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Moses_Young

Moses_Young

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#94,841
Sep 15, 2019
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#94,841
Ruby123 said:
Ants are getting smarter these days.
I live in an area that is semi rural so in summer the ants come in esp at this time when it is hot.
Normally I put those ant square things down where they walk into the open section eat the bait and then die. It has always worked well in the past but this time they are walking around the square thing and not eating the bait. It is very frustrating.
Does anybody have any ant remedies??
Click to expand...
Ants don't like sulphur, if you have any. They will walk around it. Borax mixed with a quantity of sugar syrup can be effective. You've gotta get the balance right. They will take it back to their nest and feed the queen, and she'll die, killing the nest. But too much sugar and it's just a feast for her, too little and the ants won't take the bait. Boiling water poured into the nest can sometimes be effective. I usually resort to the baits, though.
 
R

Ruby123

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#94,842
#94,842
Moses_Young said:
Ants don't like sulphur, if you have any. They will walk around it. Borax mixed with a quantity of sugar syrup can be effective. You've gotta get the balance right. They will take it back to their nest and feed the queen, and she'll die, killing the nest. But too much sugar and it's just a feast for her, too little and the ants won't take the bait. Boiling water poured into the nest can sometimes be effective. I usually resort to the baits, though.
Click to expand...
The baits always work except this time. These ants may be AI ants or something.
Thanks for info, I will check Bunnings out and see if they have any of this stuff.
 
Moses_Young

Moses_Young

Well-known member
#94,843
Sep 15, 2019
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#94,843
Ruby123 said:
The baits always work except this time. These ants may be AI ants or something.
Thanks for info, I will check Bunnings out and see if they have any of this stuff.
Click to expand...
I think the baits can expire if you leave them in air or uncovered. That might be why they failed? Some ants also seem to get wise to the stuff, especially if you've killed a few colonies of their brothers before. Sometimes, you can coax them to eat it by putting it right on top of their nest.
 
R

Ruby123

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#94,844
#94,844
I just bought the baits so I assume they are still within the date range.
I have not killed their ancestors here as I was not in this place last summer so I dont have a history with them.
I have no idea where there nest is as they seem to be coming from underneath the air conditioner. Maybe I should turn that on and freeze them. They are a pain :mad:
Anyways, I will try and get rid of them somehow :devilish:
 
shittim

shittim

Senior Member
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Dec 16, 2016
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#94,845
little red ones?

My "ant-ology" wisdom is they either want grease or sugar. We have a poison you can add to either to achieve results.
Peppermint essential oil in a cheap $1 spray bottle with rubbing alcohol and sprayed around will send them packing, lots of other creepy crawlies too.
Australia being the lovely place with the highest ration of poisonous critters......:):unsure::coffee:(y)
 
Moses_Young

Moses_Young

Well-known member
#94,848
Sep 15, 2019
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#94,848
Ruby123 said:
I just bought the baits so I assume they are still within the date range.
I have not killed their ancestors here as I was not in this place last summer so I dont have a history with them.
I have no idea where there nest is as they seem to be coming from underneath the air conditioner. Maybe I should turn that on and freeze them. They are a pain :mad:
Anyways, I will try and get rid of them somehow :devilish:
Click to expand...
Did it work? What type of ants are they? How large, what colour? Some ants don't go for baits, but I think most do. The Singapore ants (tiny) are a real pain - they don't go for baits much (in my limited experience) but apparently eat even plastic (wires etc.) You can also try sealing all the holes where the ants come in, but this can take ages, as there are often lots of gaps, and you'll fill one for them to find another.
 
