Mynyel Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 (edited) We have a BAD ant problem. Think of the Infestation show. That bad. They come out of the walls, floor, ceiling and sink. They are in every room of the house. Terminix is useless. We can't leave any dirty dish out for longer than a few minutes without them going after it. We have to keep the house almost sterile. We cant keep it up. How... for the love of all that is holy... do we get rid of them? ETA: These are not normal ants either. They do not go after sugar. They go after protien-ish things. The only sugar they will go after is natural sugars like in fruit, xylitol and honey. Regular white sugar they don't tough. They decimate beef, chicken, cheese and other dead bugs. Edited July 14, 2012 by Mynyel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 We've battled ants at our house non-stop since hurricane Ike. What seems to help is treating the house outside all along the foundation, keeping it basically sterile inside like you mentioned and spraying vinegar water anywhere we find them coming in a room and spraying it all over shelves in the pantry regularly. That keeps them at bay but we haven't been able to completely eliminate them. I think we treated outside with Andro professional something or another. I know we had to try several things before something worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleeplessnights Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 We moved to South FL in January and our house was full of ants. All food was in bags, and nothing improved. When we sat down on the sofa, they were crawling all over us. We finally called a local exterminator company and after about 6 treatments (mostly with bait), they are gone. We've never had to call anyone for ants in the past, but we couldn't get a handle on it ourselves. Apparently there were tons of nests in the walls from the previous owner. Here's a link to help identify your ants. Desperate times call for desperate measures! http://www.trulynolen.com/pest-identification/pest-guide/Ants/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_midori Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I recently bought DE (diatomaceous earth) to spread around the outside of the house & at a few points inside to try and kill the buggers. It is supposed to be like crawling through glass shards for them - opens little tiny cuts & dehydrates them so they die. I'm trying to avoid chemicals for a variety of reasons, so I haven't tried those. I just got it in the mail today, I think (big box by the front door!) so hopefully it will go well! I don't know if it would help you at all, but it might be worth a try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I've had luck mixing equal parts borax, sugar, and water and soaking it into cotton balls. First they swarm, then they dwindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I've had luck mixing equal parts borax, sugar, and water and soaking it into cotton balls. First they swarm, then they dwindle. I've used borax and sugar/corn syrup for ants here, but if yours don't like sugar, I'd mix the borax with something else they will eat (and then take the borax back to their nest). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 We have a BAD ant problem. Think of the Infestation show. That bad. They come out of the walls, floor, ceiling and sink. They are in every room of the house. Terminix is useless. We can't leave any dirty dish out for longer than a few minutes without them going after it. We have to keep the house almost sterile. We cant keep it up. How... for the love of all that is holy... do we get rid of them? ETA: These are not normal ants either. They do not go after sugar. They go after protien-ish things. The only sugar they will go after is natural sugars like in fruit, xylitol and honey. Regular white sugar they don't tough. They decimate beef, chicken, cheese and other dead bugs. Go buy a perimeter bug killer and sprinkle it generously three feet in width all around your house. You will probably use a whole container the first time. It really works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I missed the protein part. Try peanut-butter borax mix. When I had my infestation, I read that their needs can switch and they'll bring home protein when necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renmew Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I am so sorry. My old house had that problem, and we suffered most of the year. I finally moved, not for that reason, but it is so nice not to have to worry about ants anymore. I really really hope the ideas pps have given you help. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martha in GA Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 "I HATE ANTS," usually during the summer or after a heavy rain. We also have trouble with ants literally coming out of the woodwork. What seems to work best for us is to put baby powder (must have talc) at the spot we see them entering the room (we are ant detectives at times, following a trail to its source...). The ants don't like crossing the talc and will eventually go away and won't return from that same spot for quite a while, even after we've vacuumed it up, which is an added plus! Hope you find a solution. In the meantime, I'll commiserate with you.:grouphug: Martha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southcarolinamom Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I noticed you live in western North Carolina ... I live in the upstate of South Carolina. My scalp is prickling just thinking about another ant infestation here! We are also being overrun by ants after several days of rain. Let me know what ends up working for you, and I will follow suit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kebo Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I've had very good response with Advion Ant Gel Bait. I buy it on Amazon, and have used it inside and out with excellent results. It says it's designed to work on all major species of ants. Good luck -- ants drive me crazy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Wev've been inundated here and a friend said the (useless) bug guy told her they're after water. She used and recommended Terro. You just put a drop on a piece of foil and they all come running to circle and drink it - it's crazy to watch - and then they bring it back to the nest and share. The active ingredient is borax, and it's worked amazingly well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I missed the protein part. Try peanut-butter borax mix. When I had my infestation, I read that their needs can switch and they'll bring home protein when necessary.This. Start with about 5% borax. If you see more than a small handful of dead ants, lower the concentration so more gets back to the nests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shea Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I understand how frustrating this must be for you. We had black ants in the house and a yard that was slowly being overrun by fire ants. The fire ants were a major problem for my son, who is allergic to the little red monsters. They started getting in the house, too, and when one actually bit my son while he was sleeping, well, that was the last straw for us. We hired the guy who sprays the local golf courses for fire ants to come out and spray our yard. (Sometimes the guys who do the golf courses do private residences for a side business.) As a result, the fire ants are gone from our yard with the added benefit of the black ants also disappearing from the inside of our house. I know some people are against the chemical methods, but in our case, desperate times called for desperate measures. Now, we are so happy with the results that we have our yard sprayed every year. This is just another option for you to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificent_baby Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Do you have an Orkin nearby? That is who we used for an ant problem in the past, with very good results. The guy explained to me that you have to find and exterminate the nest, or they will just keep returning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msjones Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I know some people are against the chemical methods, but in our case, desperate times called for desperate measures. Now, we are so happy with the results that we have our yard sprayed every year. This is just another option for you to consider. I agree. Sometimes it's time to bring in the chemicals. We are finally rid of ants. I suggest calling an exterminator. The longer they aren't dead, the more they are reproducing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 They will not cross talcum powder or cornstarch. We had a year where every flat surface of the house (floors included) was edged with a line of powder. I also taped over unused outlets. It took awhile, but the ants moved on to more open pastures elsewhere. Yes, you will look like a creepy voodoo house for a bit, but imo it was worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 we had a similar issue. We baited with peanut butter/borax mix, we used a kitchen friendly spray throughout the house and we used the type of bug spray for outside that attaches to the garden hose. We sprayed the entire house, roof and all. Then after we did that treatment, we treated the border around our house with a "three month" chemical spray. We also used the insect control granules in our lawn all around the house. It didn't matter how clean we kept our house either that time. We were overrun. We cleaned up dead ants for a LONG time but it was worth it. We only used harsh chemicals on the outside of the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 How... for the love of all that is holy... do we get rid of them? ETA: These are not normal ants either. They do not go after sugar. They go after protien-ish things. The only sugar they will go after is natural sugars like in fruit, xylitol and honey. Regular white sugar they don't tough. They decimate beef, chicken, cheese and other dead bugs. Get the liquid ant bait stuff that is boric acid, then mix it with peanut butter or some butter or something that you know they go after. I'm blanking on the name of the stuff...Terro I think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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