How can I get rid of ants that are in my house and outside?

Susan
by Susan

I must keep my kitchen spot clean all day long ...can't leave food out for my kittens! Was soon as they eat I must clean the bowls. Any answers?

Thanks,

Susan

  6 answers
  • Maretta Maretta on Jul 28, 2019

    terro works fast and the best

  • Until you get them under control, make a moat to place the kitty food bowls.

  • Maggie Passaro Maggie Passaro on Jul 28, 2019

    i use a homemade terro bait, its 1 cup sugar to 1/2 cup water and 1 tablespoon of borax, bring to a boil, let simmer 2 full minutes , remove let cool, and put about 1/2 teaspoon in a shallow dish ( lid off of a jar) and set this where the ants are trailing in. let them come and they will take it back and kill the entire colony. after 3 days, be sure to wipe down where they trailed in with white vinegar and mixed with a little water, the vinegar removes the scent they followed for the trail. if they are coming on the floor near pet food, i put the lid with something over it so pets wont get into it, i use a small wire crate or anything i can see thru but protect from pets. This works the best and is cheap, and i have gotten all my friends using this

  • Sharon Sharon on Jul 28, 2019

    I totally understand..... I use Termite & Carpenter Ant spray on the outside of my house foundation up to the edge of the siding..... this got rid of them and I do it 2x a year, spring and fall.

    Then inside for the first stray ant you see, kill it, they lay a chemical trail for the rest of the colony to follow. I use a non-toxic, ant spray EcoSmart, EcoLogic or Victors. I spray around the doorway threshold with these to keep them out. Any excess spray I wipe off with a paper towel and use the excess on an area like where the pet food it. It doesn't bother my cats.

  • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Jul 28, 2019

    I use this and have ferals,fosters, pet cats and dogs that I care for just take something and place over granules you put by ant trail so cats cannot get in them and then clean up remainder as soon as ants have taken it back to coloy. it only takes a few hrs. then wash up area with soap & water just to be safe. AMDRO ANT BAIT granules work. all these home remedies below do nothing but kill the ants you see, if they even do that, most just disrupt the scent/trail/or the top of the mound/colony. FYI most DIY solutions are only repellents/deterents. MYTH: Cinnamon kills ants.

    TRUTH: Ants don’t like cinnamon but unfortunately it doesn’t kill or repel them.

    MYTH: Vinegar kills ants.

    TRUTH: Vinegar just removes the smell/trace of ants. While it may help confuse or throw off the rest of the colony, vinegar alone might not be enough to rid your home of these bothersome insects.

    MYTH: Boiling water repels ants.

    TRUTH: If – and only if – the water is boiling will it kill the ants that it is poured on. However, it will not repel future ants from invading your home.

    MYTH: Ants won’t cross a chalk/powder line.

    TRUTH: A chalk/powder line may temporarily stop the ants (it’s the smell that “ disrupts the scent trail”) but it won’t be long before they figure out a way around the chalk/powder. We probably don’t have to tell you, but ants are very persistent creatures!

    MYTH: Uncooked grains, like oatmeal,cornmeal,jiffy muffin mix or grits, will kill ants by expanding in their stomachs and then exploding.

    TRUTH: Despite popular belief, there is no evidence that ants can be killed off by dumping grains in or around the “hive.” What we do know is that only the oldest members of an ant colony can digest solid food. The adult, worker, and reproductive ants, can only digest liquids.Ants take organic matter listed above & store it in the nest.

    And the biggest ant control myth of all?

    As long as you kill or remove the ants you can see, your problem is solved.Diatomaceous earth does kill them but only ants that crawl thru it not the colony. To be really be rid of them I suggest either Boric Acid mixed with cornmeal or Amdro Ant Bait granules sprinkle a little of the bait besides trail ( not directly on it they will get disrupted and leave or not pick up bait)they carry bait to nest and it kills entire colony. Amdro works fast 2-24 hrs. huge colony gone.it is poison as is Boric Acid but just cover with something til the next day, don't mess with/block their trail tho' so they carry bait back to colony quickly.if you use liquid bait it kills only the working ants you see before they get back to colony, so the trail is gone then they just start a new one to & from colony elsewhere.So you only think you have killed them off. Amdro(best,fastest). Just use a little of the bait it doesn't take much, then clean up what is left after colony has been killed off. I put a milk crate, flower pot or saucer over the bait (just make sure it is not blocking their trail so they do not get disrupted and take it to colony faster) to keep anything out of bait except ants. works indoors or outdoors.

  • Hi Susan - Those little buggers are relentless, aren't they?!? This is the most effective method and all-natural spray DIY that we use with ants. It's best indoors, but will also work outside with more frequent applications. It's even been featured on Hometalk! Hope this helps! Hugs, Holly

    https://pinkfortitude.com/ant-spray/

    PS - We have a FREE eBook with recipes for all of my homemade and all-natural cleaners. You can download it here --> https://pinkfortitude.com/thank#GreenClean