Help ant problems

[mayday0017]

We are having problems with ants inside our house. The problem has been going on for seveal weeks now with no success.

I have tried the Torro stuff that you put a couple drops on cardboard and put it in their path, is suppose to kill all of them. The ants don't touch it though.....

I read that you can mix powder sugar and baking soda together and the ants can't tell the difference and it kills them too, well no luck there either...

I bought some other stuff from the box store to treat around the house and it doesn't do anything either...

I also treated the whole lawn for bugs and ants with a spreader to see if it would help with no signs of success...

I have tried to find their home so I can kill them but havne't had any luck, they are literally walking on the slab next to the brick all the way around the entire house, and also down parts of my fence & in the expansion joints of the driveway. So I haven't had any luck following them to their "home".

Since most of our problems are in the master bath with them all over the tub and going into the jets to get water I decided maybe they were living under the tub. So last night I pulled the access wall off the tub and looked around, I didn't find any signs they are living under there but they are traveling under the tub from outside (through the weep holes on the brick).

Is there something I can put under the tub that will absolutly kill them if they come in the house and travel through this area, or something that will absolutly deter them from being in this area so we dont' have ants everywhere in our bathroom?

Also is there anything else that will be very very effective in getting rid of them, they are really becoming a problem. I hate to call a pro over some little ants that are annoying but not causing any harm, but I am getting closer to that point.

Really any suggestions would be helpful, I am totally lost at this point

 

[porschedude996TT]

Poison!

 

[Gary S]

I haven't had much luck controlling ants since diazinon was pulled off the residential market. It is still being made for agricultural use, but we mere mortals aren't allowed to use it for residential ant problems anymore.
The other chemicals I've tried aren't working as well for me.

 

[squarles67]

What kind of ants?

If you're having trouble with the crazy/rasberry ants that have invaded Houston you may be in for a hard battle. Typical ant poison and bait doesn't work on them.

 

[RalphInCA]

Combat ant traps have always worked for us.

Ants take the bait back to the colony and the entire colony is killed. After you get rid of the initial infestation, Leave them out in places where pets and kids can't get to them so new colony's dont get a chance too start.

 

[fredtech]

I live in Houston also.
I used to have the same problem as you until someone told me about this product.
It's expensive but it works. Around $14 for the tall can.
I spray twice a year around the inside door frames and along the walls where you see bugs.
Ants, spiders, roaches. It kills everything.
Also spray inside the weep holes that are next to your bathtub and I'm sure that will do the trick

 

[kbs2244]

I have used boric acid powder spread around the foundation.
Sometimes you have to soak it so it goes down into the ground.
Spread it again after any rain.
If you can find any ant hill, spread it on them as well.
You can get 5 lbs of it on Amazon for $20.00

 

[mayday0017]

Damn it, just looked up the Crazy/Rasberry ants and that's them..... Explains why nothing works

 

[MystralHawk]

I had some ants that decided to invade my kitchen, I tried peppermint oil around the house along with coffee grounds with no luck. Finally I tried this stuff Terro ant baits and they at first swarmed the trap to eat the bait...after about a week they were almost completely gone.

 

[pattenp]

I've used this with good success.

http://www.backedbybayer.com/pest-management/general-insect-control/deltadust

 

[mayday0017]

Well after reading http://urbanentomology.tamu.edu/pdf/RCA_control_fact_sheet.pdf it looks like the only way to get rid of these Crazy/Rasberry ants is to call in a pro, and even then they struggle with getting rid of them.

Before I go this route and fork over the funds for one to come out, has anyone managed to get rid of these? All the typical things we buy at the box stores for other ants don't work on these.... :/

 

[pattenp]

I can't speak about the Rasberry ants, but the DeltaDust was recommended to me by a friend that works for a professional pest control company. It's not something you'll find at your local store. I had to order it over the web. If the ants just walk through it they die. It sticks to them and they carry else where and when they clean each other it kills the other ants.

Well after reading http://urbanentomology.tamu.edu/pdf/RCA_control_fact_sheet.pdf it looks like the only way to get rid of these Crazy/Rasberry ants is to call in a pro, and even then they struggle with getting rid of them.

Before I go this route and fork over the funds for one to come out, has anyone managed to get rid of these? All the typical things we buy at the box stores for other ants don't work on these.... :/

 

[squarles67]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I lived in Seabrook a few years back and ended up with some the crazies, ended up having to call a pro. They came and treated once a month to keep them at bay.

They love anything electrical too, they shorted out my telephone at the box where the wires come into the house. They got in my boat and shorted out the control box.

