Some of you mentioned that aspartame kills ants and that you've used
it. I'm trying it now--just something in one of those packets from a
restaurant--and don't know whether to sprinkle it or dissolve it in
water. The ants (indoors) don't yet seem interested in it in either
form.
How did you use it?
Barbara - in Berkeley
our gov't just announced that artificial sweeteners are all ok, yeah,
sure and I trust our gov't.
suasn
Barbara wondered:
there and start by eliminating that reason. Ants are always looking for =
food sources and that is one of the reasons they are there. Once that =
reason is resolved then deter them from wondering around by placing =
barriers containing lemon juice or peppermint oil (the real stuff =
because they know the difference) and using that force them back out =
side making note of the entrances they use. Once you have them outside, =
where they belong, plug up the points of entry they use so they cannot =
return. There is no good reason to use stuff that will poison them.
Kimm
Barbara, some notes on ants from our group. Sue ;-)
Does anyone have an organic way of dealing with carpenter ants,
besides squashing them?
Feed them aspartame (Nutrasweet) and they will be majorly dead
in about 6 weeks. carpenter ants like sweet and aspartame is
something like 1000x sweeter than sugar. They eat it and take
it back to the queen. It is deadly to them. lucy Goodman
The only time you would need be concerned about them is when they are in your house and then they are a symptom of a problem
rather than the problem. If they are in the house you need to
find out why, cure that problem, and then they will go away.
They would be in the house if there is wet wood someplace, find
the wet wood, fix the reason for the wet wood, and they leave.
Outside they are simply part of Ma Natures recycling machine
and belong there. Kimm
I'm getting ready to make up a bunch of bait stations( cottage
cheese container or similar- including lid) Just have to punch
holes in them and load each w/ a scrap of cloth and dollop of
borax/sugar syrup.
To start, I will go w/ 1 part BORAX( "20MULE TEAM "brand-
it's in the laundry soap aisle at the grocery) to 16 parts
sugar. Add enough water to make a syrup.
Commercial TERRO bait stations (of the same ingredients) list
borax as 5% active ingredient, w/ the rest sugar.
------------------------------------------------------------
Indoors I found that ant stations just call them inside the
house. Its still true that a sticky fingerprint will bring in
thousands. Where we can, we caulk but if they find a way in,
blocking their way only encourages them to find another way.
Where we can't use caulk, I spray skin so soft with peppermint
oil, cinnamon oil, orange oil and eucalyptus oil mixed in with
the skin so soft. The kids hate the smell but hate the ants
worse! My homemade cleaners have added peppermint oil in them
which seems to help discourage the ants. Sometimes when I get
desperate I put a bait (covered sour cream container with a hole
for the ants to go in) near their trail and then move the bait
to the back porch. But I'm not really doing much to decrease
the numbers; these guys reproduce so quickly I'd have to have a
swimming pool filled with bait to do that job. (Believe me,
I've considered it!)
When the triplets were born I was in SC to be with my sister.
My husband strangulated a hernia the night before they were
born. He was holding down the fort here (it was before we
adopted our daughter but the three boys can make enough mess.)
Perhaps my husband just wasn't keep up with it all, I'm not
sure, but the ants suddenly swarmed over the house. A friend
from church had to take my husband in for emergency surgery.
When the friend got to our home the entire living room, dining
room and kitchen floor was swarmed with ants. There wasn't an
inch on the floor that was ant-less. I got home in 7 hours and
the boys had moved upstairs to keep away from the ants. It was
awful!
We're basically ant-less in the house right now with only an
odd scout but it takes constant vigilance. Laura
Try the Borax/sugar bait stations, I mentioned earlier.
I've also had good luck w/ a tablespoon of borax dissolved in
a quart of water and used in a spray bottle. Use this spray
solution to mark the boundry into your household. They will
avoid it.
I haven't had any trouble with ants coming in the house since
I found this non-toxic mint oil spray. You just spray it over
the opening when they first come in, and it covers their scent
trail, so no more ants. You do have to be quick at spotting
them though, for it to work best. Smells really good too.
Regards, Laurie Mill Valley, CA
Make barrier of diatomaceous earth, boric acid, baby powder,
cleanser and when ants cross it it will cut into them and kill
them.
Ants in kitchen. Mix 1 quart water and 1 tbsp. ammonia, put
in sprayer and spray-kills ants and cleans counters.
