Hoe do I get rid of small black ants?

Dee
by Dee

My kitchen walls, cabinets, counters are covered in ant trails. They are every where. I have checked for any source of food and there are none. I don't want to spray poison around dishes or food in cabinets. But need some way to rid of them. I cannot prepare food on counters as they climb in and on every thing in minutes. I have bought ant traps and have placed them every where. Today they are all over my stove. I keep cleansing with bleach and soapy water...help please!

  6 answers
  • Sharon Gott Griffin Sharon Gott Griffin on Mar 01, 2019

    Use Borax powder, or take a chalk stick and mark around all baseboards.

    • Dee Dee on Mar 01, 2019

      They are not comming from baseboards. They are comming from behind cabinets. Top cabinets it's weird I know. But will go get borax today. Is borax poison to humans... I have no animals?

  • Sharon Gott Griffin Sharon Gott Griffin on Mar 01, 2019

    I do not believe it is a poison but read the box. The idea is the ants walk across the boarax and it gets on their feet which is their undoing. I know it sounds nuts but I had this problem and drew a circle with chalk around the dog bowl on the patio and I watched as ants got it on their feet and they would walk in circles and fall over and die? Chinese use this as pest control.


    Also, the ants are probably under your house as were mine, so give it a try.

  • Kelly Denoyer Russell Kelly Denoyer Russell on Mar 01, 2019

    I use terro. Often the little ones are sweet ants or slab ants. It may take a couple days but not much more. They get poisoned and die but DO NOT clean up the dead or disturb the ant bait station until there is no longer any sign of activity. They take the bait back to the colony and poison them all. They leave a pheromone trail to the poison so do not disrupt it. They also sometimes will remove their dead and ants are groomers so they get poison on them. Their good housekeeping skills hurt them in the process. So just place bait in the active area and walk away.

  • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Mar 01, 2019

    AMDRO ant bait granules, just need alittle on their trail they take it back to nest and it kills queen/nest. it works in a few hrs.get it at any hardware store it is poison but fast acting and you just need a little on their trail for them to pick up. You can make your own using either cornmeal or muffin mix but you need to add Boric Acid. The muffin mix alone will not kill anything. 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 line.

    TRUTH: A chalk 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. We probably don’t have to tell you, but ants are very persistent creatures!

    MYTH: Uncooked grains, like oatmeal,cornmeal 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.


  • Dee Dee on Mar 01, 2019

    Ok got several ideas and will try them all. If anyone else has any additional information please let me know. Thanks to everyone whom replayed!

    • Dee Dee on Mar 01, 2019

      Dang auto correct....was supposed to say replied!

  • I use packaged cornbread mix that says it is sweetened and put it where they are. They will take it to the mound, everyone will eat it and die, they can't digest the cornmeal, but will take it because it is sweetened. Little goes a long way.


    I read this from : Itsmemic

    Medicated powder from the Dollar Tree. It has eucalyptus in it...menthol...I puff it around my homes foundation..and inside under my birdcages in the cracks under moldings. Work immediately and they never come back. I do this at the first sign of ants..in one day..GONE. The powder is in a very large container and lasts quite awhile too !! And smells great !

    Not toxic to my birds OR dog


    What if you make a barrier around the house.

    I did some research, since we know what works for one person doesn't always work for another. I found this site and it's pretty informative. I know some tips you may not be able to use but there are some good ones also that will hopefully help.

    https://www.familyhandyman.com/pest-control/how-to-get-rid-of-ants/view-all/


    Ants are so weird. One time I found them inside the freezer in the garage!! What would possess them to go inside a freezer only to die? They must have sent signals back or something ~ there were no ant trails only a freezer full of dead ants. Hasn't happened since.


    Ant Spray - https://www.hometalk.com/diy/outdoor/pest-repeller/cheap-easy-homemade-ant-spray-31195184?