Help! I have ants coming into my house.?

Question

We have tiny ants coming in to the house and I need a safe way to get rid of them, something that wont be harmful to my cat. I tried ant traps but they don't seem to be working. I sprayed some soapy water where they were but I don't know if that helps. Can anyone please help!

Answer 1

If what you have are the new "crazy" raspberry ants, then the above posts will not work on them.  And these new ants do not react to poison like regular ants.  Try the new pesticide approved for them by the FDA.  I haven't seen any of these ants yet, and I'm in Houston. Where are you?

Answer 2

I used to have ants troop through a crack in the wall or windowsill every few weeks (lived in an apartment).  

You can try blocking the holes they are coming through with putty (for fixing holes in the sheetrock) or toothpaste.  Toothpaste works great because ants hate mint (peppermint, spearmint, whatever).

I saw it in a book about natural cleaning products, they recommended using a few drops of essential oil, but that stuff is so expensive.

Toothpaste is dangerous for cats/dogs/humans to ingest so maybe you could use something else that is minty.

Your cat won't die if it eats mint leaves, it will just have fresh breath.

------

Also, last time Ants came scouting I wiped all the crumbs from under the toaster and just went to bed.  They were gone by morning.  I guess they couldn't find anything worth sticking around for.

Answer 3

If you put salt around the outside of the house if possible it will keep ants from coming in the house at all also a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spray it on the ants when you see them and on any hills you see and this will kill them on contact and both are okay to use with your cat around the cat wont go near the vinegar and probably wont even notice the salt.Try one or both and I promise they will work. Hope your ant free soon.

Answer 4

Try to figure out where they are coming from. Vinegar is a great harmless way to repel and kill ants. The cat will stay away from the acidic smell on its own. Put any type of vinegar you have in a spray bottle. You may dilute it some. Spray the outside with some real ant killer spray right by the outside wall. I'm hoping that this won't bother the cat. Or use the vinegar outside too.

Answer 5

we had that problem and we tried this stuff called "Terro" you put a drop of it on a tiny square of paper and they take it back to the others. i don't have a cat, but maybe you can put them right where the ants are coming in. they will go straight to it within a half hour. if not, just try another spot. i did this and had no more ants for the entire summer.

Answer 6

Close the door.

Answer 7

ants normally come to places where they can find food easily.. so the 1st thing you do is try not to let crumbs and possibly tiny bits of cat food on the floor.. next you you trace the trail of ants to the point of origin and if you can reach the ant hole close it with a piece of softened soap.. ants cant eat into the soap and so will have to dig out another exit.. (hopefully in another area away from your house.. ).. you may have to do this exercise 3 to 4 times before the ants give up coming to your house..

if the ants have to work hard to reach your house each time you close the hole and after all the effort  find no food (since you have kept the house floor and table tops clean) they will go away..

Answer 8

Use a mix of cinnamon and sugar. The ants will pick up the sugar, along with the cinnamon, and take it back to their queen. Ants can’t digest cinnamon and once the queen dies from not being able to digest the cinnamon the colony will die without her.  This will not hurt your cat.  I use it whenever I have ants and my cat never goes near the mix.