Ant wars!!!

[Mojo88]

On occasion we get those pesky little ants that come in this time of year. It has been exceptionally bad this year and I had to resort to a professional. The tech was great and was able to track the source down for the most part. I noticed that they were coming in the basement from a tiny break in the caulking. When I went to fix it the entire bottom of the sill came out in my hands. True to this previous owner he got a window and rigged it in. He took a demo hammer and then filled in with quickcrete . I dug it all out and replaced the concrete with hydraulic cement and filled the gap inside. It has become such an obsession my wife started calling me Ant Man.

Some pictures before, during and after.

 

[Columbo]

That's mighty close to grade.

Unless you have great runoff management, you might want to consider dropping in a window well.

 

[Mojo88]

That's mighty close to grade.

Unless you have great runoff management, you might want to consider dropping in a window well.

Yep. That’s next on the list. I ordered the window well today. Nothing in stock anywhere.

 

[Columbo]

Yep. That’s next on the list. I ordered the window well today. Nothing in stock anywhere.

Depending on your climate, ten to twelve inches below sill may be all you need there. Just enough to keep the water, and the pests, out. Depending on the yard slope off the structure, it may be self-draining, which is ideal.

I usually planned an open depth below sill cuts and through holes slightly greater than the maximum expected seasonal snowfall. But check with your local code, as it gets more complicated every year as they think up new annoyances.

Ants can be hard to keep out at any height. But the new baits have improved in recent years. They take it back to the nest, and in 15-20 days the entire colony gets wiped out.

 

[ExtremelyDanger]

It has become such an obsession my wife started calling me Ant Man.

Well that's better than Leiningen

 

[ColtRevolver]

A proper application of Termidor will take care of ants.

 

[Mojo88]

A proper application of Termidor will take care of ants.

I believe that’s what the tech used in combination with a couple other things. What was interesting is the ants took all the dead back to the nest. It was hard to watch them initially and not kill them.

 

[Toothpick]

I pay a pest control company to come by every 3 months and spray for everything. IDK what he actually sprays, probably water cause we have those black ants from time to time, and I see spiders weekly here and there.

 

[DesertIguana]

Get Anteater as pet.

 

[steveclarkus]

On occasion we get those pesky little ants that come in this time of year. It has been exceptionally bad this year and I had to resort to a professional. The tech was great and was able to track the source down for the most part. I noticed that they were coming in the basement from a tiny break in the caulking. When I went to fix it the entire bottom of the sill came out in my hands. True to this previous owner he got a window and rigged it in. He took a demo hammer and then filled in with quickcrete . I dug it all out and replaced the concrete with hydraulic cement and filled the gap inside. It has become such an obsession my wife started calling me Ant Man.View attachment 1831151

Some pictures before, during and after.View attachment 1831157View attachment 1831158View attachment 1831162

I had great success last year after an invasion of **** ants with something I saw on a YouTube video. You take a small jar with a screw on lid, put sugar in it and mix in a small quantity of Borax and place it where the ants are gathering such as a countertop, window or floor. The ants go for the sugar but also get the Borax which some will carry back to their nest and feed it to the queen and the nest dies. Now, I usually don't pay much attention to such things but I was desperate as I don't like using bug sprays or poisons because of my dogs. However, it worked like a dream. Even, this spring, I haven't had an ant invasion. I don't know if this works with all ants but it certainly does with those little suckers.

 

[Kix]

I've used Terro Ant Baits when the ants assault our kitchen. A few days after they indulge in the Terro "cocktail", they completely disappear. It works every time, without fail. It's the same formula as @steveclarkus mentioned above, but in a handy clear plastic package with the solution premixed inside. It's non-toxic to people and pets, if I recall correctly. It's much better than using insecticides that are toxic to everyone in the house.

 

[steveclarkus]

I've used Terro Ant Baits when the ants assault our kitchen. A few days after they indulge in the Terro "cocktail", they completely disappear. It works every time, without fail. It's the same formula as @steveclarkus mentioned above, but in a handy clear plastic package with the solution premixed inside. It's non-toxic to people and pets, if I recall correctly. It's much better than using insecticides that are toxic to everyone in the house.

I wish you had mentioned this before I bought a two pound box of Borax lol.

 

[Mojo88]

I've used Terro Ant Baits when the ants assault our kitchen. A few days after they indulge in the Terro "cocktail", they completely disappear. It works every time, without fail. It's the same formula as @steveclarkus mentioned above, but in a handy clear plastic package with the solution premixed inside. It's non-toxic to people and pets, if I recall correctly. It's much better than using insecticides that are toxic to everyone in the house.

I tried the Terro and they didn’t touch it. The exterminator used a product called Advion and I bought a tube. That definitely worked and it killed the nest. And the weird thing is I had used Terro before. The exterminator saw the Terro traps and commented they seem to like the sugary ones better. Who knows?

 

[Kentos]

Ants are innocuous, but oh so irritating!!

 

[Columbo]

I pay a pest control company to come by every 3 months and spray for everything. IDK what he actually sprays, probably water cause we have those black ants from time to time, and I see spiders weekly here and there.

Arachnophobic fears aside, spiders are generally considered a beneficial residential insect, and keep some of the more annoying and unwanted ones under control.

 

[luvmysuper]

I think I've said it before, but I have a deal worked out with bugs.
I go out of my way to avoid disturbing or bothering insects outside.
If they come into the house, and I see them, they are dead.

 

[Mojo88]

So the adventure of Ant Man and his trusty Sidekick Bee Girl continues. What should have been an hour job tops turned into a two and a half hour excavation. I started digging for a window well and started hitting rocks which I understand happens, this isn’t my first house. But then no, those critters had a plan. Put as much fill debris in an area. So with no choice as Bee Girl fell back asleep I muscled all the rock and dirt out. Mind you this is only 55 inches by a foot. I got it done and Bee Girl held down that TV. In all seriousness it was a one Ant Man job. She did an amazing job of holding the TV down

 

[Old Hippie]

Ants? I've had my struggles.

Here's a weirdie: I found some research suggesting that a 40 Hertz tone will cause ants to go away after a while. I found this a bit amusing because I use a low-volume 40 Hz tone to stimulate my brain's gamma waves for calmness and focus. Since I started doing that a couple of years ago, any ants that wander into the house seem to get confused. Then they either get dead or they wander back out again.

I'm not sure it's really working on the ants, but I'm pretty calm about it.

O.H.

 

[Wombat ESQ]

Lemonade and borax [the sugary soft drink]] takes a while, next time i might try 7Up

 

[ChrisPL68]

I have had good luck using garden safe Diatomaceous Earth.
I mask up and use the simple dusting dispenser around the perimeter of the buildings and gardens.