Little Black House Ants in DROVES!

[GeckoGeek]

Re: NEW weapons against alien attack ants!

Darwin, where are you now that we need you?

Careful what you wish for - Darwin is likely to create ants that thrive on the bait.

Now, to find a way to demolish the home nests! Both of the liquid ant baits attract them, but don't destroy the queen.....

I suspect there's two principles at work here:

1. To kill the colony, the bait must dominate their food source.
2. When one colony dies, neighboring ones will expand to fill the void.

The corollary: as the bait wipes out the near nests, the far ones are far enough away that the bait doesn't dominate the food source. You end up in a stalemate. The ants keep coming. They die, but not in large enough numbers. So they keep coming.

So to win a heavy infestation, you must do saturation bombing of baits and deny them access to other food sources. Take the battle to the enemy.

[Barry]

Re: Little Black House Ants in DROVES!

When I was in Honolulu, my small apt was overun by ants. I got a plastic container of paraffin and I think it was from your Wallmart but I can't be sure.
Each morning I squirted the paraffin around the outsides of the apt and also on the laneii. I tracked down one nest of ants and 'nuked' them with paraffin.
The rest must have gone for the cornmeal 'cause I was free from them for the time I was there.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Little Black House Ants in DROVES!

Has anyone eaten chocolate covered ants? Don't say that it tastes like chicken.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Little Black House Ants in DROVES!

When I was in Honolulu, my small apt was overun by ants. I got a plastic container of paraffin and I think it was from your Wallmart but I can't be sure.
Each morning I squirted the paraffin around the outsides of the apt and also on the laneii. I tracked down one nest of ants and 'nuked' them with paraffin.
The rest must have gone for the cornmeal 'cause I was free from them for the time I was there.

Barry, let me make sure we Americans understand you. When you say "paraffin", I think you mean what we call "kerosene". Am I right? Because to me, "paraffin" usually means candle wax, and I don't think candle wax does anything for ants.

[Kaonohi]

Re: NEW weapons against alien attack ants!

Careful what you wish for - Darwin is likely to create ants that thrive on the bait.

Oops, where's that 'sheepish grin' smilie?

I suspect there's two principles at work here:

1. To kill the colony, the bait must dominate their food source.
2. When one colony dies, neighboring ones will expand to fill the void.

The corollary: as the bait wipes out the near nests, the far ones are far enough away that the bait doesn't dominate the food source. You end up in a stalemate. The ants keep coming. They die, but not in large enough numbers. So they keep coming.

Gecko, I think you got it nailed. The web and the entomologists at Halawa said similar things, but you brought it home for me. Mahalo nui loa.

So to win a heavy infestation, you must do saturation bombing of baits and deny them access to other food sources. Take the battle to the enemy.

That's hard. They invade my acre of ginger & other flowers and keep looking for more inside the house. I can't denude my acre of tropical flowers and fruit - unless there's no alternative.
I'm have great success with a 50% solution of peppermint oil soap and 'Dead-Fast' along the trails, but I guess there's always more reserves waiting to move in. Guess I'm stuck with it until nature sends in a new predator.... (of them! not me!)

[GeckoGeek]

Re: NEW weapons against alien attack ants!

but I guess there's always more reserves waiting to move in.

Not sure what to do about outside except lots of baits to knock them down to reasonable levels. You might be able to set up a parameter around the house so there aren't so many right there.

As for inside, they won't move in unless they find a good home - including food. What are the eating inside?

[Kaonohi]

Re: NEW weapons against alien attack ants!

As for inside, they won't move in unless they find a good home - including food. What are the eating inside?

Any enclosed space is home for Glaber ants. Boxes (empty or full), potted plants, window frames, interior walls, sofa beds, etc. They seem to eat everything. The cat barfed and they swarmed over that; I tracked them back to a box of closet dehumidifier.
According to the literature, they lay an excess of eggs, and when they run out of other food they eat their eggs. Outside they swarm over trees and flowering plants to get 'nectar.' They divide their colonies often. They must have come from a very competitive environment -- now they are in Paradise! Their paradise now....

