Invaded by ants/termites?

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
I happened to be out on the deck this morning and when I turned around to go back inside, the door frame was crawling with insects. Most look like little black ants, but about a third looked like a cross between an ant and a wasp (had wings). Some of them looked like they were preparing for intimacy. I don't like to squirt toxic chemicals around. The closest thing I had to insecticide was bathroom cleaner. I squirted some of that around and the bugs didn't like it at all. That was about 4 hours ago. I just peeked out and didn't see any.

ants1a.jpgants2.jpgants3.jpg
 

Hope they're not termites.

look in the basement or cellar for long tunnels attached to the walls mud tunnels

image

But really, a professional should do it.
 
My wife found a "trick", a few years ago, that works great for keeping ants and spiders out of the house. Every Spring she collects a few days of used coffee grounds, and lets them dry out good. Then, she sews a bunch of small pouches, fills them with the dried grounds and places them near the doors and on the window sills. Since she started doing that, about the only "bug" we see is an occasional house fly.,
 
I must say tho'... they tend not to be around people houses.. they come up from Drains in the roads.. or maybe right in the middle of a shopping precinct they're like a huge cloud of Flying ants.. and if you didn't know what they were you can easily think they're some kind of small wasp..
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flying-ants-1499336601.jpg
 
great homemade remedy...borax..sugar..water mix...in old bowl with lid..cotton balls on top of mix...holes in sides..ants take it home...nest gone...it's online..
we have both little sugar ants and carpenter ants...
this works
 
Murrmurr said:
Ants don't like to walk on rugs and baby powder.
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When I owned that house, I could come home to a line of ants across the carpet getting into the cat food. I'd move the food and get out the vaccum.

I don't know if it's a rumor, but I've heard ants eat termites. I had a lot of ants at that house but when I sold it, very little termite damage. There will always be some. It's expected I think.

I use orange spray cleaner. Kills flies. I don't have ants at this apartment.
 
debodun said:
They disappeared - guess that did what they set out to do and left, or they didn't like the bathroom cleaner.
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That's exactly what flying ants do..they cause mayhem when they appear in their huge swarms.. then completely disappear after mating and go back underground 'till next time.. most often next year.
 
Murrmurr said:
Ants don't like to walk on rugs and baby powder.
Click to expand...
But they will, (on rugs) if there's something they particularly like, such as a bit of crumbled cat krunchies :sneaky:
Perhaps just the flat type of carpet, though.
(Indoor/outdoor, it might be called. )

I don't know about the baby powder.
And for some reason, I don't have any of that on hand, to be available, if there's a last minute local ant convention.:giggle::LOL:

The photo in the OP, makes me think there is a nest, nearby!
Perhaps trails inside tiny holes in that door rims.:unsure:
It likely will need repeats applied, of the stuff they didn't like.
 
I don't like using chemicals either, but sometimes you just have too. In the summer we will use Amdro Ant Block outside of the house next to the foundation. Works well until it rains & then we reapply it, but this is only for a few months each year. My mom used to use a mix of borax & sugar when she found an ant mound in the yard which they will take back to the nest, then eat & die.

The other thing for all bugs I like to use is food grade diatomaceous earth from Home Depot, Walmart or Lowe's. Usually it's in a bag, but sometimes in a squeeze bottle. If it's not already in the bottle, I'll buy one. The bottle nose allows you to get into cracks. You can also use it on the sill plate of your house in the basement just as a precaution too. It's safe around people & pets.

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Kaila said:
But they will, (on rugs) if there's something they particularly like, such as a bit of crumbled cat krunchies :sneaky:
Perhaps just the flat type of carpet, though.
(Indoor/outdoor, it might be called. )

I don't know about the baby powder.
And for some reason, I don't have any of that on hand, to be available, if there's a last minute local ant convention.:giggle::LOL:

The photo in the OP, makes me think there is a nest, nearby!
Perhaps trails inside tiny holes in that door rims.:unsure:
It likely will need repeats applied, of the stuff they didn't like.
Click to expand...
Yes, the flatter rugs.

I put out food for the homeless cats and ants leave the food alone as long as the dishes sit on a piece of low-pile rug (I cut one up). If the food's not on a piece of rug, it's covered with ants within minutes.

I also sprinkle (and occasionally re-sprinkle) a layer of baby powder on the ground under the legs of the cat shelters. Ants won't go in them even if I put a dish of catfood inside.
 
Lilac said:
I don't like using chemicals either, but sometimes you just have too. In the summer we will use Amdro Ant Block outside of the house next to the foundation. Works well until it rains & then we reapply it, but this is only for a few months each year. My mom used to use a mix of borax & sugar when she found an ant mound in the yard which they will take back to the nest, then eat & die.

The other thing for all bugs I like to use is food grade diatomaceous earth from Home Depot, Walmart or Lowe's. Usually it's in a bag, but sometimes in a squeeze bottle. If it's not already in the bottle, I'll buy one. The bottle nose allows you to get into cracks. You can also use it on the sill plate of your house in the basement just as a precaution too. It's safe around people & pets.

View attachment 299557View attachment 299558
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Baby powder is a great, cheap, easy to find substitute for diatomaceous earth.
 
Murrmurr said:
Yes, the flatter rugs.

I put out food for the homeless cats and ants leave the food alone as long as the dishes sit on a piece of low-pile rug (I cut one up). If the food's not on a piece of rug, it's covered with ants within minutes.

I also sprinkle (and occasionally re-sprinkle) a layer of baby powder on the ground under the legs of the cat shelters. Ants won't go in them even if I put a dish of catfood inside.
Click to expand...
That is all very interesting.
Thanks for those details, Frank.(y):geek:
 

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