Goddamned ant invasion

[hyphenate]

I can tell it's spring--the fucking carpenter ants are back--and I'm on the second floor!! :mad:

Other than bombing the house or killing the bastards one at a time, is there any insect killer out there that will work miracles against these invaders? I'm on the second floor, so they're likely coming in through the woodwork or the windows--or both. With the cats around, I have to make sure that whatever I use won't kill them as well. Bombing would mean vacating the house for three or four hours, and I can put the cats down in the cellar in their cage for that time and go shopping, but if there is a simpler way, I'll be happy to hear it.

These fuckers are getting enormous! The several that I've killed already today are over 1/2 inch in length, and they did not die easily!

[ironflange]

1. Crunch

Crunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunch

[hyphenate]

2. Funny you should mention that

I have an enourmous phobia about beetles and roaches and I can't kill them because of what I call the "crunch factor." It appears that someone else is aware of what I'm talking about!

[KitchenWitch]

4. Oh gawds, I hate the CRUNCHY ants

:scared:

[ironflange]

23. Not from stepping on 'em

My encounter with carpenter ants was when I could hear them in the walls going crunchcrunchcrunch. Although, I sometimes have to listen to my kitty, the bug-eater, finishing off a hapless victim.

[Q3JR4]

3. As an

environmentalist who hates the idea of putting anything nasty and/or poisonous into the oceans, streams, air, and ground, I have to tell you if you went out and bought the nastiest worse for you ant poison you could find and used it I wouldn't have a problem with that.

I had an ant invasion in my house (first floor) about a month ago and I bought some ant stakes that I pushed into the ground on the outside of my house. Took care of my problem right away.

Q3JR4.

[hyphenate]

14. I hear ya!

These disgusting creatures need to be dead! :)

[Whoa_Nelly]

5. A pest control person would probably

1. Seek out entrance areas outside and inside your house
2. Spray those areas
3. Drill holes in the outside walls and inject a powder pesticide to kill the satellite colonies

Carpenter ants can cause major structural damage, and the sooner you get a professional in to assess and take action, the sooner your life will be happier.

http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef603.asp

[hyphenate]

15. I completely agree with you

but there is a problem. My friend who lives on the first floor is the homeowner, and he won't do any preventive measures at all. I don't know why, but he just doesn't give a fuck about how badly the house is maintained. As it so happens, he won't do much of anything in terms of upkeep, so it's up to me to get rid of these little bastards on my own. He's got wild bushes on the front lawn, and the back yard has this enormous bushy thing that takes over a good 1/3 of the yard. I offered once to cut it down and he was adamant about leaving it where it was. You can't get to the back door without having to go around this forsythia bush which will scratch the hell out of you as you squeeze by. I had told him to put diatomaceous soil around the house to help get rid of the ants, and it went in one ear and out the other.

As far as hiring a professional, I don't have a whole lot of money to do that, as I'm living right now exclusively on disability. If I could get my friend to pay for one, it would be different.

[Whoa_Nelly]

20. Massachusetts Landlord-Tenant Law

According to the law, you can contract for an exterminator, and actually have the responsibility to do so. However, the landlord must take care of creating the barrier/source of where the insects enter the premises.

http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cissfsn/sfsnidx.htm

<snip>

Insects, Rodents and Skunks

In a dwelling with one dwelling unit, the occupant is responsible for exterminating all rodents, cockroaches, skunks and insect infestation and maintaining the unit free of these, provided, however, that the owner shall maintain any screen, fence or other structural element needed to keep rodents and skunks from entering the dwelling; in a dwelling consisting of two or more units or in a rooming house the owner is responsible. <410.550>

As of 7/95, pesticide applicators or their employers must give at least 48 hours’ written notice to the occupants prior to any routine commercial application of pesticides for the control of indoor household or indoor structural pests. The notice must include information such as when the application will take place and what products will be used (410.550).

The owner is responsible for providing screens for certain windows and doors on the first four floors of a building. <410.551 and 410.552>



Other MA Landlord-Tenant Law info and links:
http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/landlord.html

[bleedingheart]

22. from the Article Whoa_Nelly linked to....here is a way to do it yourself

"Treat wall voids and other hidden spaces where ants are entering by carefully drilling a series of small (1/8 inch) holes and puffing boric acid (available at most hardware stores) into the suspected nest areas. The boric acid powder will disperse in the hidden void and contact and kill the ants. If you suspect the nest is in a wall, drill and treat at least 3-6 feet on either side of where ants are entering so as to maximize the chances of contacting the nest. Carpenter ants prefer to travel along wires, pipes and edges. If you suspect the nest location is in a wall, also treat behind pipe collars and behind --not in-- the junction box for electrical switch plates/receptacles. NEVER SPRAY LIQUIDS OR INSERT METAL-TIPPED DEVICES AROUND ELECTRICAL OUTLETS!).



As noted earlier, carpenter ants seen in the home may actually be nesting outdoors, foraging indoors for food and/or moisture. Consequently, the homeowner may end up following the ants they have baited with honey out of the house and into the yard, possibly to a nest located in a stump, or under a log or railroad tie. Once the outdoor nest is discovered, treatment can be performed by spraying or drenching the nest with an insecticide such as carbaryl (Sevin), diazinon, or chlorpyrifos (Dursban). If outdoor nests are suspected, the homeowner should also inspect around the foundation of the building at night with a flashlight, especially around doors, weep holes and openings such as where utility pipes and wires enter the structure. The baiting approach using honey can also be used to trace carpenter ants which are foraging outdoors back to their nest.

