# How would you control a Ant Problem?



## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

going to need more info like:

location of country,
type of ants,
where are you seeing them,
qty,


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Fire ant's outside, carpenter ants, crazy ant's and dozens of other types.
A simple Google search using key words "ant ID" could narrow it down.
Tried a real exterminator?


----------



## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

Ants that like my Oreo cookies despise Seven powder, even the lowly 5 percent Seven.


----------



## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

Seven is good on yellow jackets too!


----------



## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Fire ants can be inside, too, but you would know because they sting you en masse. 

One quick thing to do is to make sure cabinets, waste baskets, counters & floors are clean of any food. Note what they are eating - grease or sugar, etc. 

Some ants just come in out of the rain.


----------



## FrankL (Jun 9, 2010)

I have been experimenting with boric acid and sugar. Both are cheap. I got Boric Acid at the dollar store for $2 but they had 25% off. A pound of sugar was $1 - Wal Mart or Aldi may be cheaper. I think about 1 tlb spoon of boric acid, probably a half cup or 5 tbl spoons of sugar and two or three cups of water. Shake a lot until it is all mix up. 

Buy some cotton balls ($1 at the dollar store for a bag) and dip them in the solution and put it near the site of ants. Also if you shake it really good, put it in a sprayer bottle ($1 at the dollar store) and spray their ant trails. 

Go on YouTube and so a search. One American guy makes the solution and shows how he does it. He even uses a tiny cam showing them jumping on the cotton ball.
The idea is they take the "food" back to the nest. 






He has a second video showing his solution in action which cues up right after this one. Cheap solution and it seems effective. 

You can also mix up more solution and pour it on the mound. 

One thing I found is I left the edge of the sugar box open in the garage. There were red carpenter ants in there. I never knew they were big on sugar. Carpenter ants are among the most difficult to get rid of.


----------



## christinedean (Feb 12, 2016)

I have faced the same problem. I have also tried sprays and all. But at the end pest control professional helped me. You should call ahttp://www.yalepest.com/naugatuck-pest-exterminators/ professional before the condition gets worst.


----------



## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

christinedean said:


> I have faced the same problem. I have also tried sprays and all. But at the end pest control professional helped me. You should call a professional before the condition gets worst.


Please don't spam, or you will be banned.


----------



## Gustavas (Oct 4, 2014)

If you want to use a spray, make sure it is a non repellent spray, the last thing you want is for them to scatter and re-group. it may seem like you helped the problem using something like "ortho home defense max", but it really will just make it worse. 

preferable you want a transferable non repellent insecticide. I have been favoring alpine wsg for ants.

baits do a good job too, some work better then others, the big thing I have found with most of the hardware store bait is that it kills the ants too quick, you want them to take the bait back, and share it with everyone else. Advion ant bait it labeled for a wide range of ants and is highly effective.


----------



## johnhaigh (Mar 9, 2016)

Thank you for sharing the information. I hope this helps me get rid of ant problems.


----------



## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

Get on your hands and knees and knees and watch the little buggers for awhile. It takes a little patience because they don't necessarily follow a straight line. but see where they are coming in. A little bit of caulk in the right place will keep out every kind of ant and other bugs too. And make your house more energy efficient in the process.


----------



## Patrick Crosby (Mar 19, 2016)

Try "Amdro" it's a granular you sprinkle outside around the house. I have had great success and it treats many different ants. Under $15 at Home Depot,Ace,or Lowes.


----------



## TGMcCallie (Nov 12, 2011)

Nik333 said:


> Fire ants can be inside, too, but you would know because they sting you en masse.
> 
> One quick thing to do is to make sure cabinets, waste baskets, counters & floors are clean of any food. Note what they are eating - grease or sugar, etc.
> 
> Some ants just come in out of the rain.


 Best way to find out if they are fire ants or regular ones. Place your finger in front of the ant. If it crawls onto your finger it is a fire ant. You can get them off before they sting you.


----------



## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

TGMcCallie said:


> Best way to find out if they are fire ants or regular ones. Place your finger in front of the ant. If it crawls onto your finger it is a fire ant. You can get them off before they sting you.



I never saw them soon enough. . . .I knew they were where ever once they all stung me! Driveway, trash can, garden, kitchen floor!:vs_whistle:


----------



## razibpaul126 (Apr 23, 2016)

Fire ants, carpenter ants, and argentine ants are some of the most commonly known species of ants in the United States. Every specie of ant is controlled or eradicated in similar ways, all except the carpenter ants. These ants, when found, must be exterminated professionally, due to its highly destructive capacity, especially in structures


----------



## Patrick Crosby (Mar 19, 2016)

A product containing (Imidacloprid= neonicitinoid, Cyfluthrin=pyrethroid,or Bifenthrin=pyrethroid)


----------



## osium (Jun 22, 2016)

There's no point of spraying for ants. First of all, they are not harmful. Second of all, it doesn't work. I had a HUGE ant infestation in my room three years ago. All I did to get rid of them was:
1. Follow their paths
2. Put vinegar and cucumber peels all the paths
3. Repeat for about 3-4 weeks

I never saw ants again, seriously!


