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Ants

 
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PostPosted: Dec Sun 17, 2006 10:37 am    Post subject: Ants Reply with quote

Ants

To keep ants out of your kitchen, just squeeze a little lemon juice along the baseboards and window and door sills and watch them head for the hills." John Heinerman, "Heinerman's New Encyclopedia of Fruits and Vegetables." Perhaps you could use NSP's Lemon EO in the same way. -Beth Adams Spencer
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Ants come into your house looking for water. I wondered why I was finding them in my dishwasher and on my counter near my sink, now I know why. This usually happens when it's overly dry outside which it has been this summer. I used Tea Tree Oil and it seemed to help somewhat. You'd have to spray where they're coming in. Also since they're looking for water, try not to have any sitting around like in sinks or in glasses on the counter. It might help a little. -Chottsie
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We have had good results mixing water, NSP Sunshine Concentrate cleaner, tabasco sauce and pure, raw apple cider vinegar. We have tried so many different tricks and other things, but this is the only thing we have found that really works. And, in our experience, it works very quickly. Anyhow, give it a try. We don't know anyone else who has ever tried it so we are interested to see how it works for others. -Bruce Backman
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Can you locate where they are coming into the house? If you can locate that spot (and it is probably one spot) - then drop Tei Fu Oils right there. They won't go around it, they will run. Then you can kill the little suckers IN your house and outside, etc. I am not experienced in essential oils, but maybe there are other oils that are even better. But I have seen the Tei Fu Oils work. In fact, now that I have seen that idea of putting drops on a cotton ball, maybe that would work even better than straight on the "ant entrance"! If worse comes to worse - find the entrance and saturate it, find the ant hole outside and use Ampro (I think that's correct - they carry it down into the hole and feed it to the queen) It's the only one I know of that really does the job. Then move out with all animals and set off bombs in the house. But then you have to wash all your dishes or take them with you and anything that will be directly on your skin. I would make that a last resort. -Georgiana Duncan
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Funny you ask. We went to take out the garbage last night and it was full of ants under the sink. Yuckkkkkkk. Anyway, I got this bright idea that maybe an essential oil would help, so I threw in a few drops of the strongest smelling one I had (Oregano) and I looked today and there are none. I also sprinkled in some baking soda, so maybe that added to it. We'll see if the odor lasts long enough to keep them away!! -Nolee
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Howdy, Just got back from the Aromatherapy school in Richmond. Someone there suggested mixing Peppermint Oil and water in a spray bottle. Spray the access areas. Apparently most of these pests don't like mint. -Laurie
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Rosemary is also a good one for insects. -Maya Telford
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I have had good results with something called Diatomaceous Earth, it is a white powder you sprinkle around the foundation of your house and other places ants go. It's non-chemical so the ants don't become immune. The only problem is that you have to replace it after each time it rains. You can also use indoors under sinks, etc. Some people have used boric acid with good results. Best wishes. -Mashubi Rochell
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This suggestion should work very well, and it's relatively easy and inexpensive. Boric Acid is a lethal chemical to anything with more that two legs. Don't panic, I realize you have a dog nearby!! Carpenter Ants typically live in or at the base of trees or structures. Here's what you do: First, go shopping (pantry, garage, local grocery, and/or local feed or lumber yard. Here is your list--)
-- Small cardboard box.
-- Plastic trash bag.
-- Karo (or other clear) Corn syrup.
-- Boric Acid (may also be call Roach Pruf--it's active ingredient is Boric Acid).
Now the fun part. We (actually you) get to construct a "number-one-high-profile-incredibly-low-tech-but-very-ingenious-yet-highly-effective-ant-feeding-and-killing-station."
It's construction time.
1. Remove three of the four flaps from the top of the box. (This should be a fairly small box—maybe 6"x6"x6".)
2. Tape the remaining flap so that it is in the "closed" position. What you want to achieve is a
ledge when the box is turned upside down.
3. Turn the box over and cover it with the plastic from the trash bag. Taping it in place would be a good idea. The goal is to protect it from rain or sprinklers.
IT'S CHEMISTRY TIME!!
4. Mix one tablespoon of Karo sypup with two teaspoons of Boric Acid. Chemistry class is finished.
IT'S ACTION TIME!!
5. Locate source of ants. If it's a tree, that's good news. Attach the box to the tree out of Fido's jump range. (Yes the box should be attached upside down and you should be able to reach inside of it to place the liquid ant candy onto the ledge.
6. Place liquid ant candy onto ledge. Leave.
Leave it alone for at least a day. If the ants have found it, and my wager is they will have, leave it alone. You will see more ants going to the "candy shop" than you've ever imagined, and that's ok. (In case they have not found it, use some of the regular-no boric acid-corn syrup to make a trail to the box. Be careful not to use more than a tablespoon or so.)
