Boy am I mad! Been fighting those tiny black ants for months. Always have
3-50 hiking across the kitchen counter. All day, every day. Can't find
where they come in. Now up high in a cabinet in my bedroom - yup bedroom -
ants. I was just going to bake a cake and there in the Brand New Not Opened
Yet bag of brown sugar and there they are. Looking further tons of ants in
a Ziplock bag of powdered sugar. I don't want to even look any further.
I was so careful and so sure that Ziplock would be protected. Now what? 5
lbs of sugar in a huge screw lidded jar? Can I keep stuff like sugars in
the refrigerator of will that ruin it? I'm so mad. Not only do I not have
the stuff for baking but it's expensive. Flour, various sugars, cornmeal,
etc. All brand new. I seem to run out of everything about the same time
and replace all at the same time. Would those Gladlock containers with the
snap on lids be ant proof? H E L P !! Sydney who is not a happy camper!
Bob, my ants are just too smart and clog right on around the traps. They are
wearing tiny tap shoes ya' know. But I do carefully keep a spider in the
corner and see a little pile of carcasses.
Great to know I can put the sugar in the refrigerator. Flour too. Thanks.
Sydney
Sydney,
If you keep sugar and flour in the freezer the flour will stay fresh and
not become infested with weevels and such and the ants will stay out of the
sugar. I would get some of the good (guarenteed by Good Houskeeping) ant
bait things (like roach motels but for ants) and that should get rid of the
little devils. Good luck,
Bob Blakely
Marty, is boric acid the same as 20 Mule Team Borax?
Now the whole world knows I don't know. Sydney
Sydney,
Try this, use old lids like the ones on pickles, in a cup mix 1/2 cup
of
honey 4 tsp of boric acid powder.
Or maybe just the honey? Seems to me they would just be stuck in there?
Oh - creepy.
Marty, is boric acid the same as 20 Mule Team Borax?
Now the whole world knows I don't know. Sydney
Sydney,
Try this, use old lids like the ones on pickles, in a cup mix 1/2 cup
of
honey 4 tsp of boric acid powder.
Tupperware containers and other similar brands work well.I buy flour in
50 lb sacks and have large containers meant for restaurants.I have a
mouse problem that I havent been able to lick.Im truely sick of it!
Stormy
Sydney,
If you keep sugar and flour in the freezer the flour will stay fresh and
not become infested with weevels and such and the ants will stay out of the
sugar. I would get some of the good (guarenteed by Good Houskeeping) ant
bait things (like roach motels but for ants) and that should get rid of the
little devils. Good luck,
Bob Blakely
I'm so mad. Not only do I not have
> the stuff for baking but it's expensive. Flour, various sugars, cornmeal,
> etc. All brand new. I seem to run out of everything about the same time
> and replace all at the same time. Would those Gladlock containers with the
> snap on lids be ant proof? H E L P !! Sydney who is not a happy camper!
Bob Blakely
rblakely@infoave.net
Sydney,
Try this, use old lids like the ones on pickles, in a cup mix 1/2 cup of
honey 4 tsp of boric acid powder. Then pour into your lids and set around
your house where kids or pets can't get it. The ants will flock to it and
cease to exist. You'll see alot of ants for a few days ( as you already are
so it won't be a surprise). But after a few days you should be alot happier.
Sydney ,
No its not the same thing , but its easy to find you can get boric acid
powder at Wal-mart (as an example) , really just about anywhere.
Shucks Karen, you should live in Louisiana, we've got roaches down here that tote 5 lb bags of sugar
back to the nest to share. The common German roach (most common roach in US) can chew through paper
or plastic and eventually cardboard to get what it wants. Ants and roaches don't come in our house
since we invited a horde of geckos and anoles to live with us. Not to mention the toads that live
under things on the patio and in the carport. Counted 50 toads on the property already this year and
don't have any idea of the number of various lizards that live here. Nice little reptilian folk they
are.
George, up way to late due to a looonnngg nap today.
Karen Barker wrote:
Sydney lol
The honey wont' do it by itself they are to smart to jump in lol , but
mixed with boric acid it kills them. I had the same problem last summer, so
when i mixed this stuff up I put a little bit of it directly on the counter
to see what they did. It was unreal the amount of ants that lined up side by
side eating this stuff. Wasn't long I rarely saw an ant.
Sydney,
I was doing some reading on Boric acid / 20 mule team borax and it said
use either or so it must be the same stuff . This was news to me too. I try
to learn something new everyday thanks.
Hi Sydney,
In FL (aka - ant/bug heaven) I keep my flour, sugars, teas, coffee, etc.
in big clear plastic containers with screw on lids. Never had any ants
get in them yet and they sit there in the summer while I'm back home.
