Ant problem

[Jim Oaks]

My house was built in 1960 and still has the original aluminum windows. I've noticed brown and red carpenter ants around the window sill, on the floor, and was watching one with wings in between the windows today. Usually the ones I find are already dead.

Has anyone had a problem with ants and got rid of them on their own? I'm wondering if I can spray something around the outside of the house, or if I should just call an exterminator.

 

[97RangerXLT]

Borax powder around the house. Get ant bait traps and place them anywhere in the house where you see them. Keep the dog away from them tho...

Make sure that hey aren't termites... look around the walls where you see them for mud tunes.

If termites, go kick your home inspector square in the nuts and give him the treatment bill...

AJ

 

[sgtsandman]

We use Terra traps. They have liquid inside that the ants take back to the nest. We haven't seen any dead ants in the house. Only that they stop swarming on the kitchen counter. They also have a powder for use around the outside of the house.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

Combat brand ant bait gel. It comes in a big syringe. I have to order it from amazon, every spring when the neighbors sugar ant infestation starts to spread new colonies my way, i lay out a few stratigic dolops, and their never to be seen again. Over the last 12 years i have tried everything except hiring a professional. The combat product has served me well for the last 8 years with no reduced efectivity. Ive see ant colonies become imune to other products and use them as exclusive food sources.

 

[Snoranger]

Borax powder around the house. Get ant bait traps and place them anywhere in the house where you see them. Keep the dog away from them tho...

Make sure that hey aren't termites... look around the walls where you see them for mud tunes.

If termites, go kick your home inspector square in the nuts and give him the treatment bill...

AJ

This.
Mix borax and RV antifreeze (non-toxic) and spray around the house and foundation.

 

[RobbieD]

Sell the dog and buy an anteater.

 

[19Walt93]

I used to buy Diazinon at the hardware store and that really worked, but it's too hazardous so it's off the market. Triaziside ot triazinon, I forget which, is available now and works pretty good, I sprinkle it around the foundation in the spring and early summer. The ants bring it back to their nest to share and kill all their friends, too. It kills all the grass where it lands, though. It's been below zero over the weekend and the ants have been pretty quiet.

 

[Dirtman]

Guinea hens eat ants... just get 40 or 50 guinea hens, put half inside the house and half outside.

 

[Roert42]

Carpenter ants are harder to get rid of then Termites. I had a tree on my property that was massively infested with them, and I planned on cutting it down. I hired a local guy to come out a couple of time before it got cut down and hose the tree down with poison and inject it into the tree. KIlled most of the ants after a couple of months and now I do not have to worry about them eating my house.

 

[RonD]

Food-grade diatomaceous earth is safe to use, non-toxic, and works against all insects with exoskeletons
Its basically mini razor blades that cut through the exoskeletons, and that causes dehydration and death in 6 to 24 hours
Wear a mask or cloth covering nose and mouth when applying
It can be mixed with water and then sprayed on to areas, it will stay in place when it dries, its not as effective when its wet

 

[Curious Hound]

Sell the dog and buy an anteater.

The dog and thr anteater might get along.

 

[Curious Hound]

Look around for a do-it- yourself exterminator supply store. I have a couple here. They sell the professional stuff instead of what you can get at local home improvement stores.

 

[MikeG]

Carpenter Ants are a 'WDI' a.k.a. wood-damaging insect. Same as termites...... and if that had been caught before the sale went through, it would have created a problem for sure.

I think I would call in a professional.

 

[sheep herder]

Sell the dog and buy an anteater.

Can you get one from Petco?

 

[racsan]

I thought of that tv ad when I read the title (geico?) and pictured multiple older women at jims place.
Ive had good luck with black flag products myself. Outdoors dig a hole in the anthill and stick a garden hose there turned on for awhile.