Does anyone have any suggestions for a really bad ant problem?

Question

i can't put down any traps or poison because i have a 17 month old daughter...please help...they are everywhere and i don't know what else to do!!

Answer 1

I had to call an exterminator! He treated the outside of the house as well as the inside.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, the answer may need to be poison.  Here's what you can do.

There is an ant control product called Terro.  It is a clear, syrup-like liquid that comes in a small glass bottle.  It is sold in garden and hardware stores.  Place a few drops of the Terro onto the small cardboard squares provided.  Set it on the corner of your counter, or somewhere where your 17 month old cannot reach it.  The ants will come to the Terro; I guarantee it.  Some sort of sugar-like scent in the Terro will attract them and they will gather around the drops and eat.  They will also carry the Terro back to their nest and share it with their friends.  It is not uncommon to see 20 to 50 ants trying to gather at one square of Terro at a time!  Give it a week to two weeks, and your ant problem should vanish.

Terro is a much more economical solution as opposed to hiring an exterminator.

Answer 3

I think I heard that you can pore vinegar on them or around them.  Hope it works.

Answer 4

Ants usually will come in your house looking for food and/or water. If they find it the scouts will lay chemical marker trails that worker ants will follow to the food source. The safest method for getting rid of ants without using a pesticide is cornmeal or grits. Ants will take the cornmeal or grits back to the nest and feed on it. Ants, however, cannot completely digest cornmeal or grits and eventually die from starvation due to buildup of the fiber in their digestive systems. To use this treatment effectively track the ants back to their nest and pour some small heaps of cornmeal or grits in the areas where you see ants frequently traveling. You should notice a marked decease in the ant population in a week or so.

Ants do not like the smell of vinegar. A vinegar and water solution sprayed around the area your trying to keep ants away from works wonders for a temporary treatment. At the very least it will give the cornmeal and/or grits time to work.

Boric acid is also a relatively harmless compound that will decimate an ant colony. Boric acid is virtually harmless to the environment and is actually found at low levels in many aspects of our environment. It is virtually non-toxic to wildlife and fish as well. Research shows that boric acid is just as safe as ordinary table salt. Boric acid is cheap and can be found in most drug stores. You can expect to pay less than five dollars for a container of boric acid that should keep you ant free for a long time. Use boric acid along with cornmeal and/or grits. Pour your boric acid into a clean mustard or ketchup bottle and draw a line around each heap of cornmeal or grits. The idea is to make sure the ants crawl through it to get to the food. This one-two treatment should have you ant free in no time at all.

If you know where the ant nest is a big pot of boiling water can be a devastating weapon against a ant nest. Just pour it over he nest area and the hot water will rush into the next and kill the ants on contact. Combined with boric acid and corn meal you will easily be able to get rid of the worst ants without using a pesticide.

Answer 5

Yea, I bought stuff at home depot called Real Kill, Home insect control.  I think it was a gallon containter.  I bought that a couple of years ago.  Just spray it around the foundation of the house and in the cellar around the top of the foundation, the part the house sits on.  That's what I did.  I did spray a little under the sink but other than there, just around the foundation did it.  They were those big black ants.  I'm sure there's something there you can buy for ants, insects, some kind of spray.  That should do it.  It's all outside and in the basement so the kid should be ok.