Ant problem

[Rick W]

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

If they have wings, “be afraid, be very afraid!” Seriously.

Get a few in a zip lock bag and take them to 2-3 different exterminators. Yeah, they’ll all say “oh my God” and you have to treat now or the sky will fall! But ask them what the bug is, and keep asking until you get 2-3 to agree.

Carpenter ants are bad and damaging, but easily manageable. They’re usually black and bigger ants, no wings. Small gray, red, fire and tan ants are a pain in the ass but just that, an annoyance. If it’s ants, treat them and kill them, but then you have to pre-treat and check at least annually.

Termites can be gray, beige/tan, light reddish/brown and easily confused with ants. Google Texas termites for pics. You’re crazy if you try to treat termites by yourself. Especially in the south, they can destroy a house (I’m talking condemnation) in 3-4 years, and you may only see a handful in the process.

if you have the slightest doubt, get a professional termite inspection. Pay for it so you get a report you can rely on. & in Texas, like Georgia, you should have an annual contract (helps tremendously on resale). Two kinds of contracts: one, the guarantee means they’ll come back and kill the bugs if they show up again. Almost worthless. Second is a “repair bond” guaranty. They kill the bugs, and if they show up again, they kill the bugs AND repair the damages.

I personally like well-established mom & pop firms with service and quality, but the big names have the horsepower to back up the guaranty.

& if you did have a home inspection, and you have termites, get that guy to kill them and fix damages!!

My 2 cents, didn’t mean to rant, from some bad experiences...

 

[adsm08]

I have found that treating for ant with brake cleaner and a BIC lighter usually works well.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Bayer carpenter ant and termite spray. big blue bottle. spray entire outer perimeter around the house. Good for 12 months or a hard rain.

 

[sgtsandman]

Fire. Fire always works.

 

[97RangerXLT]

Fire. Fire always works.

but does it work on Fire Ants?

AJ

 

[Curious Hound]

but does it work on Fire Ants?

AJ

A very vehement "YES!"

 

[Rick W]

Here’s a visual with the pest control guy declaring victory

 

[Curious Hound]

Here’s a visual with the pest control guy declaring victoryView attachment 55157

It's like a miniature version of caddy shack.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I think its Corn meal I used a couple times. A small pile close by where their path is and a couple days later no more ants. No need to use poison with it.
Not really sure why it works. Maybe they eat it and it bungs up the digestive system?

 

[Jim Oaks]

I think I have fire ants.

 

[Curious Hound]

You’re in the southern US. You definitely have fire ants somewhere in the property. They’re rotten little devils.

 

[Dirtman]

Why does everyone hate fire ants so much? They are wonderful little creatures.

 

[Curious Hound]

Why does everyone hate fire ants so much?

Because fire ants hate everybody. They started it.

 

[Rick W]

Are we still talking about flying “ants” that are in your wall? I didn’t think fire ants had wings, but I found this:

A little more reading yielded that only a small handful fly occasionally to start new colonies/nests. If you find the flying ones onesie twosie, they may be ants. If they are swarming, lingering in the air in a batch, much more likely it’s termites.

Second, do you still think they’re in the wall? If so, that can’t be fire ants. They only nest in the ground:

If they are fire ants in the ground, I’ve used this for 40+ years with great success (93 grille support from PAP in rear, pile of extra wheels and tires):

Established nests go pretty deep. You can kill the top level and they pop out a dozen feet over. I’ve killed well-established nests over one summer with several applications. I’m only on a quarter acre, so when I cut the grass I look for the signs of the new nests, and I immediately treat them. I haven’t seen any in about a dozen years. I’ve probably owned this 1/2 full jug since then or longer.

I’ve also used this on carpenter ants and the micro ants and some others with equal success IF I can get close to the nest. I’ve used it in the garage and shed, but I’d be afraid to use it in the house without doing a lot more checking.

One other thought, and this may be an oversimplification, but there are two methods for treating insects. On roaches, as long as you put the poison down somewhere in their pathway, they will walk through it, bring it back to the nest, and some of them die. That is the opposite of ants. You have to spray the whole perimeter of the affected area and or the area you want to keep pest free. If you have ants in your kitchen, and you spray the perimeter over 95% of the length and leave 1” untreated, the ants will sacrifice themselves and walk along the perimeter until they find the “clean spot” and then they will enter the area and leave there. Smart little suckers!

To kill the ants, don’t spray over them in the middle, spray around them first, then on them.

 

[Curious Hound]

That Ortho stuff works great. But I won’t use it because it’s a powder. If my dog walks through granulated ant poison, it’s likely to fall off her paws. If she walks through powder, it will stick longer and she could lay down somewhere and think “There’s something nasty on my paws. I better lick them clean.” I don’t know the real chances of that happening. But I choose to avoid the possibility.