Ant Problem Solution

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Mike50

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We are having a record/hellacious ant problem this summer. I'm always trying to limit my use of poisons of any kind when I can.
So...I thought I would pass along this remedy that was shared with me and works to some degree.

Fill up that old teapot you never use and boil a pot of water. Pour boiling water directing into ant mound hole. It will not guarantee they won't come back again--but it's a good way to keep the population in check.
It's Free-Safe.
 

Prashster

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I know u don't like poison, but ants are hard to kill. An effective method for us has been to use boric acid infused sugar. They carry the borax back to the nest and share it with their brood.

Man, I saw a program on Animal Planet where they rated the top 10 deadliest predators in Africa. Number 1 was some breed of red ant. These suckers would kill PEOPLE in their sleep.

Ants are like weeds. You can't just kill what you see. Best to apply something at the surface that is taken back to the roots and kills it deep down.
 

Bob NH

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Death to Ants!!

When I walk around my lawn, I carry a little container of Diazinon granules and one of Moss-X. When I see an ant hill, I sprinkle a little of the Diazinon. When I see moss, it gets a little sprinkle of Moss-X (1 tsp per 3 square ft).

Both are inexpensive and a little goes a long way. My bag of Diazinon is probably 3 years old.
 

Mike50

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Where's my shotgun?

I may try those remedies. Here is what happens when I use the Walmart brand of ant poison:

I can dump half cup on the mound....OK?
next day:

All the granules are 6 inches away and off the mound. They pick up every grain like boulders over their heads and move every one. I swear this is true. (these are the brown granules)
First time they did it I was laughing my arse off. No dobt THEY were laughing at me. :D

Big Box no longer carries the brand that works here. (white granules)

Dont get me wrong--I have no problem using ant poison----it can get excessive here though to get rid of them all.
We have black and red varieties.

These are Mojave Desert Ants, fellas....OK? Very aggressive.

If I spray a line of bog box house brand spray on concrete for example:
the black ones can walk right over it an hour later.
They dont make sprays like they used to.

Whatever happened to the potent oily ones anyway??
 
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Prashster

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I know what you mean. I tried to spray some Raid on an especially rebellious black ant last year and he caught the Raid in his mouth, gargled with it, spat it out, and then - no joke- he turned around and MOONED me!
 

Mike50

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Sociopathic Scorpions

I have to tell you about my experience with tiny scorpions.
Firstly...my doors are open and closed all day long with the dogs.

I've never seen anything like these little bastards.

I could be sitting in a remote area of my home...
He will actually stalk me with no defensive or territorial or hunger motivation at all.
They only measure about 1/2-3/4 inch.
It only happens about once or twice per year....but it's freaky. heh.

IOW they will are evil little guys that stalk just on general principles. ha! Sting not serious at all--Thank God. :eek:
 
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Mike50

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prashster said:
I know what you mean. I tried to spray some Raid on an especially rebellious black ant last year and he caught the Raid in his mouth, gargled with it, spat it out, and then - no joke- he turned around and MOONED me!

Ha! I know. Just look for the Queen that will kill the whole lot of them.
She's the one wearing red pumps and singing broadway show tunes.
:D

Prashter, why don't you use your Rotozip on them? Hell, you use it for everything else. lol

You know you have problems when ants start humiliating you. Bad for the ego.
 
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Bob NH

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Check the % Active Ingredient

A lot of the stuff you get is highly diluted and very expensive on an "active ingredient" basis. Weed killers and insecticides in the big box stores are famous for giving you a little squirt bottle of dilute stuff and charging 10 to 100 times what it would cost for the same active ingredient in concentrated form.

I have a 20 # bag of 5% Diazinon that is supposed to treat 10,000 square feet. I sprinkled some around a colony of ant hills yesterday; today, no ants about.

I also have a quart of Hi Yield brand 38% permethrin that I got at a farm store. It will kill ants anywhere (and lots of other things) and is safe for humans. It is used by the military and some outdoor supply companies to treat clothes and mosquito nets. I got it to treat shirts and pants when I went to Nicaragua. It kills mosquitos on contact with the clothes and survives several washings.

I mixed 1/2 tsp of 38% permethrin in a pint of water and applied it with a small paintbrush around a household area where we were seeing ants. Next day the only ants we saw were dead ants.
 

Cass

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I had heard cinnamon will repell the so I tried it. All they did was use it to bake cookies.
 

Mike50

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Bob NH said:
A lot of the stuff you get is highly diluted and very expensive on an "active ingredient" basis. Weed killers and insecticides in the big box stores are famous for giving you a little squirt bottle of dilute stuff and charging 10 to 100 times what it would cost for the same active ingredient in concentrated form.

