# Ants in bathroom



## mi26 (Apr 23, 2013)

Why do I have small black ants in bathroom? I put Terro bait all over and this morning they were swarming it. Tons of them came out of nowhere. Hopefully it works. 

Anyone have any advice?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

That's a good thing, be patient, keep adding more as they eat it.
Takes a couple of days for them to be wiped out and kill the queen.
There's lots of places in a bathroom for ants to get in under the floor and inside the walls because of all the pipes.
Air seal with expanding foam may help, should be done anyways.


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## mi26 (Apr 23, 2013)

I have a piece of "shoe" moulding that goes along the bottom of the tub and it looks like they could be coming from there. I'm going to pull up that piece tonight and recaulk along the base of the tub. 

Could there be some water that got in around the tub caulking inside of the tub that damaged the wood? If so, how do I know this or fix it? 

Also, how do I know if they are carpenter ants or not? The ants are small black ones that look like the ones outside. They are not big. I always assumed carpenter ants to be big. 
Thanks


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

If there small there not carpenter ants.
Any access under the house?


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

I spray around my house 4' out and 4' up every other month with Demon WP. Also in bathrooms at bottom of baseboards. Its helped my problem. I also spray inside vanity around fixtures.


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## mi26 (Apr 23, 2013)

The question is, why are they in my bathroom and nowhere else. I believe they are getting in around the shoe moulding along the base of the outside of my tub. I will pull that piece up and caulk the base of the tub and reapply the moulding.


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## jimn (Nov 13, 2010)

They are after water


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## Thurman (Feb 9, 2009)

"jimn01" is correct. Ants enter a house for one of two reasons: They are seeking either food or water. The Terro bait will work, but not overnight. I have what I call seasonal ants. The only come into the house in the late summer when things around here are pretty dry. If you watch the Terro baits you will notice that the material within the bait package is being eaten and taken away. They take this picnic dinner to their almighty queen and soon she dies off. Then the ants seek a new queen somewhere else.


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## Syberia (Jan 24, 2014)

Give it a few days. Their numbers will first increase, then dwindle, then they will be gone. Terro works wonders.


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## TruproServices (Apr 8, 2015)

What area are you in? It sounds like "Odorous House Ants", but I'd like to confirm before making suggestions. Try squashing one and if you have a pungent odor, that's what you have.


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## LeakyHawaiiRoof (Oct 21, 2014)

Sometimes, Terro takes a four rounds to work. It has something to do with killing off each generation. So, if you see the ants come back after a week or two, just put out more Terro and remind yourself that this round only represents 25% of the fight. 

You can also make Terro from Borax, sugar, and water, but that's a bunch of effort to save a few bucks.


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## Hick (Nov 21, 2014)

joecaption said:


> That's a good thing, be patient, keep adding more as they eat it.
> Takes a couple of days for them to be wiped out and kill the queen.
> There's lots of places in a bathroom for ants to get in under the floor and inside the walls because of all the pipes.
> Air seal with expanding foam may help, should be done anyways.


Also your drain pipes. If your drain pipe is not sealed, you will have ants crawling into your house by this access.


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## Dave Sal (Dec 20, 2012)

mi26 said:


> Why do I have small black ants in bathroom? I put Terro bait all over and this morning they were swarming it. Tons of them came out of nowhere. Hopefully it works.
> 
> Anyone have any advice?


I just had an infestation of tiny ants in my family room. No food source close by. I bought the Terro Ant Killer and like you described, the ants came out of nowhere and sat there drinking the stuff for hours. My understanding is that they will take it back to the nest, feed it to the queen, and the queen will die, along with the rest of the colony. Others will continue to come by as they hatch, but as long as you keep the Terro refreshed, in about a week they will all be gone. My ant problem is gone.


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## Gustavas (Oct 4, 2014)

Great image. they're eating that up!


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