While living in a rental house we were over run by ants. My
husband by accident grabbed the wd40 and sprayed the trail.
It killed the ants on contact and the slight residue repelled any
more ants using that entrance. From then on it was my first
choice to deter ants anywhere but the kitchen. In the kitchen
I would spray the trail with simple green or 409 cleaner then go
outside and spray the entry points with wd40. I have two dogs
and neither one wanted near the wd40. It seemed to repel them
also. I've used vinegar on small hills showing on a brick patio
and that seems to do the trick. Vinegar is also good to pour on
weeds sprouting between bricks. ~Jo D
Another good way to get rid of ants is to mix borax (found in the
supermarket with the laundry detergent) and white powdered
sugar together and set it out anywhere the ants might be. It
works great!! I gave this advice to a girl at work who had
carpenter ants. She tried it and came home to so many dead
ants that she had to vacuum them up. It does work!! They get
attracted to the sugar and die immediately. ~Mary Lou
The spice - ground cinnamon - will stop ants from entering the
house. Just sprinkle it all around the baseboards and NO ANTS.
Non-toxic and smells great. ~Nancy
I'm surprised to note that no one has mentioned white powder of
any kind (last week), be it baby powder, talc, cleanser, flour, all
of these will make ants run for the hills. I first saw it used at a
campground. Someone sprinkled cleanser around their car's tires,
which was where they kept their food. I couldn't figure out what the
white squares in their parking spot meant! I tried it around my dog's
dish with cornstarch baby powder (my daughter was 18 months old
at the time) & they left immediately! No poison, no worries about the
dog getting sick and they will NOT cross a line of white powder. I
don't know why. At least the little black ants won't. I've used it ever
since, I always have pets around & can't use poisons. I have
never tried this on red ants, though. ~Kristina
My mother also told me that boiling water poured over the ant hill
will kill them. Sometimes two doses are needed. It definitely works!
Also, growing mint near the outside doors helps ward off ants. For
some reason they do not like mint of any kind. Sometimes I even
crush a few leaves and put them in my bathroom by the baseboard
to ward them off also. ~Kathleen
Just in case you didn't or the readers know...Mule Team Borax is
boric acid. It is fairly reasonable priced and easy access. It also
works wonders with roaches and silver fish in the home. I made
dough balls with a little grease, sugar, flour and boric acid. Just
put them were children and pets do not reach. It took a little while
but it worked. Much easier than letting off bombs and all that extra
cleaning up. And much cheaper than hiring a company to a long
term contract. ~DJ
I have heard that using cucumber peelings really work at getting
rid of ants. I had this question in one of my newsletters, then got
a response back saying it worked..I never would have thought
of that and perhaps you had heard of it...:)
~Donna from http://www.ICanGarden.com
I remember when I was MUCH younger we had a larger ant
colony in our side yard. On wash day dad took the water from
the wringer washer and poured it over the ant hills. By the next
week they were all gone. I would think a pail or two of very hot
soap water would do the same. ~W. Peter
We have been invaded by ants. I cleaned scrubbed and ran out
to buy ant proof dishes. I paid $9.00 for the cats and $12.00 for
the dog. The cat's is so narrow she would not eat. The dog's was
just TOO high and she liked her other bowl, as did I. You see the
bowls are in the kitchen where everyone can see them. So thinking
over a glass of lemonade, the idea came to me. The ant proof bowls
were just a bowl with in a bowl creating a water mote. I dug out the
glass pie pans, set the well loved and pretty pet bowls inside and
DADA I have ant proof bowls. Hope this hint works for your ant
problems as well! ~MJ
When it comes to piss ants (Ed. note: Many types of small indoor
ants are often called piss ants -because of their smell-, or sugar
ants, and can be any of a variety of small ants. ) try a mixture of
borox and powdered sugar. Put it where your pets can't get to it.
It will take two or three days but it works and it's cheap. ~Joe
ANTS ON BERRY PLANTS
Do you or any of your readers know how to get rid of ants
on berry plants? My red raspberries are just covered with
them, and each year it seems they are getting worse! Your
column has always given me great info, and I am hoping
you will be able to help with this one. Thanks! ~Mary T.
Ants are usually a sign of aphids or mealy bugs--the ants
tend to protect them because they feed on a substance
produced by the insects. If you see ants on your berries
treat the plants for aphids with a soap spray. The ants
won't harm the plants but the other insects can.
