Help! We are under attack from black ants!

[mom2boys]

In the kitchen of all places. It is disgusting. They are around the sink, the window above it & coming up from behind the back splash. Oddly, there is no food storage in those cabinets - just pots & pans. I have tried 3 different brands of ant traps & nothing is working. Any suggestions?

 

[vatchr]

In the kitchen of all places. It is disgusting. They are around the sink, the window above it & coming up from behind the back splash. Oddly, there is no food storage in those cabinets - just pots & pans. I have tried 3 different brands of ant traps & nothing is working. Any suggestions?

I had the same problem about 2 months ago - the only thing that worked for me was Terro Ant Killer - liquid ant baits. The ants were gone and haven't come back - it took about 3-4 days for it to work. I also read that Borax works well, so I got Mule Team Borax (powedered) and sprinkled it around. It also worked great and is not dangerous to pets or kids. Good luck!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Big black ants or small ones?

 

[Dina]

Big black ants or small ones?

I was going to ask that too-- if they're big the are most likely carpenter ants. We had a bad case of carpenter ants two years ago. They were EVERYWHERE. The boys and I finally packed up and went to the shore while my husband stayed home (he had to work anyway) and waited for the exterminator to come. It was awful. Two of my neighbors took down old dead trees (at the same time).

If they're bad, I would call an exterminator. I used the bait traps and it got worse (I put mine too close to the back door though and it actually attracted more to our house. Now my mom swears by the bait traps. I actually prefer to use an exterminator to over the counter products since everything our exterminator uses is EPA approved-- but I have two small kids in the house. The exterminator can be really expensive though-- our carpenter ant problem cost $500.

 

[Beth76]

I tried the Raid ant traps and they were worthless. I have much better luck with plain old Raid ant spray.

 

[mom2boys]

Big black ants or small ones?

They are tiny - but numerous.

Oddly, my kitchen is actually two stories above ground so I'm not sure how they are getting in.

I tried the Raid ant traps and they were worthless. /QUOTE]
I've tried Raid, Ortho & Hot Shot ant traps - all of which are supposed to kill the colony. Some seem to work for a few days but then the ants are back in full force.

 

[vatchr]

Tiny, but numerous was exactly what I had. They were even in my dishwasher - it was disgusting. I tried Raid and it was worthless as another poster said. I didn't believe the Terro Liquid traps would work, but I was willing to try anything and I was very pleasantly surprised.

 

[Dina]

We got those alot in the house I grew up in the city. My mom's kitchen was also two stories above ground-- I don't know how they got there either. My mom swears by the traps for the little ants-- just don't put them near a window or a door. You might want to try under the stove-- behind an appliance.

 

[Dina]

Tiny, but numerous was exactly what I had. They were even in my dishwasher - it was disgusting. I tried Raid and it was worthless as another poster said. I didn't believe the Terro Liquid traps would work, but I was willing to try anything and I was very pleasantly surprised.

I had the carpenter ants in the dishwasher too-- it was awful.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Have you gone outside to find the source? Usually with the tiny ants they are just using your house for food, shelter, water.

Try and track the line back to the major colony. Spray your foundation and create a barrier.

There are other baits that work better. My bug man would give them to me and boy did the ants go for it!

Keep trying different baits.

 

[mom2boys]

Who sells Terro? I haven't seen it at Walmart, Home Depot or Safeway.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

We used to have to go to a Pharmacy to get Terro, and would put it on the end of a toothpick & put it on the kitchen counter - the ants would be gone by the next day.

Later, when I couldn't find Terro, I would clean my sink with ajax - they hate ajax, and then a tip from the DIS said to put laundry sheets down, and that works, too.

But, they kept coming in, so I would track their trail and plug the hole they used to come in -- a few weeks & they would find another hole - I'd plug that up, too. I kept doing that until I plugged almost every entrance they found & used.

The best remedy was going around my house, finding all the trails from the ground to my foundation, and wiping out those trails. For a quick fix I would sprinkle AJAX along the ant trail & liberally sprinkle it at the base of the house where they were entering. But, malathion works better.

I haven't had an ant problem in a few years now, and we used to have recurring ant problems, especially if we left a crumb of sweet or greasy food on the counter.

 

[ntburns22]

We had them also. I have to say the Terro liquid traps were the only thing that worked for us. I found it at our Drug Store, Discount Drug Mart.

 

[Mice Pins]

We have those as well. we found that 50/50 mixture of borax and sugar gets rid of them. It takes about 3-4 days for it to work. Since you are on the second floor, they is probably a nest in the walls.

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

Make sure that you are cleaning any area you squish them in . Use viniger and/or soap. When killed they release a phermone that will attract more ants. Borox, baby powder or soap. They will all get rid of ants.

 

[2sweetangels]

my dinningroom windows have big black ants that come in all the time, I don't worry about it because my 2 kittens stay up at the windows and eat the ants as they come in, LOL.

 

[Bildmouse]

If you're finding ants in or around your sink or dishwasher they can come in through your drains. We had this happen a year or two ago. We only found them in the sink, dishwasher and bathtub. We had treated the entire perimeter of our house and that did nothing. Some one told my DH to try pouring a cup or two of ammonia down the drain. We haven't had any ants since then. Be sure you have good ventilation (open window) when you do this but it really did work.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We had very very black ants that looked like an invasion. I don't remember what they were called--but if you stood in the street, you could see lines of them crawling up the house.

Our pest control guy knew exactly what it was and the only fix for them was a small dose of termite stuff that they use to kill termites. Nowhere near the same amount is used--just a little bit. But it took right care of the problem.

Since they want nothing to do with your food, that would be my guess. (And if your term "invasion" is accurate and not just an exaggeration of an infestation ).

 

[RNMOM]

Another vote for Terro. We have the large black ones here and man they are creepy.

I have gotten it at the grocery store, Giant Eagle and hardware stores. I have never been able to find it at Target or Walmart.

The traps aren't as good as the liquid you put on a small piece of light cardboard and stick in their pathways. You can also put it around the foundation at the same time. It has always done the trick for us.

 

[flyinglizard]

Another vote for Terro Ant Killer! We used to live in Maryland and we'd get them once a year, usually early summer, around the kitchen sink.

We originally found Terro in FL, and took it back to MD with us, but then they started selling it in MD. You'll be amazed how the ants love it! Then after a day or two... no more ants. Use white cardboard squares so you can see the ant pattern around the drop of Terro.

Check this out . . . http://www.terro.com/