Berkeley Parents Network: Getting Rid of Ants

Berkeley Parents Network

Getting Rid of Ants

Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Advice about Health > Getting Rid of Ants

Large-scale ant infestation March 2004
Ants are everywhere - how to get rid of them? Sept. 2003
Ants constantly in the house May 2003
Ants in the crawl space under the house Dec 2002
Ants in the kitchen Dec 2002
Warning about Ant Chalk March 1999
Persistent ant problem Jan 2000
Suggestions for deterring ants July 1999
Ants all over the house Dec 1998
More advice March 2006
Plants full of ants Jan 2005
Exterminator for ants Oct 2004

Large-scale ant infestation

March 2004

We are having quite an ant problem. I think it has gone beyond the ''the ants are coming inside to get out of the rain'' to ''the ants live in the walls and sometimes come out for a snack''. I spray Orange Guard; they go away for a day and then find a new route in. I thought it was the rainy season but now I'm convinced it's a large-scale infestation. I've seen the many recommendations posted on the Web site (baby powder has not worked for me, incidentally) and have not yet investigated ant stakes but will give that a try. I'd just like to know what I'm dealing with first, so I thought an exterminator might at least be able to tell me. My questions are: (1) does anyone have a recommendation of a good exterminator who will understand my perhaps conflicting wants to poison the ants but not my child, cat or the groundwater, and who might honestly give me an assessment of the extent of the problem and (2) has anyone had a major ants-in-the-woodwork problem such as this and fixed it via ant stakes or some other home remedy (besides baby powder)? Thanks! Jennifer

during the rainy season 2 years ago, i had an ant infestation in which the ants just kept coming and coming and coming. i tried various solutions, but found the most useful was to put multiple (5 or 6) grant ant stakes out near the spot of ingress (if I could find it, or the place I saw the ants on their endless march. so, for example, in the kitchen, i put four each on the window sill, by the faucets, one my dish shelf and on the counter adjacent to the sink. In my bedroom, where i could not see where the ants came from, I put 4 each near the wall bordering the garden, in my closet and under my bed where I had seen them, and where the stakes were not visible or easily accessible to little ones. (i was going to put them outside each wall, but could not because of the architecture. It took a few days to discourage the colony, but i've not seen them since. Nselk

re the ant invasion, I went and got books in the library about this and found out that sprinkling BoricAcid powder in the pathways where they come in works great,; it's a stomach irritant if eaen by humans. It really works so much better less smelly and toxic, and it works, rather then the sprays, traps, etc. Leia

I found Employ Exterminators very easy to work with: 836- 4500. We had a huge ant infestation under the house and they had to come back for 3 visits within 2 months(all covered under the one-time fee of $120). Richard knows about the habits of ants and is considerate about the hazards of spraying where there are small children. He will be able to answer all your questions. I might be able to control the ant situation with home remedies now, but I'm relieved to have had professional help first. Each nest has many thousands of ants, as you know if they are invading your home! Suzanne

Ants are everywhere - how to get rid of them?

Sept 2003

We would like to get an advice on how to get rid of ants. We are keeping our house as clean as it can be possible with a small child, but ants are everywhere. As soon as we think we sealed the holes, they appear from different end of the house, with no evident source of food. I am a little bit concerned about ant killing products because of their toxicity. In fact, I do not know how safe, or unsafe they are. At this point, we will take any piece of advice. Thanks

The ants are crawling in your garden by the millions. These are the Argentenian kind that have been invading our environment along the coast. There's only one thing you can do: do not take them inside your home. Especially this time of the year, they go crazy with the heat and it takes literally seconds for them to crawl up you shoes and legs. What you need to do is make sure you and kid(s) are totally free of ants before they go into the house. This is an extra task but worth it. We keep our house clean and have no problems unless one brings an ant in from the outside. Also, don't put items down in the yard and bring them in the house without checking it out thoroughly. They will make sure to bring the rest of their tribe once they get inside your house. This method works for us, we hardly ever have a problem, with the exception of very wet or cold weather conditions. These ants are serious, they can make your life miserable by invading plants and terrariums inside. Stakes, poison outside does not help because there are so many (take a shovel and dig around in your yard, they're everywhere). Hope this helps. Been there..

