HELP! I am
in Cleveland Ohio and our house is incredibly infested with these
tiny reddish-brown ants! At first
it was just the kitchen, pantry & cat
food, but we've started keeping everything in air tight canisters, ziploc bags, etc and put tupperware lids filled with water
under the cat bowls, taking away
all sources of food imaginable and now they're EVERYWHERE!
We had pesticide applied a couple months ago when we also had those
GIANT black ants and they were all gone for awhile...but they're back with reinforcements now!!
They are on my computer desk and printer as I type, on the dining room table, crawling along the backs of
toilets, everywhere!!
I squish tons a day, but obviously can't get them all (not that
that wouldn't be really satisfying!)! OK,
here come my questions:
1.How can we SAFELY (organically) kill them?
I lived in Florida where we had monthly pesticide treatments for the
first 27 years of my life, and I attribute
the fact that I was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor last year
at 32 to that fact. Thus, I
really don't want to have the house sprayed!!
What will kill them?
2. Does this
type of ant bite? The other day I
woke with what I thought were
hives all over my right calf but I couldn't figure out what I could've eaten that might've done that...
Last night I saw 2 ants come walking out from under my pillow as I was
getting into bed! This scares me
because I am allergic to fire ants (had some BAD reactions to their sting as a
child in Florida) but am no longer getting allergy shots per my neurologist
and the brain tumor clinical
trial in which I'm a patient! Plus,
my bee sting kit is expired!
So: what
kind of ants are these and how do I KILL them
RESPONSE:
Dear Lisa - Have you tried anything but poison? From your story, it is
obvious pesticide poisons do not eliminate pests, but, they certainly may harm
people. Have you tried simply
drawing a line of vaseline or chalk, or lightly sprinkling talcum powder,
medicated body powder, dry Tide laundry soap or baking soda where you do not
want them to cross, or mopping the floors with 1 cup of borax per gallon of hot
water, or spraying them with 1 tablespoon of dish soap, 1 teaspoon of vegetable
oil and 20 drops of peppermint oil? There
are many alternative controls in my book THE BEST CONTROL.
Including spraying them with 1 oz per quart of Safe Solutions'
Enzyme Cleaner with Peppermint. I never try diagnosing a
species over the internet, but, the above controls work on most ants.
Try to follow them back to the nest and then destroy their nest.
Good Hunting and Get Well! Steve.