Getting Ant-sy about ants

[ckraham]

Hi everyone, this is not really about parasites but about carpenter ants in my kitchen/house (I suspect coming from outside but traveling in from behind the wall in kitchen cabinet). I have sprayed with Wondercide and put down diatomaceous earth but have been advised to either get exterminator or put liquid traps (not natural or holistic traps in a high up place. I don't want to use chemicals but I also don't want carpenter ants eating the house.
Has anyone had any experience with this? And if I put a couple of out of reach "chemical" traps (the kind where they take their bait to the nest) will simply having it in the room poison us all?
I do not use any chemical in my house at all.
My other thought was boric acid everywhere but that makes such a mess.
Maybe one of the claiming to be "safe" pest companies is better than traps?
I have seen twenty carpenter ants on my counter this am so do need to do something. Last year did not have them so somehow they communicated with each other that I have a great house for them.
Thank you!
Cassandra

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Cassandra-

Sorry to hear about your ants (but love the title of your thread!).

You should be safe with the chemicals but would also prefer to avoid them if possible (and avoid killing the ants).

Perhaps see what a safe pest company has to offer (maybe a pheromone that says "stay away").

One out of the box tip is to try putting a few pellets of Berberis homeopathic pellets near where they seem to be coming in or on the other side of the wall.

@Dr. Christina may have some other suggestions.

 

[ckraham]

Thank you, I will try the Berberis. I had to replace an entire wall in my old house (eaten by carpenter ants over the years), hence my antsiness.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Please let us know what happens Cassandra.

 

[Dr. Christina]

Maybe essential oils? Peppermint?
Ask your animal communicator colleagues to speak with them - they may not listen to you.

Dr. Christina

 

[LilF]

Hi everyone, this is not really about parasites but about carpenter ants in my kitchen/house (I suspect coming from outside but traveling in from behind the wall in kitchen cabinet). I have sprayed with Wondercide and put down diatomaceous earth but have been advised to either get exterminator or put liquid traps (not natural or holistic traps in a high up place. I don't want to use chemicals but I also don't want carpenter ants eating the house.
Has anyone had any experience with this? And if I put a couple of out of reach "chemical" traps (the kind where they take their bait to the nest) will simply having it in the room poison us all?
I do not use any chemical in my house at all.
My other thought was boric acid everywhere but that makes such a mess.
Maybe one of the claiming to be "safe" pest companies is better than traps?
I have seen twenty carpenter ants on my counter this am so do need to do something. Last year did not have them so somehow they communicated with each other that I have a great house for them.
Thank you!
Cassandra

I hate summer for this very reason.... bugs... Some companies just come out and do broadcast spraying without locating the nest and treating that. It is always best to find the source. Many companies do not like to take the time to watch and follow the bugs to see where they are going. I have had to watch and follow the bugs myself most times. I know someone who had them behind a board of the house. When it was pulled off, UGH, need I say more... So maybe if yours are behind a board then you can just remove the board and spray it. Although my friend vacuumed them up. Do you have any wetness in the area? Last winter I saw a few and they were there because my dishwasher was leaking. The board underneath was soaked. So my point is there is usually a reason why they go where they go. Have to eliminate the thing attracting them. Maybe a rotting board someplace. Do you have firewood or areas outside that are an attractant? Those things need to be removed. So why don't you just block off the room to the animals for a few days if possible till they set the traps which I don't think are messy at all, and then they will be gone and you can wash things down. Yo definitely will have to be more vigilant with the animals for a short time. Or maybe they can set traps elsewhere depending on where they might be appropriate outside the house. . You probably DO need some sort of barrier around the house in the future. Diamataceous Earth in my experience gets wet and has to be reapplied. I know people who use boric acid around the house but I don't think it is the safest with dogs. You can also apply cedar chips around the house to repel bugs. Cedar makes them confused and eventually die. I have sprayed ant hills outside with their cedar spray. They have like a mulch you can spread around the perimeter of the house a few times a year. The company I get some cedar products from is Cedarcide in TX. Cedarcide | Family-Safe Bug Sprays Maybe by now you have already solved the problem but those are my thoughts and sorry for your problem.