What to look for in a good exterminator?

[JEDI]

I've tried all kinds of sprays, powders, baits, and liquids over the years, and the ants are still in my kitchen, and upstairs master bathroom.

all of them supposely gets the ant to bring the poison back to the nest to kill the nest. (ie: TERRO)

but after 3 years, i give up and will call a professional.

What to look for in hiring one? what to ask?

If you hired a professional exterminator, who were they, did they kill the nest, and do you recommend them?

 

[Kelemvor]

are they Carpenter ants?

If so, get some of this stuff. It's a miracle how well it works
http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/advance_carpenter_ant_bait.htm

Have to sprinkle it bear where the ants go or where their nest is (if you know) and they take it home and it kills them. We used it and within a coupek day all the ants were gone.

 

[Jikininki]

my office has ants...those huge carpenter ants..what are 100% harmless but annoying. We don't have many...one or two that pop up in random places.

I personally don't mind them..unless it becomes a problem...but all the other ladies can't stand them and yesterday they called in an exterminator. He sprayed some stuff..put some kinda foam thing in the cracks of the windows (we're thinking that's how they get in) and that was that.

I think it's just a little much for a few ants...but I guess better to be safe and get rid of them now than to have an ant attack once summer comes.

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior
are they Carpenter ants?

If so, get some of this stuff. It's a miracle how well it works
http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/advance_carpenter_ant_bait.htm

Have to sprinkle it bear where the ants go or where their nest is (if you know) and they take it home and it kills them. We used it and within a coupek day all the ants were gone.

not carpenter ants.. they're black, but smaller like HERE.

will this work on them?

 

[BatmanNate]

I have the same problem, just regular little black ants. In the kitchen and the bathroom, even when there's no food.

 

[everman]

Window cleaner works if you just need to kill a bunch quickly without poison. But for the long term you need to figure out why they're there.

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: JEDI
I've tried all kinds of sprays, powders, baits, and liquids over the years, and the ants are still in my kitchen, and upstairs master bathroom.

all of them supposely gets the ant to bring the poison back to the nest to kill the nest. (ie: TERRO)

but after 3 years, i give up and will call a professional.

What to look for in hiring one? what to ask?

If you hired a professional exterminator, who were they, did they kill the nest, and do you recommend them?

I would say you should look for an exterminator who doesn't use the same products as you.

 

[nakedfrog]

Big jugs?

(of insecticide, of course)

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: JEDI
I've tried all kinds of sprays, powders, baits, and liquids over the years, and the ants are still in my kitchen, and upstairs master bathroom.

all of them supposely gets the ant to bring the poison back to the nest to kill the nest. (ie: TERRO)

but after 3 years, i give up and will call a professional.

What to look for in hiring one? what to ask?

If you hired a professional exterminator, who were they, did they kill the nest, and do you recommend them?

try the Raid stuff instead.

I had the same problem in my old apt. I had atleast 4 seperate nests. So I bought the raid ant bait and with in 1 month I had no ants at all.

That is the best way.

Either that or fumagate your house. :Q

 

[deftron]

John Goodman

 

[Queasy]

Ortho Home Defense

My wife was out spraying it and we had a Scott's Lawn Care guy come by to do a consultation for fertilizing the yard at our new house (it is a mess) and he said that is the exact same stuff they use.

 

[Baked]

Yeah, I tried the cheap ant baits, and they attracted even more ants. I had to bust out the RAID roach spray. If they come back, I'm gonna buy the RAID baits and give 'em a try.

 

[Jejunum]

BOP. its sold in the carribean, very toxic, very effective.
http://www.bermudagrocer.com/index.php?s=169
http://www.caribpesticides.net/country....ntry_code=jm&tab=name&product_code=536

 

[Eli]

OMGNOES!

Not ants!

Let's surround and fill our home with toxic pesticides because I'm too fscking lazy to quit feeding the ants!

:roll:

Note: This obviously does not apply if they're something like carpenter ants and they're living IN your house. If they're just sugar eating ants, who fscking cares? They aren't dirty, and they go away when you quit feeding them.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Baked
Yeah, I tried the cheap ant baits, and they attracted even more ants. I had to bust out the RAID roach spray. If they come back, I'm gonna buy the RAID baits and give 'em a try.