7. Give the ants at least four or five days to completely demolish the candy pile. If you still see ants after five days, repeat steps four and six.
8. Repeat step seven until you see no more ants.
Here is why it works. Ants like sugar. They cannot taste the boric acid, yet when it is ingested, it kills them. In the mean time, they have gone back to the nest. Ants are scavengers, but they are also fastidious house keepers. They just can't stand having dead bodies around--go figure. When the housekeeping staff removes the other bodies by chewing them apart to move them, they actually ingest the boric acid that killed the first ant. Voila!! A chain reaction. The nest will eventually be overrun with dead bodies, and eventually it will make it to the queen. No more queen, no more eggs, no more ants!! (Just in case you're wondering--I have used this as part of my job in the Army. Sometimes, even with incredibly expensive machinery around, it's the low-tech solution that wins out.) -Wesley Brewer
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You need to determine what kind of ants they are; if they are Carpenter ants, you may have or soon have a structural problem. If it's not a lot of ants, you can try spraying lemon juice concentrate all around the entire foundation where the house connects and sprinkling either baking soda or borax along their "trail". They always follow the same path. The borax/baking soda method cuts into their thick shell and they dehydrate and die. They don't like to cross over it either. Another source says used dishwater is good for killing them on their hills. -Nancy
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NSP's Sunshine Concentrate makes a good barrier. Not that you'd want to put it all over your house, but if they are getting into things, the Sunshine Concentrate stops them. A friend has a large crock that she puts her RO water in & some tiny ants were getting into it. Sunshine Concentrate around the lip of the crock completely stopped them. Another option is Diatomaceous earth mixed with some Boric acid --for out of the way places of course. -Teri
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My mother-in-law always poured boiling water on their trails and their homes. I have done this many times and it works. When you find the answer to using your box, make sure it is posted – I'd like to see that one also! -Marilyn Navarro
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Boric acid is a lethal chemical to anything with more that two legs. Don't panic, I realize you have a dog nearby. Carpenter ants typically live in or at the base of trees or structures. Here's what you do: First, go shopping (pantry, garage, local grocery, and/or local feed or lumber yard.)
Here is your list: A small cardboard box (a fairly small box: maybe 6"x6"x6"). A plastic trash bag. Karo (or other clear) corn syrup. Boric acid (may also be call Roach Pruf– its active ingredient is boric acid).
Now the fun part. We (actually you) get to construct a "number-one-high-profile-incredibly-low-tech-but-very-ingenious-yet-highly-effective-ant-feeding-and-killing-station."
It's construction time.
1. Remove three of the four flaps from the top of the box.
2. Tape the remaining flap so that it is in the "closed" position. You want to create a ledge when the box is turned upside down.
3. Turn the box over and cover it with the plastic from the trash bag. Taping it in place would be a good idea. The goal is to protect it from rain or sprinklers.
4. It's Chemistry Time!! Mix one tablespoon of Karo syrup with two teaspoons of boric acid. Chemistry class is finished.
5. It's Action Time!! Locate the source of ants. If it's a tree, that's good news. Attach the box to the tree out of Fido's jump range. (Yes the box should be attached upside down and you should be able to reach inside it to place the liquid "ant candy" onto the ledge.
6. Place liquid ant candy onto ledge. Leave it alone for at least a day. If the ants have found it, and my wager is they will have, leave it alone. You will see more ants going to the "candy shop" than you've ever imagined, and that's ok. (In case they have not found it, use some of the regular (no boric acid) corn syrup to make a trail to the box. Be careful not to use more than a tablespoon or so.)
7. Give the ants at least four or five days to completely demolish the candy pile. If you still see ants after five days, repeat steps four and six. Repeat this step until you see no more ants.
Here is why it works. Ants like sugar. They cannot taste the boric acid, yet when it is ingested, it kills them. In the mean time, they have gone back to the nest. Ants are scavengers, but they are also fastidious house keepers. They just can't stand having dead bodies around–go figure. When the housekeeping staff removes the other bodies by chewing them apart to move them, they actually ingest the boric acid that killed the first ant. Voila!! A chain reaction. The nest will eventually be overrun with dead bodies, and eventually it will make it to the queen. No more queen, no more eggs, no more ants!! -Leslie Lechner
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Yesterday I returned home to find a trail of ants across my kitchen floor. I put 1 gallon of water in a bucket, added a squirt of Sunshine Concentrate and five drops each of Lemon Oil and Tea Tree Oil. I washed the floor with this mixture. Within a few hours the ants had vacated my house, looking for a more pleasing environment, I guess. -Kay


