Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Ants - who's responsible?

Options
  • 28-05-2014 5:30pm
    #1
    rightoldpickle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 119 ✭✭


    Just moved into a property a few weeks ago and the garden is infested with ants. They're coming in the front and back door. I have used sprays, powders, ant bombs you name it but they keep coming back. I easily have spent €75 on stuff so far. Is it something I should take up with the landlord or just suck it up?


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    NomadicGray
    Registered Users Posts: 1,433 ✭✭✭NomadicGray


    I wouldn't advise sucking up ants


  • Options
    #3
    discombobulate
    Registered Users Posts: 2,846 ✭✭✭discombobulate


    rightoldpickle wrote: »
    Just moved into a property a few weeks ago and the garden is infested with ants. They're coming in the front and back door. I have used sprays, powders, ant bombs you name it but they keep coming back. I easily have spent €75 on stuff so far. Is it something I should take up with the landlord or just suck it up?
    I'd take it up with landlord. Unlikely to get what you've spent back but if their decent they should sort it out


  • Options
    #4
    rightoldpickle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 119 ✭✭rightoldpickle


    NomadicGray wrote: »
    I wouldn't advise sucking up ants


    I'm at last resort now!!

    Landlord hasn't been too great to date. It's not even the money it's just the hassle! The kids won't play outside because of them!


  • Options
    #5
    Idbatterim
    Registered Users Posts: 17,852 ✭✭✭✭Idbatterim


    honey will stop them coming in the door and they get stuck in it and die, its disgusting when they come into the house...


  • Options
    #6
    Paulw
    Registered Users Posts: 13,381 ✭✭✭✭Paulw


    Something very very cheap to try - http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-make-a-natural-homemade-ant-killer-apartment-therapy-tutorials-189111


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    Thargor
    Registered Users Posts: 17,942 ✭✭✭✭Thargor


    Idbatterim wrote: »
    honey will stop them coming in the door and they get stuck in it and die, its disgusting when they come into the house...
    I would have thought honey would be feeding and encouraging them?


  • Options
    #8
    LeinsterDub
    Registered Users Posts: 8,229 ✭✭✭LeinsterDub


    Follow them back to the nest and destroy it.


  • Options
    #9
    handlemaster
    Registered Users Posts: 6,003 ✭✭✭handlemaster


    Hot water where the nest is. It will take a few goes


  • Options
    #10
    zl1whqvjs75cdy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,042 ✭✭✭zl1whqvjs75cdy


    The hot water should work. Be prepared to move fast though. Pricks come swarming out.


  • Options
    #11
    endacl
    Registered Users Posts: 22,307 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    We had the same problem some years ago. The problem was we had provided an ideal habitat, with stone flags resting on sand. I'd suggest you look at the problem with this in mind. What about your garden makes it ideal for the little buggers to nest in?


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #12
    rightoldpickle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 119 ✭✭rightoldpickle


    endacl wrote: »
    We had the same problem some years ago. The problem was we had provided an ideal habitat, with stone flags resting on sand. I'd suggest you look at the problem with this in mind. What about your garden makes it ideal for the little buggers to nest in?

    This maybe something we cannot fix. Our garden is on a downward slope and the drainage from the grass area to the slabbed area is close to useless. Unfortunatly we've learned this all too late. We are only 6 weeks into a 12 month lease.
    I've done the boiling water but nothing works, and the weather has been dry the past few days so out down more powder but there are still hundreds. Rang the LL today and he says it's not his problem!!


  • Options
    #13
    Knob Longman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 326 ✭✭Knob Longman


    Lemon. Squeeze or pour it outside the doors and around drains, Bottom of walls, Window sills etc.. Trust me they hate the stuff, Fair enough it might be smelly but the Ants will be gone.


  • Options
    #14
    Bongalongherb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,766 ✭✭✭Bongalongherb


    rightoldpickle wrote: »
    Just moved into a property a few weeks ago and the garden is infested with ants. They're coming in the front and back door. I have used sprays, powders, ant bombs you name it but they keep coming back. I easily have spent €75 on stuff so far. Is it something I should take up with the landlord or just suck it up?