Check out this website for ant control: http://www.thebestcontrol.com/bugstop/control_ant.htm momofjesse

I've had good results (not astonishing) with puffs of baby powder on the holes where the ants come in. Sometimes it takes more than one puff (on the new hole) but it's a nice, nontoxic (if messy) way to stop them from coming in. Jennie

I've had the greatest luck with keeping ants out with a product that's so safe for babies its made for them! Find where the ants are coming in and sprinkle a tiny line of baby powder across the entrance. The baby powder clogs the ants pores, through which they breathe, and thus they don't cross the line. I think it also interferes with their directional ''trails'' but not being an ant expert can't say for sure WHY it works, I just know that when we get ants I baby powder their entrances and Voila, no ants. Karin

My advice is to give them all names and accept that the ants will be a part of your family for awhile! I'm kidding, of course, but these Bay Area ants are a pain! I read an article a few years ago that explained that the ants are nearly impossible to get rid of, and that their instrusion has nothing to do with the cleanliness of your house, but the weather. That said, I've had luck with two products: No Poison spray and Grant's ant traps. The spray comes in either peppermint oil or orange oil. It kills the ants on contact and they hate the smell. Your house will be left with a strong mint or orange smell, but it's liveable. I put the Grants around the outside of my house as well as 'safe' places around the house (Under the sink, top cabinets) where the kids can't reach them. This combo seems to have my recent invasion under control. ant-free

I have used Grant's ant stakes and only have to leave one around the ants for about a day if they are inside, a little more if they are outside, but then I don't see them again til the next season. You don't have to add water to the stakes or anything and they aren't really stakes anymore. You can just lay them on your counter overnight or when you go out then the kids won't try to bother them. Bye the time you get up or get back the ants should be gone. The ants take some of the bait back to the ant home and then supposedly poisons them all. Michelle

Hi-- we are constantly protecting our ''front line'' against the ants ourselves, and have developed several strategies. First, as recommended by ''The Bug Man'' in the Chronicle, if you can afford having some time go by, put out bait laced with the poison ''boric acid''. It is a powder and ants especially love it when mixed with a can of dog/cat food. Leave it out where the ants will find it and for the next week there will a parade of ants collecting the poison taking it back to their nests and then killing the entire colony slowly where they live. However, given the size of ant colonies we're dealing with, this can take a couple of weeks to be completely effective--you have to kill several generations. So secondly, if you can't stand the ant incursions into the house and are past being patient, as we found ourselves, buy ''Bugs-R-Done''. The pesticide is limonene, and according to their label and some research I did on the EPA website for registered pesticides, it can safely be used inside the house and even around food (this became paramount for us as our ants invaded our freezer). So for the instant kill we sprayed this pesticide, though to be as cautious as possible we did it after our kids went to bed and closed off the room from our dog as well until the smell went away (smells citrus-y). You can buy BugsRDone at either Berkeley or El Cerrito Natural Grocery. Good luck, and believe me, I know how frustrating it can be! Luisa

I would like to share info about a wonderful product I use to prevent ant invasions . It's called Orange Guard. I first found it at the Ecology Center on San Pablo Ave in Berkeley. I went there because I wanted to find a non-toxic product to get rid of ants in my apartment. This product fits the bill perfectly. It's non-toxic and safe to use around food, pets, and humans, as the active ingredient is an extract of orange peel, which apparently is very toxic to ants. It's a spray, and has a pleasant orange smell. I have used this product successfully many times. I just spray on the ants, their trails, and the place or places where they enter the house. Sometimes I have to do this several times, waiting awhile to see if the ants reappear, and carefully tracing their trails back to the entry point. But it always works. I have recommended this product to many friends, who have used it successfully. Only one family said it didn't work for them; maybe they have different type of ants? It can be purchased at the Ecology Center on San Pablo in Berkeley and also at Ace Hardware (Grand Ave, Oakland) and also Who Lea

I recommend looking up Dr. Richard Fagerlund at askthebugman.com. The Chronicle runs his column, and the web site is full of useful information. We used his trick of baiting the ants with a concoction of PB&J and boric acid in a straw (PLEASE see his web site for details!), and after the initial disconcerting flurry of activity from the ants, they did eventually die down. Dr. Fagerlund says that baiting is the only effective way to goV. Jenny

Ants constantly in the house

May 2003

We have an ant problem. I know there is a large nest in the back yard under some concrete, but the ants are also constantly in my daughter's room, which is in the front of the house on the second floor, and have come out of heating ducts in other rooms, so I fear that there are nests in the walls. I've used baby powder, cayenne, etc. and caulked cracks, and this dissuades them temporarily but it's an old house and there are a lot of cracks and a lot of ants. I think I need some kind of systemic solution, but I don't really want to spread toxins around my house. Does anyone have experience with non-toxic exterminators for ants? Have they been effective? Who would you recommend? I'm in San Francisco. Thanks.