Yeah, the Raid roach spray (comes in a purple can) works well too. It is good for up to 3 months and then you need to spray again.

 

[dullard]

I don't have experience with exterminators. But I have had ant problems in the past. No matter what I tried, I could only kill the few visible ones. No product ever seemed to kill the nest.

Removing every possible food source didn't help either. I even tried feeding my cats by hand so that their food isn't out. Didn't work.

One thing did work though. Watch the ants. Watch where they go. They go from their nest to your house, and back to their nest. If you watch long enough, you'll see the entrances. Spray the heck out of those entrances with ant spray (inside and outside if you can find both openings). Then plug them up permanently when the spray dries (inside and outside if possible). Any glue-like substance at your local hardware/home improvement store will do the trick. Heck, even silicone works quite well.

No opening = no ants.

 

[thomsbrain]

i spent $5 and bought a tube of chalk and a chalk gun, and went around my house sealing up all the cracks where they get in. that stopped them dead in their tracks for months, and subsequent "jailbreaks" have been few and far between (always followed by plugging the new hole they have found).

i tried baits, too, but they weren't working. i ended up following their trails and it turns out i live on top of a mega-colony with nests that span multiple houses, yards, etc. they have lines going in every direction imaginable, millions of the buggers. there would be no way to bait them to death, because even if you get one nest, there are 100 other nests left over.

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
i spent $5 and bought a tube of chalk and a chalk gun, and went around my house sealing up all the cracks where they get in. that stopped them dead in their tracks for months, and subsequent "jailbreaks" have been few and far between (always followed by plugging the new hole they have found).

i tried baits, too, but they weren't working. i ended up following their trails and it turns out i live on top of a mega-colony with nests that span multiple houses, yards, etc. they have lines going in every direction imaginable, millions of the buggers. there would be no way to bait them to death, because even if you get one nest, there are 100 other nests left over.

you've been shooting chalk at the ants?

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: dullard
I don't have experience with exterminators. But I have had ant problems in the past. No matter what I tried, I could only kill the few visible ones. No product ever seemed to kill the nest.

Removing every possible food source didn't help either. I even tried feeding my cats by hand so that their food isn't out. Didn't work.

One thing did work though. Watch the ants. Watch where they go. They go from their nest to your house, and back to their nest. If you watch long enough, you'll see the entrances. Spray the heck out of those entrances with ant spray (inside and outside if you can find both openings). Then plug them up permanently when the spray dries (inside and outside if possible). Any glue-like substance at your local hardware/home improvement store will do the trick. Heck, even silicone works quite well.

No opening = no ants.

That can be pretty effective with modern houses, yep.

Would be next to impossible in our house, though. The walls are made out of concrete. There are eleventy billion ways they could get in.. lol

There may always be a scout or two around, but they won't invade en masse if they don't find food.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
i spent $5 and bought a tube of chalk and a chalk gun, and went around my house sealing up all the cracks where they get in. that stopped them dead in their tracks for months, and subsequent "jailbreaks" have been few and far between (always followed by plugging the new hole they have found).

i tried baits, too, but they weren't working. i ended up following their trails and it turns out i live on top of a mega-colony with nests that span multiple houses, yards, etc. they have lines going in every direction imaginable, millions of the buggers. there would be no way to bait them to death, because even if you get one nest, there are 100 other nests left over.

LOL @ chalk....

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: Eli
OMGNOES!

Not ants!

Let's surround and fill our home with toxic pesticides because I'm too fscking lazy to quit feeding the ants!

:roll:

Note: This obviously does not apply if they're something like carpenter ants and they're living IN your house. If they're just sugar eating ants, who fscking cares? They aren't dirty, and they go away when you quit feeding them.

yeah, they're living inside my house. they're my master bedroom on the 2nd floor. no idea what the food source could be since i dont eat on the 2nd floor, ever. (i live alone)

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: Queasy
Ortho Home Defense

My wife was out spraying it and we had a Scott's Lawn Care guy come by to do a consultation for fertilizing the yard at our new house (it is a mess) and he said that is the exact same stuff they use.

this doesnt kill the nest. it just kills the ants walking thru the area you spray