Problem with carpenter ants? Want a pesticide free solutions...?

Question

Hi. I have those huge black carpenter ants making their way into our home...I've cleaned out cupboards, floors, etc..but still would like a homemade solution to my problem (baby and pets)/ any ideas?

Answer 1

chalk dust in areas the ants are entering will deter them

Answer 2

Wash problem area with salt and water. Ground cinnamon and boric acid are also good for repelling ants. Sprinkle salt on their paths. Mixture of 2/3 cup water, 1/2 cup white vinegar, and 2 to 3 Tablespoons of dish soap, applied to where ants are marching.

Answer 3

Things You’ll Need:

Nematodes

Internet or planting guides

Boiling water

Orange oil

Neem oil

Compost tea mixture

Step1Research the Internet or planting guides for organic products that treat the insects and ants in your local area.

Step2Pour boiling water on ant beds early in the morning. This will catch them in their sleep and prevent them from scampering away.

Step3Use products that contain neem oil on insects. Use products that contain orange oil and molasses on ants.

Step4Purchase beneficial nematodes that aid in eliminating ants by releasing pheromones that inhibit the queen from reproducing.

Step5Contact a local retail nursery or landscape professional to help you choose organic products to kill insects and ants specific to your area.

Step6Spray plants with a homemade compost tea mixture. You can purchase compost tea at many retail nursery and garden centers.

Answer 4

Well first the big question is are they in fact just coming into your home or do they also have a colony inside your home.

It's not always easy to tell - as they are fairly good at hiding.

This is a great resource for understanding carpenter ants:

http://www.unexco.com/carpants.html

My house had a major problem with carpenter ants. They primarily appeared in my kitchen but there was a nest in my basement. If they are in the house you can usually find some evidence, in the form of sawdust and/or dead ants.

My basment had dead ants dropping in two locations and sawdust (frass) in the bulkhead.

If they are truly just coming in from the outside, you can do repellent perimeter treatments to the house exterior and you can also do night time inspections to find ant trails outside to try to find and kill of the exterior nests directly.

If however you have them in your home, the bad news is usually there is a water problem causing them to move in.

It can be a simple water problem like a leaking dishwasher, or a major problem like bad siding or leaking roof.

In my case I spent years trying to fight them off with exterminators.

After reading the above link I realized I had a water problem (leaking roof, old siding). Took out a loan and did major house repairs, and the ants left by themselves when the work was going on :).. One night saw a major army leaving.

Point being, really important to figure out the nature of the problem to figure out how to address it.

If they are inside though.. trust me don't bother with any "treatments" until you address the water problems. They will probably leave on their own if you make the environment not welcoming. What they want is damp wood.

They show up in kitchens or bathrooms primarily for water (not food) - to take back to the nest.

Lastly, if you do try treatments - boric acid is probably the safest treatment that has any chance of being effective. Should be last resort though. Do the research first.

Answer 5

carpenter ants are no fun, esp Florida carpenter ants that are in Texas! They want a source of water mostly and very few applications work, they key is to keep applying and applying till you see no more. Took us a year to rid the lil boogers but the bayer brand crapenter ant pesticide worked great... I'll def keep the home made remedies too the others mentioned just keep up the effort in radicating them

Answer 6

You can always plant Spearmint or peppermint.  Ants hate the smell.  It's odd however, because they use a mint goo,boric acid and sugar.  Also those aren't carpenters if they are huge and black they are Argentinean ants.  Also killing a few and leaving the dead bodies out will give them the hint.  It sucks and is gross to have dead bodies abound but it works.

Dichotomous earth works too but if your pets are little they might ingest some and get sick.  Some people report vinegar working and or spraying with soap and water.  If you find the nest you can always do the boiling water trick.