It's been my experience that plastic bags are not good enough. One time
we were having an ant problem and I even had to keep the opened
cereal/crouton/pasta boxes in the refrigerator until the exterminator
came to spray the attic. Have you tried using the bait traps that they
eat and take back to the nest? In FL I have them near the kitchen and
bathroom sinks. Also in FL I have to be meticulous in wiping up any
crumbs right away. But in PA at various times we've had mice get in the
house and chew open packages of cookies, noodles and chocolate chips in
the basement pantry. Once they even chewed a hole in a closed plastic
Rubbermaid garbage can to get at the sunflower seed I keep for the birds.
I couldn't believe they did that because it is a pretty heavy duty
plastic container. I patched the hole with duct tape and I periodically
check that it hasn't been eaten through again. It's become my mouse
detector.
Karen in Pittsburgh, PA (zone 5b/6)
________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
I've also done this for sugar-eating ants and it works. But I've read
that not all ants are attracted to sugar. You can also find boric acid
at drug stores. When I was a kid it was used as an eyewash for pink eye.
Karen in Pittsburgh, PA (zone 5b/6)
________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
Been reading about your ant problems. We have an annual infestation as well.
You should be able to buy Liquid Ant Killer at most hardware stores such as
Home Depot. This is the boric acid, sugar, water solution already mixed and
a small bottle will last a long time. You only use a small puddle right
where the ants are congregating. Getting the mixture right is tricky because
you want the ants to ingest it and carry it back to the colony so that they
can share it with their friends especially the queen without dying before
they get home. Once the queen is dead your ant colony will fade away. Our
old house is home to a lot of little critters so we store flour, sugar, and
other baking supplies in 1 Kilo coffee cans (we drink a lot of coffee) which
have plastic lids. The one thing we do that is different is we turn the cans
upside-down on the shelves to keep out mice , shrews, and assorted insects.
FWIW
Ontario Bill in Kars, USDA Z 4B/5A
ReUse, Recycle, or Rot
have
> 3-50 hiking across the kitchen counter. All day, every day. Can't find
> where they come in. Now up high in a cabinet in my bedroom - yup
bedroom -
> ants. I was just going to bake a cake and there in the Brand New Not
Opened
> Yet bag of brown sugar and there they are. Looking further tons of ants
in
> a Ziplock bag of powdered sugar. I don't want to even look any further.
> I was so careful and so sure that Ziplock would be protected. Now what?
5
> lbs of sugar in a huge screw lidded jar? Can I keep stuff like sugars in
> the refrigerator of will that ruin it? I'm so mad. Not only do I not
have
> the stuff for baking but it's expensive. Flour, various sugars, cornmeal,
> etc. All brand new. I seem to run out of everything about the same time
> and replace all at the same time. Would those Gladlock containers with
the
I've been having trouble with ants in the house as well. The only problem is, I
think they have built a nest *IN* the house. I think it is in between the
bathroom and the kitchen in the wall. I see no evidence of them coming through
doors, windows, etc. I have had a terrible time getting rid of them, and I
don't want to use chemicals because of my parrots.
I finally resorted to using the little traps you can buy. It's three weeks
later, and the amount of ants does appear to be diminishing, but they are not
all gone yet. They even dug a very small hole through the dry wall, and through
the caulk in-between to two tiles in the bathroom. So I have traps there too
now. I didn't want to plug up the hole yet, as I want to make sure I am rid of
them first, then I'll plug the hole back up. This has truly been the worst year
I've ever seen for ants. Generally, outside, they leave me alone and I leave
them alone...and I don't worry about them too much..
-----
Alan Chandler, Arizona Sunset Zone: 13
http://members.home.net/gizmoaz/~gizmoaz.htm
Stay Tuned!!! Coming Soon!!! ---------->>> http://www.gizmoaz.com !!!
Over 173 Rose Bushes Planted! 101 Different varieties! Never a dull moment!!
I never know what to call that area between the sidewalk and the street. My
father called it the Devil's Strip and when I asked, he said it was because the
Government (devil) owned it and we and to keep it up. -- John Mertus
Dorsett wrote:
Karen,
I do not think they are carpenter ants, as I don't see any sawdust type
materials being deposited out of the holes. Also they are smaller than
1/4-1/2 inch. That was one of the first things I checked when I saw the
hole they had made. I think they are just sugar ants as they are going for
the pantry. I know have everything in sealed tupperware containers, so they
have lost their source of food. I think they were going for my brown sugar,
which was one of the things not in a sealed container previously. I even
put all my grains and pasta's in plastic containers now. They were even in
my cornstarch and salt boxes. Had to throw those out.
-----
Alan Chandler, Arizona Sunset Zone: 13
http://members.home.net/gizmoaz/~gizmoaz.htm
Stay Tuned!!! Coming Soon!!! ---------->>> http://www.gizmoaz.com !!!
Over 173 Rose Bushes Planted! 101 Different varieties! Never a dull moment!!
I never know what to call that area between the sidewalk and the street. My
father called it the Devil's Strip and when I asked, he said it was because
the Government (devil) owned it and we and to keep it up. -- John Mertus
Karen Barker wrote:
> Boy am I mad! Been fighting those tiny black ants for months.
> Always have
> 3-50 hiking across the kitchen counter. All day, every day.
