Ant Problem

ShelTomato

Several weeks ago we noticed we had ants in our house, they look to be carpenter ants. We live in Castlewood Gardens. Was chatting to a friend who lives in Southern Gardens and she said she also had gotten an ant problem recently, and several other houses in her estate have gotten ants too. Was just wondering
a) if any more houses can report sudden ant infestations and
b) how do I get rid of the beggers?! We keep our counters and floor clean and bleached, we haven't been able to find the nest but we have noticed they are using the skirting boards to get around the house, so we blocked up all along the skirting boards with cinnamon powder, but they have since chewed a new way out. We bought an ant bait station and they ignored it, we bought an ant killing gel that they were interested in for a day or two and now they ignore it but they are still growing in number! At my wits end now...

rosehip

Everywhere gets them but not every house - try ant powder outside your house all around the boundaries. The ant motels work but you need a few and you need them out around for a good while (not suitable with pets or kids).

I personally find that in every house with ants i had to do the same thing and one big blast for one summer sorts it.

If i do the above outside and then inside the house, leave a little puddle of cif spray with bleach in front of the skirting board they are coming out of, it kills them. You have to keep cleaning up the dead bodies floating in the cif and renewing it everyday but it works. And i've lived all over the town and had them in most places. Check it won't stain your floor.

It will take the whole summer, but it gets all the stragglers !

I think it's the sand under patios and house paths that attract them.

I am here a few years and sorted it the first spring and summer so i now just leave ant motels out side my patio door (as that's where they got in here). And it's dealt with. I think they moved to a new anthill as the war raged on and they kept losing all their soldiers. I sound terrible !!!

Hope it helps,

Rose

orol221

Hi, ants keep their tracks covered with some kinda acid to mark where they go so make sure to clean whole 'track'..if u see them just follow to the end and then u c what got them in. could be a piece of lollypop or candy behind the sofa. I also used sea salt in the place where they entered house ... under the window frame.

rosehip

Orol, you are right - i forgot to say that and also that's why i find bleach/cif excellent as i was told this erases the smell path they use to keep going back to old places.

Regards,
Rose

ShelTomato

Thanks for the replies, guys! We had all the holes in the skirting boards blocked up with cinnamon and that deterred them for a while but now they seem to have found other ways into the kitchen. In the evening times we see a few scurrying around the floor so we kill them and bleach the floor, then see little or no activity for a day or two and then they reappear! Found one on my kitchen table yesterday (for the first time) and one up on the wall quite close to the ceiling! At my wits end here! I just bought ant powder to block up every inch of skirting board in the house, and a killing spray for the stragglers so I'm hoping that will work. Lil feckers

foggy_lad

ShelTomato wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, guys! We had all the holes in the skirting boards blocked up with cinnamon and that deterred them for a while but now they seem to have found other ways into the kitchen. In the evening times we see a few scurrying around the floor so we kill them and bleach the floor, then see little or no activity for a day or two and then they reappear! Found one on my kitchen table yesterday (for the first time) and one up on the wall quite close to the ceiling! At my wits end here! I just bought ant powder to block up every inch of skirting board in the house, and a killing spray for the stragglers so I'm hoping that will work. Lil feckers

Forget inside, you need to use ant powder Outside. Available from any good hardware or garden centre. it is generally harmless to other animals but deadly for ants, you shake/squirt the powder all around the base of your house walls as this is where they get in, also do any vents below the floor level.

on the plus side they are quite harmless and appear to be a yearly/seasonal thing in most areas like the flies and midges along the barrow

ShelTomato

I'm pretty sure the nest is inside the house somewhere, we searched meticulously outside and found no trace. I think they're carpenter ants and are living in one of the inside walls, we've never seen them outside. I think that's the powder that we bought, will give it a try outside, getting desperate now

rosehip

Hi Shel,

Maybe you should just tell the landlord and get him to sort it - if they are in a nest inside.

Tell him you want an exterminator - not a few ant hotels

Regards,

Rose

PS ants can't pass through oil (heard that on a Bill Bailey documentary in the jungle) so might be worth using that as a barrier?

ShelTomato

I will call in the landlord if if gets worse, hopefully it wont resort to that as I think we would be liable to pay for the exterminator, and money is tight lately (as it always is lol)

We bought ant powder, and we carefully put it down on the outside of the house. Then we went around all of the wooden slats in between doorways (where they frequent a lot) and pushed the powder down around the edges, we did the same with the skirting boards. Near one of the doorways we pulled up the carpet a little (it wasn't stapled down) and underneath there was a LOT of gritty powder and slight puckering in the concrete so we powdered there too. In the kitchen we pulled up some of the lino under the radiator and there was a swarm of them under there and a lot of grit, so we killed them with spray, bleached everywhere and powdered under the lino. That was 2 nights ago and haven't seen a single one since, however I'm sure they'll tunnel their way in again at some point so we're gonna keep our eyes peeled! But with any luck they'll just give up on our house and move on tehehe

Thanks for all your help guys, will report back!

foggy_lad

The powder has done the job for you! If you see them returning just repeat the powder process especially outside at the base of the house walls. A bottle if powder should do for at least two dosings.

belcampprisoner

follow were they come in and out

and spray with fly spray but not on food surfaces