Need a Safe Way to Get Rid of ANTS

I set up account for a wellness company.They specialize in non toxic products for families.We have a spot remover for clothes non toxic to kids and pets,but it kills ants.My name is D. Hess call me ###-###-####

They sound like 'sweet ants' and while we've never had them in this house, we did have a bad problem in a different house with them. About the only thing to get rid of them inside the house is Terro, which is poisonous, but you can place it in a windowsill, which is most likely where they're coming in. Try to find the entry point, and place it there. Also, placing poison around the outside of the house works really well! My husband uses Ortho. Good luck!

In a large stock pot, boil several bay leaves. The longer you boil them, the stronger the "tea" you make will be. Spray this anywhere in the house the ants are coming in and around ant colonies.

Another thing that I've seen work is to take common uncooked grits (can also be found as uncooked polenta) and sprinkle near the colonies. The ants eat it and die because they can't digest the grains.

Fabric softener sheets work to repell ants. I read about this and tried it myself with great results. Of course you will have to find a place that is safe for placement. We recently built a new home and had ants move into the fresh loose soil under our home. We placed the sheets in our crawl space under the house and the ants dissappeared.

1 part water, 1 part dish soap, 1 part hot sauce!

We had a problem with ants last year and I didn't want to use the sprays because of the smell and the fact that I watch kids all day and didn't want the fumes in our house. I read online about using Vinegar. We wiped down all of our countertops, cabinet doors, windowsill, etc with Vinegar and they were gone instantly. I would definitely do this again if I had to, hopefully I don't though! Good Luck

When I was in the hospital last May with our newborn daughter, my husband told me he found ants in the kitchen ... which he blamed on the cat food. When I came home after 5 days in the hospital, I found many more ants than he had told me about and I freaked ... it just kind of grossed me out having a toddler and a newborn baby, and seeing large black ants crawl on their stuff. Ewwwwwwww! Anyway, we ended up calling Terminix who came out and determined that they were carpenter ants and they treated virtually the entire inside of the house. The girls and I had to leave for just a few hours while the spray dried, but it took care of the ants quickly and they say (and I hope it's true!) that their products are kid and pet friendly.

Good luck!

This is something my 80 year old grandma told me and it works at my house. Peel a cucucmber and put the peels around where the ants are. I always get them bad around my pantry.I put a cucumber peel on each shelf and they are gone. I did this last year for the first time and once I put them out I haven't had any ants back yet! Hope this helps!!!

I have heard you can use borax.

L.:

I had this problem for a few years as well. We just bought some of those ant traps and put them in the back of our cabinets in our kitchen - no kid/dog can get it - and it works! I think they were the Combat one's, not Raid. We only had to change them twice. So I would do it along the house.

Another idea - is to spray on the outside of your house where they are coming in. We no longer have ants.

Thanks,
K. C.

Get an ant poison called Tarro you can buy in traps or in liquid. the ant's eat it like candy and it sticks to their legs and they take it back to the nest. You can put it in safe places around the house and the ants will find it.

I have had this same problem for last two years and to be honest the best way to get rid of them is to have a company come and take care of them from the outside AND the inside. We live in a ranch style home and it is very common to have the tiny ants in these types of homes. I have also tried the traps and sprays, but the best way to get rid of them that we have seen is to have a company like Terminix or any local company to come out and spray for them. Let them know about your son and they can take precautions and use different chemicals that are not harmful to him or your dog. Good luck! We are starting to battle the ants now too...

black pepper out of your kitcken!!!! I used to have a problem with them untill i lined my door ways and windows!!! try it it works!!!

L.,

Go buy some borax; it is in the laundry aisle. It is a form of soap. Mix it with some sugar (maybe 2 Tbsp borax and 2 Tbsp sugar) and leave it in a small dish where the ants can get it but not the baby (maybe where you currently have the ant trap). Give the ants a few days to a week. They will carry it home to the nest, so if you see them in transit, don't spray them. It will be fed to the queen and the whole colony will die out. Be patient, and it will work just fine. You can use the rest of the borax in your laundry.

Best wishes,
K.

this is going to sound strange but we use cinnamon put some areoung the window seal and the doorways this will stop them from entering you can even put this on your carpet and then sweep it up. the cinnamon will smother the ants. good luck.

This is really going to sound funny & I didn't think that it worked myself!!! But, citrus works really well on getting rid of ants..... I use to use the Orange Glo (all I had at the time was the polish spray), and what I would do was spray it in the area where they were coming in and the ants would die almost instantly.... You can use any type of citrus sprays that aren't harsh and if you can find where they are nested spray there first!!!!! However, if you use the wax polish make sure you only use it around base areas & wipe up access....

Since, I've moved into my new home we have had an even bigger ant problem..... My bf has insisted on using these sprays (which don't have any smells, but haven't worked either), and I'm actually going to switch back to the Orange Glo...... LOL

Oh, Bees don't like and some other animals don't like citrus as well!!!!!!!!

I have had serious problems with ants in the past, but I worked for a local garden center, and found a product that I've been very happy with. Ortho home defense. It works indoors and out killing all kinds of nasty little critters. I have a fear of spiders, and this stuff sold me. Just spray it along the trail, and at the entry points, windows, doorsteps(inside and out) and heat registers if they are on the floor. Once it dries, it's safe for children and pets. Spray one room at a time and let it dry for and hour. Any open rooms, just spray it when your son is in bed and put the dog in another room while it dries. It works up to 3 months. Use once in the spring, and again in the fall.

Good luck.

Hi Lacy,

I, too, am having a terrible 'ants' problem. I did however google getting rid of them, and found alot of suggestions. The best one that is working so far is sprinkling baby powder! It is helping to keep them out of the areas (and killing them), but it is stated that they will come back if you cannot find the source of where they are getting in. (Still working on that!) So if you find any great solutions, let me know as well. The baby powder at least helps the carpet smell good :).

Your mamasource friend,
T

I just moved here from Caily and WOW ants are bad there....i found the best this was those garden stake traps and believe it or not coffee grounds....you mention carpet...the only thing i can think of is to bomb your house when your able to be away for a few hours see if that gets rid of them...
good luck i know how annoying they are...i didnt know they even had them here in Ohio cause I hadnt seen any of those kind, just the nasty big black ones...yuck..