[TazziRN]

Another ant infestation here. Hubs has sprayed around the perimeter of the house three time in as many weeks. I have Ant B Gone tubs and Grants Ant Stakes in strategic places. I have even fried the little b******s with Tilex and 409 and watched them writhe.

THEY KEEP COMING BACK!!!!


I wake up in the morning and there's a trail across my kitchen counter.

I go to the bathroom and the inside of the toilet bowl is moving!

I take Demon to the potty in her bathroom and she points to the bathtub and gasps, "Mommy, bug!"

I have to be careful of what I use because of the baby and the cat, but I am at my wit's end!!!!

Anybody???

[dianah]

Outside, dh has sprayed near the foundation during the summer, when the ants seek entrance to escape the heat. We don't like to use toxic sprays, as they enter the environment (I know you know this) . . .

We've used an ecologically-safe spray inside the house (we have cats and kids), only where the ants are entering (I search down the entry point, usually the kitchen, around the windows, and spray there). Then I clean up all the ants I can find. Doesn't help, that our house is built where an orange orchard once resided (resode????? ).

The stuff smells weird, but it'll dissipate in a day or so . . . The brand is "Bioganic," "crawling insect killer," touts itself to be "safe around children and pets," and is sold in the grocery store (has endorsements of Good Housekeeping and Jane Seymour on the can ).

Recently we had the beginnings of an ant invasion, and no matter how much I search and searched, I could NOT find the entry/source!!! Then I happened to jostle one of the plants in the kitchen and lo! The ants had made a home inside the pot, in the dirt, and THAT was the source! That plant is now making its home OUTSIDE!!!

Good luck!!

[VivaLasViejas]

AHA!! Maybe THAT's where I need to look---I've got those flippin' carpenter ants, and after four years in this house I still haven't found out how they're getting in. I guess I'd better go check the house plants........

[TazziRN]

No plants here, I have the blackest thumb on Earth. I see the entry points inthe bathrooms but I can't figure out how they're getting into the house to get to the bathrooms.

[muffie]

resoded

funny di

[anonymurse]

I've had good luck asking for advice and buying stuff from http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/ and as a friend says, never again with the expensive guys (she watched 'em come in with a can of Raid, spray around a little, and leave $89 richer).

[dianah]

Thanks for the link, anonymurse!

When we had to treat for termites, we chose heat treatment: about the same price, same warranty and all, but without the exposure to toxis. Affected areas are superheated to kill the bugsies, and there's no lingering poison in carpets, cushions, mattresses, pillows, etc (some literature we read said that stuff hangs around for a MONTH after tx!! That was scary, to us).

Good luck, Tazzi!

[Rizpah]

have you tried "Terro" ? It comes in a small bottle and is like syrup. You put a small circle of it on a small piece of cardboard and place it in stategic places away from kids and pets. The ants all flock to it like a watering hole, drink their fill and take it back to the nest to share with others. The whole colony is wiped out this way. Not expensive either. We've used it with good success. Good luck!

[TazziRN]

Originally Posted by Rizpah

have you tried "Terro" ? It comes in a small bottle and is like syrup. You put a small circle of it on a small piece of cardboard and place it in stategic places away from kids and pets.

Cannot use anything horribly harmful to kids or pets. The ants unfortunately are in areas where our baby and cat can reach.

I know all pesticides are harmful but we need the least harmful.

[BittyBabyGrower]

We had a terrible ant invasion a few year back...I came home from work and flipped on the light in the family room and it was like a scene from Amityville Horror except it was millions of winged icky ants all over my one wall, ceiling fan....AGGGGHHHH!!! We had some ants in the house previously, but I would put out the ant bait and be done. I called Terminix the next day and Dan the Bug Man has become my new best friend LOL We had a terrible infestation of pavement ants and he said by time they get to that stage the colony has been there for a long time ICK. So he put out traps, sprayed with something that isn't harmful to the dogs and kids. But last year we had to have our perimeter sprayed with something stronger because we had a total infestation again. Try giving Terminix a call. They also keep down the tick and fleas...they spray our pines for us.