It is impossible to get rid of ants outside your home, and undesirable b/c they play important roles in recycling dead matter. Most integrated pest management experts recommend using diatomaceous earth for eliminating ant and other insect problems inside the home. Because this material is like ground up glass (a physical hazard if breathed in), it should be used in inaccessible areas. It's very inexpensive, and will work as long as the foundation remains dry. It's the same material that the ''flea busters'' use on carpets, I believe. I wouldn't use it inside the house except on edges and in very small amounts for ''emergencies'' such as animal mites that are biting the heck out of a person. It works immediately!

Remember not to leave ant traps with chemicals outside; besides rain and sprinklers leaching out toxins into the soil and ultimately into the groundwater, it also can attract ants to your house! I find Grant Ant stakes to work very well (it contains arsenic) so be very careful. Some like Combat ant killer, but my ants don't seem to like them. Boric acid is sworn by some to solve the problem, and it's less toxic. Remember to remove the bait after the ants disappear. I put mine in a clear plastic bag until the next battle... also important safety measure around kids. Arsenic is a carcinogen.

Another preventative step is to kill the scouts as soon as you see them, and then wipe up with soapy water.

If you're interested in decreasing toxic chemicals in the environment to protect kids, please see: www.pfse.net. We're gathering names to talk with Cities, schools, and Park & Rec to replace toxic pesticides (including RoundUp) with safer alternatives. Susan

Here is what I did with my Ant friends after asking a few friends about what to do... I sprinkled Bay Leaf, Cinnamon and Cayeen pepper around the points of entrance and within a week (or less) the ants moved out by them selves. For some reason ants really dont like these spices. goodluck Hana If you try let me know if it worked for you problem.

For fact sheets on less toxic methods for pest control, go to this URL and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

http://sfwater.org/detail.cfm/MSC_ID/13/MTO_ID/85/MC_ID/4/C_ID/1402/highlightKeyword/less-toxic

Bait traps work well for getting rid of ants because they carry the poison back to the nest to kill the queen and others. The poison does not get broadcast around your house. good luck! Susan

Ants in the crawl space under the house

Dec 2002

Does anyone have any recommendations for getting rid of ants in the crawl space underneath the house? I've read the tips on the parents.berkeley.edu website and have tried a number of things but with only limited and temporary success. Once they are in the crawl space, they continue to come out here and there thru-out various rooms of the house and it's really hard keeping them out for good. I've been trying to get rid of this problem for several weeks now and would appreciate any help and advice (including possible reco's for companies that use environmentally safe pest control). Thank you! Grace

The reason cinnamon, baby powder, diatomaceous earth, and turmeric all work is because they aren't so much a repellent, as the powder is so fine and dusty that it affects their breathing, and ability to plunder through. You have to keep reapplying, but it definitely detracts them. We keep it around our door cracks and window sills that aren't well sealed. I heard a story about ant life a while ago on NPR and the expert talked about what happens when you kill them, and they emit the scent of death, so that their hive mates, can easily retrieve the carcass, and will do so until they are successful. The scent is so strong and pervasive, that he was unable to wash it off after repeated attempts, so we have refrained from killing them, and have just been escorting them back outside. It seems to work. They also send out scouters before the rest of the ''gatherers'' so if you find a couple of strays, send them back outside and that can also mess up their mission. Linee

Try Grants ant stakes - they are the best of that type of product. Just let the ants swarm it overnight and they will be almost gone by morning and really gone within a couple of days. Julie

I have had success using baby powder. We get ants each year and I sprinkle the area/block the area where they come in. The ants can't walk through the powder and it is non-toxic. Good luck. Rochelle

You can get toxic and poison free spray made by VictorPest at ACE Pastime Hardware in El Cerrito/Albany (border), or call around to local hw stores. It works and has a nice minty smell (mint being the active ingredient). VictorPest has a website - check them out (www.victorpest.com?). Kathy

