Ants vs Borax

lilesk

Steve_xx wrote: »

Leave them alone. What harm are they doing to you? Why is it that people are obsessed with killing creatures that go about their business without causing any real or lasting harm to humans? Why not put a pot of jam outside and then they'll go in there instead of the house, maybe.

These tiny creatures are part of an ecosystem that is not meant to be interfered with en-masse in the ways that have been described here.

You have obviously not been unluckly enough to have a serious ant problem. If you had, you wouldn't be judging people the way you are.
2 yeas ago, my lawn was flat all over. Since then I've got around 10-20 large ant hills. Some are about 3 feet in diameter and 6" tall. They are so solid they can't be stamped down flat. Finding dozens of ants everyday in your house, kitchen work sufaces etc.. running round freely is not much fun either.
I've got no problem with ants in moderation, but they are taking over.

By your reasoning, if you had dozens of mice in your house, chewing through wires and eating your food, you would leave them alone as they are not "causing any real or lasting harm to humans?"

shammyjack

Right folks, anyone with ant problems dig up the nests put in a sealed bin and take them round to Steve_xx 's house for him to cherish !

shammy

hannah2008

I'm having so many problems with ants and have been since we moved into this house 4 years ago, the council pest control comes out every year to look, spray & advise me what to do, but it never works!!! every year around this time I find myself searching the same thing online, yet nothing seems to work from there either! they gather themselves on the windowsill & seem to get killed off, hoovered up & a new bundle are back the next day.

Over my daughters toys, all over the cream curtains, it's just disgusting! Makes me feel sick!

For those Ant'Fans out there... I don't mind them if they are in my garden but when they start coming into my house that's when the line is crossed!

It's that bad my partner and I have talked about moving out of this house, SERIOUSLY.

Startless

I had noticed for about 4-5 days that ants are becoming increasingly common. My parents had given me some Borax and after killing 6 ants yesterday I put down a mixture of 1 teaspoon Borax and 1 teaspoon sugar on a plastic container lid. I woke up this morning to find 8 on the lid. I thought they were dead (I worried that the mixture was too strong) and when I left for a minute and came back they were all gone. I can keep going into the kitchen and every time I do there is a different count and I try to watch them leave but they all seem to go in different spots...I have since put down two more lids containing same mixture in other areas of the kitchen and there is no action on them. If indeed the mixture is not strong enough how long will it take to get rid of the ants? I have not been able to locate where they are getting in? I have seen one disappear between a seam on the wall behind my cubbard and I am not quite ready to pull my cubbards from the wall to maybe locate a nest...

System

I spent a lot of my life in Australia, where the ant action is significantly greater than here in the UK. The inventions around for tackling the ant problem are often laughable.

In response to the baby powder, yes I was amazed just how well talcum powder works. For some reason they really do not like walking through it. As such, a moderate method of repelling them...until it rains of course, which NEVER happens here in the UK, right?? :rotfl:

Many here have mentioned borax and sugar, well interestingly, one of the main treatments for ants I used in Australia was a product called ANT-RID. Ant rid is a commercial product, essentially consisting of borax and honey. Further to again already stated, this generally only affects ants which crave sugary foods, such as what is found all over kitchen benches once the kids have finished doing anything!!

My Ant problem here in the UK is pretty much the same as everyone else s, mounds in the lawn, and as many have suggested, I found the best method is to go out and rake before you mow.

I really doubt my ant hills will ever go away, and in essence the ants are doing me no harm, just a little more garden maintenance that's all. All that means is that its another fifteen minutes before I can sit down to...:beer:

Hope this helps a little

Cheers

A.Penny.Saved

An idea that interested me was using bakers yeast and sugar. There are a few different versions of this, some with other ingredients.

I don't know whether it is effective but I might give it a try if I can find some cheap yeast.

SailorSam

If the ants nest is only outside i just keep pouring boiling water onto them