very very tiny brown ants
#1
08-12-10, 07:55 PM
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very very tiny brown ants
I have been fighting ants this summer. I have conquered the larger brown ants which is good news. However, I have discovered that I am also battling some very tiny, almost microscopic, brown ants incessantly. I am having a tough time conquering these. I will battle them in one area of my kitchen only to have them reappear a few days later in a different place in my kitchen. I can't find openings to figure out how they are getting in.
I have cleaned and disinfected my kitchen, tried ant bait, and am currently spraying my kitchen with vinegar lots. The vinegar is what drove the larger ants away finally.
Any other ideas for these crafty critters? They are most disgusting because they are so tiny that they can literally get into unopened packages.
I have cleaned and disinfected my kitchen, tried ant bait, and am currently spraying my kitchen with vinegar lots. The vinegar is what drove the larger ants away finally.
Any other ideas for these crafty critters? They are most disgusting because they are so tiny that they can literally get into unopened packages.
#2
08-13-10, 06:23 AM
We first try liquid ant baits (Terro) in stations; Otherwise any of the gel ant baits would be a very good second choice. Baits are not effective/attractive all the time-ant colonies nutritional needs change throughout the year. If they don't work for you now, don't hesitate to use them at another time if re-infestation occurs.
Do not spray anything while baiting, especially vinegar, and cleaners, and insecticides as they will repel ants and work against your baiting strategy. Ants that are repelled will be back somewhere else in due time. Let the ants eat the bait, it will take days to weeks, but colony elimination is the goal. They must take the bait back to the nest. If they die to soon, or are repelled, that won't happen.
If they don't accept baits, then we use non-repellent insecticides like Phantom (interior), Termidor (exterior).
Do not spray anything while baiting, especially vinegar, and cleaners, and insecticides as they will repel ants and work against your baiting strategy. Ants that are repelled will be back somewhere else in due time. Let the ants eat the bait, it will take days to weeks, but colony elimination is the goal. They must take the bait back to the nest. If they die to soon, or are repelled, that won't happen.
If they don't accept baits, then we use non-repellent insecticides like Phantom (interior), Termidor (exterior).
#3
08-13-10, 06:54 AM
Hi fixit,
I began a practice years ago to deal with insects getting into previously opened boxes of pouring the contents into a zip lock bag and then putting that bag back into the box for storage and identification. If you have unopened boxes where the contents are not sealed inside a plactic inner package, it might help to go ahead and open them and seal the contents in a zip lock.
My habit started one morning when I poured a bowl of cereal and added the milk. Just before I started eating, I noticed something swimming around in the milk. Plastic bags ever since.
Bud
I began a practice years ago to deal with insects getting into previously opened boxes of pouring the contents into a zip lock bag and then putting that bag back into the box for storage and identification. If you have unopened boxes where the contents are not sealed inside a plactic inner package, it might help to go ahead and open them and seal the contents in a zip lock.
My habit started one morning when I poured a bowl of cereal and added the milk. Just before I started eating, I noticed something swimming around in the milk. Plastic bags ever since.
Bud
#4
08-13-10, 07:21 AM
Group Moderator
I've always had good luck with the liquid Terro
Sometimes takes a couple weeks to get them all and it sure shows you how many you really have when they all come to feed on the bait
Let them eat all they will - they eat it all, put out more
Sometimes takes a couple weeks to get them all and it sure shows you how many you really have when they all come to feed on the bait
Let them eat all they will - they eat it all, put out more
#5
08-13-10, 07:31 AM
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Hi fixitmama,
Combining Pabugman's killing with bud's sealing strategy should do the trick. In the mean time, don't give up on your search fro where they are coming in because if you can locate the nest and treat it with an insecticide drench the job will be faster and easier.
Check things that contact your home first such as tools leaning against it, tree branches and shrubbery, and where wires enter (here you may need to look at things that contact the wires like telephone poles or tree trunks).
Next, think like an ant. You are small and edible so you will travel along grooves and seams to stay out of sight. If you cannot locate them outside, remember that some ant species can nest inside, without outdoor ground contact, especially in the soil of house plants but some don't even need that. I once found a nest in a digital clock!
Combining Pabugman's killing with bud's sealing strategy should do the trick. In the mean time, don't give up on your search fro where they are coming in because if you can locate the nest and treat it with an insecticide drench the job will be faster and easier.
Check things that contact your home first such as tools leaning against it, tree branches and shrubbery, and where wires enter (here you may need to look at things that contact the wires like telephone poles or tree trunks).
Next, think like an ant. You are small and edible so you will travel along grooves and seams to stay out of sight. If you cannot locate them outside, remember that some ant species can nest inside, without outdoor ground contact, especially in the soil of house plants but some don't even need that. I once found a nest in a digital clock!
