Any tips for fighting an ant infestation...

Hey guys...I have a major ant problem. We keep as clean a household as we can with a three year old, and we have a maid once a week to help us out. Over the past month, I have had no fewer than a dozen battles with these little ****, but they come back for more. Given their incredible determination, I am convinced they are living within the walls of the house. They have been inside the gas cooktop, entered through electrical outlets, cracks in the walls, or come from under the kitchen cabinets and up through the faucet gasket on the sink. They have come in through AC ducts, and through the hole in the ceiling for venting the wall oven to the outside.

As soon as I stop one point of entry they go to the next and the next... bedrooms have been used, bathrooms... everywhere they can find, and they know them all. They are harder to get rid of than the stench from a visit from Russ.

Outside of burning the house to the ground in a defiant act of surrender, have you guys got any ideas on what I can do to reclaim my house and my sanity?
The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson

Comments

  • krazypolk
    krazypolk Posts: 745
    afterburnt wrote: »
    You think you got problems? r2azm29ynxsu.jpg

    The only problem I see is that it ain't on my skillet, yet. That's some good eatin.
  • gp4jesus
    gp4jesus Posts: 1,969
    Used coffee grounds.

    It won’t kill them or your family but unlike many humans they HATE it. I use them around the yard as I’ve tried various powers and granules w/little long term
    Samsung 60" UN60ES6100 LED Outlaw Audio 976 Pre/Pro Samsung BDP, Amazon Firestick, Phillips CD Changer Canare 14 ga - LCR tweeters inside*; Ctr Ch outside BJC 10 ga - LCR mids, inside* & out 8 ga Powerline: LR woofers, inside* & out *soldered LR: Tri-amped RTi A7 w/Rotels. Woofers - 980BX; Tweets & “Plugged*” Mids - 981, connected w/MP Premiere ICs Ctr Ch: Rotel RB981 -> Bi-amped CSi A6 Surrounds: Premiere ICs ->Rotel 981 -> AR 12 ga -> RTi A3. 5 Subs: Sunfire True SW Signature -> LFE & Ctr Ch; 4 Audio Pro Evidence @ the “Corners”. Power Conditioning & Distribution: 4 dedicated 20A feeds; APC H15; 5 Furman Miniport 20s *Xschop's handy work
  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    afterburnt wrote: »
    Yeah and I was sitting there with a G29 and all I could do was watch.

    2A 4ever
  • SCompRacer
    SCompRacer Posts: 8,350
    edited August 2020
    afterburnt wrote: »
    You think you got problems? r2azm29ynxsu.jpg

    I have a .458 SOCOM applicator for those pests. Works great.
    Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 *
  • SCompRacer
    SCompRacer Posts: 8,350
    edited August 2020
    We had these tiny ants getting in at the back of the house around and on the BAR. I tried all the usual over the counter sprays for outside and traps for inside. No joy. Finally called Orkin. He had this gel he used. He put it in cardboard tubes so the cat couldn't get into it. Taped them to top of bar and in under sink cabinet. The ants sucked on that stuff like it was crack and left. One application, no more ants.
    Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 *
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    Found the source of my problem, and they are inside the house... literally! The foundation for my home was built as a perimeter type with the slab poured inside of it. Over the years, the slab has shrunk an average of two inches all the way around the house, giving the bastages access to literally anywhere in the house.

    There is no way to safely fight off these guys without MAJOR work, and their colonies under my home must be massive.

    Today, I have found three more huge columns of ants entering my home, one from that gap between foundation and slab directly under my kitchen cabinets, another in the master bathroom, and a third from that same gap in the closet we use to store dry goods... There must be 100k ants, and that's just what I see.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,009
    edited August 2020
    Da*% John! :o

    Your house IS getting invaded!!!

    ORKIN time...?
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
  • charley96
    charley96 Posts: 304
    Have you gotten anyone out there yet? Insects creep me out, I'd literally rather deal with snakes instead.
  • krazypolk
    krazypolk Posts: 745
    charley96 wrote: »
    Have you gotten anyone out there yet? Insects creep me out, I'd literally rather deal with snakes instead.

    802rk45117zs.jpg

    Snakes freak me the eff out. This is as close as I'll get...

    Cook em til they're done. Bon apetite.
  • machone
    machone Posts: 1,471
    Call Ant Man.
    Maybe he can talk some sense into them.😁
    Mojo Audio Illuminati v3>>Quantum Byte w/LMS>>Rpi/PiCoreplayer>> Starlight 7 USB >> Mojo Audio Mystique v2 SE>>ModWright SWL 9.0 SE Signature>>Hafler DH-500 Amp+ (Musical Concepts Fully Modded)>>
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  • JayCee
    JayCee Posts: 1,474
    Hey, John. I battled ants under a garage slab, to the point of cracking, for 20 years and finally decided to educate and attack based on this. I was successful.

