How to get rid of ants

Daox · 05-18-09, 01:02 PM

Just the other day I was sitting down with the wife watching a show on TV. All of a sudden I felt a small tickle on my hand. I look down to see a small ant crawling up it. So, today I found a nice list of green options for getting rid of ants. Hope it helps you guys out.

Howstuffworks "How to Get Rid of Ants"

If you have any other tricks, please share!

Hugh Jim Bissel · 05-20-09, 12:02 AM

Here in Texas we have fire ants which make mounds out in the yard. I recall my mom would pour boiling water on the mounds to kill them.

There was also one morning when we woke up and there were ants ALL OVER the kitchen counters... someone grabbed a rolling pin and started rolling!

insaneintenti0n · 05-20-09, 08:31 AM

we use a pest control service. the guy told me that this year is already looking horrible for ants. i've had em in my kitchen so far this year. but the yard is really bad. they've been all over.

PaleMelanesian · 05-21-09, 11:58 AM

Also in Texas. Fire ants are of the Devil, for sure! I use Amdro on them - it's a bait that makes them infertile and kills the queen. Since it's a bait, they do the hard work and carry it into the mound for you, so the chemical content can be much smaller. Except for these beasts, my garden would be organic.

wyatt · 05-21-09, 02:15 PM

I told my wife and neighbor about the "boiling water" idea, they both liked the idea... I think I will give it a try!

basjoos · 05-21-09, 05:28 PM

I heard about a variation on the boiling water method used by a guy at a foundry to get rid of mounds near his foundry. He would pour molten bronze onto a fire ant mound, where the bronze would fill the galleries in the mound, then when he would wash away the sand and end up with an intricate abstract sculpture.

As far as myself, I control fire ants on my property, sans pesticides, by going around on sunny winter afternoons when the temps are in the 50's and it is expected to freeze that night. At this time the entire colony will be clustered inside the upper southwest portion of the mound enjoying the warmth of the late afternoon sun. I'll take a shovel and scatter the mound downwind as far as I can throw them. Unlike many of our native ants that can tolerate below freezing temps, fire ants are killed by below freezing temps (the entire colony evacuates underground below the frost line as soon as the mound falls into shadow when the sun sets), so any ants that can't get back underground by nightfall are killed by the frost. If you time it right, you can get rid of 95% of the colony with 20 seconds of shovel work. If you do it too early, some of the ants can find their way back to the nest before the sun sets, if you do it too late, part of the colony will already have evacuated down deep underground and out of reach unless you want to start digging a hole to reach them. This method has been very effective for controlling fire ants in my pastures.

Sandcruiser · 06-02-09, 01:12 PM

boric acid works nicely. I won't debate the organic-ness of it, but it is a naturally occurring salt.

regardless, I mix a little with sugar and water, to make a honey-like paste, which dribble in their pathway. It can take as long as a week, but seems to knock them back very effectively.

if I see a mound outside, I'll pour a Tbl of boric acid powder directly into the hive.

they eat it/move it out of the way and eventually die from exposure to it- at which point the other ants efficiently recycle the dead ants, which introduces the boric acid to the rest of the colony.

Seems to work slowly, but effectively and isn't poisonous to humans/pets unless you get mega-dosages.

I've also read that used coffee grounds will deter ants. Packing them around the base of plants/trees naturally fertilizes and also repels pests. Double bonus!

Doofus McFancypants · 06-09-09, 01:33 PM

we have pest service.
he mentioned that (( yes i know what you are going to say here)) Windex works to mess up there chemical trail. if you see them inside - you can spray the area with windex... also if you can find how they are getting in from the outside - hose that as well with Windex.

I would prefer GREEN options -- but Fire Ants are my personal exception.. if needed i would Scorched Earth the yard if we had that bad of an Infestation of them..
stayiing on top of them has kept them at bay.
Steve

wyatt · 08-27-09, 01:17 AM

Well, it took a while, but I finally tried the boiling water method. I didn't take much time to prep, I more or less just poured about a gallon water over the relatively small nest. It killed them all! It also killed the grass that it touched, so that's something to think about also... had the ants been allowed to keep growing, they would have killed the grass anyway, so it's really a wash. I think to improve the effectiveness, I would stir up the nest good to get the ants to boil to the surface and then douse them good. I think this way a larger nest could be taken out with a similar amount of water.

Daox · 08-27-09, 08:55 AM

I have large nest that is growing RIGHT on the side of a tree. Any ideas for that?

I'm thinking may be the cayenne pepper and cinnamon idea from the article, or the lemon juice/rinds.

05-18-09, 01:02 PM	#1
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	How to get rid of ants Just the other day I was sitting down with the wife watching a show on TV. All of a sudden I felt a small tickle on my hand. I look down to see a small ant crawling up it. So, today I found a nice list of green options for getting rid of ants. Hope it helps you guys out. Howstuffworks "How to Get Rid of Ants" If you have any other tricks, please share! Last edited by Daox; 05-18-09 at 01:05 PM..

