Ants!

For the last week or so we've been battling tiny black ants in one of the kitchen upper cabinets. When we first noticed it there was an unopened bag of rice that was full of ants and few scattered elsewhere in that cabinet. Got rid of the rice, made sure everything we pulled out of the cabinet was free of ants and the sprayed the cabinets [generic ant/roach spray] cleaned the cabinets the next day, resprayed and after a few days - restocked the cabinets.

Today the ants were back for the 3rd time The ants are so small they can get inside a jar of peanut butter with the lid screwed on tight

I checked and found no bug activity under the floor but sprayed the crawlspace anyway. They are not in the bottom cabinet, on the counter, in the base cabinet or in the attic. With the exception of lady bugs we've never had a bug problem. How do I get rid of these ants for good??

 

For ants smaller than carpenter ants we like to use ant bait, especially the liquids and gels/pastes. For the most part, over the counter insecticides will act as repellent as well as kill them. The repellency can scatter them and will work against a baiting strategy. The idea behind baiting is for them to take it back to the colony over a period of days. It works slow.

If they are as tiny as you indicate, I wonder if they are “pharaoh ants”. These guys wills scatter and “bud off” new colonies quite easily, especially if affected by repellent insecticides.

If you could find the colony and spray it or very close to it, then the sprays can be effective. Normally we can’t find them, hence the baiting strategy.

Oftentimes I find the little guys living in, around and under window sills and making forays to neighboring cabinets. Behind and under dishwashers is a culprit, too. Also in wall voids nearby.

Get liquid ant bait stations (Terro is one brand) and gel ant bait in plastic syringes. Inject into any window sill cracks and crevices, behind/under backsplash board, electric outlets, etc.

Keep us posted.

 

Not a professional, and no where near the same ballpark as PAbugman, but have had plenty of experience with them, so here's my 2 cents worth. They can definitely be a nuisance, and sometimes almost embarrassing, particularly when they happen to show up when you have guests, but we sort of toss them into the same category as something like box elder bugs or lady bugs; they're not hurting anything, and they are going to show up from time to time, regardless of what steps you take. We get them a couple of times each year, usually for two or three weeks at a time, and then they're gone for quite a while. We have found though that the small bait traps that you can pick up at the local hardware store or feed mill seem to be fairly effective, so we always have a couple of them under the toe boards, and they at least minimize the numbers.

 

Get a box of boric acid at the drug store. It's a white powder. Sprinkle it in areas where they may be gaining access to your house both inside and outside. Great non toxic way to keep the little critters away.

 

One word (already said by Bugman): Terro.

 

Thanks, I'll do that. It's an interior wall so there's no connection to the outside. About how long does the bait take? Everything that was in the cabinet now sits on the island/bar. I've even considered taking the cabinet down but would prefer not to - not as young or stout as I once was

Is it feasible that the ants originated from a bag of rice? We never saw any ants until the day after buying the rice and there appeared to be more ants inside the unopened bag than in the cabinet

Try telling that to my wife I tried to joke and say that the ants would add more protein to the rice and peanut butter but she didn't see the humor

 

No I don’t believe that they came from the rice, rather they went to it. All ants are colony insects and the bulk of the colony is in the “nest” and never/rarely leaves it. You had foragers in your kitchen. Feed them the low-toxicity bait and let them feed the colony. I’ve never seen a need to remove a cabinet. Again, pay close attention to nearby window sills/frames-I’ve been burned for re-treats enough to now focus on them, no matter how tight and clean they are.

I am considering that rice possibility since you recently bought the rice and their presence appeared that quickly ‘cause rice is not an attractant in my opinion. I generally go with the common issues first, but this may be the odd exception. Continue paying attention and they will give themselves away-if you never see them again then maybe the rice was the culprit.

Also do what aka Pedro does with the standard bait stations. Sometimes ants want protein over carbs and liquid baits are carbs only. Give them a choice-some bait station offer two types of food sources. K

Keep us posted. Gotta run quick.

