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Thread: Ants

  1. #1
    Daffodil's Avatar
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    Default Ants

    Help, I have a gang of ants that have decided to set up camp in my house, how do I get rid of them??

    Up until now I have been sweeping them up and putting them outside only to find they come back the next day.

    It makes me sound like my house is dirty, but it's not, but when I find them all over my dishes that I haven't yet washed in the sink (come on, who does their dishes straight away?? I hope it's not just me that doesn't lol), then it's the last straw, i can't live like this all Summer, please help!!!!

    I found a few on my living room floor, a few on my kitchen worktop and many in my sink!!!!!

  2. #2
    Cacique's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ants!!

    I too find ants around the house (and some cockroaches, those are hard to catch!). At the moment what I've been doing is the same thing, but I would recommend what I read and plan on doing; cover every single hole leading out of your house! Daunting task.

    You'll need a caulking gun and some caulk, along with something like that can of expandable insulating foam for bigger cracks. Just use the caulking gun for all the tiny little holes and the expanding foam for big holes like around plumbing. After this just keep an eye out for bugs and try to find where they're coming from if you find some. You could also weatherstrip around your windows and doors, or check that what you have now is plugging things up.

    Also, don't worry about dirty dishes. You're right, not everyone does them instantly. I don't lol. Even if the place is clean, bugs will find the way in if there's an opening. Good luck!

  3. #3
    Daffodil's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ants!!

    that sounds like too much hard work! lol

  4. #4

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    Default Re: Ants!!

    Hi Daffodil

    I had this problem a couple of years ago, we tried everything putting down washing powder, herbs, tea tree oil etc. Here are some suggestions
    http://www.doityourself.com/stry/don...alternatives#b
    The most important thing is as Cacique says is to stop them getting in the house, they were getting in our around our back door so I used parcel tape to seal it really well. You need to keep the kitchen extra clean. So no dishes in sink etc. One night I'd left a small amount of sugar on the counter and there were about 20 ants around it in the morning.

    Unfortunately we ended up having to kill some of them as they managed to get in through the smallest gap. After that I always made sure if I saw a single ant in the house I'd throw it out so it couldn't go back to it's friends and tell them about all the tasty food we had in the house.

  5. #5
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ants!!

    There are a few old threads about this with more suggestions http://www.veganforum.com/forums/sho...e-ant-eviction

    I couldn't really antproof the back door because of the cat flap, and they have been in the past, but not recently. Am wondering if the hedgehogs eat them - but I realise that's not a practical solution for most people.

  6. #6
    Muvesz's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ants

    I always use cinnamon. Sprinkle it around the doors and windows (and wherever you see ants), and they should be gone within a day. It's always worked for me. They don't usually come back, either. At least, not in force.

  7. #7
    Daffodil's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ants

    does that kill them? found this link: http://www.ehow.com/how_2310653_get-...-cinnamon.html
    point 2 says "those that survive"

  8. #8
    Rentaghost Marrers's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ants

    Quote Daffodil View Post
    . . . but when I find them all over my dishes that I haven't yet washed in the sink (come on, who does their dishes straight away?? I hope it's not just me that doesn't lol), then it's the last straw, i can't live like this all Summer, please help!!!!
    Im afraid once the ants have found a food source, in this case your dishes, you really need to remove it and keep things spotless until you have the problem under control. You're just going to have to do those dishes as you go along for now!

    I had to stop using my little kitchen compost bin last year because ants were heading there in droves and at this time of year I'm really careful to sweep up any dropped crumbs or grains of sugar in the hopes of avoiding a problem developing because we have loads of ants nests under our conservatory at the back, under our path at the front and all over our garden (probably caused by me sweeping up nests, eggs and all, every time they appeared indoors - under pot plants or any items placed on the shelves when our conservatory was dilapidated - and depositing them in various spots around the garden) so we alway have some ants coming in - but hopefully they won't find anything to go back and tell their chums about!

    (Korn posted a link to a really interesting study in the thread harpy mentioned above.)
    Idleness is not doing nothing. Idleness is being free to do anything. - Floyd Dell

  9. #9
    Muvesz's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ants

    I've never found dead ants anywhere after. They've just avoided it when I've put it down (I never sprinkle it on them, like the article says to do)

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