Ants in Maine in February! (Hope, Wayne: house, contractor, living in)

[lovemaine]

Is anyone else having an issue with ants already? Seems awfully early in the season, but we're finding them in the kitchen and bathroom daily. Also, can anyone recommend a treatment that's environmentally friendly? We have kids and pets, so I want to keep it as safe as possible. Thanks! (I don't know if I should have posted this in the House forum?!)

[reloop]

Call a contractor post haste. Chances are they are living in the woodwork.

Ours were dwelling beneath our atrium door (which was leaking and beginning to rot). They were also termite ants. They make one heck of a mess.

It's worth checking out to be sure.

[RANGER.101ST]

nope no problem with ants yet still to cold for them they are still in florida with the uncles.

[Fern435]

Hi lovemaine--

My husband has been successful with a boric acid/sugar mixture. The ants take it back to their group and eat it, then they all die.

We have dogs and kids too, and did not have a problem with it. But perhaps you can try blocking your pets from access to that area while you try it out.

Hope it works!

[lovemaine]

Originally Posted by Fern435

Hi lovemaine--

My husband has been successful with a boric acid/sugar mixture. The ants take it back to their group and eat it, then they all die.

We have dogs and kids too, and did not have a problem with it. But perhaps you can try blocking your pets from access to that area while you try it out.

Hope it works!

Thanks, Fern! I appreciate the info. Do you happen to have the recipe for the mixture? I'd like to try it before I call in a professional...

[Fern435]

I will ask my husband for specifics (like the ratio of sugar to boric acid) when he gets home. You may find guidelines here on city data or online, but the general idea is to not use so much boric acid that the ants die *before* they get the goods back to their nest to kill the rest of the ants.

For those (like me) who have never purchased boric acid before, we found a big vitamin-like container of it in Rite Aid. It may have cost around $14.

I should mention Maine somewhere in this post...

Did not expect ants to be active in Maine in February. Are they smaller black ants?

[gcberry]

we like Terro liquid ant killer. You put a drop of it on a piece of cardboard. Pets never bother it. The ants like it and take it back to their colony, which kills the colony at the source. You an get it at Home Depot, I believe.

[msina]

The Terro works well.You can get the boric acid at Family Dollar for about $4 for a large container. When we moved here there were ants. We put boric acid into every crevice both inside and outside. We also sprayed the whole exterior of the house with Spectracide. We haven't seen an ant or spider since.

[RMoore007]

They're all over my computer screen. How about yours?






They could be the seasonal Valentines Day ants too. Just a guess.



For real, I haven't seen one 'live' ant in months. Spiders yes.

[msina]

Oh my Goodness!! RMoore you sure come up with some good ones!