I have so many ant hills on both my front and back lawn that you can't even walk on it without getting them on you. When I mowed for the first time, I just bought the home, I was slicing off the tops of dozens of ant hills.
How do I A) get rid of the ants. I tried the cornmeal but it doesnt seem to be working.
B) How do I get the lawn to be flat again?
C) I have a puppy and a young son so I am concerned about chemicals.
The person with the best answer gets to come over to my place and prove themselves right! : )
2007-06-23 08:14:40 · 8 answers · asked by calgaryjenhere 4 in Home & Garden ➔ Other - Home & Garden
Hello, looks like I missed some important info. First off, I live in Alberta, Canada. Secondly, no I didn't walk on the grass because there was none, at that point it was still snow covered. ; )
2007-06-23 08:58:33 · update #1
Boiling water is a magnificent anti-ant solution. Just keep on pouring the kettle until the lawn is covered in dead ants, then wait for 15 mins...ants will start coming out of the ground to pick up the dead ones...then you start again, then wait again. It's not a long-term solution, but it does get you a few days peace, it's not dangerous to pets or children and it's VERY satisfying.
Inside the house, RAID spray works really well and they have instructions on the can about how to do it if you have animals or kids.
2007-06-23 08:20:30 · answer #1 · answered by rosbif 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi we have the same problem.
Here is what someone gave us
1/2 borax (you can buy this usually at craft or bulk stores, call around)
& 1/2 icing sugar
mix it up & sprinkle it all over the area where the ants are.
Apparently they will bust once they eat it which is a good way to take out the little buggers.
Borax can also be purchased in the laundry aisle too at the grocery store (I suppose it would depend on the store).
You can also DIG them up and pour this mix down inside the hole.
OR you can move your kid & dog out to a relative's for the weekend & wear protective gear & then get a heavy chemical product called Ant Be-Gone & mix it up & then attack the ants.
If it rains you'll have to do it again but try to pick a time when there are 1 to 2 days of nice weather.
I'm personally going to try the raid foam that has been advertised to see if it works & as well, the condo ppl did the chemical burn idea to the ant hill that was outside our fence.
It worked but I think the rest of what didn't die, camped itself out into our patio as we have a bunch more ants, more than we had last summer since they did the chemical burn.
2007-06-23 08:21:35 · answer #2 · answered by belligerent assistant 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Wow, sound gross! You didn't walk on the lawn before the purchase?
Well I would have to call in the big guns, cause this is important to your son and dog. Call a landscaper 1st, they should have some solutions, they may need you to call an exterminator as well. But the Landscaper will know the best way to fix BOTH your problems, the ants and ant hills.
Ants will soon be in the house, if not already... use vinegar around the door and window sills to keep them out... they hate that stuff!
2007-06-23 08:20:26 · answer #3 · answered by Maeflower 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try cayenne pepper or instant coffee. Natural ways to rid your yard of ants. Sprinkle pepper or coffee in mound. You can use pepper as a deterent by making a line they will not cross into your home.
In a dry environment, put down dry grits. The ants eat the grits, drink something or get wet and then they swell up and explode!! They also drag them into the nest with similar results.
This is what has worked for me.
2007-06-23 08:37:04 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are baits that you sprinkle around the hills. The ants take the bait back to the queen and once she's dead the hill dies. I've found this to be the most effective way to rid your yard of fire ants. You should be able to find this at Home Depot or Lowes, etc.
2007-06-23 08:27:28 · answer #5 · answered by barry c 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure what part of the country you live in. But if you're in an area where you can get grits, I've been told that kills them. If that doesn't work, last year my husband got frustrated and started dousing them with gas and setting fire to them. Believe it or not, it worked really well and we were ant-free for about a month.
2007-06-23 08:18:45 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You watch too many 1980's sci-fi/horror flicks. i could think of that the eggs could be disolved via abdomen acids and different digestive fluids until now hatching, purely like another foodstuff you're able to devour. whether they did hatch, the ants could be disolved in addition, without destructive outcomes to you, in besides. So, i would not situation approximately that nasty ant egg-sack that your friends pranked you into ingesting. you would be advantageous. In all honesty, you're able to probable get greater foodstuff out of ants than a bag of Cheese Doodles besides; organic protein and no synthetic/processed junk in them. Bon urge for foodstuff.
2016-12-08 17:24:57 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lots of info in link, Good luck!
2007-06-23 08:22:02 · answer #8 · answered by lamplight03 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