Creepy Crawlies in bedroom - please help/advise

rhapsody

So yesterday I woke up to see an ant crawling on my bedside locker, leapt out of bed & squished it. V. freaked out! Saw another crawling up the leg of bedside locker, killed it too. Then another & another. Saw about 10 & killed them all. Thought I was having some sort of psychotic breakdown cos they seemed to be everywhere (well, in one corner of my room). Emptied my bin (which only had bits of paper etc in it & was emptied a week ago), actually threw it out too cos I had it in my head that's where they were coming from.

Came home yday eve & there were a few ants, but also these other little things- thin & faster moving. Killed about another 10 (that I could catch!) & sat on bed for hours staring at the floor. Could barely sleep last night with the thoughts of them. This morning I opened my wardrobe & there was one of the fast ones sitting on my jeans. He was gone before I could find something to hit him with. Now I feel like all my clothes are contaminated. How did he get all the way up there anyway??

I've old floorboards in my room, with tiny gaps in between them & I think I saw an ant coming from the gap between floorboard + skirting board so maybe that's where they came from? Thats an external wall- could they be coming from outside? (though my room is upstairs) Could I have brought them in on my shoes from the garden? How have they suddenly appeared now- the definitely weren't there before yesterday. The fact that it seems to be 2 different types of of them has me extra freaked out. Dont know what to do, kind of dont wanna bring it up with my landlady cos surely she'll think I dont keep the place clean or something!

Oh please someone have something reassuring to say/plan of action, it has me slightly demented. Thanks in advance

BostonB

I dunno how they'd suddenly appear, but the fast ones maybe these...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverfish

rhapsody

Hey thanks BostonB, I think that's what those other ones are. Apparently they're a household pest but I've never seen one before! Hope someone knows how to get rid of them

BostonB

Usually its damp that brings them in. Small leak at a radiator, behind a wall. I'd not seen them before a few years back. No one seems to have heard about them here.

Many of the people I asked, claimed to know all about them but described something completely different. So I couldn't trust their solutions either.

rainbowdrop

I used to see silverfish in my bathroom occasionally when it had lino flooring, but haven't seen one since I got it tiled a few years ago. Not suggesting you tile your bedroom, but would carpet maybe stop them or keep them out of sight at least. I'm assuming you have a timber floor?

Buy Ant Powder for the ants, and make sure you don't leave any food (even crumbs) lying around cos that's what attracts them.

ceadaoin.

Those silverfish things are horrible! I see them in my bathroom at night sometimes. I think one of the things they eat is paper so maybe they were attracted by what was in your bin? I'm sure you can get a pesticide spray that will take care of them if they really bother you.

I would put down some ant powder to get rid of the ants and like the poster above said, make sure there aren't any crumbs around. If you live in a house share maybe one of your flatmates has left food that is attracting them in? Or it could just be the warmer weather is bringing them out.

tara73

silverfish - it's not nice to have them, but as a relief, even in my bathroom, which is completely new renovated with tiles everywhere, I saw one a few days ago. the house itself though is old, and they love dampness.
but they are completely harmless.
there are existing small decoy boxes to buy, look for special rentokil? shops. don't know if they really work, havn't ever tried them, but might be just good for peace of mind:D

ants are harmless either but for sure not nice in the house either. normally they have tracks/lines where they crawl. they don't like baking powder, if you pour that on their favourite spots it should work.

Slydice

ants in my kitchen the last few days

the freaked out feeling went into overload this evening so I went out to tesco

found a spray can of Raid: Ant and Cockroach Killer.

sprayed all over the floor of the kitchen and outside the patio door and on the window sill about 2 hours ago.

haven't seen a live ant since.

smell is wierd so I have the window open airing the place.

edellc

Slydice wrote: »

ants in my kitchen the last few days

the freaked out feeling went into overload this evening so I went out to tesco

found a spray can of Raid: Ant and Cockroach Killer.

sprayed all over the floor of the kitchen and outside the patio door and on the window sill about 2 hours ago.

haven't seen a live ant since.

smell is wierd so I have the window open airing the place.

thats what i used when i had ants the feckes should have been paying rent there where that many in my place but put that powder down all along the skirting boards and everywhere they where coming in seriously they where coming in the ceiling and from around the rads fecking everywhere left the powder for about a week and no more ants that year or the year after moved out after that place was so damp we had weeds growing inside hahaha only in rathmines

LadyE

White pepper is great for ants too. Put it at back doors etc and the feckers wont cross the line to come in

Great if you have children...while unpleasant its not dangerous

rhapsody

thanks everyone for your replies!

BostonB- Its actually the opposite wall to the one with the radiator, so I'm not sure about the damp. The wall they're appearing at doesn't look to be/have damp etc. I'll keep an eye out though.

rainbowdrop- I have original floorboards, not sure what wood that would be? I can't really lay carpet since I'm renting. I could put down a mat/rug but I'd still know they were there and it would drive me mad! Thanks for your suggestion though -

ceadaoin.- I wondered about crumbs, but I've never eaten in my room and my housemate doesn't either as far as I know. Either way, the little fecks would have to cross the hall & then cross my room to get to the corner where I'm finding them so that mustn't be it. I guess its the warmer weather

tara73- yeah the ants are walking in between the floorboards, though not going far from their corner. crawling up my bedside locker more that further away along the floor. the silverfish must be here because of some combination of damp & warm weather

Slydice- thanks for your story, I hope you still haven't seen any? I'd be worried about the smell of that sort of stuff, but might try it if the baking powder/white pepper doesn't work

edellc- sorry you had ant trouble what powder to you mean? Does RAID come in powder form also?