    If you want to get rid of ants fast, sprinkle very fine grounded black pepper on all areas, but it is important that you sprinke black pepper on a group of ants, because when they go back to the nest they will cause havoc and they will move away fairly quickly. It always works, but most folk never try it.

    I had the same problem a few years ago in my house and it done the job immediately, they vanished permanently. Try it.


  • Options
    #15
    endacl
    Registered Users Posts: 22,307 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    rightoldpickle wrote: »
    This maybe something we cannot fix. Our garden is on a downward slope and the drainage from the grass area to the slabbed area is close to useless. Unfortunatly we've learned this all too late. We are only 6 weeks into a 12 month lease.
    I've done the boiling water but nothing works, and the weather has been dry the past few days so out down more powder but there are still hundreds. Rang the LL today and he says it's not his problem!!

    You really need to find where the nest is. If you have the time and patience you can actually follow individual ants to home base. They follow chemical tracks that they lay down as they go. Fascinating if they're not being a nuisance! If you figure out which flags they're living under you can dig the nest out. All the other methods mentioned are fairly effective, but are really most effective as a deterrent. If you can get rid of the nest, the little feckers should naturally find somewhere more hospitable to start over. If you're using boiling water, add salt. You can also use boric acid. Be careful with this stuff though. The clue's in the name. Add the acid to water, not the other way round.

    I feel your pain, OP. Been there. Could be worse though. It was rats the year before here...


  • Options
    #16
    Bongalongherb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,766 ✭✭✭Bongalongherb


    endacl wrote: »
    You really need to find where the nest is. If you have the time and patience you can actually follow individual ants to home base. They follow chemical tracks that they lay down as they go. Fascinating if they're not being a nuisance! If you figure out which flags they're living under you can dig the nest out. All the other methods mentioned are fairly effective, but are really most effective as a deterrent. If you can get rid of the nest, the little feckers should naturally find somewhere more hospitable to start over. If you're using boiling water, add salt. You can also use boric acid. Be careful with this stuff though. The clue's in the name. Add the acid to water, not the other way round.

    I feel your pain, OP. Been there. Could be worse though. It was rats the year before here...

    In all honesty, you don't need to track the location of the nest. All you need to do in relation to my above comment is to pepper them, as many as you can and the pepper will piggy-back on them to the nest and they will all run a mile. The queen will be gone running as well. As I already said, finely grounded black pepper will cause serious trouble in the nest when they bring it back, it's a serious irritant for them all, and they will go.


  • Options
    #17
    endacl
    Registered Users Posts: 22,307 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    Bongalongherb wrote: »
    In all honesty, you don't need to track the location of the nest. All you need to do in relation to my above comment is to pepper them, as many as you can and the pepper will piggy-back on them to the nest and they will all run a mile. The queen will be gone running as well. As I already said, finely grounded black pepper will cause serious trouble in the nest when they bring it back, it's a serious irritant for them all, and they will go.

    The pepper worked for me, but only temporarily unfortunately. They're tenacious little buggers! In the end, and if you'll pardon the mangled language that follows, the only way to get them 'gone' gone, was to get them gone!


  • Options
    #18
    Bongalongherb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,766 ✭✭✭Bongalongherb


    endacl wrote: »
    The pepper worked for me, but only temporarily unfortunately. They're tenacious little buggers! In the end, and if you'll pardon the mangled language that follows, the only way to get them 'gone' gone, was to get them gone!

    Well I am only going by my own experience with the little critters, but for me, they never came back. I peppered about 60 of them heavily and that was the end of all of them ;) I can only imagine the hell that occurred back in the nest.


  • Options
    #19
    Mr_Red
    Closed Accounts Posts: 483 ✭✭Mr_Red


    Hi All

    The most effective way to kill ants is to put baking soda mixed with powered sugar on the ground.

