[hollym]

I suddenly have tiny ants crawling around the pet food bowls.

Any ideas how I can get rid of them?

[Doody]

Hi there. I use Terro. Works great. It's syrupy stuff and you put some on a piece of paper, or whatever, and the ants circle around it and eat and eat and carry it home to their nests. Takes care of them for a good long while. I just had to put some out yesterday....my second round with the ants. Good luck! Oh, it also now comes in handy plastic containers that the ants walk into. Less chance of the pets stepping into it or eating it. Though my cats have never showed any interest in it.

http://www.terro.com/index.php

[greta]

Originally Posted by Doody

Hi there. I use Terro. Works great. It's syrupy stuff and you put some on a piece of paper, or whatever, and the ants circle around it and eat and eat and carry it home to their nests. Takes care of them for a good long while. I just had to put some out yesterday....my second round with the ants. Good luck! Oh, it also now comes in handy plastic containers that the ants walk into. Less chance of the pets stepping into it or eating it. Though my cats have never showed any interest in it.

http://www.terro.com/index.php

I use terro too, but I use the liquid version that you put on a tiny piece of cardboard. It's like hogs at the feeding trough - it's not just a pesticide...it's entertainment to watch them line up around the edge and suck it down, as I sing "die, die, die!!" Ooops, maybe I shouldn't say that out loud.... It works like nothing else I've ever tried. I would not put the liquid immediately around the pet food though. When I've used it, it's been on a counter away from where the monsters could get into it.

[Chemar]

cinnamon

ants hate cinnamon and it works real well for these tiny "pharaoh" ants too

I sprinkle it overnight then sweep/vaccuum it up next day, and I also get the oil (from health store) and wipe down the window ledges, skirting boards, cabinets etc

house smells great and no ants plus no pesticide worries re our health

[hollym]

I read about the Terro on the internet last night. It's good to know actual people who have tried something and know it works.

About the cinnamon, does it take awhile to work? That was the first thing I did yesterday when I saw the ants and it didn't seem to faze them at all. They actual walked through it and made little paths. This morning I didn't see ants there, but the pet food bowls were empty, so I don't know if it was the cinnamon or the lack of food that was keeping them away.

[Chemar]

the cinnamon has always worked pretty quickly for me. I have seen them actually turn and head away from it

[bluenurse]

So glad I read this thread. I have been in battle mode with litlle black ants for 2 weeks. The round baits are not working, I have tried vinegar and clorox(read that on the net). Didn't work. I'm going to Wwally World now to pick up some terro baits. I saw them when I bought the others, but I didn't think they would work. Thanks alot.

[Bobbi]

Windex also works, as do cucumber peels (for the more organic approach).

[Alffe]

I use whole cloves...just lay them where the ants walk and they go away. Less messy to pick up.

[freeinhou]

Dissolve some borax in a 2-litre pop bottle cap and leave out where the ants are. This always did the job in S. Florida.

Tom