----------



## ron woods (Jun 22, 2016)

i mix boric acid and sugar put in cottage cheese cup dry put lid on put a small hole both sides at the top i put around the outside of the house havent had any ants in the house in lat 2 years rwoods


----------



## Doomsday (Jun 2, 2016)

I have those little tiny ants that have been all over my counter the last week or so. I was killing like 20 or so every single time I walked into the kitchen. I cleaned the counter with eveything up and including clorox so I know there wasnt any thing on the counter.

I recently purchased Taurus SC online. I mixed it according to its directions and sprayed around the outside of my house yesterday afternoon. Took like 15 minutes to do. When I got up today, I only saw about 3 or 4 ants running around on the counter. Its been that way most of the day. Never see more than 3 or 4 now. I suspect in another day or so that they will be gone for good.

I also bought Bifen IT for my yard. I get huge mounds of fire ants in my yard every year. They come from a church not far from me and a field that connects to the back of my yard. I have a tow behind sprayer for my lawn tractor so i fill it up according to the directions and sprayed the entire yard. No more fire ants! Just make sure when you do it that if you have clover in your yard that you cut it short enough it takes out the blooms. that way it wont kill the bees when the new blooms come up. So far im liking both products. a pest control company wanted $150 to spray my half acre grass. I bought a gallon of that concentrate thats going to get me several trips over my yard for $50. now understand this. I been a lazy person all my life. I paid people to do everything for me. I still do on some things but after finding out how easy some of this stuff is to do, it shocks me at just how much money I was wasting to pay someone to do it for me. I dont know, something as simple as spraying a sprayer around the house is just so easy and you only have to do it a couple times a year.


----------



## Doomsday (Jun 2, 2016)

Just fyi, looks like those litter buggers must be nesting inside the house perimeter. Like I said I only saw a few at a time after that but my brother left a quarter full can of mountain dew on my sink for just a few hours and when I walked in, there was 2 lines and hundreds of them going after that drink. I made up some of that bifen it and sprayed it around the cracks, in between counters and 2 days later, Ant free!! Now this was kind of a double whammy lol. At the same time, my brothers son left his mountain dew can sitting outside on the concrete patio and it looked exactly like my kitchen, just hundreds of em. So I sprayed the area and all around the edge of the patio and I havent seen an ant out there in a couple weeks now. My yard is also anthill free. Next im going to get someone to crawl under my house and spray it down real good. I may be bug free very shortly lol!


----------



## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

ron woods said:


> i mix boric acid and sugar put in cottage cheese cup dry put lid on put a small hole both sides at the top i put around the outside of the house havent had any ants in the house in lat 2 years rwoods


We mix 20 mule team borax and suhar as well.

We sprinkle it on the door stops, and around the floor moldings
here and there...No ants :smile: it works well.


----------



## Jacke (Jan 31, 2016)

Gustavas said:


> If you want to use a spray, make sure it is a non repellent spray, the last thing you want is for them to scatter and re-group. it may seem like you helped the problem using something like "ortho home defense max", but it really will just make it worse.
> 
> preferable you want a transferable non repellent insecticide. I have been favoring alpine wsg for ants.
> 
> baits do a good job too, some work better then others, the big thing I have found with most of the hardware store bait is that it kills the ants too quick, you want them to take the bait back, and share it with everyone else. Advion ant bait it labeled for a wide range of ants and is highly effective.


Great advice for the ants I have in my yard. Any info./products to use on bees swarming around under aluminum siding porch post?? Thanks


----------



## floydsawyer (Aug 29, 2016)

13 Common Items for Getting Rid of Ants. It will tackle your ant problem and help you get rid of ants for good. They are Adhesive Tape, Basters, Chalk, Flour, Flowerpots, Lemons, Oranges, Pepper, Plastic Containers, Salt, Herbs and spices, Talcum Powder and Vinegar.


----------



## zuhairabbas (May 19, 2016)

Hiring Pest control experts would be the best option.


----------



## Doomsday (Jun 2, 2016)

zuhairabbas said:


> Hiring Pest control experts would be the best option.


So your answer in a DIY forum is to hire pest control experts? Sorry, just found this funny.


----------



## Mackay (Sep 15, 2016)

Hi, 

Actually there are plenty of ways to get rid of ants. In this case, I just wan't to tackle the home ants. One of the best method that I consider is the "Chalk" the chalk for ants of course. You can simply draw a line around your home's entry points, especially in kitchen. 


Thanks


----------



## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

Diatomaceous Earth works very well.


----------



## papereater (Sep 16, 2016)

Gustavas said:


> If you want to use a spray, make sure it is a non repellent spray, the last thing you want is for them to scatter and re-group. it may seem like you helped the problem using something like "ortho home defense max", but it really will just make it worse.
> 
> preferable you want a transferable non repellent insecticide. I have been favoring alpine wsg for ants.
> 
> baits do a good job too, some work better then others, the big thing I have found with most of the hardware store bait is that it kills the ants too quick, you want them to take the bait back, and share it with everyone else. Advion ant bait it labeled for a wide range of ants and is highly effective.


Another non repellant is imidacloprid.


----------



## ThatTreeGuy (Sep 21, 2016)

Interesting. I ran in to this not too long ago down here in South Florida. Tried ridding the ants myself, but ended up with no luck.