Fire Ants

Help! I'm having a problem with fire ants! They've gotten into the walls of my house or something. The pest control company was out and they can't help me. The technician quoted me a price for baiting but says it probably won't help unless they can find the mound, which they can't do because it's not visible . . . I'm about to go nuts! -Loretta Labrada
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We go to the organic nursery and there is a product called Logic that you can spread over the entire yard. It gets rid of them in a few days. Generally if there has been a rain, it will bring them to the surface and you can see the mounds. More than likely there are lots of them. There's not usually just one. With fire ants you really need to keep on top of them or they will overrun the property. We live in Texas and they are a real problem, although we have them under control with the Logic. -Nedra Denison
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Go to your local hardware or feed store and get Logic or an identical product. It's birth control for fire ants. Follow the directions exactly as it says--broadcast it. It's not a poison, will not harm anything. The life span of a fire ant is 3 weeks so it will take you that long to get rid of them. Then broadcast the stuff twice a year. I'm here in good ole Texas and I consider myself an expert. I do the acre this house is on plus around the barn and gates at the farm twice a year. I raise exotic birds so fire ants could be devastating--they eat the eggs. -Frances Burt
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These fire ants (yes, I'm sure they're fire ants) are somewhere in the walls of the house or coming up through the foundation. They are in my kitchen pantry, kitchen cabinets, bedroom closets, bathroom (my towel this morning was the last straw!), even inside my microwave oven. I do intend to use the Logic that everyone recommends so heartily. I wasn't sure I made the problem clear; and I don't know if that the responses would have been any different. I too have used the inexpensive baits. They kill the ants though; and they just keep sending more 'soldiers'. BTW, this all started the week after I took my 2 girls to see the movie ANTZ... -Loretta Labrada
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Yesterday I decided to pull weeds. Wore gloves. Didn't matter. I got bitten by fire ants! Oh, boy, the pain. I remembered what your mom did, when she fell in the parking lot: I slathered the Pro-G-Yam Cream all over the bites. It took the fire right out. Well, what to do with the ants? Don't dare use any poison, because of my cats. I sprayed the ant nests with Nature's Sunshine Concentrate! They all went south, right before my very eyes! Wow! -Linda Saunders
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They'll be back. Unless you disrupt the reproductive process with a total kill (and you can't find all those little bitty mounds), they will return. I use Bites & Stings. I usually get bit on my feet--sometimes 25 times on one foot. I take it internally and rub it on externally. I still have the little bumps the next day but no pain or itching. I will try the Pro-G-Yam Cream. My daughter got stung by a red wasp today and used the Bites & Stings and was very impressed. Wish it was available all year round. -Frances Burt
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I use red pepper (cayenne) to deter them and I use Tea Tree Oil in my mop water and wash the sills with it to keep the critters from joining us in the house. -Robin
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Mixture of 40% compost tea, 30% citrus oil, 30% Molasses or commercial product already made: Green Sense brand - product Soil Drench Gardenville brand - product Soil Conditioner Also distribute beneficial nematodes. Note: this is only if you are an organic gardener. Fire ants are usually a sign of poor soil condition. The fast weed and feed type fertilizers etc. rob the soil nutrients. -Donna Irby
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Actually, in Texas, fire ants are just about everywhere, regardless of the soil conditions. Of course, Texas does have lousy soil, but fire ants here are the norm and unfortunately nematodes and regular ant killers don't work on them. It is a constant battle trying to keep them under control here and pesticide companies make a fortune on Texas residents. We use natural animal products for our pest control, but alas they don't work on fire ants either, but do a great job on all other pest control, especially in the garden. -Nedra Dennison
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It must be whatever feeds on these pesky things is no longer around. In nature there's always something that feeds on something else and when a critter starts over populating it probably means whoever feeds on it is out of the picture. One way to deal with them would be to reintroduce the predator. It could be something as simple as lady bugs (not saying it is lady bugs but could be something that simple). -Chottsie
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Fire ants bite as soon as they land on you and it leaves a blister that then leaves a red scar for quite some time. In Florida you see a lot of people with red spots on their legs. I was told when I moved here to put ammonia on the bites and that does stop the itching. I found if I put on pure aloe direct from the plant, it seemed to pull the poison out, thus alleviating the itching and scarring. -Jane Chalfant
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You can also apply topically Hydrated Bentonite, then rinse off, Tei Fu Lotion or preferably oil, Tea Tree Oil, Black Ointment, Peppermint Oil, Lavender Oil. -Leslie Lechner
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Diatomaceous earth works very well!! -mrsb
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Don't forget Activated Charcoal. It attracts and absorbs poisons from the body and works great on insect bites and surface infections. In Texas we have fire ants and their sting is quite painful and can be toxic. Activated Charcoal, used as a poultice, pulls the poison out quickly. Black Cohosh, used immediately after a bite, also helps neutralize the poisons. -Nedra Denison
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Bites & Stings Homeopathic works and NSP doesn't sell it but once a year. I bought about 5 bottles. I've had terrible reactions to insect bites in the past. I use Bites & Stings orally and topically and also rub some of the bottle on my feet (I learned this one last week) so the body can absorb it from that direction also. Last week I got a million fire ant bites on my feet (you know you only have one or you have a million) so after rubbing it on the bites I put some on the bottom of my feet. Anyway, it's wonderful stuff. The quicker you use it after being stung the better it is. Watch for NSP to offer it and buy some to have on hand. -Frances Burt
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Jojoba Oil applied to fire ant bites will immediately take away the pain and neutralize the poison. -Kay Lubecke
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