Ants in the kitchen

Dec 2002

We have had ants in out kitchen for 2 weeks now and just when they seem to be going away, they come back with a vengeance. Does anyone have any suggestions that they know will work? We have two little babes who could get into anything toxic. My past experience is that ants will come inside when the soil gets wet outside but they seem to disappear in a few days. Maybe they just like my cooking?? Nooo. Any help is welcome! Elizabeth

Try Grants ant stakes - they are the best of that type of product. Just let the ants swarm it overnight and they will be almost gone by morning and really gone within a couple of days. Julie

I have had success using baby powder. We get ants each year and I sprinkle the area/block the area where they come in. The ants can't walk through the powder and it is non-toxic. Good luck. Rochelle

Go to: http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/ I ordered ant baits from this company, and I find that it seems to work better than most other products. Also, there is much info on their site, and they are helpful on the phone also. ernie

For very persistent ant problems, like ant nests in household walls, the only GUARANTEED solution is Grants Ant Stakes WITH ARSENIC. Grants also makes stakes with Borax, but it takes so long to poison the ants that they repopulate before the colony is killed. This tip from a PhD Entomologist who knows. Linda

Warning about Ant Chalk

From: Steve (Mar 99)

A recent discussion on UCB Parents recommended the use of "ant chalk" as a tip for controlling ants in the home. Please let your members knows that ant chalk often contains insecticides; that's why it works so well. It can be extremely hazardous to children, especially if ingested. The packaging may also include high levels of lead. Ant chalk is illegal in California and should not be used under any circumstances, especially in a home with small children.

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) issued a press release on ant chalk in November (see http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/archives/pressrls/1998/chalk.htm). Ant chalk has made several California children very sick. If you have ant chalk in your home it should be disposed of as household hazardous waste. If you know stores where ant chalk is still sold, you should call DPR's Enforcement Branch, at (916) 445-3920, or the local county agricultural commissioner.

Please don't let kids get near this product.

Persistent ant problem

Jan 2000

With all the rain, we're in need of an exterminator. We have a persistent ant problem. Old-fashioned tricks don't work -- they are literally piling out of cracks in the walls and along baseboards, forming inch-thick marching lanes to and from things like the cat's dish and stray crumbs. Can anyone recommend a good service? (We live in Berkeley.) Can anyone speak to the dangers involved, in terms of chemicals used, the ways in which the chemicals are used, and children in the house? Thanks! Annie Before calling an exterminator, try using the outdoor ant stakes indoors. We put one under the sink where it was out of reach and it seems to have worked pretty well. The ants take the poison (arsenic) back to the nest and after a week or so it kills off the nest. Also, we put our cat's food bowl in a larger flat pan of water to keep the ants away, should they ever re-discover it (and it seems to have kept them away).

I think the problem with the exterminators is that they spray poison all around the perimeter of your house, inside and out, and that poison then stays there for future generations! My use of the little arsenic stakes might be just as bad----are there any environmental/chemical experts out there that can place the different options---from chili powder, windex, boric acid, ant stakes, on up--on a scale of earth friendliness? Sally

(From David Kibbey): 5 oz water, 4cc (or 4ml) Dr. Bonner's peppermint soap, 5cc tobasco sauce. Mix & spray well. Use a child's medicine spoon to measure the cc's. Works well. Merry

I wanted to pass on a recommendation for what we consider a miracle solution for our ant problems. We've had periodic invasions for years and tried spraying, ant traps and stakes, cinnamon, etc. Then we discovered dried pyracantha berries and it's worked like a charm. I'm not sure of the brand name but it comes in powdered form and can be found in natural food stores. (We got ours at Berkeley Natural Grocery.) At the first sign of an ant invasion we sprinkle some in their path and at the source (when we can find it) and that is usually the end of it. It's supposed to be pretty environmentally friendly, but not entirely non-toxic, so we try to keep it away from food and kids. But we have used it on our kitchen counters in out of the way places. Laura

I was using the supposedly non-toxic chinese chalk until reading about it on the Digest. Then a friend recommended using baby powder. Just squirt it on the offending areas i.e.wherever they seem to be coming out of the wall. It worked immediately just like the chinese chalk. One added benefit though is that you don't find all the little carcasses around like you do with the chalk. Those really bothered my little girl who was way into ants and all insects. Good luck. S.