Called pest control and they were able to take care of me quickly and easily.

Now I know, leave the pest control jobs to a pest control company.


----------



## Doomsday (Jun 2, 2016)

I find it interesting all these newbies having only a couple posts are saying hire professionals instead of doing it yourself. Especially considering this is a DIY forum.

All you need is the right tools and knowledge. there are lots of places online to now get both without having to pay the outrageous prices of those "professionals".

I have been able to spray my house and yard for $100 and a few hours of my own time. Those same "professionals" wanted to charge me almost $1000 for the same job. So yeah, if you got the money to burn and dont care, pick up the phone and call those "professionals", but if you want to save money, doing it yourself is definitely a viable option especially when we can now get the exact same chemicals that the "professionals" use.


----------



## Jacke (Jan 31, 2016)

Gustavas said:


> If you want to use a spray, make sure it is a non repellent spray, the last thing you want is for them to scatter and re-group. it may seem like you helped the problem using something like "ortho home defense max", but it really will just make it worse.
> 
> preferable you want a transferable non repellent insecticide. I have been favoring alpine wsg for ants.
> 
> baits do a good job too, some work better then others, the big thing I have found with most of the hardware store bait is that it kills the ants too quick, you want them to take the bait back, and share it with everyone else. Advion ant bait it labeled for a wide range of ants and is highly effective.


Will Alpine WSG work on lawn ants-pretty sure they're pavement ants. And are all over the yard. Heard that products with Bifenthrin are the best but not sure if this is a repellant?? Thx


----------



## Jacke (Jan 31, 2016)

Doomsday said:


> I find it interesting all these newbies having only a couple posts are saying hire professionals instead of doing it yourself. Especially considering this is a DIY forum.
> 
> All you need is the right tools and knowledge. there are lots of places online to now get both without having to pay the outrageous prices of those "professionals".
> 
> I have been able to spray my house and yard for $100 and a few hours of my own time. Those same "professionals" wanted to charge me almost $1000 for the same job. So yeah, if you got the money to burn and dont care, pick up the phone and call those "professionals", but if you want to save money, doing it yourself is definitely a viable option especially when we can now get the exact same chemicals that the "professionals" use.


I so agree... To those who say 'hire a professional', (1) professionals reply via this site and (2) I had a contract with a pest control co. for 3 yrs trying to get rid of lawn ants - never did they succeed. So now I'm trying to do it myself and looking for suggestions via the DIY Chat Room.


----------



## Doomsday (Jun 2, 2016)

Jacke said:


> Will Alpine WSG work on lawn ants-pretty sure they're pavement ants. And are all over the yard. Heard that products with Bifenthrin are the best but not sure if this is a repellant?? Thx



Bifen IT works great. I bought a gallon of the concentrate for around $50 and it will last through the year if not 2 years depending on your lawn size. I did several lawns with it.

I did my yard three times over the course of the year. The ants I had were dead on the first application within a day and never returned. My neighbor had a bad infestation on her 1/2 acre, talking 20+ mounds that were huge. They came in from the church beside her. I sprayed her yard, took 2 days to kill them but she never got ants the rest of that year. It also kept my dogs flea and tick free the entire year. Neither one of them had any flea or tick medicine and not a single flea or tick. Mosquitoes was also significantly reduced as I would spray my bushes as well with it. I cant stress how great it worked for me, my neighbor, my father and my friend. We gave it a workout and it did wonderful. 

Now there are things you have to watch out for. It will kill bees so if you have any flowering clover in your yard you will want to mow it down before you spray so the bees dont get it from the flower. Its suppose to kill a couple hundred things so you might want to read up on it in case there are things you dont want killed. Just fyi, my own cousin owns a pest control business. He gave me an estimate of $1,400 to do my yard 3 times a year and around my house. My own cousin! I did it for $50 and a few hours of my time. DIY is certainly the way to go. I had a stroke a few years ago and only have very limited use of my left side. If I can do it by myself, anyone can do it.

Edit note: I did buy another product to go around my house, that also cost $50 but you can only use it twice a year. Taurus sc. Thats for termite control and other things. I wanted to be sure the perimeter of the house was covered well. that small bottle will last me for like 5 years.


----------



## Jacke (Jan 31, 2016)

Doomsday said:


> Bifen IT works great. I bought a gallon of the concentrate for around $50 and it will last through the year if not 2 years depending on your lawn size. I did several lawns with it.
> 
> I did my yard three times over the course of the year. The ants I had were dead on the first application within a day and never returned. My neighbor had a bad infestation on her 1/2 acre, talking 20+ mounds that were huge. They came in from the church beside her. I sprayed her yard, took 2 days to kill them but she never got ants the rest of that year. It also kept my dogs flea and tick free the entire year. Neither one of them had any flea or tick medicine and not a single flea or tick. Mosquitoes was also significantly reduced as I would spray my bushes as well with it. I cant stress how great it worked for me, my neighbor, my father and my friend. We gave it a workout and it did wonderful.
> 
> ...


