Anyway to safely kill ants

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ann1

ann1

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Is there anyway to safely kill ants around my chinchilla cages. Don't know what it is this year but for the first time ever we have ants in our house and they are in the chinchilla room. Thanks guys
 
I use Skin So Soft (oil base) sold from Avon. A notary that came to my house she told me about it. I dilute mine with water and spray or wipe it around windows and floors. I didn't think it would work but it does for ants and spiders. I don't sell Avon but if anyone on here that does maybe can give you more information on it.
 
Grits are a cheap easy nontoxic way to get rid of ants, just sprinkle it around the foundation or on the anthill of you can find it. That will keep them from coming in the house, they take it back to the ant hill and when they eat it they dehydrate and die. Diatomaceous earth (just make sure its pure) also works for ants, fleas, earwigs and other bugs with soft exoskeletons, as it breaks open the exoskeleton and the dehydrate and die.
 
Windex also works. It kills them and you can spray it along the trail to get rid of the pheromones left behind so ants don't come back.
 
I use Skin So Soft (oil base) sold from Avon. A notary that came to my house she told me about it. I dilute mine with water and spray or wipe it around windows and floors. I didn't think it would work but it does for ants and spiders. I don't sell Avon but if anyone on here that does maybe can give you more information on it.
What exactly is this? Is it lotion, soap, shampoo? I have a friend who sells avon so i'm pretty sure I could get it from her? thanks
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Windex also works. It kills them and you can spray it along the trail to get rid of the pheromones left behind so ants don't come back
menagerie, thanks. I think I will try that tonight since I have windex.
bubba, what exactly is the diatomaceos earth? Where do they sell that at and in what section? Is it poisonous? would it be harmful to my dog? thanks everyone for your help.
 
I'm not sure if it's a bath oil or not. There is a Skin So Soft lotion but you don't want that. I don't use Avon except for this for ants and spiders. You can also use it for other things. Your friend should know.
 
I get my DE at the local green house, it's usually by the pesticides, just make sure there is no pestisides added to the DE. The only precaution is not to inhale large amounts. Yes, it is safe around animals, I use an old salt shaker to apply it. I use it on my dogs for fleas as one is allergic to flea treatments, I just make sure not to get it to close to her nose so she doesn't inhale any. My dad also uses it to hand dust the barn kittens, and thier beds until they are old enough to be treated. I have had huge ant hills in the yard and I don't have to worry about the kids or dogs getting into it. I had a huge earwig population this year that loved my raspberries, I dusted the plant and the ground around the plants and after a week I haven't seen one.
 
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I've read about DE for gardening. While I haven't been able to find DE at the local garden center, I have been thinking about getting some to control the ants around our house. I read somewhere that DE is ground up fossilized algae. Here's the wiki on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth
And in case you want to know more about the algae: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatom

I've read that some bird owners use this on their birds to kill bugs. Also some people who keep grain will put a circle of it around their grain containers to prevent the creepy crawlies from getting in. It's supposed to be safe for people and animals as long as you don't breathe it in. It sucks up the waxy layer on exoskeletons of bugs and they dehydrate to death. Maybe check a feed store and see if you can find the Food Grade variety.

From the wiki description I don't know if I'd put it too close to your chinnys cage, and make sure you wear a dust mask when you sprinkle it. High silica content might be of concern. I know there was a discussion on what type of dust alternative to use in place of blue cloud, when it's no longer available, and a high amount of air born silica was a concern for respiratory problems. Maybe just go around the perimeter of your house, and if you can find the hill pour it on the hill.

I also read somewhere that if you find where the ants are coming into your house from to put a bit of super glue there, they don't like the fumes. I’ve never been able to figure out where they come from. We've been using the little ant trap pucks for in the house, and an insecticide out side of the house here. I really need to go look for this DE stuff though for the garden. If they don't carry it at a feed store maybe a nursery or garden center could order some for you if they don't carry it. Seven dust has a poison in it I believe, so yeah don't use it. If you're concerned about killing beneficial insects, like bees, I think you're just out of luck. The DE will kill most bugs that come in contact with it.

Anyone remember that plug in the wall pest control thing they advertized on TV last year? I thought about picking one of those up to see if it worked, but it’s supposed to deter mice too. I figured if it deterred mice then chinchilla ears might be hurt too. Anyone know for sure?
 
