Ants ! HELP !

bigdog · 07-11-2021, 05:42 PM

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 !

thinkxingu · 07-11-2021, 06:09 PM

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

Biggd · 07-11-2021, 06:32 PM

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!

tummyman · 07-11-2021, 06:33 PM

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.

John Mercier · 07-11-2021, 06:38 PM

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.

ITD · 07-11-2021, 06:50 PM

Terro liquid traps solved our problem in a day.

TiltonBB · 07-11-2021, 07:51 PM

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.

garysanfran · 07-11-2021, 08:12 PM

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.

swnoel · 07-11-2021, 08:30 PM

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

bigdog · 07-11-2021, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swnoel

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.

Descant · 07-11-2021, 09:20 PM

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.

mswlogo · 07-11-2021, 11:58 PM

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

Woody38 · 07-12-2021, 12:57 AM

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

Lakegeezer · 07-12-2021, 05:46 AM

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.

SAB1 · 07-12-2021, 06:54 AM

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.

RUGMAN · 07-12-2021, 07:39 AM

Mix sugar and Borax together, sprinkle around, ants love the sugar, eat it mixed with borax and DIE. good for environment

thinkxingu · 07-12-2021, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RUGMAN

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

Merrymeeting · 07-12-2021, 09:18 AM

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.

John Mercier · 07-12-2021, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merrymeeting

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.

bigdog · 07-12-2021, 08:09 PM

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

SailinAway · 07-21-2021, 10:31 AM

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.

thinkxingu · 07-21-2021, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigdog

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

codeman671 · 07-21-2021, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Descant

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.

uschisk · 07-26-2021, 07:14 AM

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.

07-11-2021, 05:42 PM	#1
bigdog Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Central MA-Gilford Posts: 1,446 Thanks: 340 Thanked 119 Times in 96 Posts	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 !

07-11-2021, 06:33 PM	#4
tummyman Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 833 Thanks: 256 Thanked 672 Times in 243 Posts	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

07-11-2021, 08:12 PM	#8
garysanfran Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: San Francisco/Meredith Posts: 1,566 Thanks: 661 Thanked 676 Times in 345 Posts	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 ~~~~_/) ~~~ ~~~~~~~~

07-12-2021, 05:46 AM	#14
Lakegeezer Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Moultonboro, NH Posts: 1,677 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 354 Thanked 639 Times in 290 Posts	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

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	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.

07-11-2021, 06:09 PM	#2
thinkxingu Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 6,229 Thanks: 1,171 Thanked 2,055 Times in 1,275 Posts	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

07-11-2021, 06:32 PM	#3
Biggd Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Waltham Ma./Meredith NH Posts: 4,110 Thanks: 2,219 Thanked 1,189 Times in 756 Posts	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!

The Following User Says Thank You to tummyman For This Useful Post:
DotRat (07-12-2021)

07-11-2021, 06:38 PM	#5
John Mercier Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2021 Posts: 3,369 Thanks: 3 Thanked 594 Times in 490 Posts	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.

The Following User Says Thank You to John Mercier For This Useful Post:
DotRat (07-12-2021)

07-11-2021, 06:50 PM	#6
ITD Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Moultonboro, NH Posts: 2,925 Thanks: 476 Thanked 691 Times in 387 Posts	Terro liquid traps solved our problem in a day.

07-11-2021, 07:51 PM	#7
TiltonBB Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Gilford, NH and Florida Posts: 2,994 Thanks: 696 Thanked 2,196 Times in 931 Posts	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.

The Following User Says Thank You to garysanfran For This Useful Post:
DotRat (07-12-2021)

07-11-2021, 08:30 PM	#9
swnoel Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 529 Thanks: 83 Thanked 194 Times in 118 Posts	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

The Following User Says Thank You to bigdog For This Useful Post:
DotRat (07-12-2021)

07-11-2021, 09:20 PM	#11
Descant Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Merrimack and Welch Island Posts: 4,351 Thanks: 1,342 Thanked 1,623 Times in 1,055 Posts	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.

07-11-2021, 11:58 PM	#12
mswlogo Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 660 Thanks: 196 Thanked 222 Times in 143 Posts	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

The Following User Says Thank You to mswlogo For This Useful Post:
DotRat (07-12-2021)

07-12-2021, 12:57 AM	#13
Woody38 Senior Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 578 Thanks: 46 Thanked 110 Times in 81 Posts	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

07-12-2021, 06:54 AM	#15
SAB1 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Tuftonboro Posts: 1,230 Thanks: 190 Thanked 320 Times in 235 Posts	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.

The Following User Says Thank You to SAB1 For This Useful Post:
secondcurve (07-16-2021)

07-12-2021, 07:39 AM	#16
RUGMAN Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: weirs beach, Posts: 301 Thanks: 39 Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts	Mix sugar and Borax together, sprinkle around, ants love the sugar, eat it mixed with borax and DIE. good for environment

07-12-2021, 09:18 AM	#18
Merrymeeting Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Merrymeeting Lake, New Durham Posts: 2,226 Thanks: 302 Thanked 800 Times in 368 Posts	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.

07-12-2021, 08:09 PM	#20
bigdog Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Central MA-Gilford Posts: 1,446 Thanks: 340 Thanked 119 Times in 96 Posts	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

07-21-2021, 10:31 AM	#21
SailinAway Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2019 Posts: 991 Thanks: 256 Thanked 280 Times in 169 Posts	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.