Ants.......please help

[olena]

I think I'm being invaded. For a few days now, I've been seeing these little ants in my kitchen. I think I've figured out where they're coming from. Is it possible that they're coming up my kitchen sink? I haven't found any under the sink.....just around it.

Note: I don't leave food or dishes out. I haven't seen them going after anything in particular. They're just wandering around.

Anyone deal with this before?

 

[Tony-NJ]

in our old condo. But I think they ere comming up from the people below us!! - Anyhow - we cleaned down the counters with clorox cleanup, then cleaned out the cabinets with some stong cleaner. Then we put down ant traps - and we never had a problem again.

 

[olena]

That's what I did yesterday. I wiped down walls, cabinetsfridge, stove, etc. I used bleach I wiped down everything. I guess I can try some indoor baits.

 

[Blondie]

YES!!!!!!!!!

We are being invaded too!

The little brown ants (not the bigger black carpenter ants.)

We also scrubbed things down, use a clorox spray, etc. and lay down the little traps (that are suitable for kitchen counters, and are safe enough to leave even next to food.)

Worked like a charm a few months ago.

Now they're back, with a vengence! I think they are holding up inside my microwave! I don't know how we'll ever get them out of there, except to throw it away and get a new one! We can see where they are going, right inside the casing of our microwave!

 

[bumcat]

There is some stuff that you can buy and you put it in the light plugs but I can't remember the name of it. It works great. Unfortunately ants live all in the walls and some can damage the walls like termites.

 

[jx3smom]

The exterminator where I work once recommended this and it really works. You make a thick paste out of boric acid and water and place it in the opening or crack where the ants are coming in, like under your sink around the pipes, etc. The ants will not come in there.

 

[olena]

Thanks, y'all!

I just finished spraying my exterior with Durasban. I can't see where they're coming in at though. I'll look for some boric acid and get some baits, too.

 

[Robinrs]

Heather, I feel your pain....

I came back from a Disney trip in January and I had been INVADED. The exterminator couldn't come until Monday so I checked with the DIS, of course, and got the same information about boric acid. I actually bought Borax and put it around cracks and anywhere they could be coming from.

I was vacuuming up dead ant bodies for days! It works like magic!

The next day the exterminator came and sprayed SOMETHING and I haven't seen one since! I'll ask him what it was if you want!

--Robinrs

 

[Kelsie]

I still highly recommend 'Fabric Softener Sheets' (scented) I had a major problem with little ants, placed these around the areas I thought they were coming in and have NOT seen an ant since.

It will work and is much safer.

 

[RumpleMom]

This comes under the heading of, "One of those things my mother told me"- I place bay leaves through out my kitchen cabinets to keep ants away. It seems to work for me.

 

[Robinrs]

Originally posted by Kelsie
I still highly recommend 'Fabric Softener Sheets' (scented) I had a major problem with little ants, placed these around the areas I thought they were coming in and have NOT seen an ant since.

It will work and is much safer.

What a great idea, Kels! And smells good, too!

The bay leaves sounds great, too!

 

[olena]

These are all wonderful ideas! Thanks....


I got some ant trap thingies today. I'll put those out.


The thing is that I don't know where they're coming in. I keep finding strays. I think they're wandering and searching. No trails. In fact, I've seen maybe 25 ants total this week.....mostly at night. They've been around my sink. I checked outside by the kitchen window and saw none going up the side of the house towards the window. I don't know if they're coming in there. I took everything out from under the sink and didn't see any. It's baffling. That's why I was wondering if they were coming up through the pipes.

I have a friend who's also dealing with ants, but her housekeeping habits played a part in that. They were coming through her window and getting on dirty dishes on the counter. I'm vigilant and meticulous when it comes to my kitchen. I don't leave food or dishes out and I'm constantly wiping things down with Chlorox Cleanup.

 

[Blondie]

Fabaric Softener Sheets?

Who knew! (except for Kelsie ofcourse!)

I'm going to try that right now!!!

 

[Kermit]

My exterminator recommends frequently (at least once a year) caulking around the pipe where it goes into the wall. That seems to help us.

Cinnamon is another natural way to repel ants without making a special trip to the store. I imagine it burns their legs. Just sprinkle a good thick line and they won't cross it. Of course, that won't help you see where they're coming from, but you can limit how far they can get into your house.

 

[Boots]

We finally got rid of ours with Terro!

 

[laurenk]

We have had the same problem in my entire neighborhood, and all of these things worked only temporarily. We finally relented and called Perma Treat in. Apparently these little suckers are looking for water, so finding them in your sink, dishwasher etc. is common. It doesn't matter how clean you are. Apparently you want to get them before they start nesting in your walls. We finally bit the bullet, and for the tune of just under 500.00 we are ant free. All of our neighbors who got exterminators are rid of them as well, but the ones who haven't are still fighting a losing battle.

 

[Blondie]

Well, I tried the fabric sheet softener, and I swear, I could see the smiles on their little pesky faces as they walked over and around them!

We may end up calling Perma Treat, because the little ant trap things aren't working anymore!