    I have 2 longish emails with very detailed info I collected and shared with my family. I took this on as a personal challenge and decided to save my family the uneducated fate. IDing the ants and understanding the 2 cycles, sweet and protein, is key to how you attack a colony. Do the wrong thing and they split to survive. End result is more nests.

    Tried to copy/paste into this post but format won't work. If you want...PM me your email address and I'll forward what I have.

    Anyway. FYI and happy to give you what I have if you want.

    John
    Speakers: Polk1.2tl's (Uber Mods) Pre/Amp/DAC: PS Audio BHK Signature & 250, DirectStream Cables/IC's: MIT S1Bi-Wire/S1 Balanced +Avel Lindberg 1000VA "Dreadnought" Power Conditioner: PS Audio P15 Power Plant Power Cords: Core Power Technologies Gold, DH Labs Power Plus DIY w/Neotech NC-P301 & P311ends Streaming: Roon ROCK on wifi'd NUC, TP-Link WAP, & Uptone EtherREGEN, AfterDark, Emperor Double Crown Clock, Black Modernize LPS, PS Audio AirLens⟿Ω☯☥☮⟿🔊♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬
  • JayCee
    JayCee Posts: 1,474
    Disregard PM. Was able to move to a Word doc and then save as PDF. See attached.
    Speakers: Polk1.2tl's (Uber Mods) Pre/Amp/DAC: PS Audio BHK Signature & 250, DirectStream Cables/IC's: MIT S1Bi-Wire/S1 Balanced +Avel Lindberg 1000VA "Dreadnought" Power Conditioner: PS Audio P15 Power Plant Power Cords: Core Power Technologies Gold, DH Labs Power Plus DIY w/Neotech NC-P301 & P311ends Streaming: Roon ROCK on wifi'd NUC, TP-Link WAP, & Uptone EtherREGEN, AfterDark, Emperor Double Crown Clock, Black Modernize LPS, PS Audio AirLens⟿Ω☯☥☮⟿🔊♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬
  • Kex
    Kex Posts: 4,892
    Lot's of great information in this thread!

    @nooshinjohn, I've only had to deal with such a serious problem once in the past, but I was able to have some success combating them immediately.

    I agree that the bait traps usually work best long term, but I've also had issues like you described, where they didn't seem to work. You might have to suffer through two infestations, but after that, you should be done for the year. I don't buy the pre-assembled traps. I buy the bottles of bait, and put drops of that out for the ants on small pieces of card cut from those shiny waxed card flyers realtors are always sending in the mail.

    For a more immediate counterattack in your situation, though, you can also use insect spray on any lines up your wall on the outside, and any out of the way places on the inside. For your outlet (if they come that way again) remove the cover and spray behind it. You could also spray around the wall exhaust vent from your oven, or the pipes under cabinets, if those are still incursion points.

    Check outside around windows and around any vents or access points for the crawl space. Those you can also spray with the insect killer. Around dawn and early evening seem to be good times to check. I found that type of spray to be effective at blocking any identified incursion point for at least a month, but you do have to keep checking.

    For countertops, floors and other areas, you can spray with any household cleaner to kill the ants. It doesn't have to have bleach. Just the lemon scent stuff is fine. You can leave your victims to dry, and vacuum them up! Check areas you're worried about at dawn, early evening, and last thing at night (around 10 or so). This, combined with the insect spray applied around incursion points, did seem to eliminate the problem within 24 hours, but without the other measures described, you will have to remain vigilant, as they will likely be back from somewhere else in 2-4 weeks.

    Longer term, you might want to call the pest control guy that checked your house at the time of purchase. Our guy checked everything (not just termites) for $60. Treatment would obviously be extra, but at least it's someone you can call, and you know that realtors know who's available in the area, so they probably don't choose people who don't know their business.
    Alea jacta est!
  • Kex
    Kex Posts: 4,892
    P.S. Best of luck! ☘️ 😉
    Alea jacta est!
  • JayCee
    JayCee Posts: 1,474
    edited August 2020
    Definitely not an expert and in no way trying to counter other's experience. My biggest takeaway from researching was spraying and causing mass panic/death triggers the fight or flight instinct and flight is their choice. The workers are programmed to protect the colony and they do this by immediately splitting and creating more nests. I concluded the reason I, and everyone else I know, have recurring outbreaks is because of the first attack sprays.

    I was fortunate because I had open ground to watch the exits and using the workers to bring the bait back was like a Trojan Horse. As the nest started to die they would pile thousands of bodies in little ant graveyards several inches away from the exit. I had pictures but can't find them.

