Attack of the creepy crawlies
I have ants in my plants. I also have ants in the bathroom, the
cat dish, the kitchen counter, the fruit bowl and the spare candy
dish by the TV.
When it is cold and wet, ants come indoors. Of course, it could
be warm and sunny and they will come indoors, too. But cold sends
these little creatures scurrying for warmth, water and, of course,
a sticky surface.
Attack of the creepy crawlies
I have ants in my plants. I also have ants in the bathroom, the cat dish, the kitchen counter, the fruit bowl and the spare candy dish by the TV.
When it is cold and wet, ants come indoors. Of course, it could be warm and sunny and they will come indoors, too. But cold sends these little creatures scurrying for warmth, water and, of course, a sticky surface.
The ants that drive us crazy in California are actually Argentina ants. They are pests, but they are also necessary outdoors as they aerate the soil and recycle dead animal and vegetable materials.
The key word there is “out” – as in “keep them outdoors.”
But when they come in, here’s what to do, according to an educational fact sheet on less-toxic pest management from “Our Water Our World.”
– Find what ants are after (usually left-over food) and where they are entering the room (usually through a crack in the wall). Mark it so you can find it again.
My ants are nervy. They come in through the back door. That is, they troop in over the low doorjam, detour behind the refrigerator, and head straight for the kitchen counter where they find whatever the scout ants have alerted them to.
– Don’t remove the food until you do Step 3, otherwise the ants will scatter. They are easier to kill in a line.
– Clean up lines of ants with a vacuum. Just suck them up. Or, spray the trail with soapy water and wipe them up with a sponge. Soapy water removes the chemical trail the ants follow.
Besides soapy water, most kitchen cleaners will work fine. Comet cleanser, sudsy ammonia or Simply Green are effective. Spinkling the area with ground cinnamon is reputed to be a home remedy, but I’ve found that a messy solution.
Also, it is said that ants will not cross a sprinkling of sugar, but just one drop of water would turn that into a sticky solution. You would have more ants and all their relatives arrive for a snack. Stick with the Comet.
– Block entry ports with a smear of petroleum jelly or a piece of duct tape. Use silicone caulk to permanently close cracks in the wall along molding and baseboards, and in gaps between pipes and ducts.
– If you can’t find the entry spot, then follow the ant line back as far as possible. Then place ant bait on the line the ants have been following.
Always remove the bait station when the line of ants disappear so you don’t attract more ants into the house. Besides coming in the back door, my ants often crawl in through a crack in the windowsill. So, ant bait goes in those two spots.
– If ants are nesting in a potted plant, move the plant outdoors. Water it thoroughly and set it in a bucket filled with water that comes to an inch below the brim of the pot.
Using a stick, make a bridge for the ants to get out of the pot and bucket without drowning in the water. The ants will soon start carrying their white-colored young to safety. When no more ants escape, drain the pot and carry it back in the house.
This actually works and I’ve de-anted plants a number of times. It would make an interesting school science project if one could figure out how to avoid infesting the school with ants.
So, what is ant bait? The bait contains a pesticide plus a food source that appeals to ants. These baits are widely available at hardware and garden supply stores. Look for baits that contain boric acid, hydramethylnon, fipronil or arsenic as an active ingredient. The ants will carry the bait back to the nest to share with their nest mates. So, the entire nest meets its end.
Don’t spray insecticide around the bait. This will repel the ants.
As always with pesticides, read the instructions and follow them exactly as stated.
What about ants in the pet dish? Put the pet dish in a soapy moat. Partially fill a wide shallow container with soapy water and put the pet dish in the center of the water.
E-mail Joan Jackson at
bl*********@cs.com
.