Ants all over the house

Dec 1998

We have ants all over our place now. I think it is because of the rain that they rush inside. I used cinnamon for a while to block their paths and holes since I wanted to avoid using any kind of poison at home and it worked very well, but only for a few months. Now the problem is bad and we have ants every where even in the 2nd floor bathrooms.

I am thinking about getting the house sprayed. Has anybody done it? What are the risks involved for children considering that my children are allergic to many different things? Should I wash all the dishes afterwards? Should we only have the premeter of the house sprayed? Other cautions to take? Any alternative solutions? Soheila

I refuse to use poison within the house, but have found it effective to use Safer's household pest spray in the basement, and outside at the foundation and on the trails on the house itself. Reapplication is necessary almost weekly, though. Safer's spray is hard to find. I've found it at Berkeley Ace on University and the large hardware chain on Ashby below San Pablo.

Hate to say it, but we still get ants trying to get in. I'm busy caulking holes along floors etc. Remember their nests outside are flooded, and they're going to keep looking, so you must be vigilant. Chris

I've recently discovered by pure accident that Lysol Kitchen Antibacterial Spray kills ants on contact. No pesticides and a nice smell - it's a handy alternative for ants in the kitchen. Regan

I don't like to spray for ants inside my house either. What works for me is to scatter dried chili pepper flakes in their path (not powder or whole ones). I clean up the ants first with Windex or some other cleaner and then sprinkle the flakes in the corners of the cupboard and other out-of the-way places. I put the flakes where no one will touch them inadvertantly. I recently had an ant attack after two years of peace, so I think the chili flakes lose their potency after a while. Lynn

Before you spray, I highly recommend trying another inexpensive and alledgely non-toxic solution. It's called miraculous insecticide chalk. I think it's just boric acid in a chalk form. You draw lines across the ants paths or around place you don't want them to go. It's very effective, and it can even be fun and artistic. I totally swear by it.

It's imported from China, hence the excellent name. You can buy it from most grocery stores in Chinatown (Oakland or SF). You can also buy it at the Ashby Flea Market from the stall that sells all kinds of household cleaning supplies in the Northwest corner of the market. Peter
[Editor note: don't use this - see Warning about Ant Chalk]

When we bought our house it came with some kind of 1 yr. warrantee against blah blah blah, incl. pests. So when our ant/spider (I'm paranoid of spiders, ants are simply annoying and taste bad) we called the warranty place and they sent Western Exterminator Co. The man used a water-based spray around all the baseboards and up the joints of walls in the house and garage, then he fogged the inside of the house and garage. Finally he fired up the engine on the truck and used a high-pressure water-based spray all around the outside of the house, perimeter of the property, all around the yards, etc. It took him no more than 1/2 hr. Our prep. consisted of moving furniture away from walls, covering/putting away dishes and other things that come into intimate contact with your body (toothbrushes, etc.) We had to stay out of the house for 2-3 hours to let the fog do its works which was no prob. since it was during the work week anyway. Nice thing about this method is nothing was extremely dangerous to humans. The water portion of the spray procedure was used simply as a carrier to lay down a surface of powder that 1) serves as a mild irritant to a small pest, 2) dries out the body of pests that get it on them (he described it as how babies get powder in the diaper to guard against moisture) so they die, 3) they carry it back "home" to kill further pests. Initially it worked great with NO pests. 2 mos. later we saw an ant here and there, same with spiders, but nothing the problem like it was before. Jonathan

Grants Ant Stakes, placed where ants can get them and kids can't, have been very effective for me. Follow the directions, it takes a few days but generally then the ants are gone. They do not put fumes in the air. Lynn

We got a professional exterminator, and they placed a powder into the walls and beneath the floor to kill the nest -- very large, very determined nest. This is our first year in the house. We didn't even have to leave the house for the wall injection, although we did, and aired the house out afterwards, for the initial spraying (diazinon, at least outside). He didn't spray in the kitchen, since we were not (!) having a problem there. They have broken out three times in different places in the house -- inside of a few hours, thousands of them can set up a trail to whatever it is that seems to draw their interest.