Oh My God! I am definitely going to check out Bifen IT. You're the second person who mentioned this product. I know what you mean about Pest Control Co. Was paying monthly ($45) for 4+ years. They came twice a year to treat the lawn ants and never got rid of them-ugh. So, now I'm on my own and DIYing it. I really appreciate you're reply and suggestion. Thx so much.


----------



## jaylousantiago (Apr 26, 2017)

Well normally I will try to look for the source of the trail. Just follow it and hope that it leads you to a nest. We use a specialized kind of chalk to deter ants away from specific places.


----------



## erikjamison (Feb 23, 2017)

Keep the things clean to make the bugs starve 
Keep in mind that insects need to eat and they get their food from the dirty places and leftovers. Some examples are garbage in the trashcan, dry foods in a wooden cupboard, crumbs on the floor, etc.

Use traps and bait stations, Traps and bait stations are good options when you want to use chemicals for pest control.


----------



## Jacke (Jan 31, 2016)

jaylousantiago said:


> Well normally I will try to look for the source of the trail. Just follow it and hope that it leads you to a nest. We use a specialized kind of chalk to deter ants away from specific places.


Way too many to do this outside in the yard. But Thanks.


----------



## Jacke (Jan 31, 2016)

erikjamison said:


> Keep the things clean to make the bugs starve
> Keep in mind that insects need to eat and they get their food from the dirty places and leftovers. Some examples are garbage in the trashcan, dry foods in a wooden cupboard, crumbs on the floor, etc.
> 
> Use traps and bait stations, Traps and bait stations are good options when you want to use chemicals for pest control.


Thanks - things are clean - it's a yard. The trash barrels are in a driveway. No ants in the house (yet-ugh). All are in the yard, in he grass - many ant hills.


----------



## ChicoBugGuy (May 4, 2017)

I own a pest control company and ants are one of our top pests in my area. I would start by identifying the ant. By the sheer numbers you mention, I would think Fire Ants, Argentine, or Odorous house ants. Without being able to identify the ant, you could test what they are feeding on right now. Put a half full soda can and a spot of peanut butter in the yard. Peanut butter is a protein, and soda is a sugar. Whichever they feed on most is the type of bait you need. Most likely they will attack the soda can for sugar. If they do, buy a gel bait Advion and Maxforce gel ant bait is what we use. 

There are sprays that work, but not many. Fipronil based sprays work great for ants(taurus sc, termidor) but the label limits treatment on or within 1 foot of the structure. It is not labeled for use in the yard. There are no pesticide police for homeowners so if you choose to spray it in the yard area it will work great. The other product is Alpine WSG. This product also works good but it is very expensive. All 3 products are on the reduced risk pesticide list so you should feel more comfortable applying them.


Sprays to avoid. Pretty much all the rest. Most sprays purchased locally will kill foraging ants but the nest will go into reproduction overdrive and just make more. The only way to kill the nest is Direct flooding the nest with any spray or using the two products I mentioned that transfer to the nest or baiting will kill the nest also.


----------



## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Patrick Crosby said:


> Try "Amdro" it's a granular you sprinkle outside around the house. I have had great success and it treats many different ants. Under $15 at Home Depot,Ace,or Lowes.


For fire Ants I had very good luck with Amdro also....


----------



## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

ChicoBugGuy said:


> I own a pest control company and ants are one of our top pests in my area. I would start by identifying the ant. By the sheer numbers you mention, I would think Fire Ants, Argentine, or Odorous house ants. Without being able to identify the ant, you could test what they are feeding on right now. Put a half full soda can and a spot of peanut butter in the yard. Peanut butter is a protein, and soda is a sugar. Whichever they feed on most is the type of bait you need. Most likely they will attack the soda can for sugar. If they do, buy a gel bait Advion and Maxforce gel ant bait is what we use.
> 
> There are sprays that work, but not many. Fipronil based sprays work great for ants(taurus sc, termidor) but the label limits treatment on or within 1 foot of the structure. It is not labeled for use in the yard. There are no pesticide police for homeowners so if you choose to spray it in the yard area it will work great. The other product is Alpine WSG. This product also works good but it is very expensive. All 3 products are on the reduced risk pesticide list so you should feel more comfortable applying them.
> 
> ...


*CHICO BUG GUY.... Thanks for a great professional opinion.... and welcome to the forum.*:smile:

I had been studying fipronal for termite use at my daughters, who has a dog. 

I had concern with it's safety (in regard to her dog) as it does say just what you said in regard to OUTSIDE perimeter application only, and to it's application percentages verse how often you could use it.

And it limits it's interior use to wall cavities only.

Those limitations gave me concern as to how harmfull/toxic to dogs (and humans) it could be.

Could you tell me more about the "reduced risk pesticide list" and , with all the government mandated warnings, how does someone really understand how dangerous / toxic something is. (This is sorta like the problem in California where everything has a warning that it could cause cancer... joe citizen theoretically can't determine the REAL potential risk of use.

TIA

Best


----------



## NickTheGreat (Jul 25, 2014)

I've always had good look with the granular stuff I sprinkle around my house's perimeter. Last year I switched to the liquid Ortho crap, and it didn't work. Went back to the Terro Granules.

This year I did the granules followed by the liquid, for good measure. Still had a lot of ants. Put out a few of the Terro liquid baits, and so far so good.


