Humane Ant Control

3593 Views 19 Replies 15 Participants Last post by BlueMts, May 19, 2017

Cindy A

Discussion Starter · Jul 6, 2015

What do you do when you have ants? Everything online is to kill them or prevent them!! I can't stand the thought of killing them!! Please any suggestions would help!!

1 - 20 of 20 Posts

rasitha.wijesekera

· #2 · Jul 7, 2015

What's the problem exactly?

Make sure your areas are clean. Block the entrances they come into the house. You can put water traps in the legs is tables.

David3

· #3 · Jul 7, 2015

Ants are attracted to food and water. During hot weather, ants will be especially attracted to water.

If you see ants, find where they are entering the room. Seal the entire length of the opening with caulking. Unfortunately, you will likely kill a couple of ants in the process, but its much, much better than killing them en masse with bug spray. Within 12 hours or so, the ants will have dispersed. If they instead find another hole to enter the room, seal that hole too.

As Rasitha says, keeping your food areas clean will help to deter ants. Ants won't hang around if there's no food crumbs for them to collect.

To keep ants out of indoor trash cans, you can set the trash can in a large tray, then partly fill that tray with powdered chalk (available at your hardware store) or powdered Comet cleaner. Ants don't like to cross either of those. Chili powder works too, but its effectiveness declines over time.

princessarachne

· #4 · Jul 8, 2015

First thing: Grab a big paper towel, roll it up into a tube and tear the ends up. Sweep over all the ants. the "fingers" will pick up the ants easily. (DO NOT SWEEP TOO HARD YOU WILL KILL THEM). Then shake out the ants near their nest, if you can find it. If not... they can hopefully make it home :/

Next, get some lemon scented cleaning product, and spray/wipe where the ants just were. The ants will die an extremely painful death if they inhale the lemon, so swipe up any more ants if you see them. The lemon deters the ants, as they know it's toxic, and they will avoid it.

Next, plug the hole. Start with an object that fits roughly in the size of the hole, covered in the citrus cleaning product or a strong spice like chili powder, after a few hours THEN use caulk. It will minimize the deaths involved.

KEEP YOUR HOUSE CLEAN. That's the most important thing. One crumb or dead insect will make a swarm.

Reactions: 1

JessTheVegan94

· #5 · Jul 8, 2015

I have heard that cinnamon works really well. I have never tried it myself, but I have read a blog post earlier of a woman that tried it and worked wonders for her.

It is more of a repellent than anything. If you can find where they are coming in from, you sprinkle some cinnamon there and they won't come inside. As for getting rid of them after they have come inside, I'm not sure! Sorry!

silva

· #6 · Jul 9, 2015

An ant is only 1 mm - how the heck are you guys finding and sealing holes that small?
I have heard to use cinnamon or spearmint.
Vinegar (I guess lemon too) erases the scent trail they use to follow their leader. I use vinegar to clean everything anyway.
While I haven't had any real issues I'm amazed at how many find cat food vomit. That's been the only time I've had them inside

mindij88

· #7 · Jul 9, 2015

I'm having a terrible time with ants, too, here in FL. This is the worst year for them since I moved here 15 years ago. They bite every time I go outside and I'm not sure how to rid the yard of them without killing them en masse

it's terrible because one cannot walk around in the driveway or yard at all without being bitten, even with shoes on they just get inside the shoe and socks (also it's very hot and not fun to walk around the yard in boots). They get into the house no matter how clean it is and it's impossible to find all of the holes since they're so tiny. I just hate to kill them and I hate using chemicals in my yard that could affect other animals as well.

rasitha.wijesekera

· #8 · Jul 9, 2015

silva said:
An ant is only 1 mm - how the heck are you guys finding and sealing holes that small?
I have heard to use cinnamon or spearmint.
Vinegar (I guess lemon too) erases the scent trail they use to follow their leader. I use vinegar to clean everything anyway.
While I haven't had any real issues I'm amazed at how many find cat food vomit. That's been the only time I've had them inside

Easy, you follow the trail.

LedBoots

· #9 · Jul 9, 2015

mindij88 said:
I'm having a terrible time with ants, too, here in FL. This is the worst year for them since I moved here 15 years ago. They bite every time I go outside and I'm not sure how to rid the yard of them without killing them en masse it's terrible because one cannot walk around in the driveway or yard at all without being bitten, even with shoes on they just get inside the shoe and socks (also it's very hot and not fun to walk around the yard in boots). They get into the house no matter how clean it is and it's impossible to find all of the holes since they're so tiny. I just hate to kill them and I hate using chemicals in my yard that could affect other animals as well.

Hi mindji, are these the small, reddish brown fire ants? You can see mounds of sand or dirt? The stings leave marks and hurt for days? I live in Florida and am vegan in as vegan a home as we can manage, but fire ants are the one thing I use poison for. I'm sorry everyone and will put it in spoilers.

My daughter and husband are both highly allergic (like people are to bees) to the venom of fire ants.

Spoiler

The ants have no natural enemies here and will proliferate.

Reactions: 1

David3

· #10 · Jul 9, 2015

silva said:
An ant is only 1 mm - how the heck are you guys finding and sealing holes that small?

