How can you get rid of very tiny ants that i discovered on my kitchen counters?

Question

Nothing has been left on the counters, however there had to be 25 of them . I wiped the counters down thoroughly , left the room and they re-appeared. I hope there is something other than chemicals. Please help. I can"t stress enough how very tiny they are.

Answer 1

Sounds like sugar ants. We've had a few in our house.

Do a search online and read up about it.

We've used spray but with my migraines and sinus issues I can't stand it. If we get any more ants I plan on finding some safer ways to get rid of them. I haven't yet so can't help you than let you know what type they sound like.

Answer 2

the ants are attracted by the water of your kitchen sink, supposedly, particularly in the summer. we get 'em too :\  we use little ant traps left by the door where they come in, not on the counter

Answer 3

To kill them directly use a mixture of soap and water in a spray bottle.  Its safe and you wash it down afterwards.  To stop them form coming back use any form of boric acid.  They have traps, a gel you can use in cabinets and metal stakes you use outdoors with the gel inside.  If its dry where you live they may be coming for the water, otherwise they may be exploring for food.

Answer 4

Terro bait stations work great.....they use borax and a sugar solution which the forager ants take back to the nest and feed to the queen and workers...kills the nest.

Answer 5

It may sound funny, but here's the most likely suspect ant... the "Little Black Ant".

These are the common house ants which nest in woodwork, masonry, soil and rotted wood. They feed on sweets, meats, vegetables, honeydew and other insects. Workers are about 1/8 inch long, slender, shiny black, sometimes dark brown with two nodes in the petiole and a 12-segmented antennae with a three segmented club. Nests in the ground are detected by the very small craters of fine soil.

If this is the case, Terro should work fine. However, if the ants are not in the mood for sweets, it won't work at all.

The ants aren't coming back, they're being replaced.

The most effective way to treat these ants is to find the colony and destroy it. It's usually very easy to do if they are nesting in the soil. You could even do it with a hammer. However, only using a liquid pesticide labeled for ants is a 100% guarantee.

You can then treat, or have your house treated, all the way around, around pipe entry points, under siding, at the bases of nearby trees and bushes. The key to management is prevention. Prevent them from coming back and your woes will be over.

If you can not find the nest, you can either bait with Terro and hope for the best or hire a professional. Do not spray with Raid as you'll just waste your money and will never get rid of your ants that way... plus, raid is foul stuff.

Don't bother with druidic recipes such as cinnamon/sugar, baby powder, bay leaves, chalk, etc.  These may cause the ants to move to a new location, or could even cause them to bud (to break up into several smaller colonies). Then you've just multiplied your problem.

If all else fails, start calling professionals and getting price quotes. If they insist on an inspection, let them do it but don't feel that you have to sign right away. Also, make sure the inspection is free... there's no need to charge for such a simple service as taking a look.

One more caution - boric acid and Green Light are poisons. Most people over-apply them and put themselves at risk for poisoning. There is not antidote for boric acid and yes, it can kill you.

This is what happened to Chlordane, a very powerful termite treatment chemical. Over-application and ignoring the label and safety equipment made so many people sick they banned it. When you break the rules of the pesticide label, you not only break the law but you put everyone else at risk.

...sorry about the rant.

Answer 6

putting terro bait worked really well for keeping them out of the house.  I used the gel you squeeze onto cardboard squares.  They were coming in at the sliding glass door so I lifted the carpet and placed it there so it was safe for my pets.    I knew where they were coming in at, but it did not stop the actual problem ( it was a HUGE problem )  As soon as it ran out they were back, but as long as I reapplied ( and the bottle did last a long time)  it was like they weren't even there.  I had an apartment with that problem management wouldn't actually fix it so that worked until I found another place to rent.

Answer 7

This won't kill them all, but if you want something non-toxic to get them to beat a speedy retreat, thinking that there is nothing delicious around, sprinkle them and their "paths" with baby powder. It seems to spoil the scent trails they lay for their friends to follow.