I wish I knew. I have had an ant problem for the last several years. Terminix can't even get rid of them. I have tried everything I can think of. I even found them in the fridge. They were moving slowly but in there never the less. One morning I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom and when I spit out the paste there were little black specks in it. It was pieces of ant bodies, they were in my brush and I didn't see them. Vique.

Actually, depending on your source for information, either is supposed to work. That is to repel them. Once you have them, different story. We recently tried something new here at work. The boss won't let us use sprays to kill them. He insists that we need to have them carry a poison back to their nest to obliterate all the little boogers. Mix equal parts dry cat or dog food (whirred in the blender first), grape jelly, and boric acid. Fill bottle caps with the goop and place them strategically around the room. They love it and cart some of it home to share with the others. Case closed.

I always use Torro (and NOT a generic.)

I have heard cinnamon, if you are just trying to keep them from crossing a line. BUT, Hey, why train them -- kill out the whole nest with Terro.

cream of tarter gets rid of the things too. No harmful to pets, kids, food since it IS a food (like the cinnamon). Hadn't heard of cinnamon, but have used Terro & cream of tarter with good results. I think the c-o-t is less messy.

In GA, I used boiling water with dish soap on the fire ants. Worked after about 5 treatments. It was a HUGE nest in my planter.

I always wipe my cabinet top with vinegar and they leave.

The best thing I've used for ants are those little containers with the tiny hole in the top (it is poison, but a tiny hole that only an ant could get to). They all come marching in and out of the container to take the tasty treats back to the tribe. After two days, no more ants. :)

Thanks everyone. I found one inside the kitchen cabinet, where the spices are. I do draw the line at that. LOL.

We know, where there is a nest outside, I guess, I will pour some boiling water in to it.

At this point, we don't know where they are coming in at. But, I will send this thread to Lori, and she can decide, what to do.

Moni

Moni, I had trouble with ants for the last 2 years, never had an issue with them before. The best thing I have found, and it works FAST, is Terro. They take it back to the nest and withing a few days the nest is dead.

Orkin has been my ant killer of choice for the last 18 years or so. We have them in 10 foot mounds if not treated all the time.
My son when he was about 2 years old, and we had first moved to Texas, left a 7up on the back porch, and the next day took a swig out of it. Came inthe house screaming....it was awful!! Ants crawling down his throat and falling off his face in the hundreds. Scared me to death.
Orkin since then.....bless them.

Trin

Thanks for all the information! I have those tiny black ones all over my cabinet.They come back as fast as I wipe them away.LOL DH looked for the spot where they are coming in,nothing outside so they must be getting in from under the house.I'm going to try wiping the cabinets with vinegar in a few minutes.

Terro is best for those little sugar ants...is that the ones that come inside?
Fire ants, I remember from when we were in Texas...best thing is a stick of dynamite! LOL

Moni, be sure to include an ample serving of dish detergent/soap. I think the grease or something in the soap sticks to their bodies and help to kill them. Kind of sad but those things STING and have been known to kill! (at least the fire ants!)

Same battle I've been waging this spring. I got rid of them on my counter with vinegar. They kept returning, though, in different places, so I put out Terro liquid bait. Judging by the way the ants swarmed on and in it, they loved it. I loved it for a different reason; I haven't seen a single ant since.

We spray a product called "Home Defense" all around the house, about 3 times a year. You spray it about 6" up on the foundation and 6" on the graound around the foundation. We had one ant all ready and DH sprayed to keep the rest out. Of course, here in Michigan we don't have the larger problems with them like in the warmer states.
Kathy G in MI

Terro for me too. Never fails. In fact, if there's an ant problem on my Bluebird trail, I dip a Q-tip in the Terro and staple it to the outside bottom of the box. No more ant problem.
Leslie

I've been able to keep them from crawling out of the garbarge disposal and on the kitchen counters with basil and/or peppermint. I just put a sprig down the drain. (Don't run the disposal)and I put a few sprigs here and there around my kitchen counters and faucets. Seems to be doing a pretty good job.

Really and truly, try the cat food / grape jelly / boric acid deal, plus the peppermint for inside. (I used essential oil and cotton balls throughout the house, and everyone thought the house smelled nice!

Well, this weekend, we were having a problem with them on the porch. I just sprinkled straight borax around the cracks where they seemed to be coming in. It was a mess, of course, but the next day, I only saw one ant. I vacuumed up the powder, but when I left to come home, I left a little saucer of cornmeal and borax, just in case they get 'hungry' while we're gone. Will see this weekend how things are going. If they come back, I'll give the Terro a try.