amitymamaThe Attachment Parenting Community

lala · 08-07-2006, 05:39 PM

HELP ME PLEASE!

I cannot afford to replace any of the food in my pantry that has been taken over by ants already.

I am not about to feed my kids stuff that has ants in it.

I am not willing to cloud my pantry in Raid or whatever crap the landlord here provides for me.

WHAT CAN I DO???????

I keep counters wiped off, am constantly squishing ants (I think they are called scout ants, a few here and there looking for food), keep dishes in check, keep trash in check, floors not sticky, etc....

I feel so dirty with these buggers crawling around in my food.

laotamama · 08-07-2006, 05:49 PM

We are being invaded by anst as well. There is a product called terro wher you put a small drop of this sweet solution on a small paper card the provide and tcuk it away in a corner. The ants eat it and bring it back to the nest, it contains borax and wipes them out.

It has worked very well for us without having to spary our kitchen.

martinanne · 08-08-2006, 09:21 AM

We were having a problem with ants coming in the front door (under the door) until I read that ants don't like cinnamon and won't cross it. So I sprinkled a line of cinnamon across the threshhold and they have not come back in! In addition, I sprinkled baby oatmeal (the powdered stuff you add water to) on the ground outside the front door. The ants supposedly eat this stuff and then when they drink water it expands in their stomach killing them. I don't know if that is true. But between the two steps taken, I don't have anymore ants.

Lori_Eustis · 08-10-2006, 09:08 PM

We use the poison-free spray from Bioganics. It contains only edible things (rosemary, wintergreen, and mint are neurotoxins for insects). If you can stand your house smelling like Pepto Bismal for a few hours, it totally works.

Victor also sells a similar poison-free product, and I have been lucky enough to find it at my Lowe's on occasion.

Hope that helps!
Lori

tracey · 08-10-2006, 09:30 PM

i use boric acid (we've got an ant colony in my garden literally right outside the front door) and then spray their paths with peppermint essential oil in a water spray bottle (about 8 drops to the entire bottle of water.)

the peppermint breaks their scent trail. i redo it every few days. the boric acid will eventually kill the mound by dessicating (drying) their bodies after scratching through their exoskeleton. it's relatively harmless to humans and domestic animals (except in large, massive quantities.)