My husband was bitten by ants in the garden the other day. We do not have fire ants in RI. But the colonies of ants have been tremendous this year. They have also been in the house. Yes, there have been typical ‘sugar’ ants in the kitchen, those disperse and die with spray. Traps do not work any longer. What is strange though is that they are coming up the drains in the second floor bathroom sinks. What a long way to travel! I have heard they are called ‘water’ ants. New to me, more spray and called the exterminator.
Mrs. G if your traps are full, they shouldn’t be able to get through the drain. I think it’s more likely they are going in there for water and that’s just where you are seeing them. I’m certain stranger things have happened though.
Either way a pinch of Borax washed into the drain would possibly be a worthwhile endeavor. Regular old laundry booster…20 Mule Team type. As environmentally friendly as anything else I’d guess.
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We’ve been overrun with ants this year too. We have a dog that gets into everything so it makes it hard to put poison out in the back yard. We’ve tried every organic option there is. The most effective has been orange oil at killing them, but it doesn’t kill the colony.
Best poison I’ve found for protecting the house has been ant bait pellets that I spread everywhere along the perimeter of the crawl space under the house.
Traditional any stakes are in the front yard. Those are fairly effective but so far only have finished the ant population. It didn’t seem to have destroyed the colony yet. Terro brand has worked the best for us, Raid had been worthless.
Off to the supermarket! Thanks so much appleseed!
Chris…have you tried Borax? It’s organic and will and does kill the colony. It worked for me when powerful insecticides would not. Nothing cheaper, nothing more safe that I know of for both humans and pets. Just be a little careful around perimeter plantings etc.
It is also extraordinarily effective on termites, and maybe cockroaches as well. It will not however have any effect on spiders or any other problem home insects. This isn’t one of those silly “green” ideas that will not work, there is scientific research supporting this practice if you google it.
Not all markets carry it, but I’m sure most do. Wal-Mart does. It’s around $4 for a 3 lb. box I think.
The main ingredient in Terro and many other ant killers is borax.
yep…actually I think it’s boric acid which of course, is derived from borax. I once read about the differences and the process of creating it, but I forget now.
I read some article about using Borax mixed with sugar in water and let the ants drink the sugar water. The ants drank the sugar water died but they did not take it to the queen so coloney is still there. Then I read another article about just mix Borax and sugar( no water), I have not tried it yet. It seems to me, Borax will kill the ants but which way to deliver it to the queen is in question