Just watch where the trail of ants enters or exits the room - there you will find a hole or crack. Seal it baby!

mindij88

· #11 · Jul 10, 2015

Thank you, Ledboots. Those are exactly it. I had a sad feeling that may be the only way. I am not severely allergic but my feet blister terribly, and I'm allergic to bees so I worry that eventually I'll become more allergic to the ants as well. The yard is just overrun with mounds

Reactions: 1

LedBoots

· #12 · Jul 10, 2015

mindij88 said:
Thank you, Ledboots. Those are exactly it. I had a sad feeling that may be the only way. I am not severely allergic but my feet blister terribly, and I'm allergic to bees so I worry that eventually I'll become more allergic to the ants as well. The yard is just overrun with mounds

You can become more allergic as you are more exposed. My daughter and husband (are supposed to) carry epinephrine with them in case of fire ant stings. They both almost died, daughter from 6 stings, husband from a dozen or more. You may need to treat the ants.

mrgrimm

· #13 · Jul 15, 2015

Pull out the fridge, stove, cabinet drawers etc...over time little bits of food fall between the cracks and what may look clean on the outside might be pretty gross underneath!

Go Vegan

· #14 · Aug 5, 2015

If the ants are outside I would just leave them alone and don't worry about them.

If they are coming inside, they are only doing that because you have left food/ sweet drinks lying around. Clean that up and they will look elsewhere for food/ drink. This means washing everything up straight away, putting uneaten food away, putting foods in sealed tubs, sweeping up/ sponging up spills of sugar or juice etc.

Best of luck with this. Remember, good house keeping should be the main solution to this problem

Kiwibird08

· #15 · Aug 5, 2015

We had an EXTREME sugar ant problem at out last apartment. They were getting in our birds cage (even though I keep him very clean) and were bothering him/getting in his food. The apartments were so old there was no real way to seal it up either. We had to resort to killing them a couple times. I used a bug spray called Orange Guard (made of concentrated citrus, and non-toxic to humans and pets). However, I was very diligent about spraying the OG along all the places they'd come in and it seemed to keep them at bay, though when they found a new entrance to get in by the bajillions, it was necessary to actually spray them. I felt bad, but my bird was NOT going to be attacked by ants nor have his food dish be inundated with them (he's a fruit eater, so it attracted them like a magnet). I also sprayed poisonous bugs (scorpions and venomous spiders). I don't like to kill harmless bugs and avoid it if at all possible, but sometimes there is no good option and they've got to go. Doesn't make you feel good about doing it, but it is what it is.

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Eternal Sunshine

· #16 · Aug 10, 2015

I read that clove oil destroys their scent trails, and after spraying that I haven't had any more problems. Be careful, though, as clove oil will also kill ants on contact. If you have pets, be sure clove oil won't hurt them before spraying it.

Otakun96

· #17 · May 7, 2017

NO! do not take the chance and kill them with caulking. What a horrible way to die.

silva

· #18 · May 7, 2017

Otakun96 said:
NO! do not take the chance and kill them with caulking. What a horrible way to die.

Caulking is simply sealing the cracks around your house that give them entry.

Get rid of water rotted wood!
Use peppermint oil mixed with water and some alcohol. I used a Dr Bronners peppermint soap mixed with water that was nice once just to use it up! Got tired of the smell in the bathroom

HelpToAll

· #19 · May 18, 2017

Kiwibird08 said:
We had an EXTREME sugar ant problem at out last apartment. They were getting in our birds cage (even though I keep him very clean) and were bothering him/getting in his food. The apartments were so old there was no real way to seal it up either. We had to resort to killing them a couple times. I used a bug spray called Orange Guard (made of concentrated citrus, and non-toxic to humans and pets). However, I was very diligent about spraying the OG along all the places they'd come in and it seemed to keep them at bay, though when they found a new entrance to get in by the bajillions, it was necessary to actually spray them. I felt bad, but my bird was NOT going to be attacked by ants nor have his food dish be inundated with them (he's a fruit eater, so it attracted them like a magnet). I also sprayed poisonous bugs (scorpions and venomous spiders). I don't like to kill harmless bugs and avoid it if at all possible, but sometimes there is no good option and they've got to go. Doesn't make you feel good about doing it, but it is what it is.

There's always another way! dont give up on what you feel is right! I have had ants in my bathroom
and ive reaserched for soulotions,and ive found! all of the following were tried by me and others and repell ants: peppermint oil and leaves, cinamon oil and powder,lemonine ecalyptus oil and chalk. when you put a drop of one of the oils, they run away from it, if you draw a line of cinnamon powder or chalk they wont cross it, even if its in the middle of their trail. From what ive tried with those i havent see any ant die , but i always tried not to put it on them directly.If theyr coming from a few places it can get tricky{thats was in my case} but if you find all the places and "block" them with one of those ,for example rounding the hole with chalk, then it should help, for start do it and redo it every 2-3 days for a few weeks.Also please try to let all the wondering ants back to their nest after you blocked it by puting them inside the round near the hole

BlueMts

· #20 · May 19, 2017

If you wipe out their sent trail they will be lost and disoriented, huddled in small groups or walking very slowly in a lost way eventually dyeing. I've seen it happen and ended up having to kill them as a form of euthanasia because I couldn't stand the seeing suffering.

If you put down anything powdered and they inhale it they will die. It will clog up their respiratory systems. My mother just used to put talcum powder around the entrance hole some died in the powder some made it back into the hole but if they breathed any in they would die

Both slow nasty deaths.

The liquids mentioned - lemon, cinnamon, peppermint in small drops in front of the leaders and along the side of the trail back to the hole they came in should see them off with very little if any carnage. Don't touch any and make sure they have room to get around back to their hole.

Clove oil is very likely to kill them. It is used as an anesthetic for fish and too much will kill.If there is no vet available to euthanase a dying fish then an overdose of clove oil is used, sleep first then the overdose. I wouldn't use it on ants. You never know what will come along and breathe it and maybe die.

Then In our case we have too move the sugar bowl.

You need patience and you will make it easier if you move the thing that is attracting them to a different spot (if you reasonably can).

I wouldn't try to remove ants from the yard but we don't have fire ants in Aus. If we did I would just eradicate them. There are some things you can't live with - especially if you are allergic to them.

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