    Also, it really is crucial to confirm if they're in protein or sweet cycles. My sneak attack was in April, after they'd remained subterranean during winter, so my educated guess was they'd be looking for sweet, ie. quick energy, as the colony woke. My fallback would've been protein later in the summer assuming they're in build mode.

    Just my experience but I added the above to explain my thought process.
    Speakers: Polk1.2tl's (Uber Mods) Pre/Amp/DAC: PS Audio BHK Signature & 250, DirectStream Cables/IC's: MIT S1Bi-Wire/S1 Balanced +Avel Lindberg 1000VA "Dreadnought" Power Conditioner: PS Audio P15 Power Plant Power Cords: Core Power Technologies Gold, DH Labs Power Plus DIY w/Neotech NC-P301 & P311ends Streaming: Roon ROCK on wifi'd NUC, TP-Link WAP, & Uptone EtherREGEN, AfterDark, Emperor Double Crown Clock, Black Modernize LPS, PS Audio AirLens⟿Ω☯☥☮⟿🔊♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬
  • afterburnt
    afterburnt Posts: 7,892
    Nothing to do with Johns situation but interesting. I had a carpenter ant invation at one of my old places. There were never any carpenter ants in all the desert I lived in and then inundated. I didn't try to fight them. I like carpenter ants, almost as good as rolly pollys. I eventually read that the fires in the Sierra's that summer had driven them down to the desert below. Those fires were ten if not twenty miles away! The article said that their networks run for miles and miles. Too bad ants aren't five inch praying mantis isisisisz. If I had a thousand of those in my house that would rule!
  • sucks2beme
    sucks2beme Posts: 5,556
    My house in North Texas had Pharaoh ants when I moved in. They had built a colony in the wall by the kitchen. An exterminator tried many times to kill them.
    They weren't taking the bait at all. The Terro stuff did the trick. They were all over the neighborhood. so a year or two later they were back. They had the nest in the yard, and were trunking down the fence to the house. I put the Terro out there-gone again!
    The point is pretty clear, know the enemy. Only the right bait works.
    Pharaoh ants always go for the sweet stuff. Other ants require other treatments.
    The other common ant in North Texas, Fire ants! The battle with them never stopped.
    Neither of my neighbors were doing anything, so they would slide down along the sidewalk till they got back in my yard. Finally I got new neighbors that did treatments.
    Not much of an issue after that. If a street all treats, they go away. If not, it's an endless battle.
    "The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson
  • sucks2beme
    sucks2beme Posts: 5,556
    In Tennessee all I've got to worry about are snakes. Lots of snakes.
    Only one poisonous one so far. I back up to the Wolf river preservation area.
    I was behind the fence hacking back the brush to about 8' from my property
    (utility easement area) and saw a pygmy rattler heading out.
    Snakes, possums, raccoons, deer, bobcats,armadillos, coyotes, hawks, we have them all.
    The wife has a picture of a bobcat cruising the back yard in the middle of the day.
    "The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson
  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,009
    How about this technique?

    gmutjv9l6ku7.png
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,124
    afterburnt wrote: »
    @Tony M How does going to the circus help?

    That's not a circus, thats a bouncy house...that would be a blast and very intoxicating
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    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
  • charley96
    charley96 Posts: 304
    Don't Walter and Jesse make their meth in that tent?!
  • txcoastal1 wrote: »
    afterburnt wrote: »
    @Tony M How does going to the circus help?

    That's not a circus, thats a bouncy house...that would be a blast and very intoxicating

    Bouncy House ? Like a Gentlemen's Club .? 😳

    Sal Palooza
  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,009
    txcoastal1 wrote: »
    afterburnt wrote: »
    @Tony M How does going to the circus help?

    That's not a circus, thats a bouncy house...that would be a blast and very intoxicating

    Bouncy House ? Like a Gentlemen's Club .? 😳

    Nooshin would have Johns' you know whats.
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    How goes the fight John?
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    edited August 2020
    joecoulson wrote: »
    How goes the fight John?

    At the moment, there is an uneasy truce... I know the bas-tards are planning a counter attack, but from where dammit! FROM WHERE!
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,077
    edited August 2020
    If you've got an infestation of that magnitude, my money is a moisture issue......and I'd bet there is something leaking somewhere. At this point, I wouldn't dork around with it......get a professional, I'd go with someone that does commercial work like Ecolab. Find the source treat it and correct the underlying issue.....and moisture issues are a real PITA.

    Just my .02
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
  • mrbiron
    mrbiron Posts: 5,711
    Where’s the KABOOM?!?! There’s supposed to be an Earth shattering KABOOM!!!