Black ant problem! NF

[Rattletrap2]

Hey guys,

Our Kitchen has been inundated with HUGE black ants this year! We never saw this in the past, but these things are huge and Wifey finds them particularly disgusting! We have cleaned out all cupboards and removed recycling bins and trash can from under sink. We have tried all sorts of traps and poisons, but they keep coming. In fact they have sort of relocated to downstairs since we went on the attack in the kitchen!

 

I noticed a lot of huge ant hills out in the yard this year as well, but they are mostly the smaller type of ant.

 

Any ideas on how to best deal with them? Sorry this is non fishing, but I read all the mouse trapping posts and thought maybe someone has experience with this?

 

Thanks

[Spiel]

Sounds like Carpenter Ants Brian, do some Google research on how to best deal with them.

[troutologist]

I had a similar issue. I did some caulking around my windows and set out 6 Ant Out traps. I also poured boiling water on the ant hills a few times....success so far.

 

Now I just have to find a way to combat the hoards of ticks that are around this year....in 4 days turkey hunting I picked off almost 200!!!

 

Good luck

[Headhunter]

Try "Ant b Gone"

It comes in a tube, much like Dristan nose spray... they love the stuff, take it back to their nest and kill off the nest.

Just be sure that you keep it away from where any pets can get to it.

http://www.scotts.ca/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp?proId=prod10100101&itemId=cat40104

 

HH

[wallacio]

They are definitely Carpenter Ants (based on your description of size). We had the same issue a few years ago and the key to getting rid of them is to find their nest which is usually located in wood such as decaying stumps etc. Take some time to watch where they go, including outside...they'll usually lead you to the nest which you should then destroy. In our case, I tracked them to an old stump on my property which I dug up and the problem was solved.

 

More info:

 

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pubs/pest/_pnotes/carp-ants-fourmis-charp/index-eng.php

[Gerry]

From the description these are Carpenter ants. The nest needs to be found or you'll never be rid of them. Usually they bore into damp, softened wood emanating from a previous leak. Have you had a leak, plumbing issues in the past? Could have been as along as a couple of years ago. How about a window leaking or roof, shower? The nest could be anywhere in the house, behind a wall and in a stud or 2. I had this issue some 20 years ago. Had the whole house fumigated...twice! And I still ended up with the same problem. Oh, they disappeared for a while after the extermintaors did their thing, but it didn't last for more than 6 months. We finally found the nest, by accident, while repairing a shower stall. We ended up having the cut out the stud and take it outside and place the piece into a big bucket of water. We replaced the stud and never saw another aunt for the 9 years that we continued to own the house.

 

They are carpenter ants.....I'm positive.

[adempsey]

Need to find out if they eat protein or sugars.

 

I'd first try some sugar + Borax dissolved in water. Search the net for a recipe, it's very simple. I bought some traps that were basically this solution, but would have made my own if I could have located the Borax in the store that day. Anyway, it worked for me. You do have to wait a few days while they eat it and bring it back to their hive. Also, plug up any obvious entrance points after those few days as well.

 

If they eat protein you can use peanut butter + Borax instead of the sugar + water.

 

Good luck!

[rmarentette]

I had the same problem earlier this year and bought some liquid ant bait stations at Canadian Tire. They were called Green Earth Homecare- Honeydew Formula with uni-tract. They worked amazingly well. After two days no sign of the ants. The best ant traps I ever used! The website for the product is www.greenearth.ca

[Billy Bob]

Had your problem a couple years ago....tried many things until I purchased this stuff....sprayed it all over the house and left for the weekend...but you don't have to leave....never seen another ant in the house......GREAT STUFF...I paid $9.98 at Home Depot for a GALLON.....professional exterminators aren't going to like this stuff....

 

http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp?proId=prod70044&itemId=cat10040001

Edited May 18, 2012 by Billy Bob

[Burtess]

Try "Ant b Gone"

It comes in a tube, much like Dristan nose spray... they love the stuff, take it back to their nest and kill off the nest.

Just be sure that you keep it away from where any pets can get to it.

http://www.scotts.ca/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp?proId=prod10100101&itemId=cat40104

 

HH

 

Ant B Gone is like crack for carpenter ants. I had a bad infestation earlier this spring in the kitchen also. Tried ant traps, nothing..... Tried Raid liquid ant bait, wouldn't touch it.....

 

But this Ant B Gone worked like a charm. Put it out on the counters in beer bottle caps and those ants ate at it like pigs at a trough. The key is to let them eat and go back to the nest and feed the others. After 3 days they were all gone, haven't seen them since.

 

Burt

[mike rousseau]

ant b gone

 

 

had loads of ants... just squirted a bottle around the house at possible entrance points and havent seen an ant in the house in 3 years