Ant problems
 

I've got a problem in my house. Ants. Don't know where they came from, but all of a sudden about last week they began appearing... and they keep coming. We can't call an exterminator because we don't want to, as our religion forbids killing of animals [on purpose]. So what should we do?

Do you have a china town like place near you? Chinese stores sometimes have this thing called Borax chalk. I am not sure that is how you spell it but anyways, its a white chalk like substance that you draw a line where ever the ants are coming in. Just follow the trail to the hole they are coming in from. The Borax chalk doesn't kill them they just don't like how it smells and how it feels as they walk over it. Borax powder and chalk is not harmful to humans so you don't have to worry if you use a little in the kitchen. After about a week when they are gone you can wash off any lines that are still present. They used to make soap out of borax back in I think the late 1800's and early 1900's. You may be able to find it other places (perhaps a hardware store) but I don't know, when ever we got it we were in L.A.'s China Town so the box always had Chinese writing on it. Good luck.

Interesting. When I posted this at another forums someone suggested using talcum/baby powder... I guess that works well.

They still make borax. I have a box on my washer right now.
It's called 20 Mule Team Borax. I bought mine at my local grocery store. Wal-Mart stocks it too.

Another thing you might try is mixing one part baking soda with two parts sugar. Pour this in a little wall around the hole(s) where the ants come in. They cannot walk through powdery stuff owing to the construction of their legs. This also works well on roaches. I cleared a house of them in Florida within one week. It really works!

This is also not harmful to humans or pets who may inadvertantly eat it.

Brian

Never tired baby powder. Its very smiler to borax powder so I imagine it would work just as well. We always got those chalk things as they were great for drawing a "do not cross" line for the ants. Baby powder would be much harder to draw with but it would be a lot easier to find.

In Boron, CA they have one of the largest Borax mines in America (it may even be the largest, I don't know). Not much in Boron, but there is a 20 Mule Team museum. Alway meant to stop but never did. I imagine it would have a history of Borax mining, and then a bunch of cases full of tins, from all the 20 mule team borax products over the last 100 years or so. One day when I pass near there again I would like to stop.

Read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman for several unique solutions.

I've had good luck with baking soda. I just saw my first, of the little black bastards, yesterday. I guess the annual spring battle has begun.:)

What an excellent book...what a brilliant man.

That and "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out" were two very enjoyable reads.

I have "Six Easy Pieces" and "Six Not so Easy Pieces" but I'm afraid of physics and haven't started reading them yet.

my wife and I use an electronic "thingy", to be precise, that plugs into a wall socket and emits a super-sonic pitch. Drives away ants, arachnids, most insects, mice, rats, basically everything you don't want around. non-lethal, and perfectly harmless for humans, pets, fish, birds, etc.

-sm

Does the thingy really work?:confused:

I heard that the ants grow immune to the sound after a while... so I'm not gonna try that yet. I saw some at sale at ACO Hardware a while ago, though.

yes! we live in southern cali, which has a massive ant infestation every time it rains (you know, twice a year). Since we put it in 2 years ago, no problems.

-sm

20 Mule Team Borax, honey! You may not be old enough to recall it, but I remember as a child watching a 50's television series called "Death Valley Days" sponsored by that product. Don't know if its still around (not the show, the product), but you could look in the detergent section of your local supermarket.

It's around, they just had to keep a low profile during the Reagan administration.;)

I was told if you had pet rats, mice, guinea pigs, or hamsters not to use that ultra sonic thing. I think I read it on one of the boxes as well. We thought about buying one at one time but I have some pet guinea pigs and since the box said so and a friend who also had some pet rodents warned of strange behavior from her rats while she had that thing, I decided to pass on it. Not sure if those products are all the same, but if you have pet rodents make sure you read the package before you buy anything.

Boron is very close to the gateway to Death Valley so its not all that surprising they would sponsor a show by that name. Boron is also very close to Hinkley, CA of the Erin Brockovich movie fame.

See now, that was more about Boron then you ever needed to know. I am just chock full of the most useless shit ever remembered.

You're a Cliff Clavin, too?

Well we don't have any pets. :)

And I tried using baby powder, and it didn't work very well. After sprinkling some on the ground all the ants went to it and grouped together in a big bunch.

My dad and I went out to buy the Sunbeam SB105-3 (oh, quiver at its name!) today, which uses ultrasound to disturb rodents, spider, and ants. Three for about $20. It seems to be working... there was another one there, it was just one for $20; which also had an electromagnetic frequency for reaching through solid objects. We were concerned about its range and about any disruptions which may happen, so we didn't get that one.

^^^ doesn't work. While it does DECREASE the amount of ants we get, it didn't remove them from our house... and now they're starting to pop up in places other than our kitchen. Dang. We had this problem in our old home and it was terrible. Bastard biting ants.

here is a book I found on different ways to get rid of ants

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...254322-4449408

and here is a homeopathic remedy that contains dried crushed flowers. Its called EcoZone and is almost at the bottom of the page.

http://naturalanimal.com/homegardenpestcontrol.php

I cant tell you if either of these things will help you in any way. I have no such qualms will killing bugs that come into my house and so I Raid the little bastards if they do come in. Maybe that book will have some good tips that may be helpful to you.

Good luck and let us know how the battle turns out.

with talc powder, over here in Tx. i use it on my lower shovel handle at the farm because the fire ants can't get any grip and fall off. ever been bitten by one of those little bastards? you learn to use poison REAL fast.

disclaimer: i respect your religion. this is just my two cents worth.

Attachment 61124

Ant problem?

Attachment 61125

Omfg




FIRE!!!!!


MORE FIRE!!!

I wonder what that used to be a bucket of.

Probably 12 sweet feed.
It has a sweet smell of course. I say there is a hefty dose of bot flies too.

I can't get this right. Supposed to say 12. I thought I edited it.

It won't show percent. WTF.
Damn mohawk is getting to me.

Fuck them fucking ants.