Advice on alternatives to pesticides...PLEASE!

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

I have a problem with ants in my kitchen. I never have a problem with any other insect but these tiny black ants (sugar ants..I guess) have suddenly taken over my kitchen. I hate pesticides but I came into the kitchen and they had covered a tea pitcher I left out. I keep it clean but they always find something to get into. Opened up my sugar canister the other day and the little bastards found a way to get into that. I really don't believe there is way to get rid of them but I'll try anything.

[Not_Giving_Up]

1. Get those little thingies that you can put way back in a corner

(I have mine way behind the microwave) There are many brands. No stink, no ants.

[madeline_con]

2. Several geckos should do the trick.

Seriously.

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

11. Funny you should mention that...

They come in through a window in my kitchen and I have noticed at night when I go out by that window a gecko is hanging out there. I hope it has about a dozen babies!

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

13. Thanks to all....I'll give them a try

[Mr_Spock]

12. hahahaha

Geico - ooops, I've been programmed :D

[silverweb]

3. For ants, try borax.

Here's one recipe:

http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/home/3

Also, even though it doesn't kill them, they HATE vinegar, so wiping surfaces with white vinegar is at least a temporary fix.

[formercia]

21. borax and sugar work well

we had an ant problem and it worked for us. It's cheap too. You can find borax in the laundry soap section of your local supermarket. 20 Mule Team is the usual brand but any brand of sodium tetraborate will work. A thick syrup works best.

[silverweb]

22. Yup.

We had a sudden infestation a few summers ago, when we had an extreme heat wave, and the borax/sugar recipe worked very well for us. I also used diatomaceous earth in the carpeting for fleas.

The combination really did the trick. We were pesticide and bug free. :)

[Spinzonner]

4. Cinnamon

http://www.ehow.com/how_3254_rid-home-ants.html

(also google cinnamon & ants)

[JaneGat]

5. Baby powder, black pepper

Many ideas here - and good luck!
http://www.thefrugallife.com/ants.html

[newyawker99]

20. Hi JaneGat!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[watrwefitinfor]

6. Orange Guard

Google on it, they have a website. Maybe in stores by now. It works nicely on ants and other in-house pests, smells good, and completely nontoxic. I have sprayed it directly on my dog for fleas - no side effects. It's made of citrus peel no chemicals.

Wat

[firefox]

7. Diatomaceous Earth

This came up a few days ago over concerns of the fire ants at Camp Casey. You can read about diatomaceous earth here- http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html

Somebody said you can get it at Home Depot or swimming pool supply stores. You can always read the ads that come up with a Google search- http://tinyurl.com/d2yoa

It works physically in that its structure acts like razor blades to cut insects to death when it gets on them.

[CottonBear]

8. Caulk/seal where possible then spray this organic horse fly spray mix:

Start with a vinegar base. Add essential oils: citronella, peppermint and lavender. Then add some garlic oil. Put in spray bottle. Shake well before spraying. Repeat spraying as required.

This is pungent but effective. You may need to spray daily or at least several times a week around windowsills or doorways or wherever they're coming in...

[nosmokes]

10. seal it tight and borax. geckos work well for larger insects

like roaches or silver fish but i dunno if they'd be effective on sugar ants? and they're sorta neat, hangin out out on the walls anat. clean your food storage areas with baking soda and vinegar to remove any residual sugar or wheat left behind and brush borax into all the corners and crevices. after you've sealed everything tight. if you do a good jod sealing you can get by with just doing the borax evry few months for a couple or three years after that.

[Spinzonner]

9. BTW, Semanticly, if it kills pests it's a pesticide

But we assume you mean most organic chemical poisons

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

15. You are correct sir!

I hate it when I misspeak...thanks...REALLY! It has been noted and stored away for future use.

[flamin lib]

14. Firefox and Silverweb have the two suggestions that work for me.

You can buy a bottle of Boric Acid at any drug store and it lasts forever. Make a paste of Borax and Sweetened condensed milk and toss little balls of it under the 'fridge and in corners for roaches. Pets can eat everything you put out and be none the worse for it. Ants like sugar water or mint jelly mixed with borax. It's a bait that they take home and share. Read the ingredients on most ant/roach baits and you'll see boric acid.

Diatomatious earth works on every insect. It works it's way into the exoskeleton and joints acting like a cutting agent. If you put enough out that you can see it that's too much.

Another plan is to bait the outside of your house. Seed the perimeter of the house 2-3 feet out with ant bait. Repeat every few weeks until the ants are gone.

This works for most ants except carpenter ants (wood destroying insects).

[KT2000]

16. Here is a great resource

Steve Tvedten has written a book about alternatives to pesticides. (He used to have a business using the toxic stuff but he has now dedicated himself to getting the word out abour safer alternatives) Actually his work is to protect kids from the damage these products can do.

You can download it for free. Actually it is quite large so you will likely download parts of it. This is a good reference to keep.

http://www.thebestcontrol.com

[Digit]

17. I am a minimalist when it comes to pesticides, but....

I have tried numerous things, but the only thing that works for me is spraying a papertowel with an ant killer and wiping it around where they come in. (Electrical outlet for me or window sill)
I have a parrot, so I need to keep pesticides at a minimum.

I have found that watermelon is not a fruit, but an ant attractant.
:-)

[Warren DeMontague]

18. Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap kills ants like nobody's bid'ness.

And it's got a fresh, minty smell.

[Behind the Aegis]

19. Here ya go...

ANTS
-Wash countertops, cabinets, and floor with equal parts vinegar and water to deter ant infestations.

-Sprinkle powdered cinnamon on ant trails. Several types of ants will not cross a barrier of cinnamon powder.

-Use powdered charcoal, bone meal, talcum powder, or chalk as a barrier along ant trails.

-Parrot cage legs can be placed within shallow pans filled with water--like small moats that ants cannot cross.

-Locate the ant colony and pour boiling water into it. If you can find a hole where ants are entering the house, squeeze the juice of a lemon into the hole or crack. Then put the lemon peels all around the entrance.

-Grow spearmint, peppermint, pennyroyal, southern wood, and tansy plants around the border of your home to deter ants and the aphids that they carry.

-Fire ants--Killing the egg -laying queen is the only way to destroy the colony. Choose a day when the ground is dry and the rain is at least a day away. Then gently sprinkle a teaspoon of instant grits on each fireant hill. The worker ants carry the grits to the queen who eats them. When she drinks water, the grits expand in her stomach and kill her. The remainder of the hill dies within a day. (From Tightwad Gazzette II book.)

-Note that different types of ants have different preferences, so what works for one type may not work for another.

From SAFE AND NATURAL PEST CONTROL