They are headed your way.

[Barry]

Re: Little Black House Ants in DROVES!

Barry, let me make sure we Americans understand you. When you say "paraffin", I think you mean what we call "kerosene". Am I right? Because to me, "paraffin" usually means candle wax, and I don't think candle wax does anything for ants.

Yes you are correct. We have different names for stuff in England. What we call "paraffin" you call "kerosene.' Another friend of mine in the Us of A tells me that they call it "Coal oil." Now I'm getting really lost

[Kaonohi]

Re: Little Black House Ants in DROVES!

Yes you are correct. We have different names for stuff in England. What we call "paraffin" you call "kerosene.' Another friend of mine in the Us of A tells me that they call it "Coal oil." Now I'm getting really lost

WHAT? I thought we all spoke English!
Are we doing sub-dialects here?
"Proper English"
'American English'
'Pidgen English' (of various sub-dialects)
'Dixie Drawl English'
'Californication English'
'Cockney English'
'Muslim English'

etc., etc., etc.

Oh, yeah. I knew that.....

For instance: Other than in New England and G.B. (AFAIK), "Ants" (as pronounced, spelled aunts) can also refer to the female siblings of one's parents.

[Sharilyn]

Re: NEW weapons against alien attack ants!

I'm have great success with a 50% solution of peppermint oil soap and 'Dead-Fast' along the trails, but I guess there's always more reserves waiting to move in. Guess I'm stuck with it until nature sends in a new predator.... (of them! not me!)

Kaonohi, is your peppermint oil soap solution still keeping things somewhat under control? How do you apply it? Do you use a sprayer, or can you just sprinkle/pour it wherever needed? Do you give your property a good dousing, or spot apply? Thanks! Oh, and how often do you treat?

[surlygirly]

Re: Little Black House Ants in DROVES!

Does peppermint oil work for spiders? Cuz I've got spiders-a-plenty in my house! Little ones, with their little egg sacs in places I'd never imagine. I just want them critters gone! I realize you guys don't have this problem over there (at least I never did), but maybe Barry? Or someone? So far sucking them up in the vacuum cleaner seems to be working pretty well, but they keep coming back!

[Barry]

Re: Little Black House Ants in DROVES!

Cornflour works. They can't digest it and go to ant heaven.

[snowbird]

Re: Little Black House Ants in DROVES!

You know, I am just going to give up and let them win. They can have the house, the car, the TV. I'm moving. Are there ants in the Arctic? Whoops, just Googled that, and yes.... drats! Arctic ants, if you can believe that?

So far, I have tried every suggestion here and more. Bought one of everything at Home Depot. Tried witchcraft and prayer. Cinnamon, windex, dish soap, boric acid combinations. Terro, Raid, Bayer, you name it. And now I am just flat-out of money and credit.

Youngest used Aqua Net hair spray to kill them, and now they are laminated to the bathroom walls.

OK, I get it that they are looking for water or food... plenty of that outside. I don't have cockroaches, fleas, mosquitoes, or crickets. Just ants. Little mean, butt-biting ants. My poor okole.

Done whining now.

[Sharilyn]

Re: Little Black House Ants in DROVES!

bumping for Kaonohi... see post #40 ^^

[Kaonohi]

Re: NEW weapons against alien attack ants!

Kaonohi, is your peppermint oil soap solution still keeping things somewhat under control? How do you apply it? Do you use a sprayer, or can you just sprinkle/pour it wherever needed? Do you give your property a good dousing, or spot apply? Thanks! Oh, and how often do you treat?

Sorry, S, thanks for the bump.
Been vacationing and trying to fix my main computer; I missed a bit.

It has not rid me of ants, but it has reduced them. It seems to have a residual effect inside the house.

I use a small spray bottle, and just apply 'as needed,' i.e., when I see them.

Outside it hasn't worked that well. My tropical flowers are major infested still. There are fewer on my back lanai, but they are still there, in the potted plants and in the wood. We have the inside 'tolerable,' finally, and are still seeking an outside solution that won't harm pets or wildlife or whither the plants.