ANTS...

[wooly]

The friggin things are crawling out of my moldings along the ceiling from any tiny crack in the paint. No overhanging trees above the house...

I'M INFESTED, and need help! ???

Lots of anthills around the lawn about to get burnt to a crisp, > but that doen't help my in-home invasion????

Household remedies to spray around cracks and crevises are more than welcome as well as outside perimeter control if  anyones ever found that approach usefull???

I've tried damned near everything on the outside, but it don't seem to knock them back none.

[jimbo91]

I know there is a difference, but when my house got infested with box elder bugs, hot soapy water did the trick. Idk why, something in the soap that them bugs dont like.

[5.9cummins]

Some useful info.

http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef619.asp

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/m1166.html

Are they big or little? By your description i am guessing little in which case you don't have a whole lot to worry about.

If they were big (carpenter ants) you might want to worry. If you end up seeing winged ants in the house you most likely have carpenter ants and you might want to start worrying.

First i would check and see if they are getting into anything in your kitchen or pantery. If they are getting food they will keep coming back. Keep any sugar product sealed up.

Next i wouldnt bother with spray. I would go the route of bait. Let them eat it and they will take it back to the colony and share it killing the colony from the inside.

There are several products that you can put around the outside of your house along the foundation that will act as a barrier.

I know there is a difference, but when my house got infested with box elder bugs, hot soapy water did the trick. Idk why, something in the soap that them bugs dont like.

Have someone hold your head under water and see what happens. That's what you are doing - suffocating them.

The soap breaks the surface tension of the water and they cant climb out so they drown. 

[Single_shot]

Spectracide Bug Stop Indoor Plus Outdoor. Works up to 9 mos. Sray a barrier and everytime they walk through it,even after it dries,they die....period. We used it up the cabin for the big black ants and they were laying in piles when we went back up a week or so later. Sprayed around the outside and on the floor/wall edge. Works perfect. They walk through the dry residue and when they go back to the colony,they clean each other etc....they die.

http://www.buyhardwaresupplies.com/?t=5&m=13&itemNumber=72224

EDIT: Walmart carries it.

[fasteddie]

I had some ants in the house and put out those little Raid ant traps . Something that worked for me is "Dr Moss's Liquid Bait System" . It is a liquid that you put in bottle caps or milk bottle caps and place the traps where you have seen ants . It attracts and kills ants . I bought it in a Hardware Store .

[wooly]

From 5.6's link..

Ants lay down invisible odor trails, which the workers follow between food and the nest. In many species, the trail of ants is distinct enough to be followed back to the nesting location, or to where the ants are entering from outdoors.

Aint that just some of the coolest crap you ever read,lol. I think these guys are workers. They sure are advanced for such a simple little creature. : I don't think I stand a chance,lol! >

I did put out about 10 of those Terro bait traps. They seem to like them, but I'd feel much better taking them all out at once instead of one at a time. I better check the batteries in my smoke detectors!

[First-light]

Wooly,

This time of year they are in the seeking phase. You will find them where you least expect it. The kitchen is a great place to start. Hang a couple of tree stands off the legs of your kitchen table. Take out your best G.I.Joe and give him his orders. He is allowed to shoot anything that walks by, no AR's and unlimited tags! Baiting is legal, candy corn works great. Good luck buddy, say hello to the guy with "life like hair!"

[Karpteach]

Home defense works. Spray the whole house, leaving windows open. Had a carpenter ant issue last year wiped them all out. There are traps out there that claim they take it back to the nest and kills the queen. Anyway, good luck.

[growalot]

Hmmm...must be the year of the ant....we are having the same problem....We enjoy having indoor plants to help with winter air quality....Dang...Mr.B. moved a large palm to open a storm window and WOW...looked like we were in a horror movie!.....frost or not ....plants were out the door....I've sprayed the out side around block wall/siding...and along the baseboards....living in the woods doesn't help they are every where but Sevin  granulars put in a spreader and a covering of the lawn before a rain ....I'm hoping works for a number of things...bought it at Sams club

[WNYBuckHunter]

Early in the spring I always do the inside and outside perimeter of the house with Ortho Home Defense Max. I do the outside at the bottom of the siding, on the mouldings around all windows and doors, soak door sills,  around eve vents, in the basement at the top of the sill plate, inside around all of the windows and behind the stove, fridge, etc. I will also go around any pipes or things that go through the walls, basically anywhere there is a crack or crevice where bugs could get in. Knock on wood, I have never had a problem with ants or any other insects since I started doing that. 1 of the large pump spray bottles usually does the trick, and it lasts all year.

[nyantler]

Ortho "Home Defense".. spray on foundation perimeter where it meets the house anll the way around and don't leave a gap.. then spray spots where you're seeing ants in the house.. it works wonders... i had the same problem few years back and i worked great haven't had ants since..

[fasteddie]

Another Ant Lure I used is "Terro Ant Killer" . I believe the stuff has some form of Boric Acid in it so be careful when handling .