LonelySutton
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- Joined
- May 10, 2014
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I have been battling ants since the middle of July. I had thought I could handle it but, I never expected the battle to go on for so long. Ants might not bother me so much but my cat is constantly trying to eat them. This of course makes a problem because if the ants get any sort of bait, it could hurt my cat.
But it does really bother me to have any ant in my house.
First, it appeared they were getting in via small cracks in my front. I put cinnamon in the cracks and taped them over with tape. I thought, I was done, but I had another break out near the kitchen counters. That was by far the most gross as they were crawling over the counters, I am not sure what happened but they seem to have gone from there. But of course, I suppose they could be back at any time. It seems they can easily get in due to the way the dishwasher was installed, with no tiles under it.
I had the condo come out and spray around the outside of my condo (they said) and I hoped that killed the nest.
Sunday they got under my stairs...
Disgusted I went out and bought something called Diamoatous Earth. Unfortunately due to the misleading product at Home Depot... I put the product down and then, discovered, it was toxic. Though the package said "safer" right on it... only "food grade" is not toxic and good luck finding that. I had to vacuum it up.
Then I put down ant traps. And while it drew in a ton of ants... somehow, it didn't seem to be killing them. It was if they knew not to eat the bait. After 2 days they were all still sitting there around the bait but still alive. Worse they kept walking around and my cat could get them (risking the cat eating the bait). Previously I had used the traps and it seemed to really kill them easy.
I had it, I went and got calk and calked the entire area... that looks to have stopped that outbreak.
But it seems clear there is a hole outside where they are getting in.. but (1) for the life of me I can't find it and (2) they seem able to walk under the tile and walk around the entire house that way. But it is above the sub floor so I see nothing in the basement.
I have probably spent 100 dollars and spent at least 100 man hours trying to end this problem.
I am starting to feel like a prisoner in this place, prisoner to the ants. I would just move but I suppose every place has issues like this.
But it does really bother me to have any ant in my house.
First, it appeared they were getting in via small cracks in my front. I put cinnamon in the cracks and taped them over with tape. I thought, I was done, but I had another break out near the kitchen counters. That was by far the most gross as they were crawling over the counters, I am not sure what happened but they seem to have gone from there. But of course, I suppose they could be back at any time. It seems they can easily get in due to the way the dishwasher was installed, with no tiles under it.
I had the condo come out and spray around the outside of my condo (they said) and I hoped that killed the nest.
Sunday they got under my stairs...
Disgusted I went out and bought something called Diamoatous Earth. Unfortunately due to the misleading product at Home Depot... I put the product down and then, discovered, it was toxic. Though the package said "safer" right on it... only "food grade" is not toxic and good luck finding that. I had to vacuum it up.
Then I put down ant traps. And while it drew in a ton of ants... somehow, it didn't seem to be killing them. It was if they knew not to eat the bait. After 2 days they were all still sitting there around the bait but still alive. Worse they kept walking around and my cat could get them (risking the cat eating the bait). Previously I had used the traps and it seemed to really kill them easy.
I had it, I went and got calk and calked the entire area... that looks to have stopped that outbreak.
But it seems clear there is a hole outside where they are getting in.. but (1) for the life of me I can't find it and (2) they seem able to walk under the tile and walk around the entire house that way. But it is above the sub floor so I see nothing in the basement.
I have probably spent 100 dollars and spent at least 100 man hours trying to end this problem.
I am starting to feel like a prisoner in this place, prisoner to the ants. I would just move but I suppose every place has issues like this.