# Ants keep coming back.



## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

you need to figure out what kind of ants they are to start with. If they are carpenter ants treatment will be different than other ants but the biggest thing is to remove food sources. That means a clean home. Clean clean clean clean clean


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

Every few years or so, we get ants in our house. Last year when they came to visit, I spread Diatomaceous Earth around the outside foundation of the house. I also sprinkled some in the bottom of one window frame, which seemed like a strange place for them to come in, but they were. It took care of all of them.

If you use it, you may have to reapply it later in the summer or when you see them again. 

It works well and it's not poisonous to pets or humans.... just make sure to get *Food Grade* Diatomaceous Earth, not the kind they use in pool filters.


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

gma2rjc said:


> Every few years or so, we get ants in our house. Last year when they came to visit, I spread Diatomaceous Earth around the outside foundation of the house. I also sprinkled some in the bottom of one window frame, which seemed like a strange place for them to come in, but they were. It took care of all of them.
> 
> If you use it, you may have to reapply it later in the summer or when you see them again.
> 
> It works well and it's not poisonous to pets or humans.... just make sure to get *Food Grade* Diatomaceous Earth, not the kind they use in pool filters.


food grade dirt?


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

That's what I thought it was at first too, but it's not dirt. It's a white-ish powder that almost looks like flour. 

Here is some information on it...

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html

I've been using it for a few years now. It also does really well if your pets brought fleas into the house or if any of your garden plants have aphids. The sharp edges on the DE cuts the exoskeleton on bugs and kills them - no chemicals necessary.

Farmers mix about 7 lbs. of it per ton of grain in their silo's to prevent bug infestations. It's safe for human consumption.


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## AlanSD (Mar 14, 2015)

*They are the little household black ants*

How can I get rid of all of them quickly.


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## Hick (Nov 21, 2014)

I personally like DDT for all my bug killing needs....but...you know....good luck getting that.


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## jimn (Nov 13, 2010)

Which of courses almost made the bald wave extinct. Chlordane was actually the preferred treatment for ants. But it too had its issues. Treatment will depend on whether they are carpenter ants or other ants. Carpenter ants are actually living in the wood, usually near wet or,slightly rotted wood. Unlike a. Termite the don't eat wood, they just build nests. Usually but not always some saw dust will be seen near their nesting site. Locally applied pesticide in the area can kill the nest. Almost any ant in your house is looking for food and water. Keep,bathrooms dry, make sure your kitchen is spotless, food items tightly sealed. There are any decent number of pesticides you can use, just remember to use sparingly and be careful around kids and pets. Treat entry areas around. Windows, doors and plumbing entrances under the kitchen sync etc.


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## AlanSD (Mar 14, 2015)

Will this work with http://t.homedepot.com/p/Safer-Bran...nt-and-Crawling-Insect-Killer-51702/202743025 indoor ants?


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## ZZZZZ (Oct 1, 2014)

AlanSD said:


> How can I get rid of all of them quickly.


Figure out how they are getting into the house. Then plug that hole or gap. 

Then kill them off. 

If nothing else a couple of cans of insecticide will work for starters. There are various ant bait and traps you can use too.


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## Hick (Nov 21, 2014)

gma2rjc said:


> Every few years or so, we get ants in our house. Last year when they came to visit, I spread Diatomaceous Earth around the outside foundation of the house. I also sprinkled some in the bottom of one window frame, which seemed like a strange place for them to come in, but they were. It took care of all of them.
> 
> If you use it, you may have to reapply it later in the summer or when you see them again.
> 
> It works well and it's not poisonous to pets or humans.... just make sure to get *Food Grade* Diatomaceous Earth, not the kind they use in pool filters.


Agreed with gma. spread it all along your baseboard & along the outside of your home. Should stop the problem.


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## stick\shift (Mar 23, 2015)

I've never seen a quick solution to ants and they also come back so be ready to treat again down the road.

I use liquid Terro in the house and granules in a 5' wide path around the outside of the house. Usually have them gone for a while within a couple weeks.


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## LeakyHawaiiRoof (Oct 21, 2014)

I second using Terro. That stuff works. http://www.amazon.com/TERRO-PreFill...?ie=UTF8&qid=1427488195&sr=8-1&keywords=terro 

The problem with ant poison, however, is that it needs to be use multiple times to kill all 4 generations of ants. Basically, in my experience, I set out the Terro traps and they attracted ants like crazy. A few days later, the ants were gone. That was the death of generation 1. A week or two later, generation 2 invaded my kitchen. I set out the Terro again and killed off that generation. . . . repeat two more times to kill of generations 3 and 4. (this may also explain why your ants are coming back)

Around the second round, the Terro traps get filled with dead ants. I rinsed them out and refilled them with the liquid Terro. http://www.amazon.com/TERRO-Liquid-...?ie=UTF8&qid=1427488785&sr=8-2&keywords=terro

Additionally, as other people have said, clean up really really well and close off the openings in your house where the ants can come in. 

