Need advice, I’m HS with ants

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
1

I’m on a weeklong sit and the kitchen counter (not clean to begin with) is overrun with tiny ants. I’ve sprayed what I’ve seen but more will reappear- there’s even some on beds and other areas of the home.

Does anyone have advice on how to handle this? Should I order overnight delivery ant traps from Amazon?

And the owners are out of the country, not on WhatsApp, and not responding to email (yes I know, it’s not ideal) so I’ll need to let them know this was a problem ALL ALONG- the ants are getting worse and did not arrive with me!

Any suggestions welcome- how to combat the ants and how to make it clear to owners that it was a weeklong problem.

2

You need to get some liquid ant traps

Ants will carry the poison to their nest and destroy the whole colony. We always keep a few of those on hand.

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3

Terro ant bait has worked well for me. It might attract more at first but they take it home with them.

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4

We had this on a sit recently first in the bathroom and then the kitchen - we searched the cupboards thinking that this likely had been a problem that had occurred in the house before.

We found “Raid” in a cupboard under the sink which we used carefully following the instructions ( such as keeping the cat out of the area ) it worked .

We also made sure to put all food (especially sweet food ) in containers with lids that we closed .

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5

Terro is the way to go.

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6

My home has ant problems. We do 3 things #1) Keep counters and sink clean and seal up all food. #2) the Terro ant baits really work. When you see a trail of ants (where they are coming in) put the bait right in their path. Initially they will swarm. By day 3 they are gone. Repeat wherever and whenever needed. #3) Sprinkle a thin line of diotomaceous earth across entry points. It is not poisonous but can irritate paws so be careful not to put it where Fido or Fluffy’s paws will step. Good luck!

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7

I agree with the Terro recommendations. It is the best. You can also sprinkle cinnamon or food grade diatomaceous earth, but don’t use the DE where pets could inhale it. I’d check with HOs (when you reach them) before using DE.

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8

I’ve had success with a bit of sugar mixed with boric acid

  • two parts borax (boric acid)
  • one part powdered sugar
    Mix it and put it in a container where bugs can get to it, but pets can’t.
    Insects eat it and take it back to the nest.

This has worked excellently for us to control ants, of all kinds, from carpenter ants to little red ants, as well as other insects that like sugar.

P. S. If you have a mess and your food is getting infested, you can do a two-tier moat:

Get a tall, narrow waterproof container (like a glass) and a large, low waterproof container (like a flat-bottomed bowl or casserole).

  • put water in large container, with a bit of soap, about 1" deep.
  • put the narrow container in the large container.
  • Put the food on a plate and balance it in the tall/narrow container.
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9

I’ve used Terro before even for other critters that pop up in the spring and works like wonder!

We also had a gnat problem with an indoor plant that we had purchased from Home Depot, and we resolved that by mixing in baking soda in the water or curry powder. Cleaning with distilled white vinegar also works wonders for getting rid aunts and gnats. Good luck!

10

How do you get rid of those pesky uncles??!!

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11

@MissChef I’ve heard a shot of castor oil in their drinks does the trick! :rofl: :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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12

I had a couple of those. Wait for the right moment and run.
No forwarding address helps. Eventually they die. :grinning:

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