taken the sugary boric acid to their nest and everyone will croak.

Have you inspected under the sink and in cupboards?
drewsmaga
15 years ago
I cannot speak highly enough about Terro.

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