Now, this is just BITTER!

[AneesasMuse]

Dang it!!!! I am literally down to TWO Cresteds now ..I found Saffron ..who was fine last night, when I checked............... eaten alive today!!

I 5% bleached the shelving, scrubbed, put my non-toxic (but still deters some of the damn ants) citrus oil spray, checked window sills for more little troops ...and more!!

Lakota and Lucille are both in my bedroom ..heck! Lakota is ON MY BED!! ...so I can wake up umpteen times a night with my MagLite and check to make sure no little demons are devouring them!!

Sun'dini is still in here someplace ..I hope.... so I may actually have 3 Cresteds ...out of the 6 that I chose to hang onto when I downsized earlier this year.

I am sick ...and livid.. all at once!! :faint2:

[BalloonzForU]

I'm so sorry.

Have you managed to find out where they are coming into the house from?

[AneesasMuse]

Thank you, Fe.

They are coming in through windows and through cracks ..apparently, they (owners) never fixed the foundation after the '89 Quake and there are cracks every where! The lower half of the building is stucco ..termite heaven... and where termites go, ants go!

I have Terro spread all around the perimeter ...all up under the house/duplex/whatever ...and it fills every window sill and doorway. I can't use much directly INSIDE cuz of my bugs (tarantulas, roaches, mantis and so forth) mostly, but also cuz of the delicate respiratory of my other "kids"

I'm about ready to pack up my chit and bomb the rest! :moodmad2:

[BalloonzForU]

Terro?

Have you tried baitting outside the house to attract them away from the house? Just an idea I've never had to deal with ant, thank God.

[AneesasMuse]

Terro is a brand like Grants or Raid or whatever ..just better, IMO. The type I have outside is a granule bait that is supposed to be carried back to the queen and it kills from there ..but they seem to savor the stuff instead! :tsk:

I've tried several other brands of stuff ..and suffered the headaches that follow the fumes ..they just aren't worth it. They don't compare to the Terro ..and they nearly kill me!

It may be time to send my buggies to "boarding school" and just blast the place!! :noidea:

[snowliz]

We had problems with ants when I lived in florida. the anoles seemed to like eating them. I don't remember what we did to get ride of them though. Sorry....
I hope they don't get any more of you "Kids".

[AneesasMuse]

Ya think if I go get a bunch of Anoles, they'll eat the ants? I can turn them loose in The Room ..I'll just need to put a screen over the door, so DH doesn't have a "nancy" about it :heh:

I'm desperate!!!!!!!!!!!! :wacko:

[BalloonzForU]

You have chicken wire right?

A friend of mine had an issue with ants once because of the wet cat food he use to feed his cats, when he changed to dry food the ants went away. I think they like the food. Bowl of wet cat food mixed with some terro contained by chicken wire (so no outside cats eat it) left far away from house by fence? That type of baiting was more along the lines I was thinking of.

Again I've never had to deal with them so I may be way off here.

[AneesasMuse]

I'll try it.. I'll try anything at this point!!

I can set the food inside the concrete fence blocks that I keep Joob contained with ..that should be okay. If the ferals eat it, that's too bad.. they need to stop piling shat all over my garden and Joob's enclosure anyway!

..and harassing my chickens!!!! (I don't like ferals!)

[BalloonzForU]

I'll try it.. I'll try anything at this point!!

I can set the food inside the concrete fence blocks that I keep Joob contained with ..that should be okay. If the ferals eat it, that's too bad.. they need to stop piling shat all over my garden and Joob's enclosure anyway!

..and harassing my chickens!!!! (I don't like ferals!)

As long as no one in your yard that belongs there eats it.

[FloridaHogs]

Have you tried sticky traps along the windows? Try spraying Bengal ant spray on the outside window ledges as well......might help some.

[AneesasMuse]

I've tried sticky traps and boric acid goop.. sugar traps... peanut butter traps ...soooo many things, I've tried and tried and tri... :blah:

I'll try Bengal spray if I can find it.. Chinatown or the "normal" hardware/garden center ...where should I look?


And thanks, you guys.. I really appreciate all the suggestions and condolences, etc. I'm basically a noodle now ...just feel defeated ..and man! I miss my Abner!! :(

[Tama]

Sorry to hear of yet another loss. I'd be moving out for awhile and get the landlords to solve the problem. No way I'd put up with ants everywhere.

[MrsWTownsend]

That's just awful! I'm really sorry Aminah~ I wish there were something I could do to help!

[Chandler Rep]

I wish I knew of ways to deal with ants without harsh chemicals you can't get yourself....I know some of the major companies use some good stuff but you would have to remove everyone for a time and I don't know how long it would last....not to mention what kind of cost is involved....Do you have a real sandy soil outside or is it hard clay?

[AneesasMuse]

Thanks, you guys! I've tried everything I can think ..some I didn't think of ..some twice or more times ...it's just life, I guess :noidea:

Jeff.. the sand is more sand than clay ....but really, it's more garbage than anything! I have to sift through it for rocks, bottle caps, syringes, sparkplugs, bolts, nuts, glass ..you name it, it's in my soil ....and DEEP!

I picked up a different Terro approach today ...it's liquid and you make your own traps with it. I swear, it's like I put out a serving of RockStar or RedBull ...they are swarming it! I have some poison waiting for them, though ..for whatever good it does.

I need someone to babysit my Zoo, so I can bomb the heck out of this place ..heavy duty chemicals or something..

[FloridaHogs]

I'll try Bengal spray if I can find it.. Chinatown or the "normal" hardware/garden center ...where should I look?



Walmart or a garden center should carry it. At least they do here.

[AneesasMuse]

Jeff.. the sand is more sand than clay ....but really, it's more garbage than anything!

The SOIL is more sand than... :doh:


Thanks, Jenea! I looked for Bengal yesterday and didn't come up with it in a couple garden centers/hardware stores. I don't shop at Walmart, so...

I can probably get my buddy in Pensacola to send me some, if you think it's worth a try.

I got the foaming Terro spray last night ...can be a little more precise as to where it flies when you hit the trigger. It kills 'em right away, too. I am off to find the Castille soap again ..to mix with some of my uber strong Tea Tree Oil... for another approach. And... Clorox "Green Works" concentrate is a good deterrent, but not 100%

[Mooglebass]

Have you tried putting Diatomaceous earth?

[AneesasMuse]

Yep! Tried that, too!

In fact, I use it anyway ..but it's not real effective on ants. It's better for keeping the mites and others away from my chickens...

[Chandler Rep]

I thought of something that would work but I would keep the bugs you want away is the lice bedding spray, that stuff is the same stuff in the BKII stuff but not animal safe like the BKII, it is awhole lot cheaper and for what you want it will kill all the bugs around...