Monday, July 31, 2006

Send a four-year-old to the store

...with his dad, and they will return not just with ant traps but this delightful tin of Nascar mints. "It only cost one dollar, Mom!" (then, seeing the look of horror cross my face...) "Oh, I forgot. It was one cent. Just one cent, Mom." I really need to lighten up, don't I?
By the way, I have tried the natural borax cure for this week's ant attack, and it's just not working. These discreet white ant traps from Dollar General always do the trick.

8 comments:

lizhillruder said...

Have you tried aspartame (Nutrasweet) as an ant poison? See: http://www.proliberty.com/observer/20060612.htm

lizhillruder said...

I should add that I haven't tried this... I just heard about it recently and am curious as to if it works.

Anonymous said...

Have you tried garlic for ants? It did work for us. Just peel and slice and tuck in the corners or where the ants appear. Hope you like the smell!! :-)

Onneli from Prairiehomemaker

Ps. I love your blog!

Homekeeper Mom said...

I SOOOOO need help with ants TOO!! We have been getting them in every room of the house! I am bleaching and cleaning............although I havne't bleached the kids yet......JUST KIDDING!! We believe they are INSIDE our walls....and while we treat the symtoms, we aren't treating the disease, KWIM? I will tell hubby about those strips from dollar general. Thanks for the tip!

Anonymous said...

I got no relief from ants till I put down the traps inside you have too...Also outside I used the spike type ones {the brand that is metal works better than the plastic spikes ones I have been told}and for the first time this year I have started to actually win over the ants out there!! {{I usually used ant power but this year they seem to be using it like a fertility drug!}} Others have used the metal spike ones laying flat inside and say they really work!,,but I have not tried them inside. Maybe the plastic ones you bought would be more childproof for inside. The metal spikes can be turned toward a wall or hidden under bushes outside where ants are out of kids view. There is only a tiny hole where the poisen shows on them. Ants seem to Love it though!
When we were little there was a good selection of 2 for a penny candy and we would look at the counter forever deciding what delicious treat to get for our penny! The 2 for usually won over the 1 cent each stuff so I guess watching our pennies started early!! It is a game we still Love to play!!

Anonymous said...

I don't know how the ants on West Coast are compared to the SE, but I am certain that Sacramento is an ideal place for ants to live. Not too cold at winter, lots of sandy soil to build nests in, and most of the houses are on slab (vs. raised) foundations so it is really inside to climb inside!

If you want a natural, not too expensive ant killer, try the orange concentrate cleaner--mix it about twice as strong as for general cleaning, then spray it on them. Just like Raid you will have to remove the carcasses though, but much safer than bleach to use all over the house. That works for the ones marching across your counter, etc.

To kill the entire nest (it will take a couple weeks), use "Grant's Ants" stakes, there is a an outdoor only version and and indoor/outdoor version (I think Anna is recommending the same product). It is a true poison (arsenic) so unlike chemicals such as Raid they can't develop immunity. I tape them in place (with painters masking tape) so my son and pets can't pick up, and turn them towards the wall also.

Anonymous said...

Oh I used diluted Simple Green sprayed on them on my kitchen counters and as Alison so cutely put it "removed the carcassas".. when they first apeared...I almost forgot that, but they decided to come in the middle of the night etc. Waking up at 4am to a counter of ants does not make for a fun breakfast :-) so I got the Raid traps like Meredith did and taped them to the counter. I wondered if they had found them for a while but they deminished and poof one day were gone! I did find out one hint...don't come in a giggle the traps. One morning I did this and many ants came out!! I ended up killing them before they could return to their nest and spread the poison! Happy hunting!

Anonymous said...

uggh. Ants. This might sounds gross, but I found 1 dead ant in a box of risotto. If I rinse the rice before using it, is it OK not to throw it out?