Ant Traps

By mold recovery 8/19/2009 , , , 15 comments
We continue to learn the hard way. We had an ant invasion upon moving into our new home this week. Immediately I poured Borax on the opening and around the floor. We added vinegar. We cleaned the bathroom completely. The ants were not deterred. I'm no ant aficionado so I can't tell you the specifics of this type of ant, but their primary characteristic is that they're tiny. Miniscule. And there were so many!

I innocently bought several ant traps. Anyone with MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity) knows that there is no innocent purchase of a toxic substance. I reasoned that a few ant traps on the floor of the bathroom won't do any significant harm. I put one in Shannon's closet behind the bathroom. (She found ants in her shoes.) And I put two in the kitchen.

The four youngest had an exciting game of Monopoly going in the kitchen yesterday. Right next to the ant traps. Within two hours Reagan had a nosebleed unlike anything we've seen in weeks. Kaitlyn broke out with a rash on her arms. Tempers flared. Sinuses congested.

And the ant traps were removed.

I'm back to cayenne pepper, cinnamon, Borax, and vinegar. And deterrence. We put duct tape over possible entrances and we're cleaning the floor after every meal.

If you're not infested with them, ants are fascinating creatures. They are adaptable, work well together, defend themselves, and carry a load up to 50 times their own body weight. It's the load part that inspires me. Mine feels heavy today. Too heavy. I want to keep this colony going. If an ant can do it, I can too.

15 comments :

  1. UnknownAugust 19, 2009 at 9:38 AM

    Try sugar and borax together. It worked for us. The sugar really attracts the ants.

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  2. mold recoveryAugust 19, 2009 at 10:16 AM

    I read that but didn't have confidence in it. Now I do!! Thanks!

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  3. Steph TAugust 19, 2009 at 10:44 AM

    When we had an issue with ants, we used a product called "Terro" with excellent results. The ants flocked to the stuff (we had to take pictures, lol) and then disappeared forever. So I checked the website to see what kind of chemicals might be in it. This is what they said: "TERRO® Liquid Ant Bait is a sweet food based product similar to pancake
    syrup combined with Borax."

    So I say try the sugar and borax, too! :)

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  4. TonyaAugust 19, 2009 at 11:10 AM

    wow that is crazy that you guys would have such a strong reaction. Those things are seriously small. I'm glad you at least realized it was the cause.

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  5. mold recoveryAugust 19, 2009 at 11:14 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  6. AnonymousAugust 19, 2009 at 7:28 PM

    We have lived in our house for eleven years, and this year. because of the moisture. have an ant problems too. I just bought the small traps this weekend so I'll have to keep a watchful eye to see if it bothers anyone.

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  7. AnonymousAugust 20, 2009 at 6:55 AM

    You MUST treat the outside. We circled the outside of our house with ant powder. I will attest that "Terro" works great for the inside.

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  8. AnonymousAugust 20, 2009 at 9:59 AM

    Andrea,

    We have occassionally had an ant problem...usually every spring. I use ground cloves...just sprinkle a bit wherever the problem is...and they crawl away immediently. Works like a charm. Natural and non-toxic.

    Lori

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  9. Ruth AAugust 20, 2009 at 10:49 AM

    Hi Andrea,
    I've learned a lot about how to get rid of ants on this post, but if I may, I'd like to know what to do about neighbor's dryer sheet smell from the vents on top of the
    new apt. building that I will be moving into. Perhaps you have had some experience with it, or your readers. This stuff is terrible!!!
    I don't want to have to close my windows all the time! The charcoal lighter fluid smell is bad, too...will have to deal with that periodically as well.
    Thanks!

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  10. SusieAugust 20, 2009 at 12:13 PM

    Andrea,
    Peppermint, bay or tansy are traditional ant repellents so you could plant them around the outside (or get plants in pots to put wherever, if you can't plant something). I use essential oils for inside. A few drops of essential oils of Peppermint can be rubbed onto shelves regularly will act as a somewhat stronger
    repellent. And, it looks like you already know the effectiveness of cayenne pepper as a repellent to ants. If they are merely foraging in small scouting parties, a sprinkling of pepper in front of their path will send them elsewhere. So, Cayenne can be sprinkled on shelves and in cupboards.

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  11. MarjAugust 20, 2009 at 1:24 PM

    Hi Andrea and Chris,
    A natural rememdy for getting rid of ants is one of the following. Not knowing what you and your family are alergic to, but these have worked for me, one try ground peppermint sprinkled around where you think they are coming in, and we have also used black pepper sprinkled where the ants are, we keep this on our front door step as we have had ants there from time to time and this seems to deter them. you can also try 1 tsp of oil of peppermint and 3 drops of lemon ammonia per quart of water, a friend has also ground up peppermint candies and added some pepper or a drop of the lemon ammonia on it, not sure if this works, but we have had success with the black papper.
    Marj Warner, from Naperville

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  12. melindaAugust 20, 2009 at 6:49 PM

    okay...I have read all these great remedies for ants...I know here in Ohio to keep them from coming into the house you take a white piece of chalk and draw a line in front of the door or under the windows. the ants will not cross over the line and therefore will not get in through the door or windows...you can also put a chalk line on the ledge outside of the window...you just need to redo it when it rains. I have done this...works every time...blessings to all.

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  13. Ruth AAugust 20, 2009 at 8:08 PM

    Andrea, come to think of it, the Terro was the best solution that we tried years ago for our ant troubles...it never failed us!
    The other thing I just thought of is to take a dryer sheet and put it over the ants...it should knock 'em out real well!!! Sorry, I guess I have that on the brain!!!

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  14. mold recoveryAugust 21, 2009 at 5:01 AM

    Ruth is right about dryer sheets. They are extremely toxic. I just read this article about them:
    http://www.naturalnews.com/002693_chemicals_dryer_sheets_fragrance.html

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  15. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2009 at 6:20 PM

    These tiny ants were called Ghost Ants in South Florida. They are a very persistent nuisance for sure. They put down a scent to leave a trail for the others to follow and to find their way back to their nest; we see them marching along in lines don’t we? If the countertop was not wiped and wiped again to get every little, seemingly microscopic dot of food or splash, they found it. I kept a small sprayer bottle of peroxide and one of whatever liquid soap my husband could tolerate at the time (Neo-Life Green comes to mind), and used both of those, sometimes one and sometimes the other, to spray them in their formation to remove their trail. It killed them when they were visible and then I would just wipe them up. They would eventually try again of course, but I just went after them again. I never did see their nest. I also used Terro, outside, on little pieces of foil or bottle caps and they would “belly up to it” like little pigs at a feeding trough.
    Hope this helps. Emma

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