You may also want to consider spraying Ortho Home Defense Max http://www.ortho.com/smg/goprod/ortho-hdm-perimeter-indoor-insect-killer/prod70044 around your house. It creates a barrier the ants can’t cross.


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## Hick (Nov 21, 2014)

LeakyHawaiiRoof said:


> I second using Terro. That stuff works. http://www.amazon.com/TERRO-PreFill...?ie=UTF8&qid=1427488195&sr=8-1&keywords=terro
> 
> The problem with ant poison, however, is that it needs to be use multiple times to kill all 4 generations of ants. Basically, in my experience, I set out the Terro traps and they attracted ants like crazy. A few days later, the ants were gone. That was the death of generation 1. A week or two later, generation 2 invaded my kitchen. I set out the Terro again and killed off that generation. . . . repeat two more times to kill of generations 3 and 4. (this may also explain why your ants are coming back)
> 
> ...


Just a thought but couldnt you just go to walmart, buy a big 1lb box of borax for like 3-5 bucks & mix it with some sugar to attract the ants? I mean, reading the active ingredients of terro its just borax, laundry detergent.

at 5% & a 2oz terro dust costs $6.78 on amazon, meaning buying the name brand stuff over buying just borax means you would be paying $1084 for 1lb of borax(6.78X8X20). Just saying, getting a little ripped off.


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## LeakyHawaiiRoof (Oct 21, 2014)

Hick said:


> Just a thought but couldnt you just go to walmart, buy a big 1lb box of borax for like 3-5 bucks & mix it with some sugar to attract the ants? I mean, reading the active ingredients of terro its just borax, laundry detergent.
> 
> at 5% & a 2oz terro dust costs $6.78 on amazon, meaning buying the name brand stuff over buying just borax means you would be paying $1084 for 1lb of borax(6.78X8X20). Just saying, getting a little ripped off.


Well, um, the terro does come with those cool plastic applicator thingies. 

Yeah, I wondered that too. For people closer to the DIY spectrum (what's the name of this website again? ), I bet a sugar borax solution would be worthwhile and effective. Here's something i found. http://thehappyhousewife.com/home-management/how-to-get-rid-of-ants-with-three-ingredients/ For lazy people like me, doing all that work to save a few bucks and have a box of borax sit in my house for a decade before I toss it isn't really worth it.


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## AlanSD (Mar 14, 2015)

I have some borax how can I use that to kill off ants inside?


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## LeakyHawaiiRoof (Oct 21, 2014)

AlanSD said:


> I have some borax how can I use that to kill off ants inside?


Boil 1 cup of sugar, 1 tbsp of Borax, and 1/2 cup of water for 3 minutes. Let it cool and put it out for the ants to eat. http://thegardeningcook.com/testing-borax-ant-killer-remedies/ or follow the link from my previous post. Let us know which works best.


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## Hick (Nov 21, 2014)

LeakyHawaiiRoof said:


> Well, um, the terro does come with those cool plastic applicator thingies.
> 
> Yeah, I wondered that too. For people closer to the DIY spectrum (what's the name of this website again? ), I bet a sugar borax solution would be worthwhile and effective. Here's something i found. http://thehappyhousewife.com/home-management/how-to-get-rid-of-ants-with-three-ingredients/ For lazy people like me, doing all that work to save a few bucks and have a box of borax sit in my house for a decade before I toss it isn't really worth it.


Well, borax is also used as a laundry detergent. So unless you have a HE washing machine (or you never wash your clothes) you could always use it for laundry...that or just have a box sitting around for whenever you might need to do further pest control

There are also other uses for borax. Mostly cleaning related (it is a very good household cleaner) Look up uses for borax, see if any of those are problems you might encounter


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## AlanSD (Mar 14, 2015)

Their are two or three ants coming out not a lot . How can I kill them of?


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## The Jeep Driver (Feb 24, 2014)

*Terro works!*

I will also recommend Terro, I've always had success with it. I also treat the foundation with the Ortho product mentioned before, or Spectricide also makes a treatment that works well. 

For diatomaceous earth to work you have to keep it dry. Even morning dew can make diatomaceous earth ineffective. But it works very well.


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## AlanSD (Mar 14, 2015)

How do I use the diatomaceous earth to kill of ants?


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## Gustavas (Oct 4, 2014)

d-earth is great to kill the workers, to really rid yourself of the problem you need to go after the nest / queen.

if you can find the nest (outside or in a wall void or where ever) problem solved. kill the whole nest and you are done.

Carpenter ants sometimes have a satellite colony, so you have to track down the nest outside as well as the one in your home.

The problem I have with terro is that it kills the ants too quickly. the point of bait is for the workers to carry it back to the nest and poison everyone, not just the workers. Carpenter ants sometimes feed on sugar, and other times on protein, to cover you bases, if you have Carpenter ants use both a sweet bait, and a protein bait.

DO NOT use a residual pesticide where you are baiting. you want the ants to eat the bait and take it home.


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## Hick (Nov 21, 2014)

AlanSD said:


> How do I use the diatomaceous earth to kill of ants?