    They eat it and explode . Go get yourself baking power and shake it on the ground and really anywhere you like

    cheap and very effective and you can put it along the trail and down the whole


  • Options
    #20
    KTRIC
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,463 ✭✭✭KTRIC


    Mr_Red wrote: »
    Hi All

    The most effective way to kill ants is to put baking soda mixed with powered sugar on the ground.

    They eat it and explode . Go get yourself baking power and shake it on the ground and really anywhere you like

    cheap and very effective and you can put it along the trail and down the whole

    That sounds awful cruel to be honest, wouldn't a deterrent like the pepper be a better idea ??


  • Options
    #21
    Mr_Red
    Closed Accounts Posts: 483 ✭✭Mr_Red


    well any type of eradication will be cruel so it depends if you want to get rid of them or just set up a barrier.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #22
    endacl
    Registered Users Posts: 22,307 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    KTRIC wrote: »
    That sounds awful cruel to be honest, wouldn't a deterrent like the pepper be a better idea ??

    Tbh, when you've been plagued with them for a while, concerns about cruelty go out the window. I'm not proud to admit it, but when we had the rats, I'd have used one of those sticky traps if I could've got my hands on one.

    When I cleaned the ants, they got a good blast of everything mentioned do far except for the baking soda. If they come back they'll get that too.


  • Options
    #23
    rightoldpickle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 119 ✭✭rightoldpickle


    Thanks for all your suggestions. Think I'll start a few different ones today and see what works. Though if the chemicals aren't stopping them I can't see pepper working any better.
    They really are determined little beggars. I found one nest and there were literally thousands of them but that's gone weeks now and there are still more.

    Anyone know how far they travel? Maybe the nest isn't in my garden at all?


  • Options
    #24
    endacl
    Registered Users Posts: 22,307 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    Could be worse, I suppose....



    Look on the bright side!


  • Options
    #25
    Rother
    Registered Users Posts: 51 ✭✭Rother


    There is syuff you can buy for about €3. I can remember what it is called. Its like a goo. You put dots of it around where you see the ants. They like it so much they bring it back to the nest and after a couple of days it poisons them all.

    Thats what rentokill use.

    We have used this a few times when ants were a problem.


  • Options
    #26
    uck51js9zml2yt
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,268 ✭✭✭✭uck51js9zml2yt


    Rother wrote: »
    There is syuff you can buy for about €3. I can remember what it is called. Its like a goo. You put dots of it around where you see the ants. They like it so much they bring it back to the nest and after a couple of days it poisons them all.

    Thats what rentokill use.

    We have used this a few times when ants were a problem.

    I was just going to mention this ;)
    Any hardware store should have it.
    A few drops and it's brought back to the nest.
    It comes in a small tube. You van also get small boxes with it but I don't then to use them indoors.
    It's fascinating watching all the ants around the blob. Like cattle around a water trough.


  • Options
    #27
    foggy_lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    get yourself one of these

    anteater-wallpaper-3.jpg


  • Options
    #28
    bings92
    Registered Users Posts: 15 ✭bings92


    ant stop from woodies there are 2 little black round space ship type things cost a few euro. we were invaded a few yrs ago bought everything under the sun but nothing worked until I got these. buy a pack every yr & they have never come back.


  • Options
    #29
    rwg
    Closed Accounts Posts: 445 ✭✭rwg


    Mr_Red wrote: »
    Hi All

    The most effective way to kill ants is to put baking soda mixed with powered sugar on the ground.

    They eat it and explode . Go get yourself baking power and shake it on the ground and really anywhere you like

    cheap and very effective and you can put it along the trail and down the whole

    Or you could just feed them coca cola and menthos


  • Options
    #30
    Seandonnacha19
    Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭Seandonnacha19


    Yeah, the any bait stations are very good, there's a chemical called fiprinol in them, which the ants take back to the nest and when they die from eating it, the other ants eat the dead ant and it continues to the queen, it's nasty but extremely effective. Make sure and use the second station once the ants have declined or even disappeared, just in case, and dispose of the stations properly because the chemical can cause harm to other, beneficial insects. Alternatively, you could use borax, which is less harmful and very effective too, apply on the ants and on paths/trails that they use.


  • Advertisement
Advertisement