----------



## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

Ant Loins do a good job keeping all kinds of ants out of our house but they aren't for sale or lease.:biggrin2:


----------



## Jacke (Jan 31, 2016)

ChicoBugGuy said:


> I own a pest control company and ants are one of our top pests in my area. I would start by identifying the ant. By the sheer numbers you mention, I would think Fire Ants, Argentine, or Odorous house ants. Without being able to identify the ant, you could test what they are feeding on right now. Put a half full soda can and a spot of peanut butter in the yard. Peanut butter is a protein, and soda is a sugar. Whichever they feed on most is the type of bait you need. Most likely they will attack the soda can for sugar. If they do, buy a gel bait Advion and Maxforce gel ant bait is what we use.
> 
> There are sprays that work, but not many. Fipronil based sprays work great for ants(taurus sc, termidor) but the label limits treatment on or within 1 foot of the structure. It is not labeled for use in the yard. There are no pesticide police for homeowners so if you choose to spray it in the yard area it will work great. The other product is Alpine WSG. This product also works good but it is very expensive. All 3 products are on the reduced risk pesticide list so you should feel more comfortable applying them.
> 
> ...


Last year the Pest Control Co. said they were pavement ants. Although I've only seen a few this year, they were all over the yard. I mean there were mounds everywhere. I thought I'd try the Bifen IT but I will look into your suggestions also. Thank you so much - I do appreciate any an all suggestions.


----------



## Doomsday (Jun 2, 2016)

Any particular reason Bifen IT was left off that list? Termidor and taurus are not made for yard spraying. Its toxic enough the label says only use twice a year, while there isnt a police for home owners it they should follow the labels warnings. 

Bifen IT at least in the south is understood to be what a lot of pest control companies use. I can not recommend Bifen IT enough as it is not harmful to the soil and can be used every month if you like. Once sprayed and dry, it wont harm dogs if they eat the grass. Its a big multi tasker in that ot will actually kill ticks, fleas, mosquitoes and hundreds more. You do have to watch how you use it in that you dont want to kill some of the good things like bees and others but its still one of the best for all around yard pest control.


----------



## ChicoBugGuy (May 4, 2017)

I would stay away from bifen IT. It is considered a repellent and will kill ants but won't affect the nest unless you direct drench it. I believe another product would work on those ants would be dominion by control solutions. It is labeled for yards as long as there are not flowering foliage.


----------



## ChicoBugGuy (May 4, 2017)

MTN REMODEL LLC said:


> *CHICO BUG GUY.... Thanks for a great professional opinion.... and welcome to the forum.*:smile:
> 
> I had been studying fipronal for termite use at my daughters, who has a dog.
> 
> ...



I Know the label very well. Both Termidor, and Taurus have the same label. 

For termites it is the only type of product I would use hands down. First reason is that it plain works. The callbacks on jobs that fipronil was used is basically zero. That means the product is super effective for termites. Second, termite treatments are soil treatments. meaning the product is either pumped underneath your slab or trenched and drenched on the 6" of soil next to your home. There is very little human or pet exposure with the product in termite treatments. 

As far as safety with fipronil. It has been used for over 30 years directly on pets. It has also been used commercially for over 30 years. Both the pets and applicators who had a long term exposure haven't developed an unusual issues relating to it. Pretty good track record imo


----------



## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Thanks CHICO........ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:smile:

While I'm not intending to use on a pet, it's good to know that it isn't a disasterous chemical.

This is just curiosity if you have the time .... what ever happened to diazonon.... apart from being banned..... how bad / dangerous was it.

(In Texas/Lousiana 35 years ago, it used to be my "go-to" bug chemical.)

Best


----------



## Doomsday (Jun 2, 2016)

ChicoBugGuy said:


> I would stay away from bifen IT. It is considered a repellent and will kill ants but won't affect the nest unless you direct drench it. I believe another product would work on those ants would be dominion by control solutions. It is labeled for yards as long as there are not flowering foliage.


But Bifen IT kills by replication. As an ant goes across something that is coated with it, It will pick it up and carry it to the others and spread it by contact. Thats not what I consider as a repellent. One of its claim to fames is that it has no chemical trace that the ants can sense and avoid. Thats why its so good at killing. I have deliberately avoided spraying an anthill and just sprayed around it (there is a field behind my house full of anthills). a few days later they were dead. It wasnt a big huge anthill but it did what it was designed to do. There are hundreds of videos on youtube that contradict you on this one. Maybe in your area something works better than this but I have seen the results here in the south and it is outstanding. There are tons of products out there both good and bad so its not easy to find something that works.


----------



## ChicoBugGuy (May 4, 2017)

Doomsday said:


> But Bifen IT kills by replication. As an ant goes across something that is coated with it, It will pick it up and carry it to the others and spread it by contact. Thats not what I consider as a repellent. One of its claim to fames is that it has no chemical trace that the ants can sense and avoid. Thats why its so good at killing. I have deliberately avoided spraying an anthill and just sprayed around it (there is a field behind my house full of anthills). a few days later they were dead. It wasnt a big huge anthill but it did what it was designed to do. There are hundreds of videos on youtube that contradict you on this one. Maybe in your area something works better than this but I have seen the results here in the south and it is outstanding. There are tons of products out there both good and bad so its not easy to find something that works.