Having a duster would help but you apply it along your baseboards & anywhere you see ants coming into your home.

I would also suggest applying a small layer along the outside of your home & if your able to get under your house, dust all over under it. It will last for years out of the elements.

a 20lb bag can be had on amazon for around $10 which will cover a huge area when applied properly. A little goes a long way.

duster
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SW52CE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

D-earth
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00025H2PY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## TruproServices (Apr 8, 2015)

Post a photo of the ants and describe where your seeing them as well as the structure of your home. Identification is the first step and then potential harborages. Depending on the ant certain ants can be very percipient.


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## JD367 (Apr 6, 2015)

The simple,inexpensive way to kill off ants is to spread Borax(Boraxo,or 20 mule team Borax soap works well)around the foundation of your home.
This will also neutralize the nest,because the ants carry it back on their legs,etc.,and it sterilizes the eggs.


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## Hick (Nov 21, 2014)

AlanSD said:


> Their are two or three ants coming out not a lot . How can I kill them of?


2 or 3 ants? I would suggest your finger for such a project.


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## Tizzer (Jul 24, 2010)

^^^:laughing:
Every year this time(when it warms up) I get tiny little ants coming through the kitchen window on to the island right after it rains.
I sprayed the window sill with HotShot ant spray and have seen just a couple straggles left which I promptly mushed with a finger. Heard that 20 mule team borax works on fleas in carpet, too.


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## JD367 (Apr 6, 2015)

Yes , it does . If you have a carpet steamer just use it ,along with the regular cleaner. 
The Borax will dry into the carpet fibers ,and keep killing them for 30-60 days.


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## LeakyHawaiiRoof (Oct 21, 2014)

I finally broke down and tried to make my own Terro. Hick is right on all fronts. I recommend that everyone make their own homemade Terro. This is what I did:

Ingredients: 
1.5 cups (about) of water
1 cup of sugar
Some borox (a 76 oz box costs about $4 from Target)

Instructions:


Heat 1.5 cups of water in a small pot.
Dissolve/stir in 1 cup of sugar. If the sugar doesn’t dissolve easily, just add more water.
Remove the sugar-water solution from the stove and pour into glass jar that has straight edges.
Pour the Borox into the glass jar. The idea is to make the solution contain 5.4% Borox (that's the same percentage as Terro). If you have two jars the same size, then figure out how much 5% (this method is so imprecise that the extra 0.4% is not significant) is for the full jar and pour that much Borax into the other jar to measure. Stir gently. I could have poured the borax directly into the pot (some recipes call for that), but I was reluctant to have the active ingredient in ant poison touch a pot I cook with. Plus, measuring 5% would have been difficult.
*MARK THE BOTTLE AS "ANT POISON"*
After the solution has cooled, put the cap on, shake it (very important! To distribute any undissolved Borax), and pour some of it into an easier to dispense bottle. I still had my 2 oz Terro bottle http://www.groworganic.com/terro-ant-bait-2-oz.html so I used that, with the help of a tin foil funnel. The solution will be only slightly more viscous than water. That's ok. Mark that bottle as ant poison as well.
Use the dispenser to put the homemade Terro where ants would find it.
 
Notes: 
For some reason, the homemade Terro that I set out on metal jar lids didn't many attract ants. I don't know why, but because of this, I recommend using plastic caps or just putting little drops of homemade Terro directly on the ground. 

I tend to put a lot of little drops in an area instead of one big glob. My logic is that the more surface area I make, the more ants can access the poison. {evil laugh}

This homemade Terro takes about 3 nights to kill an ant colony. Around sunset, clean up the homemade Terro that was placed the previous day and put "fresh" homemade Terro out from the easier to dispense bottle. Homemade Terro tends to dry up and get hard faster than the original stuff (that's pretty much the only drawback). For some reason, ants don't like dried up homemade Terro as much as the fresh stuff. 

The ants in my house are nocturnal so during the day I don't see nearly as many eating the homemade Terro. 

As with regular Terro, the ants may return in a few weeks. This is normal and represents the next generation of ants. Just repeat putting out the homemade Terro. Sometimes, ant colonies have 5 generations so I marked my calendar to know how rounds of me vs the ants I had left.


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## ocoee (May 31, 2007)

No one can possibly answer your question correctly without first knowing what type of ant you have. I have dealt with 4 completely different types of ants just this week that required completely different types of treatment.
The most important step is insect ID

Some ants can be baited, some cant, some can be sprayed some can't.

Carpet dusting only works on ants the come into contact with your carpet, same with base board spraying or DE on the outside of your home


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## mikegp (Jul 17, 2011)

JD367 said:


> The simple,inexpensive way to kill off ants is to spread Borax(Boraxo,or 20 mule team Borax soap works well)around the foundation of your home.


Will they eat straight Borax? I thought it had to be mixed with something they'll eat.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

When the resident Ant Lions can't keep up at our house a very narrow band of 7 Dust around the house perimeter tips the scales in their favor.


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