The exterminator specializes in Montclair, if anyone wants his company's name. Small, local firm, 20 years in the area. Heather

regarding ant invasions: I've found that a bleach/water solution sprayed on the ants usually does the trick. Less noxious than pesticides, and gets your counters mighty clean. andrea

I know this sounds crazy, but lemon scented Sunlight dishwashing liquid works wonders on ants. I don't know if it is the soap or the lemon or both but they will not cross a path of the stuff. Whenever we start to get ants I spread it around the area where they are coming in or all along the path they are taking. It is a little messy but at least I know it isn't toxic! Kim

Before using insecticides, try spraying vinegar on the areas where the ants are coming out of the walls, etc. I've heard that works well, although I've never tried it. Also, there are diatomaceous earth-based products available that, I believe, are non-toxic. These are mainly for indoor use, as they will wash away.

I've sprayed insecticides and have confined this treatment, as much as possible, to the outside areas. This has helped control the problem.

If you do have to use insecticides indoors, try to avoid an overall application, especially in the kitchen area. Unfortunately, you'll probably have to wash counters, dishes, etc. Spraying inside the house, you should plan to vacate for a couple of hours to let the odor disperse.

I keep saying my house was built on the largest ant hill in the world! I don't know if we'll ever be rid of them, so we have to deal with them the best way possible. Hope this helps. Robert

ok, i admit i never tried this but many of people have told me this works: ants will never cross a chalkline. draw a chalk line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. Carrie

I've also found Grant's ant stakes to be very effective. They're small and contain the killer goop, whatever it is, in a small compartment with a hole. To keep kids from getting into the stake, I find a spot in the ants' trail that is above kids' reach. Ants are drawn to the goop and take it home to the colony to do its work there. The directions may not mention this, but the goop activates better if you stir it up with a nail after you add the boiling water. Linda

I too have found Boric powder useful for ant-reduction but the Consumer Product Safety Commission is cracking down on the chalk for mof it because it is illegal and extremely dangerous--ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS--There have been cases of kids eating it and becoming very sick or even dying because they thought it was regular chalk to play with. Boric acid is very toxic (you can buy boric acid in powder form at Longs)--read the label--you have to wear gloves, avoid eye contact, etc. Laura Beth

Hello, I am very thankful for your messages. I find them all very useful in approaching my ants problem. I have decided not to spray my house, but use a couple of alternatives that have been suggested. I am sharing the responses I received because I am sure others can benefit from your advice. Soheila

My mother's house has been infested with ants as long as I can remember, back to when I was a small child (and I'm now 40). Nothing has worked. Recently, her housekeeper suggested sprinkling Johnson's baby powder where they congregate (which is everywhere, so this isn't a totally practical solution) but sure enough, when I sprinkled all around the kitchen sink, they disappeared! I've heard that those ant stakes with arsenic work like a charm if you put a perimeter of them around the house, but I haven't tried it and that option does involve poison.

We have had problems with ants in the past, and used simple ant bait houses that you can buy that are quite safe to use (safer than spraying, I think). The trick is to put out a lot of them (we had 6 in our kitchen) and leave them there for several days. The ants take the bait back to their hive and they all end up dying back there (not in your house). There are several brands, and you should be able to get them at places like RiteAid or OSH.

Have you tried boric acid (its a powder) on the ants? It's supposed to be quite effective, and relatively non-toxic (i.e. safe to use around the kids). Boric acid is a white powder. You can find it in almost any hardware store, in the gardening section.

Hi Shiela, I understand your problem. I have my home exterminated twice a year. After El Nino, the back wall of my house was completely covered with ants and they were coming out of the cracks of the ground plus they were everywhere in my home. But exterminating is a great idea. We have a house full of asthma patients so I was very hesitant to spray any chemicals in the house. But they come and spray the perimeters and it is wonderful.

Another solution is going to the hardware store and purchasing liquid silicone (sp?) and put it any cracks of the house. The insect chalk works well also but my problem needs more than chalk. I have also used Amonia diluted in water. That is a temporary solution and is not as harsh as raid.

I hope you find a quick solution. Keep in mind that after the rainy season is over you will see more ants.

I have occassional ant dramas, and I deal with it by being extremely vigilant (everything gets put on hold while I fight the ants!), and with "ant chalk" that get at the Ashby flea market. (it's Chinese made) I've had some concerns about toxicity, but recently read that it's harmless. I mostly try to keep my son away from wherever I've applied it. It works EXTREMELY well. However, with a full on infestation like you're describing, it could be too messy. Perhaps once you've got the problem under control you could use it as I do. I can't stress enough however the vigilance aspect - if you say, I'll deal with it in the morning, you'll never win the war!

