Hi Razzies – here’s a compilation of the solutions. Hope one or more works for you!
I sprinkled boric acid around in the corners and where they were coming into the house. That worked quite well.
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We put powdered cinnamon down where they were crawling and also near the holes they came in through. They really seem to not like it and you don't have to kill them.
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I have used this for years to keep ants out for the house and it works! Get any white colored dish soap and wipe down your window frames, door sills/frames and anywhere that you can see the ants are coming in. Do not dilute it and you don't have to go overboard. Just wipe on a thin layer and let it dry. It lets the ants live outside and you inside peacefully.
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Go to Bug Busters in the Albertson's shopping center on Missouri. They have
some ant bait for inside and some granules to put around the perimeter of
the house. It works.
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There's a product called "Orange Guard". Works great. You can Google it and read about it. Bugs don't like citrus. I've also used an air freshner called "Citrus Magic" which I get in Nature's FP.
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It these are Pharaoh ants, then you can go to Bug Busters and get silk traps for them. I would take one to Bug Busters and show it to them so you can be sure of what it is before purchasing anything. Bug Busters is a do-it-yourself exterminator company.
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Chinese Chalk Responses:
Chinese chalk works. Even though it's promoted as nontoxic, it is. I use the chalk by holding it in thick plastic or some other protection. It works great. You draw strokes of chalk around the ants and the ants go away fast. If you don't have it in your area, you might be able to find it on the internet. This is the most effective way I've found to get rid of ants.
I would go to the local hardware store and ask for "ant chalk". It works a miracle, is non toxic, and lasts just forever. This is how you can "draw the line" on those pesky antses! :)
There is a chinese chalk that works great. You can find it in the chinese grocery stores. It comes in a little box and cost 1 $ or less.
You just mark a line in the area where the ants are and they disappear. Works every time. Wash your hands after using it !
I live in the high desert a couple of years ago this whole area was attacked by ants, I've never seen anything like it. I spent I don't know how many hours on the Internet researching this, and had to know what type of ants I have, and found a number of products that work for a week or a month or so.
Then I saw a friend of mine use something I've never seen before, and her house was completely free of ants. It's called Chinese Chalk, and it really does look like a piece of regular white blackboard chalk. With a piece of this chaulk you draw a line and as long as that chalk line stays dry no ant will cross it. It kills them all and they don't come back. It's the most amazing thing to see. I used it on the parameter of my home and have been ant-free for over a year. No more having to know what type of ant, no more having to buy these expensive preparations that work only for a little while.
If you have a "China Town" this is the place to get it. No other place sells it. I walked into a gift shop in China Town only to ask where I can get this stuff, and the owner showed me he uses it in his own store, and has it for sale. A 3" piece costs $0.75.
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One way to handle it is to wipe the entire area with bleach. You have to find out how they are getting in though and do the whole trail.
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My husband likes to use 50/50 mixture of Simple Green and water.
I like to find the trail where they come into the house and lay a line of Chili powder to block their path.
Chili powder is also good to discourage dogs from peeing and pooping on your lawn.
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I find that boric acid powder works well with all ants, but takes about
1-3 weeks.
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Don't know if you received this data but it works great. First for inside the house:(For keeping ants outside the house.) First you clean the floor trail of ants with soapy water to get rid of the scent, then you seal of the opening, crack of window, edge of floor, etc, with a dab of vaseline. Just a very thin layer is fine. They give up. At least until the next year. :) I had used cayenne pepper inside the house in the cracks in the past, which works, but not so great where little paws and feet may touch it. Plus I felt a little sorry for the ants touching it. (I know I'm weird! ) It seems more human to create a barrier. They seem to sense the vaseline on there little antennae and back off...I guess they spread the word.)
As far as outside sources I have found Grants ant stakes work well. They need to be "staked" in the path of the ants not necessarily near the ant hill opening. Anywhere in the path is okay. The reason I say this is because you don't want to have them where an animal could get them and chew on it etc. (Hopefully an animal wouldn't but I know some dogs especially are chewers.) I would LOVE to find a more natural way for outside the house. If you received any other natural responses please let me know. I am not fond of poisoning anything. I think the ant stakes work because the ants take it back as "food" to the queen. It does seem to be effective though.
