Need an effective method of getting rid of ants.

[FuzzyDunlop]

I have been trying for the past few months to get rid of ants that have nests along the wall of a building I own. I have tried just Raiding the area everyday [fail] , also an oil based spray thats not supposed to wash away [fail], as well as various ant powders and traps and what not [fail, fail, fail]. Even with my constant attack they seem to be spreading. Anyone know a good solution to getting at them?
Im a bit worried because they are digging underneath some concrete pads and I dont want them to weaken the ground underneath.

Regular black ants. about 2mm in length.

 

[blackdogdeek]

terro

it might take a while but we've had the best success with it. it's also so satisfying to see them all gathered around eating the poison.

 

[Patranus]

cinnamon

 

[moshquerade]

terro

it might take a while but we've had the best success with it. it's also so satisfying to see them all gathered around eating the poison.

Terro is the answer. There is no other. It is always effective.

 

[rivan]

We get trails of them into the house every spring.

When I see them, we bait inside and out with both ortho and terro products. Here's what I use outside: http://www.terro.com/products.php?product=outdoor_ant_bait
and http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp?proId=prod70030&itemId=cat50088
Usually within an hour or two of putting the bait/poison out, it'll be a feeding frenzy at the terro placements. I apply the ortho granules only once. Within a week or two, re-terroing every few days (the ones I linked last a little longer but the inside stuff dries up), we get no more inside.

Your problem sounds like it's a far larger scale.

Edit: I see others mentioning Terro, and while it's great on it's own, I've found I have to use it all summer and it never totally stops my ants. Using both works like a charm for me.

 

[krylon]

Clean your house

 

[nick1985]

This works well:

 

[spidey07]

I use the ortho spray barrier and killer on the outside along the house and any doors or openings. It's worked great. No more ants.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Edit: I see others mentioning Terro, and while it's great on it's own, I've found I have to use it all summer and it never totally stops my ants. Using both works like a charm for me.

for us it usually stops the ants in a particular location. if we subsequently get ants again, it's usually in a different location which i usually take to mean it's a different nest.

 

[waggy]

Terro is the answer. There is no other. It is always effective.

i agree. the stuff is amazing.

we have ants every summer and i get some terro and put it down. then after a few days i don't see ants anymore!

 

[Dumac]

I've had success for baking powder, but that is more for indoor invasions/breaking supply lines/guarding choke points.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

awesome... going omw to walmart now.
We have pavement ants...
http://www.terro.com/guide-ants.php
supposedly they are easier to kill... cant wait to watch them chow down this stuff!

 

[waggy]

We get trails of them into the house every spring.

When I see them, we bait inside and out with both ortho and terro products. Here's what I use outside: http://www.terro.com/products.php?product=outdoor_ant_bait
and http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp?proId=prod70030&itemId=cat50088
Usually within an hour or two of putting the bait/poison out, it'll be a feeding frenzy at the terro placements. I apply the ortho granules only once. Within a week or two, re-terroing every few days (the ones I linked last a little longer but the inside stuff dries up), we get no more inside.

Your problem sounds like it's a far larger scale.

Edit: I see others mentioning Terro, and while it's great on it's own, I've found I have to use it all summer and it never totally stops my ants. Using both works like a charm for me.

thanks ravin. great post.

the Terro only works for a while t hen the ants come back a few weeks latter in the same spot.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

This works well:

Actually it doesn't.

 

[ussfletcher]

Diatomaceous Earth



Amazing stuff... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

It basically cuts up their exoskeleton when they walk over/through it and kills them. It is completely safe for humans and pets. In fact you can ingest it to kill parasites and brush it through pet fur to kill fleas. Its basically sand.

 

[apac]

We used to pour boiling water on the ant hills. Seemed to get rid of them for a while. I always envisioned it being kind of like the scene in The Rock where they drop explosives in the sewer tunnels.

 

[BTA]

Have a pest control company come out and spray.

 

[nick1985]

Actually it doesn't.

It works great. I do it all the time

 

[John P]

Go find spiders, spiders set webs, ants get trapped, spiders eat ants.

You might need lots of spiders but this should work.

 

[Genx87]

Napalm

 

[Platypus]

get yourself an anteater

 

[acheron]

get yourself an anteater

but then what if the anteater reproduces, then he'll have a house full of anteaters.

 

[krylon]

 

[daw123]

Actually it doesn't.

It does provided the ants are concentrated in an area. I killed thousands of the little buggers in my parents old house by dowsing an ant hill near our house with petrol and setting it on fire.

 

[Platypus]

but then what if the anteater reproduces, then he'll have a house full of anteaters.

more helpers.