Ants!

[Gina145]

Last night I put a saucer of maize meal on the floor in an area frequented by ants. Within an hour a couple of them had ventured into the saucer and by late in the evening there was quite a lot of activity there.

When I woke this morning the smooth surface of the maize meal had become pitted and there were also traces of it on the floor near the saucer.

I wonder if they'll leave a trail leading me to their nest. It would be really useful to know where they're coming from.

 

[Cheerio]

I hope it works! They say to leave some of the dead ants around as a warning to the others. That isn't a joke. Ants will usually take their dead back home to the hive and bury them, believe it or not. They are smart enough to understand if there are a lot of dead, then they need to move somewhere else.

 

[Gina145]

That's very interesting Cheerio. I'd never heard that before, but from my personal experience ants certainly seem to care about their own. I once wrote an article about my experience watching a group of ants resuscitate one that appeared to have drowned in my bath. I actually feel guilty killing them, but they can't take over my home.

I haven't seen any dead ants so far, but I'll remember that if I see any. Thanks.

 

[Cheerio]

I know. That makes me feel bad too. I hate to kill any sentient being, but they can and will take over a home. Plus, they may seem harmless when there are only a couple, but they do bite and can be bad if they swarm. In certain parts of the US we have the red fire ants and the bite is very painful and many people are highly allergic so extreme measure are taken if they start getting out of control. Carpenter ants can destroy all the wood in your home. I forget the exact number of different types of ants, but there are a lot! It wouldn't be a bad idea to go around the whole base of the house with cornmeal.

 

[claudine]

I really like ants and I don't mind them living in my garden. Watching them is fun! But when I notice them in the house, I sprinkle baking soda on the floor. They don't like it, so it always makes them move outdoors again

 

[Gina145]

They can do what they want in the garden, but I wish I could get them out of my bonsai area. When I see ants on my trees I know that there is something unwanted there - usually scale insects.

I went to a talk about repotting orchids yesterday and the speaker said that if you can keep the ants out of your greenhouse then you won't have a problem with scale and aphids, but I hope the reverse applies too.

I lost one tree to scale last year because I don't have time to watch for bugs carefully enough and I don't want to use poisons. I read somewhere that fish emulsion kills scale insects, but I didn't use it often enough last summer to see whether it worked. Hopefully if I use it regularly this summer I'll be able to get them under control and maybe then the ants will move away too.

 

[Annetteb]

I will have to try putting baking soda doen in my house because ants have started coming in. I don't have a problem with them outside, but I don't like them in the house.

 

[MindyT]

You can get diatomaceous earth (food grade) at a natural pet supply store. It dries up the pests from the outside in. It works on ants, fleas, and other pests. There is another kind of diatomaceous earth in pest products. However if you get the food grade kind, it is safe for pets and animals. Sprinkle it in your garden, on your pet's fur. Be careful though. A lot goes a long way and put some in your hands and pat on. It is not good to breathe it in. It will dry out the membranes. Also, when you put it in your garden, wear gloves. It will dry out your hands.

 

[Annetteb]

You can get diatomaceous earth (food grade) at a natural pet supply store. It dries up the pests from the outside in. It works on ants, fleas, and other pests. There is another kind of diatomaceous earth in pest products. However if you get the food grade kind, it is safe for pets and animals. Sprinkle it in your garden, on your pet's fur. Be careful though. A lot goes a long way and put some in your hands and pat on. It is not good to breathe it in. It will dry out the membranes. Also, when you put it in your garden, wear gloves. It will dry out your hands.

I have heard a lot about this product and I am thinking about getting it for my yard because I want to get rid of all the pesky bugs in my yard.

 

[MindyT]

Life is so ironic sometimes. Now, I am having issues with ants in my kitchen. Time to put these posts to use!

 

[Annetteb]

I have been getting ants in my bedroom so I put down some baking soda to get rid of them. So far I have not seen anynore, but I have not looked through the rest of my house. I akso didn't find out where they were coming in at either.