[Editor: don't use this. See Warning about Ant Chalk above

From: a mom

In reference to the insecticide chalk...It is highly effective as well as highly toxic, even though it says on the box that it is perfectly safe for children and pets. Remember it is made in China, where regulations may not be what they are here. There was a notice in the newspaper last year about it. The danger I think is that it looks exactly like a piece of chalk and would be easy for a child to mistake it for one. It works in less than an hour and the effects last for months. Even though we have a 4 year old, I use it and a day or two later clean where I had applied it. It's the best thing I've found for ants.

From: Cathy

I know you already got both of these recommendations, but I thought you might want to hear how they worked for me. We had a terrible ant infestation in our home right after we moved in last January. Luckily, they weren't in the kitchen, but they were everywhere else. I have a preschooler and was also reluctant to spray. A friend who has pets told be about daetenaceous (sp) earth. I found it at ACE hardware and, while there, was advised to try the powder boric acid. I purchased both. After I got home and read the boric acid label, I wasn't comfortable using it in living areas. So I used it under the house in a narrow crawl space, where I found the ants coming in. When I shone the flashlight on the dirt in the crawl space, it looked like the ground was moving , there were so many ants! I liberally sprinkled the stuff all over the ground (wearing gloves, glasses and a painter's mask as recommended on the label). Inside the house, I used the daetenaceuos earth along all walls in each room that had ants. I just made a thin line with it along the walls. (I poured it right on top of ants that were there.) Any ants that were not on the perimeter, I just picked up by hand with a washcloth. It ended up killing the ants within the day. A couple of days later I just vacuumed it up. The remarkable thing is, we have had no ant problem since and this was almost a year ago!

From: Christina

I too have had great success with Johnson's baby powder, although you end up with little piles of powder and ant corpses spread around, and you may have to keep applying it as they try different cracks. Interestingly, Safeway brand baby powder does not work at all. I think it dessicates them, probably like the diatomacious stuff.

From: Donna

Ground nutmeg makes a great, non-toxic ant repellent. They hate it and scamper away immediately and you can safely leave it on counter tops and in cabinents (a bit messy at times).

From: Lisa

Did anyone mention cinnamon as an ant repellent? It smells nice, and it works! We've sprinkled it along the edges of windowsills and doorways, leaving it there for a few days or so. We found out about this through a gradeschool science fair. One of the students set up a project with several circles of possible repellents (cinnamon, garlic, and I don't remember the rest) and put some ants in the middle of each one. Ants escaped from all but the cinnamon circle. So, if you just want them to go away, you might try it.

From: Glenn

One more quick one on ants: I have been led to believe that ants follow each other by scent. After getting rid of the ants via your favorite method, wipe out their trail by spraying a solution of water containing 2% bleach. This way, if they do come back they have to begin all over again finding the way to your goodies. Doing that, plus caulking, works quite well.

From: Dawn

Regarding the ant discussion: The correct spelling is diatomaceous earth. It's made up of dried, powered diatoms, the tiny creatures that whales eat. They are mostly silica, and the dust clogs the breathing mechanisms of ants and fleas (and presumably other small insects). The downside is that the broken exoskeletons are very sharp, although they are so small that human beings won't notice it. The problem is that it can, over time, wear your carpets out. However, that's with continued use over a long period, and I know people who have sworn by the stuff for years with no obvious problems.

Suggestions for deterring ants

July 1999

Two off-beat things that we discovered (by accident) will deter ants:

1) WD-40 will suffocate them if you spray it on them, and will interfere
with their trails otherwise 2) anti-fungal foot powder or spray will also interfere with their trails.

