Big black ants in my house?

Question

I have big black ants that are in my bathroom of all places. How do I know if these are carpenter ants and how can I get them out? My house is really clean so I am not sure what is going on with these things. Also a natural way of getting rid of them is perfered. Thanks!

Answer 1

First problem is to kill the little buggers, which will also help with the second thing you will have to do. Get a spray bottle & fill it with a 50/50 mix of alcohol & water. When you spray them, they die almost instantly.

Next is the clean up. I know that part sucks, but they are coming in to find food.

You also need to follow them & try to figure out how they are getting in. Seal up those cracks.

I had a big problem about a month ago. I used ant block granuels across the front door & outside windows. I have a brick house that has what they call weeping holes at the base to get rid of moisture. I put bay leafs in each weeping hole. No more ants. Have not seen one since we did the leaves.

This site has som really good suggestions:

http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/pest-c...

There are a lot of suggestions, some didn't work for me. The borax didn't work, neither did the ant traps.

Answer 2

make sure your sinks are always cleaned out and dont leave dirty dishes out for many days... that is what attracts these pesty little creatures!! Clean out your closets and bathroom and spray the area to kill the bugs you already have. Soon they will start leaving... if you want it natural then you will have to be patient and let them leave on their own...

Answer 3

I don't know for sure if those are carpenter ants, but in my last house in the country I had also gotten infested with large black ants. I found a product called Revenge Liquid Bait at a local Lowe's Home Improvement Center. It's stated on the box that it's good for grease and sweet eating ants. It also states that it is 5.4% boric acid, the rest inert ingredients. Boric acid is an old time remedy for pests like this.

You just cut up sections of the box, put a few drops of the liquid in the preformed indentation and place in a known path where you have seen them, refilling as needed until you see no more ants coming to the pad. They collect the liquid and take it back to the nest which destroys the rest of the colony. When I used it last, I was able to see that the queen had come out of the nesting area and died from it as well. No queen, no nest.

Good luck and good for you for wanting a safe alternative to toxic chemicals! Going green is the only healthy way to go!