 

If you are patient and have nothing better to do..... I have been nagged from time to time by the same "out of no where" ants. They follow distinct paths, and if you follow them, they will tell you where they are coming from. The very first time we had a problem, I was baffled as to where they came from. Finally, instead of constantly spraying them, I sat and watched. They found a crack in the grout on the backsplash, traveled the length of the cabinetry, exited 10 ft away, went vertical, went behind the crown molding, traveled 30 ft across the family room to the built in cabinets next to the fireplace, down the cabinets to the outlet inside the cabinet. I went outside and followed them as they exited from the siding next to the chimney, across the driveway until the concrete ended and there was the nest, in the middle of the driveway. They got a A for effort and a couple of cans of insecticide which took care of the problem.

 

I set out the ant bait [terro] couldn't find the terro syringe but did get a squeeze bottle of raid ant gel.
I've not seen any ants or signs that they have been to the bait stations. Would it be a good idea to put some peanut butter on the bait stations? The label says it can take up to 2 weeks to eliminate the ants.

Most of what I've read says to find the ant trails usually on an exterior wall/window. This cabinet is on an interior wall. I've seen no signs of ants in the crawlspace but sprayed there anyway. Likewise there are no ant trails on the foundation. There have never been any ants seen at the exterior wall where the sink is.

Not crazy about all the cabinet's contents being stacked up on the island but the 2 previous times we restocked the cabinets was when the ants returned. Just want to make sure the ants are gone before we put the stuff back.

 

I suspect that the ants are in a wall void, or between floor joists within 20’, and probably within 10’ of where they are feeding. Could be in or near soffit, if a first floor. Certainly they will travel farther, but oftentimes they are close.

Don’t adulterate your bait with anything. The initial spraying could have already disrupted them. If so, they may emerge someplace else. Put some stations in the cabinet, put some gel/paste bait on small squares of wax paper in same cabinet, and put your kitchenware back in.

At this point it’s a waiting game.

 

I guess it's a wait and see game

There aren't any soffits in the kitchen, the ceiling is only a little over 7' high and the cabinets go to the ceiling. Haven't seen any ants anywhere since friday.

Last night I put a little peanut butter on a piece of cardboard along with a few drops of the bait. Still no evidence of ants but I'm leery of restocking the cabinet as the last 2 times there were no signs of ants until we put the food back

 

I use liquid Terro and it works but holy crap does it draw a lot of ants to it when you put it out. You need to keep refilling the supply if they're eating. I usually see results within a couple weeks, it's not an overnight thing.

 

The thing is, I've not seen any ants since I used the ant spray on friday. I didn't see any ants the previous 2 times either but they reappeared within 24 hrs of restocking the cabinet. I did wash the inside of the cabinets to make sure the spray was gone before I set out the terro.

 

Ok, the ants came back yesterday. They seem to have avoided the terro bait stations but did go after the peanut butter with bait added. Now there is no sign of them. Does that mean they are all dead/dying I'm still gun shy and plan to wait at least a few more days before we restock the cabinet.

 

Too soon for them to feed the colony and die off.

 

Any idea how long it will take? I don't want to put anything back in the cabinet this time until I'm fairly certain they won't return.

 

Terro like others have said, boric acid or dicementatius earth and get a bulb applicator from epestsupply.com or any other online pest supply. While you are at it get a general insecticide like talstar or any other brand. Spray the perimiter of your house once the terro has done its job and use the boric acid behind The stove, fridge, cracks etc.

Terro also sells granules you can sprinkle around your house as a perimiter defense

 

Still no sign of ants, replaced the terro bait 4-5 days ago. Do you think they are all dead and won't be returning?

 

Very likely. Terro has worked for me in the past in 2-3 days. Heavy in the first and second day but starting to taper off. Important, the ants should have made a direct line to your terro and back to their nesting place. If that traffic is gone then the terro did the job. Use boric acid as a precation in corners of your cabinets witht the bulb applicator and spray your perimiter.

 

Their non-presence is a good sign; no guarantees though-remember: they are ants and do what they want, not what we want.

 

I'm going to restock the cabinet. I've lived here for 22 yrs and this is the first time I've had ants in the cabinet although the kitchen was completely remodeled about 10 yrs ago . We have had an extra wet winter this year although I don't know if that means anything since this cabinet is on an interior wall while the sink cabinets are on an exterior wall with no ants.