I think Bifen IT, the Generic, and the original Talstar p, became famous because it worked on many pests and it is very affordable. I keep bifen IT on the truck and use it for general treatments every day. It does an amazing job on spiders and many crawling insects that are not social. 

A repellent product is anything that the pest can detect and will avoid. Bifen is considered one of those products. Other products repel more but bifen It is defiantly considered a repellent. 

I do this everyday, and I'm not trying to get into an argument about it. The question was the best treatments. Using a product not considered a repellent is considered the best approach in most cases. If you had success with a certain type of ant then keep using it. Iv'e found for most cases there are better products to use.


----------



## ChicoBugGuy (May 4, 2017)

MTN REMODEL LLC said:


> Thanks CHICO........ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:smile:
> 
> While I'm not intending to use on a pet, it's good to know that it isn't a disasterous chemical.
> 
> ...


Diazonon isn't super harmful for short exposure, but long term it is pretty dangerous. It can build up in your fat tissue. Applicators were required to have regular tests to make sure buildup wasn't happening. Not something i would want to work around everyday.


----------



## Doomsday (Jun 2, 2016)

ChicoBugGuy said:


> I think Bifen IT, the Generic, and the original Talstar p, became famous because it worked on many pests and it is very affordable. I keep bifen IT on the truck and use it for general treatments every day. It does an amazing job on spiders and many crawling insects that are not social.
> 
> A repellent product is anything that the pest can detect and will avoid. Bifen is considered one of those products. Other products repel more but bifen It is defiantly considered a repellent.
> 
> I do this everyday, and I'm not trying to get into an argument about it. The question was the best treatments. Using a product not considered a repellent is considered the best approach in most cases. If you had success with a certain type of ant then keep using it. Iv'e found for most cases there are better products to use.



But again, iits claim to fame is that insects cant detect it. that by definition is not a repellent. Just because it has the ability to block pheromone trails it does get classified as such. Im fine with that though. For the price vs results I would consider this as one of the best products to recommend. Lets not forget it can be used as often as you want vs taurus that is extremely harmful to the environment if misused. And again, the best product is subjective but I found it interesting that you did not recommend it and even stated it should be avoided vs the stuff you did recommend that is far more expensive then a proven insecticide that bifen IT is. Not to mention that it also works on hundreds of other insects as well. Like I said before bifen in this area is heavily used by the professionals and according to the research I did, was highly used by professionals all over. 

The stuff you mention may in fact be better despite the price differences but there has been lots of suspicious posts all over this site by what we have to consider is professionals trying to stop losing money to diy solutions due to patents running out. I applaud you in that you at least stated you were in the field but you can see why I am suspicious especially considering how good I have seen bifen work and how widely the same product is used all over by professionals.


----------



## ChicoBugGuy (May 4, 2017)

Doomsday said:


> But again, iits claim to fame is that insects cant detect it. that by definition is not a repellent. Just because it has the ability to block pheromone trails it does get classified as such. Im fine with that though. For the price vs results I would consider this as one of the best products to recommend. Lets not forget it can be used as often as you want vs taurus that is extremely harmful to the environment if misused. And again, the best product is subjective but I found it interesting that you did not recommend it and even stated it should be avoided vs the stuff you did recommend that is far more expensive then a proven insecticide that bifen IT is. Not to mention that it also works on hundreds of other insects as well. Like I said before bifen in this area is heavily used by the professionals and according to the research I did, was highly used by professionals all over.
> 
> The stuff you mention may in fact be better despite the price differences but there has been lots of suspicious posts all over this site by what we have to consider is professionals trying to stop losing money to diy solutions due to patents running out. I applaud you in that you at least stated you were in the field but you can see why I am suspicious especially considering how good I have seen bifen work and how widely the same product is used all over by professionals.



I can understand your concerns with a Professional being sincere in his recommendations. Honestly if I was trying to misdirect a diy guy, I would recommend Bifen It.

Bifen It is a generic product. The original product is Talstar Manufactured by Fmc. I only mention that because if you look for study's on how well it works, you usually will find them under the Talstar name. Bifen It is manufactured by Control Solutions who also manufacture Taurus Sc. 

Here is a list of popular Bifenthrin products"

Talstar 
Bifen IT
Wisdom
Transport (also has and additional active)


You are correct that the most widely used pesticides are bifenthrin. However it is not the widely used product that is used for ant control. This link is a study of pest control professionals in California and what products they use and how.

http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/registration/reevaluation/2009_urban_pesticide_use_pattern_study.pdf

You will notice there is a bar graph on page 14 that lists Termidor as the most used go to product for ants. Taurus Sc is a generic version of Termidor and would work just as well. 

If that isn't convincing enough, here is another study for Pharaoh ants done by the university of Purdue. This study showed about 50% worker and queen mortality by Talstar (bifen It) and 100% mortality by Termidor (Taursus Sc.) 

https://www.entm.purdue.edu/ants/pubs/8.pdf

Bifen IT is a good product, like I said, I have it on my truck and use it everyday. It works really good on lots of insects and it is very affordable. But I don't know a single pest control professional that uses it for ant control.


