**ANTS** yikes! exterminator or BUDGET way to remove?

[firstcruise]

I say spend the money and go with exterminator. We had a terrible problem with ants and after spending money on home remedies decided it was time to call in the expert. He found several nests around the house that he sprayed and then sprayed the entire perimiter of the house and windows. The cost was around $50-60 bucks several years ago and we have them come out and spray every other month. Haven't seen an ant is a very long time and usually only when it rains heavily. Otherwise, we are ant free!

I'd happily spend the money again to get rid of those ants. Man, do they not get into everything?

 

[Amii]

We had a huge problem with ants a few years ago. Cornmeal got rid of our ant problem. You just leave it out where the ants are. They will eat it and take it back to their nest for the rest of the ants to eat. When they drink water the cornmeal expands in their stomachs and kills them. It is a great non-toxic way to deal with an ant problem.

 

[bumbershoot]

We had a cat and I was newly pregnant, so we didn't want poison around. Got a very fine cinnamon powder at Home Depot, put it where they were getting in...they were gone pretty quickly. Very effective.

 

[chris31997]

I do the ortho bug spray and than clean the area with bleach. It will kill any scent trail left by ants. You can also spray it around the house to help make a barrier. On the plus side it does kills the little buggers

 

[mafibisha]

Got the little Terro traps and so far, so good! Thanks again for the feedback!

They're filling up fast with the yucky buggers!

So how often, or how long should we do this, to prevent them from coming back?

Should we just continually keep the traps there just in case?

Yuck.....!

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Glad they worked for you! Once I quit seeing the parade of ants, I left the trap in place for another day or two and then removed it and didn't have any more problems.

 

[jjsmom]

Terro (Terra) worked at my parents house but did not work at our house (geography between the 2 properties is similar). We eventually had to call an exterminiator.

 

[Gi19]

I use the ortho powder sprinkled outside the perimeter of the house, it normally keeps them out...

 

[pilesoflaundry]

I like ortho home defense spray, it kills just about everything. I spray inside and out once a year.

 

[Beth921]

We tried everything from cornmeal, baby powder, chili powder, Dawn water, ortho spray, Raid traps, etc. The only thing that worked was the Terro traps. Good luck!

 

[ktlm]

At our old house, every spring we had the little black ants attempt an invasion through our patio door. The little line would come in through a crack and then march into our kitchen and up to the top of our counter. We used the terro traps, and it used to take care of them within a few days. We would usually leave the trap out at least a week after we quit seeing the little monsters, to be sure we got them. Once we quit seeing them, we would spray outside the patio door too, to deter them from trying to get in again. We wouldn't see them again until the next year's spring invasion attempt.

 

[KLAIT]

We had this exact problem last year. yuck

As mentioned by a previous poster, we used Tero Ant poison. Several places throughout the house. They LOVE the stuff as it is sweet and bring it back to the nest. They were all gone within a week. The hardest part was to not kill them when we saw them on the way out of the poison. HAd to let them take the poison back to the crew!

 

[ChloeLily]

My husband is an exterminator. Orth Home Defense is actually stronger than what they are allowed to use. It works great and leaves a good residual effect but is safe for humans and pets once it is dry.

 

[kamom]

I use vinegar - wipe everything down with vinegar and the ants disappear. Vinegar also disinfects and the smell goes away fast.

 

[pilferk]

Help! We woke up to ANTS in our kitchen!

We don't think they're carpenter but they're bigger than your garden variety (no pun intended LOL)

We do live in a wooded area and spring can bring them in too, but they're gross. . . and around our puppy's food too

So do we need an exterminator ($$$) or can you please recommend something budget priced that works? I know they've removed an ingredient that used to work guaranteed, so whats out there that works, without costing a fortune? (aka an exterminator!)

Help, please! TIA!

I'd avoid the exterminator, especially with your pup. The chemicals they use can be very harsh, and dangerous to pets.

Ants typically come into the house because there is either food or it's VERY wet outside.

Given you have a dog, I'm guessing they came in to steal his dinner. We had a similar problem with our catfood. There's an easy (and cheap) solution.

Take a large pie plate, put about a 1/4 inch of water in the bottom, and put your dogs food dish squarely in the middle of it. Keep an eye on the water level to make sure Fido isn't drinking it all.

Ants won't cross water to get to food, and typically they'll clear out once the food source is no longer accessible. If you feel you have to, buy a pack of ant traps and tuck them away (on the floor) is places your pup can't get at them.

 

[mafibisha]

My husband is an exterminator. Orth Home Defense is actually stronger than what they are allowed to use. It works great and leaves a good residual effect but is safe for humans and pets once it is dry.

Thank you ALL for you replies and ideas!

Is the Ortho Home Defense the spray system? Thats great to know, Thanks! The terra is working but we usually have bees in the summer too; will the Ortho work for that?

But why is Ortho allowed to use it and not the exterminator?

 

[Carrie772]

When they come in and get all over your dishes and stuff, you can spray Glass Plus or Windex on them and it will kill them and you just wipe them up.

Good luck with the Terra stuff! I am going to get some for myself. We always have ants in the spring for a few weeks then they go away.

 

[DisneyDizzy]

Good luck!!! We just gave up and called the exterminator. I just can't beat them. This is our first year in this home and I don't think anyone has ever done anything about them. They are terrible. We sprayed Ortho Defense, we put out Terro. You name it we've tried it. We sprayed around the baseboards and then we find them on the ceiling. We put bait stuff outside and in the basement. I just walked in and saw 55 on the ceiling of my baby's room. YUCK!!! They have GOT TO GO!

Terminex is going to come out for $155 and then come back every quarter for $95. They guarantee to get rid of the ants and any spiders, fleas, and even bed bugs should we bring any back for Disney! I think it is totally worth the money for my piece of mind.