Ant Deterrent

[roy2cebu]

Have the tiniest of ants I've ever seen appearing frequently in different areas of the house.Spray them with insect killer but eventually more return. Can't seem to be able to locate the source because they are in different places at different times.Is the a deterrent to be bought any where?

[Jim Sibbick]

I don't mind them because they clean up the mess and then are gone.I think spraying them has the same effect as holding back the tide.If you don't want them to appear in the first place, don't have any food for them to find.Keep food in the fridge or in sealed containers. And clean up as soon as something is spilled or dropped.Regards; Jim

[Mr Lee]

Have the tiniest of ants I've ever seen appearing frequently in different areas of the house.Spray them with insect killer but eventually more return. Can't seem to be able to locate the source because they are in different places at different times.Is the a deterrent to be bought any where?

We use Boric acid and sugar mix in bottle caps placed around areas that we find the ants, HERE is a page that explains how to do it with Karo syrup which should work just as good and maybe better.1 Heat an ounce of water in a small saucepan until it's almost boiling. Remove from heat.2 Add 1 tablespoon of Karo syrup and 1 teaspoon of Boric Acid. Mix together and let cool for a few minutes.3 Dip cotton balls in the cooled mixture and place them in strategic locations where ants are a problem. If you have children or pets, keep the dipped cotton balls out of their reach. Inside child-safe cupboards or on high windowsills, for example.4 Once the ants find the cotton balls, they'll tell their ant friends, and soon they'll be swarming. It takes a few days, but they'll eventually start to die off, and the ants will take the poisoned food back to their nest, killing the queen.HERE is one that describes how to do it with sugar. It works for us here and in Florida and even kills any and all roaches that find their way in while we are gone. Ants : This past year have been on a rampage here in Fl, the insect capitol of the world. This homemade treatment has worked very well on both carpenter ants and pharaoh ants. Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon of Boric Acid, 1 tsp of Sugar, 4 oz water, Cotton Balls. Mix Boric Acid and Sugar in a bowl. This can be poured over a cotton wad in a small dish or bottle cap. Keep this from drying out for continued effectiveness. Place Cotton balls in path of Ants.

[roy2cebu]

Where can you purchase Boric acid or Karo syrup?

[Mr Lee]

Where can you purchase Boric acid or Karo syrup?

ACE HARDWARE should have it, or I have been told Cebu Home & Builders has carried it in the past but in a different form called Borax. The big problem here is that they might have something one day and not have it the next. I might also have an extra one on hand. As for the Karo syrup, sugar should work the same, but a supermarket here would probably have the kyro syrup in the baking section. I usually bring the stuff with us from the states. added, wherever they sell welding supplies should have borax.

[BobNChe]

One important thing to remember for the bait to be the most effective, it should contain no more than 5% boric acid or the ants will die before they reach the nest. The idea is to get the forager ants to take it back and destroy the colony, not just the foragers. Different ingredients are better for different types of ants here. Karo syrup is just corn sugar, so any type syrup will do, or just plain sugar. Peanut butter, vegetable oil and other fatty or sugary substances may be used.http://www.grinningplanet.com/2004/04-27/ant-control-ant-killer-article.htm

[roy2cebu]

How much is an ounce of water in mls or something else?

[Mr Lee]

How much is an ounce of water in mls or something else?

HERE is a conversion page1 Oz equals 29.5735296875 ml

[roy2cebu]

Just a little confused because the dosage with syrup says 1 ounce, the dosage with sugar says 4 ounce.....which do I use? There's a 75% difference in water volume between them. Is that because the syrup may be more concentrated in sugar then itself?Just want to get the mixture right....that Boric acid is too expensive to waste...hehe...

Edited April 2, 2011 by roy2cebu

[Mr Lee]

Just a little confused because the dosage with syrup says 1 ounce, the dosage with sugar says 4 ounce.....which do I use?There's a 75% difference in water volume between them. Is that because the syrup may be more concentrated in sugar then itself?Just want to get the mixture right....that Boric acid is too expensive to waste...hehe...

I take a knife tip front of boric acid to about 10 knife tip fronts of sugar and then add a little water to it, the main thing is that the item you use, be it peanut butter or sugar, is about 1/20th to 1/10th of what you use of boric acid. If you use too little then they will have a feast and not die, and if you use too much, then they will die before they get back to the queen, so trial and error. As for the water if you use sugar, which is what I use, it really will not matter but just put a little in at a time and mix it up until you get a very wet paste because you will have to keep adding water as it dries out. I add an additional boric acid knife point and water to the mix every week or so, and just keep leaving the same cap around the house. There is no real science to it and the idea is to add enough sweets to attract them and not too much boric acid to kill them before they get back to the nest. It is more trial and error and if you cut up a cotton ball and soak those and leave them around then the cotton balls eat up the water anyway.