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Hi everyone. I am new here and I want to share my easy and safe solution to anyone who has an ant problem in their kitchens.
Last year I had an invasion of tiny ants in all my food cubbards. I removed all the food from the cubbards,checking for stray ants in packages, sealed all food into containers, sprayed the inside of the cubbards with poison, left it over night, scrubbed out the poison the next day and put all the food back. Well, a few days later they were back again in full force! I tried the liquid ant bait...it helped some but they were still there!
I remembered that ants didn't like cinnamon or so my mother thought. I thought it was silly and I fiqured it was the powdery texture that they didn't like and not necessarily the smell or taste of the cinnamon itself. Sooooooooo...I thought baby powder is safe and might work even better than cinnamon. I once again emptied all the cubbards, checking all the food and made sure there were no stray ants in any of the boxes. I sealed up tight any open packages like before. I then sprinkled a little baby powder on every perimeter cubbard shelf...not the whole shelf but along the cracks where the shelves meet the walls. I put back all the food and I haven't found a single ant!! They just will not walk on that powder. As an experiment I found a stray ant on the countertop and made a ring of powder around it. The ant stayed in that circle and would not move from there for hours! By keeping the powder close to the wall its not a mess in the cubbards. I try not to put any food too close to the wall, like 1/2 inch away. I still have the same powder in there since last summer and I have not seen one ant in there this spring yet. I am planning to vacuum out the cubbards and putting a little fresh powder in for spring cleaning. It really works!
JuneyBug Dongducheon CpCasey South Korea (Zone 4b)
I've used cinnamon and it does work as well--but it's expensive and rather messy to clean up! I'll have to try this trick next time I have ant problems.
Yes, exactly my point. Cinnamon is messy and expensive and I do like the smell but after awhile I think I'd get sick of it. Its the powdery substance that the ants don't like. After a few days the mild baby powder smell goes away. Hope I was of some help to those who need it!
Thanks for the tip lakedust. I don't have the small ant problems, but the big black ants seem to love one our bathrooms. I put out a couple of bowls of borax powder and sugar mixed a few weeks back when I began seeing them. They are not totally gone, but I haven't seen hearly as many this year as in years past.
Love the tip, Lakedust!
I have used powdered cloves before, around the bag of dry dog food, and it worked. But you're right about the expense. I have been buying powdered cinnamon at the dollar store for years, I will try that now. I would try baby powder if I had more than a travel-size. I think I will try baking soda and let you know if it works like your baby powder. Murphy's Law... I bet I don't have any ants now! =^..^= Ours are seasonal migrationists.
The ants used to invade the cat's dish of food so I glued three 1/2 inch plastic beads under the bottom to raise it off the counter and that foiled the ants. I did it to the water dish too ( I was on a roll).
In order to really get rid of ants ,you need to treat the problem where it begins ,outside the house,I have used nothing more than laundry borax and sugar,for 20 yrs. I mix up a batch .like 4 parts borax 1 part sugar,does not have to be exact.Then I go outside and sprinkle at 4-6ft intervals all the way around the house,and garage,shed,any where I have had a problem,this yr. I have done it 2 times this spring,I have no ants,of any size now.I get 3 different sizes every spring, its safe to use ,its better than other options ,Ive gotten rid of sevier ant problems at a home Ive been cleaning for 10 yrs also,she still cant beleive that it works ,she would spend a small fourtune on baits,they never worked,like this does,its cheap,and it works .Ive also put it in those little bait traps, those metal ones,if you feel you need it in the house.please try it,you might be suprized!!! good luck
Three weeks ago, small sugar ants invaded the kitchen. I sprinkled baking soda along their trail. It slowed them down, but did not stop them. A few days later, I sprinkled laundry borax along the trail and over the door threshold. It has worked. It did seem caustic to the ants, some were writhing around in it and I assume they were dying. If you want a no-kill, just discourage method, I would not use borax. It did end the invasion.
I love the scent of ground cloves and/or cinnamon. Works to discourage the ants, but looks like dirt!
OK, Lakedust, I will break into my travel-size baby powder and see how it works for me the next time.
