Go Back   Winnipesaukee Forum > Winnipesaukee Forums > Home, Cottage or Land Maintenance
Home Forums Gallery Webcams Blogs YouTube Channel Classifieds Calendar Register FAQDonate Members List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-11-2021, 05:42 PM   #1
bigdog
Senior Member
 
bigdog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Central MA-Gilford
Posts: 1,409
Thanks: 304
Thanked 117 Times in 94 Posts
Default Ants ! HELP !

I have ants in the house, isolated to the kitchen. The medium/large black ants.
I've tried ant bait traps, sprays, and they keep surfacing.

The kitchen floors, counters, are all clean. No food is left out on counters.
They keep appearing on the floor, near the sink and fridge.

Any suggestions will be appreciated, thanks !
bigdog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2021, 06:09 PM   #2
thinkxingu
Senior Member
 
thinkxingu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 5,939
Thanks: 1,152
Thanked 1,959 Times in 1,210 Posts
Default

Not sure what traps you've used, but I've used those clear liquid Terro baits a few times, and they've been ridiculously effective. If you've not used those, I'd give 'em a go. Otherwise, JP Pest.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
thinkxingu is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2021, 06:32 PM   #3
Biggd
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Waltham Ma./Meredith NH
Posts: 3,733
Thanks: 1,952
Thanked 1,068 Times in 673 Posts
Default

We use JP Pest for all our pest problems now. I use to take care of it myself but if my wife saw 1 mouse, 1 ant, or 1 bat, I got an ear full.
Now she calls JP pest and gives them an ear full.
Best money ever spent!
Biggd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2021, 06:33 PM   #4
tummyman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Moultonborough
Posts: 774
Thanks: 231
Thanked 628 Times in 226 Posts
Default

We had lots of black ants inside the house last year and it drove my wife (and me as a consequence) NUTS. We tried all the recommended items...Terro, etc., but they kept coming. I swore I would hire someone this spring. I hooked up with Steve from Presidential Pest Control. 603-723-7250. Steve arrived in April...sprayed the entire outside of the house and said there may be a few that escape, but if we see a lot of them again, he would come back and re-treat the place for free. Well, here we are and I must admit, we have seen ZERO ants. None...Not one. Treatment was 1000% effective. We made arrangements for him to come automatically every spring and do an annual treatment. IMHO,

I would not fool around with these consumer products...call the professionals and be glad you did.

Last edited by tummyman; 07-11-2021 at 06:36 PM. Reason: clarifying word added
tummyman is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to tummyman For This Useful Post:
DotRat (07-12-2021)
Old 07-11-2021, 06:38 PM   #5
John Mercier
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 2,904
Thanks: 2
Thanked 523 Times in 431 Posts
Default

Same problem this year.
I stalled putting the TERRO out until I saw them inside the house.
Of course, by the time you see them they are in full forage mode.
I have the TERRO liquid bait inside, outside, diatomaceous earth, and now some ant spray for what appears to be carpenter ants attacking the garage.

Since we just had some trees taken down... I suspect that we may have disturbed a nest, and will have to attack the colony with the baits.
John Mercier is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to John Mercier For This Useful Post:
DotRat (07-12-2021)
Sponsored Links
Old 07-11-2021, 06:50 PM   #6
ITD
Senior Member
 
ITD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Moultonboro, NH
Posts: 2,855
Thanks: 459
Thanked 659 Times in 365 Posts
Default

Terro liquid traps solved our problem in a day.
ITD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2021, 07:51 PM   #7
TiltonBB
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Gilford, NH and Florida
Posts: 2,880
Thanks: 637
Thanked 2,146 Times in 893 Posts
Default

The large carpenter ants like wet wood. Look for wet wood, fix the issue that causes it to be wet, and that will help with your problem.