 

[mayday0017]

Well just ordered some fipronil as recommended by Texas A&M as the only chemical to effectivly get rid of Crazy/Rasberry ants, after reading more on it, it looks like it gets rid of pretty much any pest you can imagine too. If this expensive little chemical doesn't work I guess it's time to call in the big guns....

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I never even knew about these Crazy ants and had been trying to identify them online with no luck. Once I knew what to type online first pic I saw it was exactly the same ants I have been having problems with.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

My best luck has been with Terro ant traps. They make a version for inside the house and for outside the house. The trap contains a liquid bait that the ants take back to their colony and will destroy the colony. I have found the inside traps, placed where I see a concetration of ants will take a week or two to be effective. However, I discovered If I went outside and found a primary location where they seemed to coming from and placed a trap there, the problem would be resolved for an entire season. In your case, you made need multiple outdoor traps to get ahead of the situation - sounds like a major infestation - perhaps under your slab. Good luck.

 

[nickv]

Well just ordered some fipronil as recommended by Texas A&M as the only chemical to effectivly get rid of Crazy/Rasberry ants, after reading more on it, it looks like it gets rid of pretty much any pest you can imagine too. If this expensive little chemical doesn't work I guess it's time to call in the big guns....

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I never even knew about these Crazy ants and had been trying to identify them online with no luck. Once I knew what to type online first pic I saw it was exactly the same ants I have been having problems with.

I've always used a combination of boric acid and terro baits. That's proven most effective. I also caulk/foam up the area they come from once the situation is under better control.

Good luck.

 

[scaron]

i suggest any ant bait containing the chemical, abamectin. this stuff has always been very effective at obliterating any ant problem i've ever encountered. it's most commonly sold as raid ant baits III but there are other vendors and other formulations (e.g. gel). if you've got them real bad, i suggest laying down a nice thick bead of gel in holes and crevasses where you suspect entry, and leave lots of raid ant baits where you see them congregating. if this doesn't do the trick, nothing will. it even works on carpenter ants and other resilient types. don't waste your time and money on other insecticides marketed as ant killer, i've never had much luck with them.

 

[plow]

I feel you're pain. I have a crazy aunt to.

 

[Kevin C]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I lived in Seabrook a few years back and ended up with some the crazies, ended up having to call a pro. They came and treated once a month to keep them at bay.

They love anything electrical too, they shorted out my telephone at the box where the wires come into the house. They got in my boat and shorted out the control box.

From Wikapedia:

When an ant gets electrocuted, it releases a chemical which causes the other ants to rush over and search for attackers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasberry_crazy_ant

That has to ****.

 

[Steroblan]

Get "Termidor". You will not be disapointed. Use outside house perimeter, eaves or where you won't contact it. Ants or other insects can't detect it and will take it back to the nest where it will kill them all. Originally designed to replace Chlordane for termites but it is not in the same class at all. It will truly get rid of all ant problems and spiders, wasps etc.

 

[wood02]

mayday0017

In your post you said you used baking soda with powdered sugar. Use boric acid in your mix. I also add a little peanut butter. Mix to the consistency of pancake syrup. Put in a plastic cap (maybe from a 2 liter bottle. Place the caps in the path of travel or where you see the ants. If the ratios of the mix are correct the ants will carry the "feed" back to the colony and use it as food for their Queen kills the egg layer and the colony will probably die out. I have had great success with this. A friend had a problem with huge black carpenter ants he mixed his concoction and it took care of them. You may find that the ants will empty the lid. Just keep filling it up.

 

[Bear]

+1 on Get "Termidor"

Get it here
http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/termites-c-3.html

 

[flat350]

Fought ants all spring,finally figured I was spending more on chemicals and home mixtures than what a pro would cost,called one in and haven't had a problem since,and they guarantee the results.

 

[NUTTSGT]

After I read this thread the day before, I got jinxed. I went up stairs to find some hornets in the upstairs window, killed them only to more more in another room. Luckily I fould a spot where they chewed through the drywall tape in the corner of my daughters bedroom. I found they were coming in through one of the gable end vents, like 10-12 at a time

I made a trip to town and bought some Sevin dust. I took a piece of brake line and duct taped it to an air nozzle, filled it with Sevin dust and blew it into the vent, three different times.

Result, didn't get stung and the hornets are dead.

 

[justin1795]

my old house got them bad. they were the really tiny ones and you could trace there path there were so many. they would get in the cabinets and the sink.. terra traps were the only thing that ever worked

 

[txst]

Some of the best stuff I have found that works on a lot of different insects and bugs is Demon WP. You mix it with water and spray it around and it leaves a white residue behind and anything that comes in contact with it dies. It's fairly cheap (about $10 for 3 water soluable packets). Put a packet or two in a pump sprayer, fill with water to the correct level, shake it up until the pack dissolves, and spray away.

