How to safely get rid of ants

Holistic wellness and natural health for dogs and cats. >

The Supreme- Grandmaster- Pukemeister

Purred: Wed Jun 17, '09 5:32pm PST


	I am sorry to say that due to the recent wet weather our kitchen has been invaded by teeny tiny ants..Mom will not use any commercial product on them because she does not want me to get sick..she knows that cinnamon is safe for me but it does not seem to be working..Anyone else have any other NATURAL safe remedies for ants...Mom is going to super clean the entire kitchen in clorox tomorrw and hopefully get rid of them...

Moppet- warmer of laps

Purred: Thu Jun 18, '09 8:51pm PST


	We have ants to. First, sugar ants, then carpenter ants. I don't think anything that kills ants well is totally safe or it probably wouldn't work, but mom gets the ant "poisons" that contain boric acid, also known as borox, the same stuff people use in their laundry, etc. It has no fumes at least, and that is mom's main concern as my brother has asthma. She has also made her own borox "poison" with borox and disolved sugar. You can find various instructions on how to do it online. She sticks the baits deep under things, like the dishwasher, or on shelves too narrow for us to get on and such. We are not attracted to the baits, she mostly worries we'd get it on our paws accidentally if it was out. They need to be replenished and sometimes moved and it takes up to several months to actually destroy an ant colony with it, but their numbers do seem to go down, at least. Hope this helps.

Moppet- warmer of laps

Purred: Thu Jun 18, '09 8:55pm PST


	By the way, Clorox has a lot of fumes, may not be good to breath and it probably won't get rid of the ants. It may kill the ones who get sprayed, but others will come. They are persistent. Good luck, they are so icky!

The Supreme- Grandmaster- Pukemeister

Purred: Thu Jul 2, '09 2:56pm PST


	Sorry to be so long getting back to you..Thanks...Mom checked out several products and had posed the question several other places and did lots of research and finally ended up with Terro liquid ant bait..Its main ingredient is boric acid just like you suggested only ready made (Mom is lazy)..It seemed to do the job since the ants have disappeared...The hardest part was not killing them after they ate the bait and letting them go back to their colony..It took about 3 days... http://www.terro.com/products.php?product=liquid_ant_bait

Rock Star

Purred: Sun Jul 12, '09 5:29pm PST


	have you tried peppermint essential oil? if you apply it along windowsills and in gaps below where they are coming in..you may need to do it twice, but it works beautifully. Also a line of black pepper works, a little more messy and takes longer.

Life's a Daisy!

Purred: Tue Aug 11, '09 9:39pm PST


	Oh my dog! I can't believe how timely this is. I discovered a line of ants in along my kitchen wall tonight. Daisy is a closet anteater and postioned herself right in the middle of the line and started eating to her hearts content. Her stomach, however, was less than content and she ended up throwing up! I usually spray when I can keep them outside, open the windows and give the spray 4 or more hours to evaporate, but did not have that luxury tonight. Windex is another product you can use, but I only had enough to spray a three foot section. (grocery day is coming up later this week!). Thanks for the suggestions! I have a bottle of peppermint oil and I am going right now to spread it on the rest of the ant line so I can keep Daisy from the ant buffet!

Ready to go!

Purred: Sat Aug 22, '09 4:44pm PST


	We moved to a new house (for us) this spring...it was ant city. The only way to get rid of them is to get to the Queen, which we did when we had a door replaced. Dad and the worker man, sucked her right up in the shock vac,....no more aunts.....until we could get that taken care of, we used a vinegar and water solution and mom wiped everything down every evening, even window ledges. ...we used those sticky traps, but those sometimes are not good if you have a crazy pup that would mess with them (I did not), or a kitty might step on one, so you have to put those things in thoughful places. We also read that pet bowls attract ants. Maybe clean them everytime they are used. Mom does, anyway, and do not leave wet water filled dishes in the sink...

It's tough being- a spoiled rotten- puppy

Purred: Tue Sep 1, '09 9:31pm PST


	Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE) You can use the "food grade" DE to kill ants, and other household pests. Make sure you get the FOOD GRADE one, though! The other type is dangerous around pets! If you get this from a nursery, make sure you triple check the label to ensure it's "food grade" (I can't stress that enough). To be safe, I'd order this one by AZMIRA. I've used it in and around my home (outside too) for over 5 years now. You can even rub it into your pet's fur/hair. It IS food grade. It comes in a very large jug. See it here: http://www.azmira.com/ProductTopicals.htm In the home, just put the powder around wherever you see the ants, etc. Yes, it does look a bit messy, lol, but it works. The only drawback against using it outdoors is that you need to reapply after it rains. But the jug is pretty inexpensive, so it's not a big deal. We buy ours at a holistic pet food store, but if you don't have one near you, contact the people at the Azmira.com site. I hope that helps! Sedona's Mommy

Crochet Maniac!

Purred: Sun Sep 27, '09 7:51pm PST


	Great to see this thread. Since June our kitchen has had ants. We began with 2 kinds of traps, the diatom. earth and some kind of clear gel. They came back after 2 weeks. This time spraying and another trap. Back after 7 days. Treated the outside of the building. The tiny dark ants have colonies that can include dozens of nests, going out as far as 100 feet from a building. They are hard to get rid of! We've had 6 treatments and hoping that now we're into 2 weeks that they are gone. Mom keeps the kitchen louver doors closed at all time. One wall of the living room had to be treated and now I'm not allowed in there because I head right for that side. Once the temperature remains at 50 degrees they should be gone. Rain makes them want to come inside. Mom has been traumatized by having to remove everything 4 times and not being able to cook for most of 4 months! Hazel Lucy p.s. While Peppermint may work, it is a strong oil and can damage a kitty's nose. Edited by author Sun Sep 27, '09 7:52pm PST



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