I appreciate everyone's advice

 

If they're Argentine ants, then you'll most likely need to hire an exterminator. Terro liquid baits will leave you battling ants FOREVER. Argentine ants have multiple queens and colonies so the ants will take the bait back to their queen and more will reproduce. I battled Argentine ants for over a month with Terro and it went on until I hired an exterminator.

 

I don't know what type of ants they were but I've not seen any in over a week. As far as I know this was the first time we've had ants in our kitchen and have not seen any in almost 2 weeks. The cabinet is restocked, hopefully all the ants are dead - keeping my fingers crossed

 

I seen this site on ant problems and we also have ants in our house and they have no desire to eat any of the terro we put out for them. What they go for at our house is if my wife puts bacon grease in the garbage, within hours there will be hundreds of ants in the garbage.
I was just curious if any body else has had this problem and what a person might use to get rid of them. Thanks in advance.

 

What happens if you put a little bacon grease in the middle of the Terro - will the ants eat the Terro to get to the bacon grease?

 

My ants seemed to ignore the terro baits also but I put out some peanut butter with the liquid bait on it and they went right to it. Still no sign of ants

We never pour out any grease in the trash can unless it's on it's way to the burn barrel.

 

Ants want either proteins or carbs based on their needs at that time. Terro is a sugar based bait therefore a carb. The gel/paste baits in syringes are proteins-maybe that’s what they want. Pnut butter is a protein.

 

Hey, that's good to know - thanks, Bugman.

I've always had success with Terro but now I know to try the gel/paste baits if they aren't going for option # 1.

 

Wow, I think I've learned more about ants in the last month than I thought I'd ever want to know

 

Thanks for the info. I am going to try the terro and peanut butter to see if that will satisfy their hunger.

 

I also am a professional pest control operator. Located in Rhode Island. Thirty years exoerience. The baiting strategy is pretty universal across the country. I agree that certain species, such as the Pharoah ant, can be problematic if you spray. It's like tossing a rock into a puddle of oil. Now you have a bigger mess. Better to use an "absorbent rag" to suck up the problem. Or in this case, a bait. Baits come in two basic types... grease based and sweet based. Your peanut butter loving ants may be more a fan of the grease based. You can buy them at any home center in the plastic syringes. The gap between the quiality of what you can buy in the store and what we professionals can get has gotten much narrower and today the only real advantage we offer is the experience, not the materials. You can buy what we buy, but we know how to use it.
Put little dabs of the stuff near, but not on, their trails and see if they eat it. if they do, you should be in good shape. Just be patient. Bait is NOT a fast solution.
Good luck!

 

I've not had any more ants since the episode that started this thread

 

I have read all the info regarding the black ants. We have a cat, so I don't believe we can use the Terro. We have used the Ortho Home Defense each time we see these ants. We also bought the plastic strips, don't know what they are called, and do not feel they help at all. We had placed them in various areas in our home. I believe these are protein ants, as if we drop a pinpoint piece of cat food on our counter several ants appear, not hundreds because we spray them. At times our cat has..well...vomited liquid. The past few times ants suddenly appeared in the cat liqud. This was in the middle of our tiled hallway and today on a bathroom carpet and my husband also noticed them around the base of our toilet and the shower track. We used the shower yesterday and did not have ants until our cat vomited a small amout of liqud which I had cleaned earlier and the ants appeared an hour or so later. Yesterday, after I warmed my cats food and covered the dish with plastic wrap, I left the plastic wrap on the counter. There was no food on the plastic wrap and there were ants all over. I assume the scent attracted them. Three other times they appeared on our carpeted rooms only after my cat had an accident.

We are at wits' end. I see now the Ortho Home Defense really is temporary.
I just can't seem to see ants crawling all over the Terro bait. It creeps me out , especially having a pet around. Any info is greatly appreciated.

 

The gel baits that come in plastic syringes are usually a protein base as opposed to the liquids which are carb based so try the gels baits. Don’t spray anymore as that will ruin the bait and the baiting strategy.

Sometimes you can buy ant bait stations that have both protein and carb based baits in them. Usually called something like: dual-choice, dual-control, etc.

Baiting is the best way to go for the small ants. The cats won’t eat the baits but may play with them. Is there a basement or crawl space in the house? If so, put some bait stations on top of the basement foundation wall but under where you see the ants as that will be very close to the floor above.