Vinegar rinse on the counter should help that situation. Just swab it on,
as needed.
Dusting other areas with baby powder or scented talc...wherever you suspect
they might be traveling...the odors disrupt their scent trails and they
can't travel around as well...and hopefully, they'll stay away from your
baking supplies.
Otherwise, a couple of options:
http://www.justchocolaterecipes.com/misc/misc0010.shtml
http://www.eatbug.com/recipes.htm
Barb
dorsettm@scin.quik.com
Time is what keeps things from happening all at once.
whenever I see people complaining about ants in the bathroom, i think of
the access insects have to the bathroom that nobody thinks about: the vents
on the roof. You have to have those to make the toilets flush, and please
do NOT ask me to explain that. But it is a way into the bathroom for tiny
critters. A neighbor complained about loud sounds coming from her basement,
and she finally tracked it down to a tree frog inside the water tank of a
toilet. The acoustics were just right to magnify its "singing". Margaret L
It probably swam. Margaret L
Anoles and geckos together is a good combination. The anoles feed during the daylight hours and the
geckos take the night shift. Between the lizards, toads, mockingbirds, and the spiders we have a lot
of insects eaten. I need a bat colony too, they like mosquitoes.
George
Karen Barker wrote:
George, I had an anole in the condo in FL this year, but not by design.
He came in and I couldn't get him out. At first it kinda spooked me, but
then I got used to seeing him high up on the wall or ceiling every now
and then. I told DH when we go down in the fall and do our first heavy
cleaning (moving all the furniture) we'll probably find a skeleton
somewhere. Unless he somehow got in the attic I don't think he'd find
enough bugs when the place is shut up to stay alive.
Karen in Pittsburgh, PA (zone 5b/6)
On Sun, 19 Aug 2001 22:31:02 -0500 George Shirley
writes:
________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
Alan ,
Did you see the post about mixing boric acid with honey to get rid of
the ants? If not mix 1 part boric acid to 9 parts honey, corn syrup put in
lids like pickle jar lids put them in places nothing can get to them but the
ants. They carry it back to the nest and die.
Alan, what kind of ants are they? Do you have carpenter ants in AZ? If
you think they might be carpenter ants, you need a professional
exterminator quick. They can do a lot of damage to the structure (wood
supports) of your house. I think I'd be worried about ants nesting in
the wall. Our old exterminator in FL told me that they come to the
bathrooms as a source of moisture.
Karen in Pittsburgh, PA (zone 5b/6)
On Mon, 20 Aug 2001 09:21:38 -0700 Alan Zelhart
________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
How did he get inside the toilet tank?
And a lot of exhaust fans are completely open. I had DH put screening
over the exhaust fan in the bathroom, but those little Pharoah ants are
so tiny that they could crawl right through it.
Karen in Pittsburgh, PA (zone 5b/6)
On Mon, 20 Aug 2001 11:01:36 -0600 Margaret Lauterbach
________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
If they're a tiny little ant with an amber color they would be Pharoah ants, aka pismires, aka piss
ants. They tend to come and go as the seasons change around here. I mix peanut butter, a little corn
syrup, and boric acid for them. They eat it and some die, some take it back to the nest and then
they all die. Roaches like the stuff too and will die if they eat it and will kill more of them if
they track it back to the nest.
George
Alan Zelhart wrote:
We had the master bath toilet overflow years ago and when investigated, guess what? The !@#$%^
squirrels had been dropping acorns down the vent pipe, no air movement then the toilet backs up when
you flush. Had to run a hose down the vent and flush the acorns out to the street clean-out and then
on. After that I put 1/4 inch hardware cloth on each vent on the roof. Funny now, aggravating back
then.
George
Karen Barker wrote:
I guess it could swim up from the bowl and push the flapper up and get in
the tank. That's weird.
Karen in Pittsburgh, PA (zone 5b/6)
On Mon, 20 Aug 2001 11:43:31 -0600 Margaret Lauterbach
________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
> I need a bat colony too, they like mosquitoes
George,
The newspaper yesterday, Monday, has a big article about building your own
bat houses with rudimentary directions. They also had an interview with a
couple who builds them for sale at $350 a piece! For that kind of money I
may start building them. The materials are under $100 and since it needs to
be rough sawn not much sanding is needed. But they are big. The dimensions
were about 4 ft X 2 ft X 3ft and then up on a pole.
Anne in FL
zone 9b, sunset 26
the daylight hours and the
> geckos take the night shift. Between the lizards, toads, mockingbirds, and
the spiders we have a lot
Bat Conservation International IIRC has plans for bat houses you can build,
also kits. My scout troop made two boxes (from precut kits and with some
good adult carpentry supervision -- not me!) last spring, and if those kids
could put them together, well, a monkey could do it.
I think the trick to it is siting the box correctly and it can take some
trial and error. The boxes the kids made went to rural Girl Scout camps
which seemed a bit superfluous to me, but I guess it's the idea that
counts.
Barbara M. Martin
to
> be rough sawn not much sanding is needed. But they are big. The
dimensions
and
