An Ant Question.................................

[BigDaddyLove]

Howdy, our household has recently been the target of a well orchestrated (mini) invasion of Ants.

I went to the store and purchased those little 'bait' things that the ants are supposed to walk into, eat the bait provided and then take the poison back to wherever it is they came from and the colony is supposed to go away.

The only trouble is that the ants don't seem to like the 'food' provided in the trap....even though the box in which they came plainly says that they are supposed to LOVE it; they walk right past it as if it wasn't even there.

Anyone have any suggestions as to what we could do to rid ourselves of our new friends? We have to consider our four cats health when it comes to insecticides.

Any help would be appreciated.

[david_vincent]

1. Are they the miniscule sugar ants, or the regular-size type?

n/t

[BigDaddyLove]

3. They seem to be medium to small.................

and sorta reddish-brown in color.

[radwriter0555]

2. RAID.

Only thing that works.

They have those little crawl in thingies as breakfast snacks.

[BigDaddyLove]

4. Do you know offhand if RAID............

kills not only ants but cats?

Spraying RAID around the cats worries me slightly, but if the only thing that will really work then we can figure something out.

[radwriter0555]

5. I have dogs, a giant tortoise, fish and various odd assorted creatures

and to date, none have shown adverse reactions or perished due to spraying for ants (or spiders).

I believe your critters are safe, provided you don't spray it directly on them.

And since the smell is offensive, they'll give the treated area a wide berth.

[BigDaddyLove]

7. Then it seems that RAID is the answer...............

and I thank you for your input.

[patdem]

6. I find out where they are infiltrating and put out baking soda

they cannot pass over baking soda...and it does not harm any living thing...and I got RID of my ant problem.

[BigDaddyLove]

10. I've tried the Baking Soda method.............

but that doesn't seem to slow them down.

[silverlib]

8. Wow, something I know about!

Terro - found at Lowe's or Home Depot. Comes in a small bottle. Wonderful for children. Just put a drop on a small piece of cardboard in places where you have ants. Thousands come and eat the stuff. It's very entertaining and devious to watch. In a few days, you will have no ants. This stuff really, really works and it's cheap.

[BigDaddyLove]

9. Perhaps I spoke too soon about the RAID...............

this stuff you speak of sounds interesting.

[silverlib]

11. It is the most amazing stuff and I, too, have cats

and they didn't pay any attention to it at all. It has no odor. I do not know why it works so well and was very skepital when someeone told me about it.

[BigDaddyLove]

13. I just checked Terro's website, and it looks like.................

I'll give it a try. I tried to go and get some a few minutes ago but the hardware store was closed.......have to wait 'till tomorrow. :(

[James T. Kirk]

12. The bait-dome things worked for me.

I set a bunch of those bait-dome things around my bathroom and I never saw an ant go in there. I even tried to nudge them in! But within a few weeks all the ants were gone! I suppose they ate the bait when I wasn't looking.
:)

[underseasurveyor]

14. Depends on if they are sweet eating ants or grease eating ants.

Terro works well with the sweet eating kind but if they are the grease eaters they won't touch it.

I see somebody already suggested baking soda, that's good and works for roaches too.

Crushed up Bay Leaf spinkled around where they are entering is also a good harmless remedy.
If you do choose to try Terro ant killer, PLEASE make sure that children or any pets can't get to it.

[BigDaddyLove]

15. According to Terro's website.................

it seems to be safe for pets....even if they ingest a small amount.

www.terro.com

"The product kills ants but will not harm people or pets. If you spill some
on your skin there will be no reaction at all. Simply wash with warm water.

Pets occasionally find the Terro and eat it. Our advice when this happens
is to do nothing at all. The product is not toxic enough to cause a problem
and the pet will be just fine."