I have used the Terro bait traps several times and had great success. However, every year there seem to be ants, no matter what you do. I have had good success with "Home Defense" that I buy at Lowe's. It works on a lot of insects including spiders.
TiltonBB is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to TiltonBB For This Useful Post:
DotRat (07-12-2021)
Old 07-11-2021, 08:12 PM   #8
garysanfran
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: San Francisco/Meredith
Posts: 1,488
Thanks: 602
Thanked 629 Times in 320 Posts
Default

I used a bug barrier spray along my foundation and bug bombed my ceiling spaces where they were spotted... A gazillion of them came out and I vacuumed them up.
__________________
Gary
~~~~_/) ~~~
~~~~~~~~
garysanfran is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to garysanfran For This Useful Post:
DotRat (07-12-2021)
Old 07-11-2021, 08:30 PM   #9
swnoel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 527
Thanks: 83
Thanked 194 Times in 118 Posts
Default

This and the gel bait. Works great and if you want you can also buy a spray to do the perimeter. I got this directly from a professional pest company owner. This is what they use and you can't find it in your local stores. Make sure you use something that the ants bring back to their home, because if you only spray the perimeter it won't kill them they'll only move.

https://www.domyown.com/advance-375a...bait-p-39.html
swnoel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2021, 08:38 PM   #10
bigdog
Senior Member
 
bigdog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Central MA-Gilford
Posts: 1,409
Thanks: 304
Thanked 117 Times in 94 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by swnoel View Post
This and the gel bait. Works great and if you want you can also buy a spray to do the perimeter. I got this directly from a professional pest company owner. This is what they use and you can't find it in your local stores. Make sure you use something that the ants bring back to their home, because if you only spray the perimeter it won't kill them they'll only move.
try advice of others and buy
https://www.domyown.com/advance-375a...bait-p-39.html
Response: I previously sprayed the perimeter, but seems to make no difference. That said, going to buy some liquid Terro baits, if that doesn't work will bring a professional pest control.
bigdog is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to bigdog For This Useful Post:
DotRat (07-12-2021)
Old 07-11-2021, 09:20 PM   #11
Descant
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Merrimack and Welch Island
Posts: 4,003
Thanks: 1,203
Thanked 1,498 Times in 975 Posts
Default

Tough to get a pro out to an island. Terro works pretty good. We nevedr had problems when my father spread garden lime around the perimeter. It worked so well, we stopped. A few years later, the ants came back. I vote for the heavy duty treatments noted above, lime later on.
Descant is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2021, 11:58 PM   #12
mswlogo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 660
Thanks: 196
Thanked 222 Times in 143 Posts
Default

I surround the house against the foundation with these outdoor traps. And it has worked for years.

I buy like 5-6 boxes and put one about every 4ft around the entire house.

Called Amdro Bait Stakes. I also put a just few in the kitchen. Like under the stove, fridge, under sink. Where our dogs cant’t reach them.

I get them at Home Depot. They are cheap.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/AMDRO-An...973438#overlay
mswlogo is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to mswlogo For This Useful Post:
DotRat (07-12-2021)
Old 07-12-2021, 12:57 AM   #13
Woody38
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 564
Thanks: 46
Thanked 104 Times in 75 Posts
Default

I have used Home Defense for years, maybe decades twice yearly. Sprayed in the basement along the exterior joists and the floor. Sprayed outside along the foundation and window sills. We have brick facing so I spray a little way up the brick at adjoining walls. Maybe see one or two ants in the house yearly if that.
Several years there were termites along the driveway and since using Home Defense we have not seen any. There is a tree with an ant problem and I used Grants ant and termite liquid on that, under control but not eliminated.

_________________________________

I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic
Woody38 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2021, 05:46 AM   #14
Lakegeezer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Moultonboro, NH
Posts: 1,656
Blog Entries: 1
Thanks: 342
Thanked 614 Times in 277 Posts
Default Ant nest

Ants are a yearly thing here - although this year, we discovered Turro and as others have said, it works great. It is basically Borax, so not as toxic to animals or babies as other stuff might be. The big ants were a big problem here a few years ago and we suspected a rotten floor of a porch to be the issue. Sure enough, after pulling up the porch boards, we found the motherload of ant eggs. The shopvac and a healthy dose of unhealthy pesticides took care of the problem. Without finding the source, I don't know that anything would have worked.
Attached Images
 
__________________
-lg
Lakegeezer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2021, 06:54 AM   #15
SAB1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Tuftonboro
Posts: 1,162
Thanks: 182
Thanked 297 Times in 220 Posts
Default