I personally wouldn't use it around pets or small children, but supposedly you can. When I lived in TX, this stuff would kill scorpians, snakes, fire ants, wasps, spiders - you name it. I now live in WI and had a wasps nest in my block foundation wall that I couldn't kill no matter how much wasp killer I sprayed in the hole they were coming in, nor could I get near it due to the intense activity (this went on for several weeks). I bought some Demon WP online, sprayed it around the hole, then repeated 3 days later, and not a single live wasp has been near the foundation and I have plugged the hole.

This stuff is really good.

 

[EOC_Jason]

+1 on the Demon WP... Tractor Supply always has it, I don't know about the big box stores. It will kill EVERYTHING... I once made the mistake of spraying outside to kill some ants during june bug season, next morning there were like a million dead june bugs everywhere, it was a massacre! I had to use the leaf blower to blow them all in the grass to try and hide the carnage (which kept going for days!)...

Anyhow, as txst said, you just mix the packets in a pump sprayer with warm water and it dissolves. Then you can spray indoor (along baseboards and such) & outside.

I put my dog in its kennel while I spray. Once it dries though then there shouldn't be any issues.

 

[Casey69]

i've had good success with the terro liquid baits as well. $4 @ wallymart for 4 traps. lots of them get trapped in there, but a few of them must take some back to the nest & contaminate it.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HJBKMQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[FarmerPete]

I've got carpenter ants. I've been unable to find their nest, and they wont take any store bought baits. I'm reluctant to spend the money for an exterminator. Besides, I haven't been able to find an exterminator who is willing to come out on an as necessary basis. They all seem to force you to sign multi-year contracts.

 

[mayday0017]

Update: I bought the Termidor recommended through Amazon after reading about the Rasberry/Crazy Ants. After trying about 5 or 6 things everyone swears kills all ants and having no luck I am now sold. Termidor works great, it takes a little time to kill everything but there are millions of dead ants in piles around my house now and I gave some of the poision to a neighbor who looked to have bigger problems then I do.

So my recommendation is now Termidor after trying it and being very very satisfied. I will be even more impressed if it lasts the 5 years advertised but that just sounds nuts!

 

[EOC_Jason]

Interesting tip... I setup some of the Terro baits outside with our crazy ant problem. I swear they emptied out the containers within 24hrs!!! There would also be a good amount of dead ants inside.

Now that the weather is getting cooler, I don't know if the Terro is reducing the population or the cold is making them less active...

I guess we will see this spring, if they come back in full force then I'll definitely give the Termidor a try.

 

[7th Kahuna]

Well just ordered some fipronil as recommended by Texas A&M as the only chemical to effectivly get rid of Crazy/Rasberry ants, after reading more on it, it looks like it gets rid of pretty much any pest you can imagine too. If this expensive little chemical doesn't work I guess it's time to call in the big guns....

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I never even knew about these Crazy ants and had been trying to identify them online with no luck. Once I knew what to type online first pic I saw it was exactly the same ants I have been having problems with.

That is good stuff, just be careful not to over do it. You don't want it getting loose in your yard and you definitely don't want it getting into ponds, streams, pools, gutters, etc. Follow the label.

 

[BFBOB]

Amdro. Granules that bear a close and doubtless not coincidental resemblance to ant larvae. comes in a half-gallon sized shaker-cap bottle. I have an annual spring invasion of thief ants (I think ... tiny, 1/8" or so and black) in my house. Battled them hand-to hand and used bait stations with little success for years. I heard Amdro advertised, tried it. You sprinkle the stuff around the outside of the house where they're showing up inside, and they vanish, like overnight. Do it again next year at the first sign of invasion.

Now, if I had a year-round problem I might have a different answer. File this one under "It worked for me".

 

[7th Kahuna]

Amdro. Granules that bear a close and doubtless not coincidental resemblance to ant larvae. comes in a half-gallon sized shaker-cap bottle. I have an annual spring invasion of thief ants (I think ... tiny, 1/8" or so and black) in my house. Battled them hand-to hand and used bait stations with little success for years. I heard Amdro advertised, tried it. You sprinkle the stuff around the outside of the house where they're showing up inside, and they vanish, like overnight. Do it again next year at the first sign of invasion.

Now, if I had a year-round problem I might have a different answer. File this one under "It worked for me".

I used to have two properties. At one, the ants would practically chase me down for the Amdro. Worked great. At the other, they just ignored it.