Please some one.. I have ants there are coming in my apt bathroom.. and killed 2 black widows last week.. I have a cat that is my best friend forever.. so I need something that she wont get on her paws and poison her... please I have fear of bugs as it is so I would apprcieate any natural ways to keep bugs out of hourse...
2006-12-13 05:58:30 · 9 answers · asked by Kat (with wisdom under her hat) 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
my main concern is my cat. she is a very healthy 14 year old cat from kauai.. plus I get a little phobic. baby powder, sounds like a good thing to try.. I have to be sure my cat wont get sick from what ever I use please help ty :)
2006-12-13 06:37:43 · update #1
For the ants you can use the spice cinnamon...I know it sounds crazy, but my grandma used it outside in front of all the doors and window seals. Never saw any ants at grandmas house! For black widows...I'm not to sure about???
2006-12-13 06:36:51 · answer #1 · answered by CJ 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well black widows, as nasty as the bite may be, are pretty common and very reclusive. They tend to be in dark and obscure places (basements, garages, etc..) and, to be honest, you are unlikely to be able to get rid of them. On the positive side, you have prob. had them forever and simply not know about it. They survive by eating a LOT of other insects that you would normally consider as worse pests. Their bite is poisonous but I would simply be cautious and otherwise accept them as a fact of life. A quick google shows that there are very few deaths attributed to their bite in the US. The Brown Recluse is a much nastier critter.
Ants.. much easier to deal with.
THere are three ways. Use depends on your philosophy and if you have small kids
1) Active poisons (you spray it on them and their trail)
Ortho makes an excellent home & garden spray. I've used that once a year and it works. (My third eye and the red rash and swelling are almost gone now too - grin). Kidding aside, I have used it, even in the kitchen, with excellent one-shot results.
2) Passive poisons (bait tins). These seem to work, but they are slow. The ants have to find it... take it home... and keep sharing it for it to be effective. Sometimes they decide to skip the bait.
3) Non Toxic stuff... ants do not like a lot of things that are safe and harmeless (someone mentioned boric acid.. ) to humans. Again.. google should give you some excellent leads.
4) obvious things : Move or seal all open food sources. Ants tend to follow the food - especially in wet weather. If you make it easy they will stay.
Although I don't think that the spiders eat the ants (ants have a defensive acid) who knows. Get rid of the ants and maybe the spiders will leave.
good luck
g
2006-12-13 06:30:12 · answer #2 · answered by ca_surveyor 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Believe it or not I heard that if you put some baby powder outside your door and around the house where they are coming in, the ants that is, they will stay away. Black widows I would get some good spray to get them killed off and then keep the webs out of the way much as possible. The spray will not hurt your pet if you keep it up where it can't get to it and soon as it dries will be fine even if it did get to it.
2006-12-13 06:07:58 · answer #3 · answered by ramall1to 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my mom has a cat and had the same problem with ants..they were awefull...first wash your floors(every day or 2)...than go to a local hardware store or anywwhere that sells bug stuff...and get ant traps..there is also this spray that u can put on walls(at the basebored)spray in any room u find a fair amount of aunts in..withen 24 hours you will c a diff...it has a raunchy oder to it..but its worth it..try to keep ur cat out of the bathroom when u spray it..keep the door shut n window open..if there is no window than put a fan in there to emilinate the smell. using the sprqay on top of the aunt traps should help ur problem!
good luck..hope i helped!
2006-12-13 08:34:02 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I have used cinnamon and I worked really good. I heard its burns the ants feet or something. But what ever, the ants do not like it at all and stay away from any area that have cinnamon. The down side, your cat might lick the spots where you sprinkle.
2006-12-13 07:06:59 · answer #5 · answered by unity 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Boric acid will not harm your cat. It is just as dangerous/safe as table salt if ingested in small quantities. Sprinkle it along baseboards and under sinks and anywhere else the ants will go. The cat will most likely not even get near where it is placed and less likely get any on it's paws.
2006-12-13 16:12:26 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Contact your landlords. They are responsible for spraying or treating for bugs but in the mean time you can put bay leaves near the ant trails to repel them, not sure why it works but I have used this in areas where my dogs and grandkids have access. I use whole bay leaves that you can buy in the spice section at the grocery.
2006-12-13 06:07:52 · answer #7 · answered by sw-in-gardener 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Um i would call pest control, Black Widows are very poisonous, not good if they bite you!
2006-12-13 06:01:38 · answer #8 · answered by jillybean 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hair spray, on the spot. not sure if it's good for the cat, but I'm sure it won't hurt it. hairspray around windows, doorways, and around baseboards.
2006-12-13 14:56:41 · answer #9 · answered by audri 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