Tuesday, May 6, 2008

I need help!

I need some kitchen help.


Perhaps it's the warm weather....

...Perhaps it's the year...

...Perhaps it's our older house...

....whatever the case, We are being invaded by ants!

There's nothing quite like finding ants in random places all over your kitchen. Ugh! They must have a hole someplace, because when we chase them, and aren't quick enough to step on or otherwise squash them, they disappear. We don't like using chemical sprays in our house, because several of us are allergic to them. Any ideas for "organic" ways to get rid of ants?


...All that being said, I have been having good times in the kitchen lately (despite the little visitors!) so prepare yourself for some doughnut, bread, and casserole recipes to be posted soon!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

We had them several months ago and it was a mess. In fact, we finally bit the bullet and called a pest company.

First thing I did was found out what attracted them - for us, it was an herb pot on the counter and honey drips in the cabinet. They make a trail, though, and follow it insistently.

I did an internet search and read that they won't cross cinnamon, so if you know where they're coming in, you can try blocking their path. Then wipe everything down using hot soapy water to get rid of their trails, and I read that regular blue Dawn is best.

Good luck! They are definitely icky!!!

the 50's lady said...

We had a major problem with ants last year and we used a liquid ant killer called "TERRO". It isn't organic, but it works great. You can get it at Walmart or any number of stores. You put a few drops of the liquid on little squares of cardboard (attached to the box) and place them near the entry of the ants. We placed some by the doors and on the counter - some of the ants were coming in through an electrical outlet. (It is a safe on the counter). Hope this helps. (By the way - what happens is that it attracts the worker ants, so initially there are LOTS of ants going right to the liquid, but within a couple of days they were gone!)

ADMIN said...

I've heard that if you draw a line of chalk where the ants are entering, they won't cross the line. Another method is to sprinkle borax. You could also distract the ants by finding their entry and giving them a snack away from there to keep them busy. I do hate having ants inside, but they are so much fun to watch outdoors. Good luck!

Mom2fur said...

A few years back, I found about 40 of the little creepies in my pantry. Someone suggested throwing down bay leaves. First, I cleaned out the pantry and got rid of the ants I could see. Then I threw down a bunch of bay leaves (just the dry kind). I havent' seen an ant in there since. Apparently, they don't like the smell. I've also heard they don't like chili powder.

Anonymous said...

Even though I don't like using chemicals Sam's Club has a ant killer powder that we put around the outside of the house. Try to get them before they come in. I also use the terro stuff. It comes in a sm. container so it doesn't get yucky.
Other wise I heard black pepper stops them. You want to make a thick trail/barrier for them not to cross over. A chalk line too. They don't like spice stuff I guess.

Jessica said...

If you can find the hole where the ants are coming in (easier said than done!), you can stop up the hole with toothpaste or sprinkle either salt or borax around the opening. You can always try goodsearching or googling "natural" ways to get rid of ants. We had this problem before, and stopping up the opening with toothpaste seemed to work (they were coming in our window). Hope this helps!

Anonymous said...

Hello! I have heard that wiping down your counters with vinegar will help. Also a small saucer of Dawn dish soap could also help.

Anonymous said...

Hi there! I found these on the 'net. Hope they're helpful!

Getting rid of ants

Jeannie said...

boraic acid, or borox. practically harmless to people, lethal to ants. My suggestion, mix some into corn syrup and leave it out on the counter in a shallow dish. The ants will have a feeding frenzy for 3 days then suddenly disappear. A week or so later a few scounts may come back- just leave the bait out for them for around 1 month. They take the solution back to their colony and when they start to actually consume it, it kills them. Just an FYI-90% of the bait traps I found commercially available contained the exact same stuff. We struggled with ant infestations for over a year and finally used this solution (but commercially purchased) and finally are ant free. Also, make sure and wipe off your counters with a heavily soapy water every day- it wipes away their chemical trails that leads their buddies to the food sources. Best luck!

Sharon said...

Now don't quote me on it, but I believe that they don't like cinamon. So if you ever find out where they are coming in from you can just sprinkle some in the doorways windows and stuff.

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I came here after visiting Tammy's Recipes...to get rid of your frustrating ant infestation try this "natural" remedy...mix equal parts baking soda and icing sugar together (very tiny amounts, teaspoons perhaps, they are tiny creatures afterall!!!). Place this enticing mixture onto plastic lids, such as yogurt, margarine, etc. and leave around edge of room or outside (at ground level) if you can find where your guests are entering...the little industrious pets will take this "meal" back to the nest to share with everyone and since they cannot digest it...well, let's just say they shouldn't be returning for seconds. This method may sound harsh but it is not using chemicals so is safe to use around children and pets.
Our family had the same problem last year and this really worked...good luck!

Katrina said...

You need to find the nests (yes that is plural) sometimes they are coming from outside and you can block that route, hose the outside down with water to chase them off and distract them to going somewhere else. Do you have boards up on your walls somewhere - they love creating nexts behind them, I helped a friend remove some boards in his toilet and we found about 10nests, took all boards out hosed off - sprayed wall with stuff (really wanted to get rid of the last lot of them) left boards off for a few weeks to make sure nest wasn't rebuilt in a hurry. Find ant lines outside, trace back to nest pour boiling water into nest

Anonymous said...

We had the same problem! I also share your aversion to chemicals, so we were thrilled to find a all-natural mint oil spray that kills them dead and keeps them from coming back. It's Victor brand "Poison-free Ant and Roach Killer". If you're in the PacNW, you can find it at Bi-Mart. Comes in a big yellow aerosol can. The active ingredient is mint oil and it also contains mineral oil, water, lecithin and CO2.

I have bad lung disease and can't handle strong chemical smells, but this just smells minty and doesn't set my lungs off at all. We spray it in the kitchen and the one bedroom that gets ants and also around the foundation outside to keep them from coming in. It's totally solved our problem.

This sounds like a commercial, sorry! I just know how icky and discouraging ants can be, so I want to share our solution!

Kim said...

I have the same problem - just googled it and found that vinegar is supposed to deter them.

Anonymous said...

Put peppermint essential oil on a cottonball and smear it all over where they're coming in. They hate it and tell their ant buddies about it and they don't come back. I was keeping my honey, molasses, syrup, etc. in a cupboard close to the window and I just moved it to a more inside place in the kitchen and that seems to have helped too. You can also mix borax with sugar water in a container and they'll crawl in and die but I like the other method better. Hope that helps! :)

A. Snodgrass said...

I've heard that dried/used coffee grounds are good for deterring ants.

Ashley said...

You can put cinnamon leaf extract on a Q-tip and run it alond the edges of the counter or cupbords or wherever they are at. It not only makes you kitchen smell nice, but keeps the pests away too!A cheaper way is to put cinnamon sticks around the kitchen, but it doesen't work as well. Hope this helps!