Kimm Miller
Barbara wondered:
Kimm
my mom used 1/2 sugar and 1/2 boric acid, dry and laid along the edges, not my mon, the powder ;-D It also works when moistened with water to a nice sludge.Amy of Marvelous GardensZone 10 or Sunset zone 23http://home.earthlink.net/~marvelousgardens/--- On Sat 07/29, Sue Jennings < suesherbals@YAHOO.COM > wrote:From: Sue Jennings [mailto: suesherbals@YAHOO.COM]To: OGL@LSV.UKY.EDUDate: Sat, 29 Jul 2006 15:55:50 -0700Subject: Re: aspartame for ants
Barbara, some notes on ants from our group. Sue ;-)Does anyone have an organic way of dealing with carpenter ants, besides squashing them?Feed them aspartame (Nutrasweet) and they will be majorly dead in about 6 weeks. carpenter ants like sweet and aspartame is something like 1000x sweeter than sugar. They eat it and take it back to the queen. It is deadly to them. lucy Goodman
The only time you would need be concerned about them is when they are in your house and then they are a symptom of a problem rather than the problem. If they are in the house you need to find out why, cure that problem, and then they will go away. They would be in the house if there is wet wood someplace, find the wet wood, fix the reason for the wet wood, and they leave. Outside they are simply part of Ma Natures recycling machine and belong there. KimmI'm getting ready to make up a bunch of bait stations( cottage cheese container or similar- including lid) Just have to punch holes in them and load each w/ a scrap of cloth and dollop of borax/sugar syrup. To start, I will go w/ 1 part BORAX( "20MULE TEAM "brand- it's in the laundry soap aisle at the grocery) to 16 parts sugar. Add enough water to make a syrup.Commercial TERRO bait stations (of the same ingredients) list borax as 5% active ingredient, w/ the rest
sugar.------------------------------------------------------------ Indoors I found that ant stations just call them inside the house. Its still true that a sticky fingerprint will bring in thousands. Where we can, we caulk but if they find a way in, blocking their way only encourages them to find another way. Where we can't use caulk, I spray skin so soft with peppermint oil, cinnamon oil, orange oil and eucalyptus oil mixed in with the skin so soft. The kids hate the smell but hate the ants worse! My homemade cleaners have added peppermint oil in them which seems to help discourage the ants. Sometimes when I get desperate I put a bait (covered sour cream container with a hole for the ants to go in) near their trail and then move the bait to the back porch. But I'm not really doing much to decrease the numbers; these guys reproduce so quickly I'd have to have a swimming pool filled with bait to do that job. (Believe me, I've considered it!)When the triplets were born !
I
was in SC to be with my sister. My husband strangulated a hernia the night before they were born. He was holding down the fort here (it was before we adopted our daughter but the three boys can make enough mess.) Perhaps my husband just wasn't keep up with it all, I'm not sure, but the ants suddenly swarmed over the house. A friend from church had to take my husband in for emergency surgery. When the friend got to our home the entire living room, dining room and kitchen floor was swarmed with ants. There wasn't an inch on the floor that was ant-less. I got home in 7 hours and the boys had moved upstairs to keep away from the ants. It was awful!We're basically ant-less in the house right now with only an odd scout but it takes constant vigilance. LauraTry the Borax/sugar bait stations, I mentioned earlier.I've also had good luck w/ a tablespoon of borax dissolved in a quart of water and used in a spray bottle. Use this spray solution to mark the boundry into your
household. They will avoid it. I haven't had any trouble with ants coming in the house since I found this non-toxic mint oil spray. You just spray it over the opening when they first come in, and it covers their scent trail, so no more ants. You do have to be quick at spotting them though, for it to work best. Smells really good too. Regards, Laurie Mill Valley, CAMake barrier of diatomaceous earth, boric acid, baby powder, cleanser and when ants cross it it will cut into them and kill them. Ants in kitchen. Mix 1 quart water and 1 tbsp. ammonia, put in sprayer and spray-kills ants and cleans counters. Kimm Miller wrote:
Barbara wondered:> Some of you mentioned that aspartame kills ants and that you've used > it. I'm trying it now--just something in one of those packets from a > restaurant--and don't know whether to sprinkle it or dissolve it in > water. The ants (indoors) don't yet seem interested in it in either > form.>> How did you use it?>> If you have ants in the house you need to first determine why they are there and start by eliminating that reason. Ants are always looking for food sources and that is one of the reasons they are there. Once that reason is resolved then deter them from wondering around by placing barriers containing lemon juice or peppermint oil (the real stuff because they know the difference) and using that force them back out side making note of the entrances they use. Once you have them outside, where they belong, plug up the points of entry they use so they cannot return. There is no good reason to use stuff that will poison them.
Kimm
