I've got ants in the kitchen. I put out the bait traps and spray! Got kids and dogs, any suggestions?

Answer 1

Believe it or not, Windex kills ants. After killing the visible ants in the house, spray a light mist around the area that they are coming in. You just have to remember to refresh the area after shampooing or washing. It really does work.

Answer 2

Ants marching toward the cookie jar;Create a mote around the object by surrounding it with adhesive tape, sticky side up.
Use an aluminum pan filled with water to set the pets dish in to help keep the ants out.
Get the jump on those ants out side by sprinkling Borax in the cracks and around the foundation of your home.Use borax with caution around young children and pets.
Chalk powder can be used to repel ants .
Sprinkle a line of flour along the backs of pantry shelves and wherever you see ants coming into the house, ants won't cross over th line.
Those ants looking for sugar. Give them some pepper instead. Cayenne pepper sprinkled along the backs of counter tops and baseboards, will tell them that there is no sugar ahead.
If you find the ant colony is too close to the house,pour Cayenne pepper down into the ant hole and say so long to ants.

I can not take credit for these ideas. I've got a wonderful book that I bought through Readers Digest in titled Extraordinary Uses for ordinary things.

Hope these help!!!!!!!!1

Answer 3

Clean your kitchen. You can use the killers that you have previously, but a very inexpensive way of killing ants is to use a common cleaner Borax.
Borax sprinkled in the areas where the ants crawl in from the outside of the house, or underneath, under the sink. Places kids and dogs can't reach will kill ants in a very special way-right at the problem, their home.
The ants carry the borax back to their nest for eating, and guess what it kills them.
My grandmother taught me this little trick.
Good Luck!

Answer 4

I used a sealant around the pipes under my sink to block up some of the places the ants come in, and at the suggestion of someone else tried sprinkling coffee grounds around the stove- which seems to be another place they're coming from. I've also found that vinegar on the ant trails is great for repelling the little pests!

Answer 5

The traps and spray should take care of the ants. Make sure your dogs don't get into any ant poisen as it may harm the animal.

Answer 6

There are these circular type ant controls that you can put into the ground around the perimeter of your home and they are a lot safer for pets and kids plus they work great. I wish I could remember what they are called but you could probably find them at Lowes, Menards, Home Depot, etc

p.s. Don't listen to "just me", the answer a few up from mine!

Answer 7

Ants will come inside in search of moisture, and will also follow trails. Wash down all your counter tops and put down ant killer around the foundation of your house outside. If you have a basement look to see if the are traveling through any cracks in the foundation.

Answer 8

i used to have this problem wityh the smal;l black ants. They don't like Lysol multi-purpose cleaner with vinegar. They also will not cross a white chalk line, however they will try to find a way around it. Also try that clear sticky stuff (can't think of it's name), in the pest control dept. @ Walmart, you put a drop on a piece of cardboard and they eat it and carry it back to the nest. Just be ready to have to see them and not kill them, eventually this works, however not fast enough for me.

Answer 9

I bought something for ants at Wal-Mart, Terro-Ant Killer.. YOu place a few drops (really sticky and stays in place) on a peice of cardboard and set it around in your kitchen where you are seeing them. It takes a few days, but they will take it back the their nest and it kills all of them..

Answer 10

I would supplement whatever extermination you are doing with a good thorough cleaning of your kitchen. Many ants are attracted to food, but also moisture. So before you kill them all, take a look at where they seem to be going. They form a "street" and follow very direct paths from their homes to their bounty. So you can clean the areas they point out to you and wipe out whole migrations of them at once, probably with a minimum of chemicals. Maybe just swoop them out with a hot soapy rag.

I have heard that boric acid? around the perimeter of the room helps with insects, not sure which ones, and not sure whether it kills them or repels them. You will eventually want to KEEP them away so this doesn't happen again.

But I really think that your problem is rooted in the availability of food. Get your dry goods in plastic containers with good airtight seals, labelled with the contents, tape instructions for use on the side, and get large enough containers to keep not only the size you buy but the amount on hand when you replace it...so you don't have a new one standing by to get in its new home or dibs and dabs of products that don't fit after a refill. Cereal keepers are in use in my home for alllllll my stuff like this, I use them instead of canisters. They are sleek and space saving. I can get a measuring cup in to scoop, take the lid off to refill, or pour. You can stack similar smaller amounts in the same container using ziplock bags as a divider. I put spaghetti directly in the keeper, and then fettucini in a gallon ziplock (doesn't close but no big deal) and propped it up beside the spaghetti. I also used one to pile other kinds of noodles in quart bags (a nice meal size portion for the avg family). I put coffee, tea bags, sugar, flour, pancake mix, dry beans/lentils, and rice in them. They are all out on the counter with hardly any workspace lost and that is super handy. Of course, they are ideal for cereal. Cereal keepers are very versatile and 3 dollars each for the cheapos at Walmart.

As you clean, use hot soapy water on whatever surfaces you can, this is a really safe alternative to dangerous bug sprays with kids and pets. Make sure to get the following areas: under the stove and along the sides, you will have to slide it out. Under the fridge. All cabinet shelving where food is stored, as well as vegetable bins, fruit bowl on the counter, near the toaster, etc. Spices don't usually attract bugs but you can check things like cake decorating supplies (sprinkles and colored sugars, icings, etc) and make sure cookie cutters and piping bags are clean, and put vanilla/other extracts and syrups, peanut butter, baked goods in the fridge. Clean around and underneath the microwave. And check under the kitchen sink for any drips, because ants also like water.