I use diatomaceous earth here too. Just make double sure it's FOOD GRADE. I bought mine on Ebay, but some feed stores carry it. It's great for fleas, and worms in your pets as well. I sprinkle it on their food, and on their coat, but yes be careful since it's such a fine powder and can cause breathing problems
 
Well idk where the ant hill is. I can't even see where they are coming in at. I sprayed windex around them and where i seen them but it only kills what i squirt.
I would probably have to look on ebay for the diatomaceous since i love in a small town. What exactly would i type in to find it? Also how much you think it would cost? It's a powder? Right? I can just sprinkle it around their cages? And it's safe for all animals?
Thanks sooo much guys
 
The best way to get rid of ants is to target the source.

Individual ants are pretty fragile though. I work in an entomology lab where we do efficacy studies on baits, sprays, etc. for controlling insects. In most of our studies, if we even spray our control (untreated) ants with water, it will significantly increase the mortality almost up to 100%. With that knowledge, almost anything will kill an ant when directly applied. We've worked with D.E. as well and it also works well at killing ants. However, an ant colony is composed of more than just the ants that have come into the house. Killing the ants in the house will only kill a small percentage of the colony and they will just return at a later time or through a different entry point.

The best method I've found is using Terro ant baits. It is a borax-based bait and is supposed to be non-toxic to animals... not that you would willingly offer it to an animal. I would still keep it away from all animals. The worker ants consume the bait and return to the nest to feed the larvae and queen. Once the queen dies, there are no more ants being produced and the colony will die off.
 
aznmexaggie said:
The best way to get rid of ants is to target the source.

Individual ants are pretty fragile though. I work in an entomology lab where we do efficacy studies on baits, sprays, etc. for controlling insects. In most of our studies, if we even spray our control (untreated) ants with water, it will significantly increase the mortality almost up to 100%. With that knowledge, almost anything will kill an ant when directly applied. We've worked with D.E. as well and it also works well at killing ants. However, an ant colony is composed of more than just the ants that have come into the house. Killing the ants in the house will only kill a small percentage of the colony and they will just return at a later time or through a different entry point.

The best method I've found is using Terro ant baits. It is a borax-based bait and is supposed to be non-toxic to animals... not that you would willingly offer it to an animal. I would still keep it away from all animals. The worker ants consume the bait and return to the nest to feed the larvae and queen. Once the queen dies, there are no more ants being produced and the colony will die off.
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Wow that is interesting to know. I kind of figured that when the windex was killing individuals but when i would return at a later time there was more.
I can't even find where or how they are getting in. All i know is I have seen them in my chin room and some in my kitchen. I have cleaned everything and looked everywhere for where they are entering but haven't been able to find it.
My concern on the bait thing is I have a dog in my house that i am concerned could possibly eat the bait? i dont think he would mess with it if it didn't smell appealing to him but i can't be positive about it.
My chins are very closely watched when they are out so I guess I could just pick up the bait (if possible) while they were out as long as there were no toxic fumes or anything.
 
If I can't find the anthill I use the combo of grits and DE - the grits are carried back to the colony and all the ants eat the grits and the DE on and round the grits just doubles the blow. The grits also keep them from searching inside for food.
 
Windex does not work if you have more than a couple ants - I learned this the hard way! Sure, you can spray where you see them coming from, but they will just find a new place of entry and you have the same problem.

I am another vote for Terro. It works great! You'll see an increase for a day or so while all of the ants feed on it, but then they disappear. I recommend keeping the traps out even when the ants are gone, or they will eventually come back in a month or two. It is SO hard to get rid of them forever. We have them in our condo, and despite even having a professional bug guy come a couple of weeks ago I'm still finding ants.
 
ann1 said:
My concern on the bait thing is I have a dog in my house that i am concerned could possibly eat the bait? i dont think he would mess with it if it didn't smell appealing to him but i can't be positive about it.
My chins are very closely watched when they are out so I guess I could just pick up the bait (if possible) while they were out as long as there were no toxic fumes or anything.
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Click the link I gave on the first page and it has a picture. It is just a plastic tray that you can easily pick up. I always had the ants on the countertops, so I put the traps there. So I don't know if your dog would be attreacted to them or not. No toxic fumes it is like a syrup, and is supposed to be non-toxic.
 
Bethany said:
Click the link I gave on the first page and it has a picture. It is just a plastic tray that you can easily pick up. I always had the ants on the countertops, so I put the traps there. So I don't know if your dog would be attreacted to them or not. No toxic fumes it is like a syrup, and is supposed to be non-toxic.
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Ya I think the first page was for the diatomaceous earth. she was redeffing to something called "terro" in the last post. I don't think there the same but idk
 
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