05-21-09, 05:28 PM	#6
basjoos Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 75 Thanks: 0 Thanked 10 Times in 7 Posts	I heard about a variation on the boiling water method used by a guy at a foundry to get rid of mounds near his foundry. He would pour molten bronze onto a fire ant mound, where the bronze would fill the galleries in the mound, then when he would wash away the sand and end up with an intricate abstract sculpture. As far as myself, I control fire ants on my property, sans pesticides, by going around on sunny winter afternoons when the temps are in the 50's and it is expected to freeze that night. At this time the entire colony will be clustered inside the upper southwest portion of the mound enjoying the warmth of the late afternoon sun. I'll take a shovel and scatter the mound downwind as far as I can throw them. Unlike many of our native ants that can tolerate below freezing temps, fire ants are killed by below freezing temps (the entire colony evacuates underground below the frost line as soon as the mound falls into shadow when the sun sets), so any ants that can't get back underground by nightfall are killed by the frost. If you time it right, you can get rid of 95% of the colony with 20 seconds of shovel work. If you do it too early, some of the ants can find their way back to the nest before the sun sets, if you do it too late, part of the colony will already have evacuated down deep underground and out of reach unless you want to start digging a hole to reach them. This method has been very effective for controlling fire ants in my pastures. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Last edited by basjoos; 05-21-09 at 05:37 PM..

06-09-09, 01:33 PM	#8
Doofus McFancypants Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Atlanta Posts: 30 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	we have pest service. he mentioned that (( yes i know what you are going to say here)) Windex works to mess up there chemical trail. if you see them inside - you can spray the area with windex... also if you can find how they are getting in from the outside - hose that as well with Windex. I would prefer GREEN options -- but Fire Ants are my personal exception.. if needed i would Scorched Earth the yard if we had that bad of an Infestation of them.. stayiing on top of them has kept them at bay. Steve __________________ Steve AKA Doofus

05-20-09, 12:02 AM	#2
Hugh Jim Bissel Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 30 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Here in Texas we have fire ants which make mounds out in the yard. I recall my mom would pour boiling water on the mounds to kill them. There was also one morning when we woke up and there were ants ALL OVER the kitchen counters... someone grabbed a rolling pin and started rolling!

05-20-09, 08:31 AM	#3
insaneintenti0n Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 183 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	we use a pest control service. the guy told me that this year is already looking horrible for ants. i've had em in my kitchen so far this year. but the yard is really bad. they've been all over.

05-21-09, 11:58 AM	#4
PaleMelanesian Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 118 Thanks: 4 Thanked 10 Times in 9 Posts	Also in Texas. Fire ants are of the Devil, for sure! I use Amdro on them - it's a bait that makes them infertile and kills the queen. Since it's a bait, they do the hard work and carry it into the mound for you, so the chemical content can be much smaller. Except for these beasts, my garden would be organic.

05-21-09, 02:15 PM	#5
wyatt Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 75 Thanks: 3 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	I told my wife and neighbor about the "boiling water" idea, they both liked the idea... I think I will give it a try!

06-02-09, 01:12 PM	#7
Sandcruiser Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 33 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	boric acid works nicely. I won't debate the organic-ness of it, but it is a naturally occurring salt. regardless, I mix a little with sugar and water, to make a honey-like paste, which dribble in their pathway. It can take as long as a week, but seems to knock them back very effectively. if I see a mound outside, I'll pour a Tbl of boric acid powder directly into the hive. they eat it/move it out of the way and eventually die from exposure to it- at which point the other ants efficiently recycle the dead ants, which introduces the boric acid to the rest of the colony. Seems to work slowly, but effectively and isn't poisonous to humans/pets unless you get mega-dosages. I've also read that used coffee grounds will deter ants. Packing them around the base of plants/trees naturally fertilizes and also repels pests. Double bonus!

08-27-09, 01:17 AM	#9
wyatt Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 75 Thanks: 3 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Well, it took a while, but I finally tried the boiling water method. I didn't take much time to prep, I more or less just poured about a gallon water over the relatively small nest. It killed them all! It also killed the grass that it touched, so that's something to think about also... had the ants been allowed to keep growing, they would have killed the grass anyway, so it's really a wash. I think to improve the effectiveness, I would stir up the nest good to get the ants to boil to the surface and then douse them good. I think this way a larger nest could be taken out with a similar amount of water.

08-27-09, 08:55 AM	#10
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	I have large nest that is growing RIGHT on the side of a tree. Any ideas for that? I'm thinking may be the cayenne pepper and cinnamon idea from the article, or the lemon juice/rinds.