"

Boric acid powder can be safely handled in fact it is used in eyewashes as an antiseptic...here is more info on it....

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

[Evoman]

6. I got ants....and I actually went as far as, out loud, formally declaring war.

I did a three pronged attack. I put ant traps (carry poison back to the queen) in the corners. I sprayed the walls with poison so they could not climb (I routed them into the ant traps). I also put ant killing diatomicious earth around the ant traps to they couldnt walk past.

It took a terrible toll on those ant bastards. The vast field of bodies on the diatomceous earth (that cuts them to pieces) is testament to their losses. I also purposefully let a couple of spiders keep webs near the corners....one spider caught over 10 ants in his web (that I've seen). I am quite content leaving him there because he never strays from that corner (he doesn't need to..stupid ants).

Its working.....

[hyphenate]

16. This sounds like my kind of a plan!

I will be more than happy to put the work into getting these bastards out of my site and my home!

[TZ]

7. Every year I get an ant invasion too...

and I live on the second floor of a garden style condo. I could lend you my cats who would be glad to stare at each ant and kindly let you know where they are so you can "fix it" (thats how I interpret the looks). Some predators I have...:crazy:
Seriously though I use a combination of ant traps (hidden in corners and behind things so kitties don't notice) and a bug spray. A vet told me anything you find with pyrethrins, which things like Raid have, is very very safe for both you and the cats and its pretty effective if you spray it on the ant trails....

[hyphenate]

17. My cats don't even see them!

Either that, or they're in cahoots with them!!

I will get out to Lowes in the next day or so and purchase some of these traps and some bug spray. I saw an ad on TV the other day about a new Ortho product that you can spray indoors and out--I will look to see what it's main ingredient is.

I remember when I first moved out to California and there was concern because of the Mediterranean fruit fly, and the city/county sprayed malathion from helicopters all over. People complained, but it wasn't harmful to pets or humans, and they stopped the spraying. Funny that....the flea population especially was non-existent that year, and the malathion had worked its mojo. I only wish people were a little bit more receptive to new thngs. I'm back in Massachusetts now, and while I know there are some bugs I can't easily kill, I have to keep trying!

[VenusRising]

8. Get a spray bottle and fill it with soapy water.

Every time you see the ants, spray them. The soapy water suffocates them in seconds and seems to dissipate the pheromone trail. I especially like that method because there isn't any real dangerous chemical involved, and part of my house gets washed. Two birds, so to speak.

Good luck.

[bleedingheart]

10. that works with regular ole ants...and as a follow up...

I recommend spraying diluted vinegar near your thresholds to break the trail also...that way they won't sense that your home has anything tasty inside...

However carpenter ants like wood...and the wood they like is in your walls...they can live there undisturbed for years making beautifully smooth drill holes (they are really good at it)...and damaging the structure...so killing them when they are out adventuring isn't going to really get rid of them...

[hyphenate]

19. I'm pretty sure these guys

are from outside, as I don't see them until the late spring, early summer. My office area is in the front room, so it "sees" the ants before they get into the other rooms. I guess, in an ironic way, my desk and computer constitute an "early warning system" in respect to the ants.

[bleedingheart]

21. are there rhododendrons outside? Any large trees that overhang the property?

if so...the ants will move from them to the house....

If you have wooden windowsills...check around them...make sure that there are no breaks in the caulking that would let them into the framing...

[Zuiderelle]

11. That's a great idea. I'm going to try that next time we get an ant parade.

[hyphenate]

18. Thanks!

I recall that was also an antidote for aphids and other plant eaters. You spray the underside of the leaves and they lose their ability to fly. I will definitely try it.

[bleedingheart]

9. The only way to really kill Carpenters is to drill the walls...

you have to drill holes near the baseboards and then inject ant killer that will kill them... They live in the walls...so if you are seeing a bunch of them in your home...then there could be shit load in the walls...

My husband and I had to deal with this problem once a long time ago when we bought our home...a tree in our yard was infested with them ...we removed the tree and we had the house treated....

Never saw another ant again...

We used Orkin...

[rug]

12. It's futile.

[Doubtful Optimist]

13. I've used this recipe in the past with success.

ANT CONTROL TONIC #1
4 to 5 tbsp. cornmeal
3 tbsp. bacon grease
3 tbsp. baking powder
3 packages of yeast (I would opt for the rapid rise)
Mix cornmeal & bacon grease into a paste, then add baking powder &
yeast. Dab the gooey mix on the insides of jar lids, and
set them near the ant hills.
When ants eat this mixture, they swell up and go to the big ant hill in
the sky.


The metal thing from tea light candles works best.

Set them near the hill (if you can find it) or near the cracks in the foundation/driveway/sidewalk that they're coming from.

It's safe around kids & animals. It does take a couple of weeks to really see a difference, but it's amazing when they're gone.

Good luck. I know what a pain in the ass they are.