Good luck! Dawn

You might check the trees and shrubs for scale - ants live off of the black sooty stuff left behind by scale on leaves. Spraying the leaves with oil (from a garden shop) will get rid of it and indirectly control the ants. It works the other way 'round, too: putting Tanglefoot (an incredibly sticky preparation) on the trunks of trees and bushes will keep ants off, and with them scale and aphids. The good thing about Tanglefoot is that it's non-toxic and it stays where you put it, unlike sprays. John

If you cover the holes or cracks they are coming in with Johnson's baby powder, it will kill the ones coming in, and discourage them. They will sometimes find another crack nearby, but if you keep squirting them, they will go away. Safeway baby powder doesn't work -- we've had luck with Johnsons. (I think it dessicates them.) Christina

I meant to write this one a long time ago, regarding the ant questions. I've recently started using "Simple Green," completely by chance, and discovered it works GREAT to deter ants. I spray directly on them, which kills them on contact (so much for being non-toxic!), then spray the area they were coming through. I usually have to repeat this twice, but that's all. I've also found spreading ground cloves around the entry point deters them. It certainly smells nicer than anything else. Katherine

We use a spray bottle filled with water and dishsoap, and it kills the ants after about 5 seconds. It's non-toxic and good for cleaning surfaces. It works well on long lines, too, although you still have to block their way or find their nest. My husband was watering the plants yesterday and found an ant's nest IN the pot of one of our plants--so check your plants out too--they may be harboring secret nests. You can check by watering them and seeing if ants come running out of the dish. You probably have to re-pot the plant (wash off its roots first) if there is a nest!

I don't know how to get rid of ants permanently but last winter I was killing ants right and left with a spray bottle with a mixture of Planet dish soap and water. In general, dish soap is supposed to be more effective at killing ants than those nasty sprays if you use the right kind.

I just had an ant invasion and I used vinegar and citrus solvent. I clean with that and I just grabbed the bottle and started spraying. The ants disappeared and I haven't seen one yet and its rained several more times after that one spraying. Its non-toxic and very inexpensive. That combo does a great job in the cleaning department as well. Donna

My daughter made a pot-pourri ball: an orange with cloves decoratively placed around it. She was at her aftercare program and a few of us adults began talking about the rain and ants, who seem to be a couple these days. One woman said that cloves are known to be a deterrent to ants. I arrived home and placed the clove-speared orange on our kitchen counter right where the little critters trend to begin their trek....it's been five days and still no ants. There's my little solution; I hope it works for you too! Suzanne

Hello, just responding back to you regarding your ant problem! My family and I went through the same problem about a year ago. Whenever it got too hot or too cold theants would start coming in. The bathroom and kitchen! We could not leave anything out! I finally decided to concur this once and for all! I went to Home Depot and explained my problem and asked them for the stronger thing that had for ant invasion. They told me about ant steaks. They are silver and they have a little poison in the middle of it. The ants eats it and take it back to the trail and they all eat the poison and and are destroyed for good! I have not seen any ants since, and it's been over a year! I also sprinkled ant poison powder around the windows. It takes about 2-3 days for them to die. The first day is the worse because you see hundreds of ants coming back to eat the poison. Try it because it really works! Good luck. Email me back to let me know how it works for you! Michelle

Our University extension service here in Minnesota recommended "Terro" which is an ant poison that destroys the nest because the ants take it back with them. It was very effective with an ant nest built under my doorway. Not somehting to have around kids or pets. If you think they are getting in from greenery, suggest trimming it rather than destroying the nest. Also, you might want to find out if these are carpenter ants (if they have those out there) which might indicate you have wood rotting in your walls (or wherever they are nesting) that needs to be addressed. (The ants are a symptom rather than a cause.) Mary Ann

I've found that getting all the fallen leaves up off the ground helps in controlling ants. The leaves create safe havens for them. The one year I hired someone to do a *really* good job of raking up all the leaves off my hill behind my house, I never had any ants!! Good luck! Linnea

In response to the prior message, it works the other way 'round, too: putting Tanglefoot (an incredibly sticky preparation) on the trunks of trees and bushes will keep ants off, and with them scale and aphids. The good thing about Tanglefoot is that it's non-toxic and it stays where you put it, unlike sprays. John

More advice

March 2006

If you keep the smell of peppermint where ants are coming in they will leave. I use a condiment cup to put drops of 100 % peppermint oil in (not the kind you can buy in the food section), then pour some hot water over it. They will eventually leave. I have to do this usually after every winter. When I first start seeing them I might change the cups twice a day, but once a day may be okay. Just keep the smell of peppermint strong, and they start searching for a new home. If the problem is near a sink you can take advantage of dumping out the old peppermint water by turning on the hot water first. It causes a short-lived blast of peppermint odor. Sure beats filling rooms with bug spray smell.

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