Ants (Orange, Burlingame, Easton: apartment, house, neighborhood)

[saimamom]

My husband, 3 kids and I live in a leaky, 91 year old house in Burlingame. We've been here for one year and find that there's no insulation and much of the house is still original. A large number of homes in our neighborhood, Easton Addition, are in a near original state like ours. So we noticed pretty early on that we had some ants in the house. The problem becomes most apparent in the winter months when it's rainy. I once left a plate of cookies on a table overnight and the next morning I couldn't believe my eyes. A trail of ants marched thirty feet over to the table and covered the entire plate.

So since that first incident, I've been really diligent about never leaving any food or crumbs out. But with 3 kids, it's really hard. We're currently working with an architect and hope to completely rebuild our house. I want to use eco-friendly elements and tons of insulation. So my question is... Is it possible to build a tightly sealed house that won't allow ants in? Burlingame seems to be so overpopulated with them.

It must be something to do with the mild climate, the soil, the abundance of trees and plants. But this ant thing is ridiculous!

[artemis78]

It's definitely a challenge---I've lived in well-insulated, rehabbed places that still had the same ant problems come springtime. (Ironically our leaky old East Bay house hasn't had any problems in the two springs we've been here....knock on wood!) We do have big problems at my office anywhere there's moisture seeping in during the rainy season---not sure why that's a trigger, but the ants are a good cue that we need to look for leaks. Ants are very seasonal around here, though---you'll find that they'll ease off over the summer/fall months but will be back in action when the rains start next year.

Here's what I've found works as a quick fix, though: try treating the areas where ants are entering the house (stairs, doors, along the foundation, etc.) with deterrents. I use OrangeGuard near our garage, since it's a natural product safe for kids/pets/etc. We've also used baby powder fairly effectively (and I've heard people suggest everything from spices to Borax---so possibly it's just a matter of disrupting the path of travel). It doesn't completely stop them, but it definitely helps, and the combo of that + religious cleanup may be enough to get you through. Good luck!

[Roccaluma]

Yes these ants are geniusses. They have their foragers out everywhere. I have three places to put my drink down, they know my three areas. So I note which is their active area, and put my drink in another spot. I still have to watch the drink, in 20 minutes they can organize their freeway of ants to my drink and cover it. Try picking up a drink late at night when the lights are low and getting a mouth full of ants. And they stink, they leave some kind of scent trail . A weird thing is that they seem to gorge on the tea or pepsi that I leave out and sit there deadlike at the fluid level. Then for some reason a good amount of them seem to fall into the liquid and drown. People beware of the California little black ants.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Ah, screw being green. What do we do? We go for the foggers in the 1/2 basement / crawlspace every so often. Keeps them ants at bay quite well.

[sfpycroft]

Agree, we have an ant problem as well. I'm super anal about everything going in tupperwares, ziplock baggies, and containers. So far seems to be working a treat, we have to put out ant steaks about twice a year now, because for some reason they still come but not into the kitchen?! I have no idea what they are after but whatever. We live in an apartment and I'm sure not all the tenants are as anal as us. Good luck! Anyone have any ideas about silverfish? I hate those little freaks!

[coolbay]

I have seen ants (black) not only in my house but in yard also. I was wondering why plants were not growing. Later I figured, ants have eaten their roots and all surrounded by them. I have the ant spray and use it. But I hate the smell of it!! Now, I do not see them since couple of weeks. But They may come back soon ;-(

[ANC]

There's no way to 100% prevent every ant from getting in. But a good contractor should be able to help you figure out the best choices for your particular home.