----------



## Doomsday (Jun 2, 2016)

ChicoBugGuy said:


> I can understand your concerns with a Professional being sincere in his recommendations. Honestly if I was trying to misdirect a diy guy, I would recommend Bifen It.
> 
> Bifen It is a generic product. The original product is Talstar Manufactured by Fmc. I only mention that because if you look for study's on how well it works, you usually will find them under the Talstar name. Bifen It is manufactured by Control Solutions who also manufacture Taurus Sc.
> 
> ...


oh, your a california person. that would explain it as they always do things differently out there :smile:.

Yes I know bifen it is the generic name. It became very popular the minute that the patent on it ran out which again is why its so popular among diy folks. The pro's has lost a lot of money because of that. 

Yes Taurus sc (Termidor)is higher recommended for ant control but NOT in the yard. I actually have that and use it however, You are only supposed to use it around your foundation and no more than twice a year due to how damaging it can be to the ground. Thats not something that should be used as a general yard spray though. Taurus is highly used for termite control as well.

The Pharaoh ants are indoor ants and I think lately we have been discussing outdoor ants, although indoor has been mentioned as well in this thread. Im not sure if pharaoh ants have come up specifically before but that is good information for them.


----------



## ChicoBugGuy (May 4, 2017)

Doomsday said:


> oh, your a california person. that would explain it as they always do things differently out there :smile:.
> 
> Yes I know bifen it is the generic name. It became very popular the minute that the patent on it ran out which again is why its so popular among diy folks. The pro's has lost a lot of money because of that.
> 
> ...



Actually Taurus has an updated label that allows treatments up to 4 times a year. but your right they do limit treatments. 

Bifen It has a 3 week re-application. Speaking of bifen IT, do you know what budding is?


----------



## Doomsday (Jun 2, 2016)

ChicoBugGuy said:


> Actually Taurus has an updated label that allows treatments up to 4 times a year. but your right they do limit treatments.
> 
> Bifen It has a 3 week re-application. Speaking of bifen IT, do you know what budding is?


If its a professional exterminator term probably not. If you are referring to plants budding, then yes. I have a lot of clover in my yard (on purpose) and I make sure to mow the buds down before I spray so as not to kill the bees.


----------



## ChicoBugGuy (May 4, 2017)

Doomsday said:


> If its a professional exterminator term probably not. If you are referring to plants budding, then yes. I have a lot of clover in my yard (on purpose) and I make sure to mow the buds down before I spray so as not to kill the bees.


Thank you for that. We need the Honey Bees.

budding is when an ant colony breaks off from the main nest and creates another nest of their own. This happens when a colony is getting too big or when an incident happens that makes return to the nest unavailable. This could happen when a product is used that prevents ants from returning to the nest. Its another thing to consider when choosing which product to treat ants with.

You seem very price sensitive, have you ever tried Dominion 2l. It is also manufactured by the same company as Bifen IT. I haven't had success with odorous house ants, but it has worked great on many other ants. Dominion works great on both carpenter ants and Argentine ants. It is a non repelent and very very affordable. I think it costs less than bifen IT.


----------



## Doomsday (Jun 2, 2016)

ChicoBugGuy said:


> Thank you for that. We need the Honey Bees.
> 
> budding is when an ant colony breaks off from the main nest and creates another nest of their own. This happens when a colony is getting too big or when an incident happens that makes return to the nest unavailable. This could happen when a product is used that prevents ants from returning to the nest. Its another thing to consider when choosing which product to treat ants with.
> 
> You seem very price sensitive, have you ever tried Dominion 2l. It is also manufactured by the same company as Bifen IT. I haven't had success with odorous house ants, but it has worked great on many other ants. Dominion works great on both carpenter ants and Argentine ants. It is a non repelent and very very affordable. I think it costs less than bifen IT.



I myself am not very price sensitive. Im looking at it from the average joes point of view and how spending over a hundred bucks on a product that possibly fails for them, I can see how that could be very discouraging. Not to mention the time your investing into the diy. Thats why I do lots and lots of research and spend lots of time reading reviews. I have not tried Dominion, I did look at when I was shopping around but taurus sc seemed to be the better of the two. All the different insecticides out there make it very confusing for a person trying to do it themselves. You can get information overload very easily. I think it took me about a month of research just for me to choose taurus and bifen and ultimately it was still an unknown, it could have been possible that they not worked for me at all. 

I am familiar with ant colonies splitting for various reasons.The problem with that, on ants in your yard is, it doesnt really matter if it happens or not. As soon as they walk through a treated area, they are infected and carry it with them to any other colony they may be going to and then it spreads due to social contact. Thats the beauty of bithrin, yes it may block their trails but it kills them anyway because its not just a repellent. 

Many years ago my wife bought this over the counter product, I cant remember its name but it was a pellet form and you dropped it around the nest either early or late evening. It worked, that nest would die but others would pop up shortly after. With Bithrin, my entire yard is sprayed (I use a tow behind sprayer 13 gallon tank) and there is never an ant hill anywhere. They cross that barrier and they simply dont live long enough to do anything. Again, outside. Ive only used it inside a couple times and it did get rid of the tiny black ants that I had ( Had a roof leak for a long time and there were thousands, maybe tens of thousands in my porch roof. When he pulled down the ceiling, they dropped in and my floor turned black from all of them. It took a couple sprays and I think about a month (due to different things I attempted to get rid of them before using bithrin indoors. I found conflicting reports that said it shouldnt be used indoors so was unsure at the time) I think it was only a couple days after spraying bithrin that I went from seeing lots in my kitchen every day to only a few and another couple days then none. So I know there had to be multiple nests for those little suckers.


