Still have ants and it's getting worse!

February 13, 2024 10:23 AM

I posted a question about how to get rid of ants awhile ago, and got some good recommendations. but it's gotten worse...

I bought a number of the products suggested. We now have the TERRO T300B Liquid Ant Killer, 12 Bait Stations, around the kitchen counter, where the ants congregate. They were also HORRIBLE around the cat food dishes, but I got some trays where you put soapy water on the bottom and then you put the cat food dishes on the tops (the soapy water provides a barrier around the cat food dishes) and now we have no more ants on the floor or in the cat food.

But today the ants were AWFUL on the kitchen counter --- and one bit me on the wrist and I have a 1/2" WELT where I was bitten --- so I guess I am ALLERGIC to these BITING ANTS --- which CONCERNS me, of course!

Now our kitchen sink is in two sections --- a large section --- no ants -- and then a small section that has a removable dishdrain over it -- and the ants are AWFUL in that tiny sink --

so I think maybe they are coming up that PIPE! That pipe is the drain pipe, that must eventually go to the wasteline (I have no idea about plumbing, really) -- so what can i do???

Where is it likely that the ants' nest resides? how could I try to find it?? Is there anything else I can do other than put those poison things out (that are already out?) The ants definitely congregate around those traps, BUT clearly they are not effective enough.

There are always MORE ANTS!!!!

posted by DMelanogaster to Home & Garden (14 answers total)

I have an older house and every time the rainy season comes we get Argentine ants swarming into our downstairs bathroom. It's terrible and I sympathize with what you're going through.

Terro does not work for me. Advion ant gel is the best I've found.

Combine that with spraying Taurus SC around the perimeter of your home and you will not have a problem after two weeks.
posted by kdar at 10:45 AM on February 13 [2 favorites]

I had a serious ant problem and finally resorted to using Raid Ant and Roach Killer. I hated using a chemical, but I hated the ants more. It works. It killed them, and it kept them from coming back. Once in a while I see a "scout." Poor thing never makes it back to the base.
posted by Dolley at 10:48 AM on February 13

The bait traps may not be effective because the problem is under your house. Have you had an exterminator come out and check the insulation under your house? If you have a leaky pipe that runs under the house, you may have a very large congregation of "moisture ants" under there and only a small number are coming into the house.
posted by dpaul at 10:54 AM on February 13

Response by poster: The exterminator came and just put traps in the kitchen. No outdoor or plumbing inspection was done.

The Raid stuff just kills the ones you see.

I just Googled (again) and then poured vinegar into the little secondary sink.

Here's my ant bite!!!
posted by DMelanogaster at 10:57 AM on February 13

Two things:

- cover the drain with a tight fitting cover when not in use.
- if you see any ants coming in through hairline unsealed areas around your sink fill them. I got some waterproof silicon filler that worked great.
posted by lepus at 11:24 AM on February 13 [2 favorites]

My husband got rid of our ants by using borax and sugar. You can find the exact recipe online. He mixed the borax and sugar with a little warm water IIRC and put the mixture into "boats" he made from aluminum foil. He placed them in the paths of the ants (in our case it was along the baseboards). They were gone within a week or two.
posted by jraz at 11:45 AM on February 13 [2 favorites]

One thing I used to do a lot when I had the Spring Ant Wars at my old house--vacuum up the ants instead of spraying and wiping. Also, closing up any of their entrances that I could with caulk seemed to help, though they'd find a different entrance until I could get all the ones I could.
posted by luckynerd at 11:56 AM on February 13 [1 favorite]

Nthing Advion. Worked for me. They really swarm around the stuff, which is not as true of sugar. Supposedly they carry it back to the nest. We'll see how many come back this spring.
I've also used boric acid, mix with sweet or fat, depending on the ants.
posted by H21 at 12:10 PM on February 13 [1 favorite]

We would get ants coming from outside, into our crawlspace, and then see them in the kitchen etc. I perimeter spray twice a year with the Taurus SC spray linked above and do not have an ant problem anymore.
posted by GrimmblyTuna at 3:03 PM on February 13

Response by poster: i can't spray the perimeter of my house. I'm in NYC in an apartment in a brownstone. There is no "perimeter" -- it's an attached house.

I did order Advion.

I also poured vinegar down the drain and covered that drain.

We shall see.
posted by DMelanogaster at 10:26 PM on February 13

Sounds like time to call a professional. It's worth it for your sanity.
posted by bluesky78987 at 7:58 AM on February 14

Upthread comment indicates a professional has already been there. I'm a bit taken aback by a biting ant in NYC. That's fireant behavior, but I thought they were a Southern phenomenon, central to Texas and the Gulf Coast.

He mixed the borax and sugar with a little warm water

... essentially manufacturing Terro syrup, which the OP says is having no effect. Nobody's mentioned Windex yet, which is what I use for cleaning them up - cuts their chemical trails so the ants can't follow each other so easy.
posted by Rash at 9:11 AM on February 14

Before this thread gets closed, I thought I'd mention that I've just dealt with a little ant problem at my place with BASF Advance 375a ant bait and it seemed to work great for me. I'm not sure if it's sold in regular stores (its branding and packaging suggests that it might not be targeted to the general, consumer market) but you can order it online from a variety of sources. It claims to be designed to work on a variety of ant species, including fire ant.
posted by mhum at 10:46 AM on April 2

If anyone is still reading this:

Last year I put advion ant gel at my kitchen sink. So far this year they have not reappeared. Maybe that colony is dead?

This year I had ants at 3 different locations. I put out advion, they swarmed at all 3 places. After a few days they are ALL GONE!

This looks like a success, I hope so.
posted by H21 at 12:44 PM on April 29