R

Ruby123

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#94,849
#94,849
Moses_Young said:
Did it work? What type of ants are they? How large, what colour? Some ants don't go for baits, but I think most do. The Singapore ants (tiny) are a real pain - they don't go for baits much (in my limited experience) but apparently eat even plastic (wires etc.) You can also try sealing all the holes where the ants come in, but this can take ages, as there are often lots of gaps, and you'll fill one for them to find another.
Click to expand...
They are small black ants not the bull ants or anything and they will not eat bait but walk around it. They are intelligent or dont like the bait food one or the other. I have bought some new stuff today and will put it around the place tomorrow. My friend who used to live in the area I am living in now said that it worked for her so I am hoping and praying it will work. They are coming under the air con which is mounted on the wall. There is no plug for it, its wiring is somehow in the wall (I dont know how that works) It is semi rural here so the bush is around and that is where they are coming from.
 
Moses_Young

Moses_Young

Well-known member
#94,850
Sep 15, 2019
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#94,850
Ruby123 said:
They are small black ants not the bull ants or anything and they will not eat bait but walk around it. They are intelligent or dont like the bait food one or the other. I have bought some new stuff today and will put it around the place tomorrow. My friend who used to live in the area I am living in now said that it worked for her so I am hoping and praying it will work. They are coming under the air con which is mounted on the wall. There is no plug for it, its wiring is somehow in the wall (I dont know how that works) It is semi rural here so the bush is around and that is where they are coming from.
Click to expand...
It's probably too late, but the top two are ones I have used with success. The bottle, you can't let air get in too much - I think that was why the ants didn't like it after awhile.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/combat-1-5g-ant-rid-bait-6-pack_p2961007
https://www.bunnings.com.au/combat-50ml-ant-rid-insecticide-2-pack_p2960330

The one below - I think I used this, but not sure on the brand. I definitely used a powder that was great, but again, it needs to be kept sealed, or the ants stop liking it. I remember powder one being really expensive compared to others, but pretty good still.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/pestxpert-150g-nest-kill-granular-ant-bait_p3010423

(Okay - links fixed now - I double posted one and left one out before).
 
R

Ruby123

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#94,851
Moses_Young said:
It's probably too late, but the top two are ones I have used with success. The bottle, you can't let air get in too much - I think that was why the ants didn't like it after awhile.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/combat-1-5g-ant-rid-bait-6-pack_p2961007
https://www.bunnings.com.au/combat-50ml-ant-rid-insecticide-2-pack_p2960330

The one below - I think I used this, but not sure on the brand. I definitely used a powder that was great, but again, it needs to be kept sealed, or the ants stop liking it. I remember powder one being really expensive compared to others, but pretty good still.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/pestxpert-150g-nest-kill-granular-ant-bait_p3010423

(Okay - links fixed now - I double posted one and left one out before).
Click to expand...
The ant rid is the one that did not work. It normally does but not for these ones. These are fussy.
I got this gel stuff that is in some type of syringe. I dont know what it is called and am in bed as it is getting :sleep::sleep::sleep::sleep::sleep: time. I got it from Woollies. Thanks for info and links.
 
shittim

shittim

Senior Member
#94,852
Dec 16, 2016
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No Miss Ruby since Tuesday... I wonder if the ants hauled her off to the bush....:unsure::giggle::eek:
 
oldman

oldman

Member
#94,854
Apr 29, 2012
1,174
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#94,854
Ruby123 said:
Ants are getting smarter these days.
I live in an area that is semi rural so in summer the ants come in esp at this time when it is hot.
Normally I put those ant square things down where they walk into the open section eat the bait and then die. It has always worked well in the past but this time they are walking around the square thing and not eating the bait. It is very frustrating.
Does anybody have any ant remedies??
Click to expand...

Rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle is a contact kill that leaves no residue so it's safe to use indoors. 93% seems to work best. This also works well on other insects. No need to wipe up - just let it evaporate.

........
If you can find the nest, a mixture of liquid soap (1 pint soap to 1 gallon water) in a garden sprayer is also a contact kill. Stir the nest to expose the ants while spraying. Insects do not have lungs and absorb oxygen through their exoskeleton. By blocking their means of getting oxygen they die.