LadyE- thanks for that suggestion, I'll put some down in the morning. Am away for a few days then so I hope the little feckers dont take over the place while I'm gone

Thanks again all, shall keep you updated

Slydice

rhapsody wrote: »

Slydice- thanks for your story, I hope you still haven't seen any? I'd be worried about the smell of that sort of stuff, but might try it if the baking powder/white pepper doesn't work

No probs. I haven't seen any since so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

The smell was advertised as a fresh country smell. Smelled more like alpine air freshener to me. Kept the window open for a good while last night and a little bit this evening. Can't get the smell now anyway.

Good luck trying the other stuff. I'd be really interested to see if it works. It's always handy to know what can do the job for bloody freakout stuff like these ants.

BostonB

rhapsody wrote: »

...

BostonB- Its actually the opposite wall to the one with the radiator, so I'm not sure about the damp. The wall they're appearing at doesn't look to be/have damp etc. I'll keep an eye out though....

It could be the complete other end of the house tbh.

rhapsody

just a quick update. I put down black pepper (twas all I had) on Thursday, home again Friday night & no sign of any uninvited guests at all- wuhoo I thought Came home last night though so see two silverfish doing some sort of dance together in their corner- only caught one of them this morn found an ant on my bedside locker. Shall be getting white pepper & some sort of thick tape to cover up that gap between floor & skirting board today. Dam them :mad:

pow wow

OP are you sure the 'ants' are really ants? I used to live in a basement apartment which had a damp problem (new build but on marshy ground) and along with silverfish I had booklice. They looked like small ants but are more of a greyish colour and they got everywhere and in everything - clothes in the wardrobe, underwear drawer, bin, books, bathroom, shelving, tv, everywhere! The only reasonably accurate google pic I can find is here, sort of greyish black specks that used to whizz up and down the walls, ceiling, lampshades....you name it.

rhapsody

Thanks for your suggestion pow pow, I think they are ants- bigger than those in your pic and not too fast!
I put taped up the gap between floor & skirting board the other day- have only seen 1 ant & 1 silverfish since... getting hopeful!

BostonB

You won't get rid of them like that.

Slydice

still haven't seen any ants back yet.

smell of the ant killer was pretty much gone after 2 days.

might be worth yer while

rhapsody

just to update: no ants in 4 days; one silverfish last night, who's gone to the paper basket in the sky.

Slydice- glad your fellas have found lodgings elsewhere

jackiebaron

rhapsody wrote: »

thanks everyone for your replies!

BostonB- Its actually the opposite wall to the one with the radiator, so I'm not sure about the damp. The wall they're appearing at doesn't look to be/have damp etc. I'll keep an eye out though.

rainbowdrop- I have original floorboards, not sure what wood that would be? I can't really lay carpet since I'm renting. I could put down a mat/rug but I'd still know they were there and it would drive me mad! Thanks for your suggestion though -

ceadaoin.- I wondered about crumbs, but I've never eaten in my room and my housemate doesn't either as far as I know. Either way, the little fecks would have to cross the hall & then cross my room to get to the corner where I'm finding them so that mustn't be it. I guess its the warmer weather

tara73- yeah the ants are walking in between the floorboards, though not going far from their corner. crawling up my bedside locker more that further away along the floor. the silverfish must be here because of some combination of damp & warm weather

Slydice- thanks for your story, I hope you still haven't seen any? I'd be worried about the smell of that sort of stuff, but might try it if the baking powder/white pepper doesn't work

edellc- sorry you had ant trouble what powder to you mean? Does RAID come in powder form also?

LadyE- thanks for that suggestion, I'll put some down in the morning. Am away for a few days then so I hope the little feckers dont take over the place while I'm gone

Thanks again all, shall keep you updated

Well after a shower or bath do you stand in your bedroom dripping water onto the floor?

Ardent

I hope your ants aren't Pharoah Ants! By spraying them you'll only distress the colony causing it to split, and as a result doubling your problem!!

rhapsody

jackiebaron- no i dry off in the bathroom downstairs & then up to my room to get dressed. always wear flip flops so no bare feet. I'd be standing in the middle of my room anyway, and these little cretins are just appearing in one particular corner that has a mirror on one wall, so I'd seldom be standing over there, wet or dry

Ardent- I hope they're not Pharoah ants now too! :eek: still no ants so I'm guessing they're regular ants.

1 silverfish last night- would ant powder/ white pepper etc work on them?

dan_d

I'm currently de-fleaing a room using Johnsons' flea powder for carpets

It says (and I quote from the bottle in front of me here) keeps carpets fresh and free from troublesome pests.

Smells ok...I've used it before and it did the trick. While I don't know if it would solve your problem exactly, might be worth your while checking out products like that aswell??

Cú Giobach

I spray my house twice a year with Acclaim household flea spray, I only do it because of my dogs and even though I live in an old farmhouse full of cracks, nooks and crannies, it is completely insect free, even in the "out of the way" lesser used spots (I do feel sorry for the spiders though).

Slydice

I saw eraza ant spray and eraza ant powder in dunnes in the blanchardstown shopping center today if anyone is interested.

didn't buy any but found their websites:
http://eraza.co.uk/index.php/product/ant_killer_spray
and:
http://eraza.co.uk/index.php/product/ant_killer_powder