I have a 20 # bag of 5% Diazinon that is supposed to treat 10,000 square feet. I sprinkled some around a colony of ant hills yesterday; today, no ants about.

I also have a quart of Hi Yield brand 38% permethrin that I got at a farm store. It will kill ants anywhere (and lots of other things) and is safe for humans. It is used by the military and some outdoor supply companies to treat clothes and mosquito nets. I got it to treat shirts and pants when I went to Nicaragua. It kills mosquitos on contact with the clothes and survives several washings.

I mixed 1/2 tsp of 38% permethrin in a pint of water and applied it with a small paintbrush around a household area where we were seeing ants. Next day the only ants we saw were dead ants.


Thank you for that Bob.
I'm buying some asap.

I left out one thing that dictates what I buy and application:

I have to be sure what I use is pet safe for my 2 big dogs.
I live on an acre of land in high desert. 90% sand/pebble. Consequently my dogs are literally walking around on anything I put on the ground. There is no granules filtering into a grass lawn effect.
I primarily treat the mounds only. People out here don't or should not broadly spread around granules/powders because we all have to walk around on it. It will stay there until the first good downpour- rain in winter---which might not happen at all.

Most general gardening and or poison instructions simply do not apply to this environment. The dogs would track it into the house. My one bitch even loves to roll around in the dirt to cool off sometimes. see what I'm saying?

joshua-tree.jpg



So, I'll digress for a minute to explain my situation:
I'm lucky enough that I live in between Joshua Tree National Park and another protected natural bird reserve which harbors 90 bird species and rare migratory fowl. Everyone here is very conscious of that and we all keep poison usage (of all kinds) to a bare minimum.
No one uses gopher poison even though they are all over. It winds up in the food chain. Birds/coyotes would eat the dead poisoned gophers and so on...

The mindset is very different here. I don't get preachy because we all feel the same about it. Down the road.. The people of Joshua Tree feel that if you cannot accept desert critters on your land then this is the wrong place for you to live.
You really don't see people broadcasting toxins or even Off Road Vehicles for that matter.

I just found this on the web so you get the idea: http://www.terragalleria.com/parks/np-image.jotr1116.html

Anyway, that's (the long version) why I started off with the boiling water in the first place. ;)

M.
 
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Bob NH

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Cass,
What I conclude from reading the material you provided on permethrin is that it is very effective on insects, safe for humans and domestic animals in any reasonable application or even overdose, and it would not even be a reliable potion for committing suicide.

Furthermore, if you want to use it for killing rats (which would be a prohibited off-label use), it is best to try to get 'em while they are young.
 

Mike50

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prashster said:
I hear ya! Roundup is for chumps! I got a 2 gal jug of 41% glyphosate in my garage and I can mix up one mother of a moonshine weed killer that'd make Uncle Jessie blush.

Well, for anyone reading this thread -you should check the regulations for your particular area
regarding what is safe etc.
You can't post about your personal rummy jug concoction in the garage. Or do it in PM.
some kid will run out and do it....period.
 
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Gouranga

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I thought Diazanon was illegal now. They stopped selling it a couple years ago here. I expect it was a broad super-ant government conspiracy because it was the only thing that actually worked. I dod however stockpile a couple years supply when I heard they were going to stop selling it. The "new" stuff to replace the diazanine I have to apply at about 5 times recommended concentration to get it to work. I am sure that is really healthy. Unless I have super ant in my backyard or something.
 
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Cass

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Gouranga said:
I thought Diazanon was illegal now. They stopped selling it a couple years ago here. I expect it was a broad super-ant government conspiracy because it was the only thing that actually worked. I dod however stockpile a couple years supply when I heard they were going to stop selling it. The "new" stuff to replace the diazanine I have to apply at about 5 times recommended concentration to get it to work. I am sure that is really healthy. Unless I have super ant in my backyard or something.

Is it Diazanon or Malithion(sp) your thinking of. They baned Malithion a few years back.
 

Mike50

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We'll I'll tell you this-don't buy the big red bag for 13 bucks from Walmart with the active Ingredient: Carbaryl.
Doesn't work-ants make condos out of it.

Diazinide works great in years past and safely *here* because no kids in the house or streams with salmon nearby. They apparently are on a 3 year roll back program with it.
If anyone knows who still sells it--do tell.
article:

AFAIK Malathion is still on the shelves at big box.


M.
 
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Bob NH

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"They apparently are on a 3 year roll back program with it.
If anyone knows who still sells it--do tell."

The page at that link is dated December 2000; 5 1/2 year ago.
 

Mike50

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Oops...thanks.

phased out starting 2000.
Off shelves by 2003

Anyway, Basically what I need is a granular (Not powder) product to treat the mounds that actually works. What a concept.
 
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