Whats interesting, if you look at the reviews for bifrin it. many people now use it exclusively indoors and use bifrin xts for outdoors. the xts is more than twice the price difference of IT. I dont see the need for it. In my case, IT kills everything I need in the yard and taurus + bifrin it kills everything else trying to get into the house where they have been sprayed around the perimeter of the house. A funny tidbit. I have security cameras around my house (more of a hobby then anything) and I sprayed all around all of them but one(forgot about it), guess which one gets spider webs all over it lol. That used to be a big issue with my cameras but not anymore. Its great on spiders as well. Indoors, I havent seen a spider for 2 years now. Although, we have never had much of a spider problem here. 

I will say that I am probably pretty lucky. My only nuisance pests are spiders, fire ants, tiny black ants,mosquitoes, fleas and ticks. I dont really have any of the really pain in the butt pests. Bifen IT covers all those for me and does it exceptionally well. 

Now, my father on the other hand has been having a devil of a time with moles just ripping through his yard (Last year). We got rid of the ant problem he had but it didnt seem to do anything for his mole issue. Was hoping it would kill the grubs and that would force them to leave since they wouldnt have a food source but it did not seem to do a very good job on killing the grubs. I saw that Imidacloprid might be good to use for that but I guess I will ask you, do you think thats the best treatment or is there something better out there? Seems moles/voles are pretty hard to get rid of as I didnt find a lot of great reviews on products for them


----------



## ChicoBugGuy (May 4, 2017)

Doomsday said:


> I myself am not very price sensitive. Im looking at it from the average joes point of view and how spending over a hundred bucks on a product that possibly fails for them, I can see how that could be very discouraging. Not to mention the time your investing into the diy. Thats why I do lots and lots of research and spend lots of time reading reviews. I have not tried Dominion, I did look at when I was shopping around but taurus sc seemed to be the better of the two. All the different insecticides out there make it very confusing for a person trying to do it themselves. You can get information overload very easily. I think it took me about a month of research just for me to choose taurus and bifen and ultimately it was still an unknown, it could have been possible that they not worked for me at all.
> 
> I am familiar with ant colonies splitting for various reasons.The problem with that, on ants in your yard is, it doesnt really matter if it happens or not. As soon as they walk through a treated area, they are infected and carry it with them to any other colony they may be going to and then it spreads due to social contact. Thats the beauty of bithrin, yes it may block their trails but it kills them anyway because its not just a repellent.
> 
> ...



Well, I also once read that killing the grubs would help eliminate a mole problem. Grubs were the main diet of moles for probably millions of years. This changed when the earthworm was introduced to america. The earthworm soon populated the entire country and has taken over as the main diet of Moles. Hence using a product on grubs won't solve the issue like it did in the past.

I'm going to post a new thread on Mole control. I'd hate to explain it here and someone looking for it won't see it.


----------



## rafaelrobertson (6 mo ago)

FrankL said:


> I have been experimenting with boric acid and sugar. Both are cheap. I got Boric Acid at the dollar store for $2 but they had 25% off. A pound of sugar was $1 - Wal Mart or Aldi may be cheaper. I think about 1 tlb spoon of boric acid, probably a half cup or 5 tbl spoons of sugar and two or three cups of water. Shake a lot until it is all mix up.
> 
> Buy some cotton balls ($1 at the dollar store for a bag) and dip them in the solution and put it near the site of ants. Also if you shake it really good, put it in a sprayer bottle ($1 at the dollar store) and spray their ant trails.
> 
> ...


Where I live it is all sandy soil (more sand than loam) and I am overrun by red and black ants in my lawn. I have 2 acres of lawn and a small budget, so is there a cost effective way to get rid of them. Most store bought pesticides would be very expensive for the amount of ground I need to cover. They're a real pain, I've got ant hills all over, and when the kids play outside there is ants all over and they bite. Will any fertilizers or weed killers get rid of them?
Thanks for any suggestions.


----------



## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

rafaelrobertson said:


> Where I live it is all sandy soil (more sand than loam) and I am overrun by red and black ants in my lawn. I have 2 acres of lawn and a small budget, so is there a cost effective way to get rid of them. Most store bought pesticides would be very expensive for the amount of ground I need to cover. They're a real pain, I've got ant hills all over, and when the kids play outside there is ants all over and they bite. Will any fertilizers or weed killers get rid of them?
> Thanks for any suggestions.


Start a thread. I'm sure Albania has it's own specific ants. Fire ants?


----------



## Rodochan (Aug 22, 2020)

Nik333 said:


> Start a thread. I'm sure Albania has it's own specific ants. Fire ants?


It seems this fella enjoys trawling through 6 year old threads and then posting, or maybe his internet connection is THAT slow. Haha


----------



## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

.


----------

