Die Ants Die
We are being overrun with ants. You know the kind . . . tiny, black ants that are attracted to anything sweet. I have declared war against them though and I'm going to win. My first mode of attack was to set out Raid ant baits. However, that didn't appear to be working fast enough for my liking and when the ants found the hummingbird feeder I decided on the second attack. (as a stop-gap I first killed all the offending ants with bug-killer) Attack #2 consisted of sweet-eating ant killer. The problem with this killer is that it has to be monitored constantly. But the advantage is that I get to see it working. Many, many unsuspecting ants eating what they think is a free meal. (Morel: there is no such thing as a free meal) My hope is that the ants will be under control in another week or so.
On a positive note, my bird feeders have been a great success. So far the sparrows are enjoying the seed feeders. There have even been some mama birds feeding baby birds. Now that the ants are occupied with their poison they have been leaving the hummingbird feeder alone. And this morning there was a hummingbird at the feeder. I am very encouraged by all of this. Birds are so wonderful to look at. What a beautiful creation of God!
On a positive note, my bird feeders have been a great success. So far the sparrows are enjoying the seed feeders. There have even been some mama birds feeding baby birds. Now that the ants are occupied with their poison they have been leaving the hummingbird feeder alone. And this morning there was a hummingbird at the feeder. I am very encouraged by all of this. Birds are so wonderful to look at. What a beautiful creation of God!
posted by Rachel at
11:03 AM
4 Comments:
LOL... boy do I know about that war. Everytime an ant is spotted all I hear is... DIE ANTS DIE...
All I can says is, "Man, I'm glad your on MY side!"
By
TJ Draper, at 2:09 PM
When we first got married, we lived in a basement apartment that was really cheap which helped because at the time I was still in school.
I worked 2nd shift at Applebees and our problem in this apartment (which we were out of before Moriah was born) was not ants but COCKROACHES. South Carolina, bigger than northern cockroaches.
My wife remembers several nights being awakened as I came home after midnight from work (I was a cook/waiter at the bee) and found the nighttime invasion and was crying, "Die Cockroach Die!"
Ah the early days. :) Can't say that I miss them.
By
james3v1, at 3:14 PM
Attacking the ants with pesticice is not only harmful to the environment, but also hazardous to your health, especially if the ants are around the kitchen (as sweet eating ants often are).
Safer alternatives include: using the vacuum cleaner, or (I prefer), spraying the ants with soapy water (just mix a little dish detergent with water in a spray bottle). A drop of non-toxic soapy water will drown an ant in a matter of seconds -- faster even than Raid!
If the ants seem resistant
to the soapy water, SPRAY MORE (remember, your trying to drown them), or add a little rubbing alcohol to the mix. Again, the rubbing
alcohol will evaporate quickly and will not leave
a toxic residue.
Using baits is definitely the way to go -- just follow the trail of ants back to the point where they come into the house, and then put the bait right in their path. TERRO baits work well, although there are many
other varieties.
Good luck!
-- Uncle Mark
By
Anonymous, at 1:07 PM
Since I started putting the sweet baits out (which are outside by the way) I haven't seen that many in the house. There are still a few, but I just squash them. I don't like pesticides in the house either, so I've tried not to spray much in there. I would absolutely insist on no pesticides if I had little children around, that is for sure. Thanks for the suggestion of soapy water. I'll keep that in mind if they come back in the kitchen.
By
Rachel, at 9:38 AM
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