Ant problems

[YellowBolt]

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?

[Brigliadore]

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.

[YellowBolt]

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

[BrianR]

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

[Brigliadore]

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.

[Brigliadore]

Originally posted by BrianR
It's called 20 Mule Team Borax. I bought mine at my local grocery store. Wal-Mart stocks it too.

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.

[Happy Monkey]

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

[xoxoxoBruce]

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.

[Elspode]

Originally posted by Happy Monkey
Read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman for several unique solutions.

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

[wolf]

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.

[smoothmoniker]

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

[xoxoxoBruce]

Does the thingy really work?

[YellowBolt]

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.

[smoothmoniker]

Originally posted by xoxoxoBruce
Does the thingy really work?

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

Originally posted by Brigliadore
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.

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.