Is there a way to get rid of ants in a grass yard without using poison?

Question

I have two cats that go outside and sometimes try to eat the grass.

The grass sprinkler is on a daily timer and if I go out barefoot they love to bite.

Answer 1

How do you get rid of ants out of your yard? I have tried various things and have discovered that ant "killer" is really ant "mover"!"

Dehydrate Them
You can sprinkle diatomaceous earth around and in the ant beds. You can get it at swimming pool places and it is harmless to humans and pets. It dehydrates and kills the ants.


Sweet Surrender
I found the best and cheapest way to get rid of ants is to mix equal parts sugar and borax. I put it in little "stations" all around the yard (be sure to replace if it rains) in baby food jar lids. The ants carry the sugar back to the hill, and the borax clinging to the sugar does the rest. After about a week or two, no more ants!


Hot Water
I just watched a Discovery Channel show that says that using all the chemicals for ants and fire ants is a waste of $$$$$$. They are best removed by pouring boiling HOT WATER on the mounds. And best if done in the a.m. as they are high in the mound at that time.

Commercial Preparation
I also have a lot of ants in my yard at times. I use a product called Amdro. It doesn't move the ants or make hard mounds in my yard like the products we used in the past. Instead this product is taken by the worker ants to the queen, where she dies and then the mound dies. It also really works!

I hope one of these solutions will work for you, AND they are also safe for your cats!

Answer 2

A Tabacco product called"Bruton's Snuff" Ants hate it for some reason?I didn,t beleive this myself until My kitchen was being invaded by these pest..But it does Work! I put a pinch of sugar mixed in with it and put in little water proof containers like what butter comes in and put them all around inside and out within days I noticed a the ants running away~and it won,t hurt your pets! ~ borax is good as mentioned -it would taste like soap~your cats won,t eat it i promise~

Answer 3

Instant rice or self rising cornmeal. Sprinkle on and around the mounds. These are expanding materials when wet (the ants eat it) thus killing the queen and mound. Corn meal is really inexpensive and will not hurt the cats. As having a daily sprinkler on, you will have to apply several times to really do the job.

Answer 4

Well I would suggest using gasoline on the lawn but make sure that your cats won't want to do anything outside. Cats do not like the smell of gas, so it is safe to use but do so sparingly because of the likeliness for ignition. Ants die instantly from the gas but you want to make sure you get the main ant hill and kill the queen and the eggs, so there will be no reproduction.

Answer 5

I have had some luck with using corn meal. I had a stump that fire ants had built a home in and I discovered this only after being bitten in about a dozen places on my arm. I had read that corn meal would get rid of them so I tried it and it did get rid of them. They say that they eat it but can't digest it.

Answer 6

If you can locate the ant hill - pour boiling water into it in the evening after the ants have gone to bed.

Answer 7

I have heard that a mixture of water and borax (found in the grocery store in the laundry aisle) will kill ants however I am not certain if it has any effect on animals.

Answer 8

I have used gasoline with good results too, just pour it down their ant hill and cover it with a bucket or something. Your cats will not go near it.

Answer 9

You can get rid of ants by using pest control.

Answer 10

Marigolds are a natural repellent. Ants don't like the smell. Also there's a host of all natural pest killers that are safe for animals and people.

http://www.ecosafetyproducts.com/Natural-Pest-Control-IPM-s/8.htm?gclid=CO3QjbyP-ooCFRkeYAodPAt9nw