........
You can make your own bait with boric acid, something sweet like honey and water. Place in an empty water bottle and place near the nest or trail. This is similar to the Terro brand name bait. The boric acid dehydrates the ant and usually they take some back to the nest,..
Boric acid has nearly the same toxicity as table salt so it's safe - no chemical residue. Check online for the recipe. The boric acid is best dissolved in a microwave. Shake well when hot.

.........
.About carpenter ants - the methods above will work. Follow the trail back to the nest. The ones forming the trail usually will not bite. Be ready to spray before disturbing the nest and spray heavy on the first application. The ants in the nest will bite when disturbed and it does hurt. After treating the nest any that still live will move remaining eggs to another location so it's good to hit them hard on the first application. They usually only come out at night - flashlight.
 
Moses_Young

Moses_Young

Well-known member
#94,856
Sep 15, 2019
9,948
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113
#94,856
oldman said:
You can make your own bait with boric acid, something sweet like honey and water. Place in an empty water bottle and place near the nest or trail. This is similar to the Terro brand name bait. The boric acid dehydrates the ant and usually they take some back to the nest,..
Boric acid has nearly the same toxicity as table salt so it's safe - no chemical residue. Check online for the recipe. The boric acid is best dissolved in a microwave. Shake well when hot.
Click to expand...
I can vouch for this one - you've gotta get the mix just right, but it has the same effect as the good baits, in my experience. I think the mix goes off after a while (a day or few days), so you want the ants to start carting it off straight away - try to put it right in their path so they discover it quickly, but not so obviously that it looks like you're putting it right in their path for them to discover it quickly.

I was also thinking - sometimes, if there is an alternative food source, the ants won't go for the baited stuff. So good to remove any other food sources from nearby, if you can.
 
R

Ruby123

Guest
#94,857
#94,857
oldman said:
Rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle is a contact kill that leaves no residue so it's safe to use indoors. 93% seems to work best. This also works well on other insects. No need to wipe up - just let it evaporate.

........
If you can find the nest, a mixture of liquid soap (1 pint soap to 1 gallon water) in a garden sprayer is also a contact kill. Stir the nest to expose the ants while spraying. Insects do not have lungs and absorb oxygen through their exoskeleton. By blocking their means of getting oxygen they die.

........
You can make your own bait with boric acid, something sweet like honey and water. Place in an empty water bottle and place near the nest or trail. This is similar to the Terro brand name bait. The boric acid dehydrates the ant and usually they take some back to the nest,..
Boric acid has nearly the same toxicity as table salt so it's safe - no chemical residue. Check online for the recipe. The boric acid is best dissolved in a microwave. Shake well when hot.

.........
.About carpenter ants - the methods above will work. Follow the trail back to the nest. The ones forming the trail usually will not bite. Be ready to spray before disturbing the nest and spray heavy on the first application. The ants in the nest will bite when disturbed and it does hurt. After treating the nest any that still live will move remaining eggs to another location so it's good to hit them hard on the first application. They usually only come out at night - flashlight.
Click to expand...
I went to woolworths and bought some ant stuff by Talon (I think it was called). It comes in a syringe and you put blobs of it where the ants walk. I did so and it did wonders. All the ants flocked to it and I have not seen one since. I hope this has gotten rid of them for a while. I may try your alcohol suggestion next time if I need it. Thanks for the info.
 
oldman

oldman

Member
#94,859
Apr 29, 2012
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#94,859
Ruby123 said:
I went to woolworths and bought some ant stuff by Talon (I think it was called). It comes in a syringe and you put blobs of it where the ants walk. I did so and it did wonders. All the ants flocked to it and I have not seen one since. I hope this has gotten rid of them for a while. I may try your alcohol suggestion next time if I need it. Thanks for the info.
Click to expand...
ant seem to be very picky when it comes to the 'sweet' additive. I tried regular honey once with no positive results, then switched to organic and that did well. some sort of jelly might work also
 
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