I basically do what Woody38 said every year right about Memorial Day weekend. If you make that an annual event you won’t have an issue. The Ortho Home Defense is fine. The Spectacide Ant Shield at the Home Depot is very good as well. Like said above carpenter ants love wet wood. You need to find it and spray it good then spray around your entire foundation from the ground 18 inches up.
SAB1 is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to SAB1 For This Useful Post:
secondcurve (07-16-2021)
Old 07-12-2021, 07:39 AM   #16
RUGMAN
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: weirs beach,
Posts: 281
Thanks: 37
Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts
Default

Mix sugar and Borax together, sprinkle around, ants love the sugar, eat it mixed with borax and DIE. good for environment
RUGMAN is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2021, 08:08 AM   #17
thinkxingu
Senior Member
 
thinkxingu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 5,939
Thanks: 1,152
Thanked 1,959 Times in 1,210 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by RUGMAN View Post
Mix sugar and Borax together, sprinkle around, ants love the sugar, eat it mixed with borax and DIE. good for environment
I believe this is essentially what the Terro clear systems are, with an additive that makes the substance sticky so the ants bring the poison back to the colony.

Given the OP's description of the problem, I'd be surprised if his problem isn't gone in a day or two with the ~$5 Terros.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
thinkxingu is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2021, 09:18 AM   #18
Merrymeeting
Senior Member
 
Merrymeeting's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Merrymeeting Lake, New Durham
Posts: 2,216
Thanks: 299
Thanked 795 Times in 365 Posts
Default

I'd first suggest the OP find out what kind of ants he has. Agreed, Terro works great for the ants looking for sweets/food. But if he has carpenter ants or the like, Terro won't do any good and he needs to find the bigger problem of where the rot is that's attracting the ants.
Merrymeeting is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2021, 06:57 PM   #19
John Mercier
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 2,904
Thanks: 2
Thanked 523 Times in 431 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Merrymeeting View Post
I'd first suggest the OP find out what kind of ants he has. Agreed, Terro works great for the ants looking for sweets/food. But if he has carpenter ants or the like, Terro won't do any good and he needs to find the bigger problem of where the rot is that's attracting the ants.
Carpenter ants cycle between sweet and protein, and Terro makes a product for each of the two cycles. Also it does not have to be rot... any wood with a more than 15% moisture level - even pressure treated.
John Mercier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2021, 08:09 PM   #20
bigdog
Senior Member
 
bigdog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Central MA-Gilford
Posts: 1,409
Thanks: 304
Thanked 117 Times in 94 Posts
Default

Just purchased Terro traps today, and placed around the kitchen in corners,
under island, and under sink. Now to wait and see if they work....TBD
bigdog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2021, 10:31 AM   #21
SailinAway
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 991
Thanks: 256
Thanked 280 Times in 169 Posts
Default

I have a simpler suggestion: cinnamon. Ants hate it. I've used cinnamon successfully against ants many times. It takes a fairly large quantity and you have to leave it in place until they decide not to return. It should be placed along a line where they enter. They won't cross the line to "get to the other side." See https://lasvegas.rentokil.com/blog/6...-get-rid-ants/ Mice aren't fond of cinnamon either.
SailinAway is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2021, 11:22 AM   #22
thinkxingu
Senior Member
 
thinkxingu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 5,939
Thanks: 1,152
Thanked 1,959 Times in 1,210 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdog View Post
Just purchased Terro traps today, and placed around the kitchen in corners,

under island, and under sink. Now to wait and see if they work....TBD
Update? They should be gone by now!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
thinkxingu is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2021, 01:17 PM   #23
codeman671
Senior Member
 
codeman671's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,343
Thanks: 206
Thanked 759 Times in 443 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Descant View Post
Tough to get a pro out to an island.
Hampshire Pest Control is one of the few that will cover islands. The tough part this month has been finding a few days of dry weather consecutively to treat the outside.
codeman671 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-26-2021, 07:14 AM   #24
uschisk
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: NH and Mark Island
Posts: 63
Thanks: 36
Thanked 11 Times in 10 Posts
Default 2nd vote for Steve/Presidential pest!

We are on an island and did a lot of diy pest control - but the year we found a carpenter ant nest in the house we changed to using a professional and it has made a world of difference. He comes every spring and as stated above promises to return if we are still having problems....but has never had to come back! So worth it to us.
uschisk is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:42 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.

This page was generated in 0.33248 seconds