For the second year in a row my cupboards have been invaded by zillions of ants. I'm using Raid ant killer which only seems to have encouraged them last year they stayed for many weeks Help!
thisles5,
Sep 6, 6:20am
havnt even seen one yet.
trade4us2,
Sep 6, 6:46am
I have sealed all the cracks in my kitchen. Since I never open the windows I bogged them up as well.
fastpostie,
Sep 6, 7:19am
They just appeared from nowhere ours is an older house and no hope of sealing cracks up
jules555,
Sep 6, 7:40am
Try earth Options automatic spray the only thing I have success with
kiwisapper,
Sep 6, 7:52am
You are correct, it does encourage them. to take it back to their nests and as there is usually one hell of a lot of them,just keep feeding as much as you can of it to them until there are no more to take the poison back to the nest or lay eggs. Stiffen up and live with the discomfort until then.
Stop and you will have wasted your time, money, effort and as you say, just encouraged them.
trade4us2,
Sep 6, 7:55am
I bet my house is older than yours!
articferrit,
Sep 6, 9:14am
I just paid someone to come and spray everywhere inside and out after the ant invasion began a few weeks ago, he said its unusual for them to begin spraying ants so early but the mild winter will mean they have survived winter and are already a problem, I couldnt believe how many there were eating the bait and they were all inside the walls of the 2nd story of the house. All gone now.
jills3,
Sep 6, 1:32pm
I finally resorted to buying Ants in your pants from Wet and Forget, we had them crawling up the walls and living in the photo copy machine. Yes it was nt cheap, but after putting this stuff around the house it was sorted. Every morning we would find millions of dead bodies in the bath and around the house. I would definitely recommend Ants in your Pants, but it only last 6 months and the buggars are back.
lazkaz,
Sep 6, 2:14pm
White vinegar in a spray bottle and wipe the counters etc inside shelves whereever the ants go. It works.
ceebee2,
Sep 6, 3:39pm
Buy a Robo can setup and Install high up in a common walkway.ie kitchen to Lounge. These units are asthmatic friendly for MOST asthmatics. Ensure you get the replacement can with the most pyrethrum weight. Most have it but the weight varies. This is what will repel and kill flies spiders and ants.
inatiz,
Sep 6, 5:03pm
I get them from time to time. They usually find their way in around the kitchen window. I find putting raid liquid ant killer in a lid close to where they come in, works best. I get trails of ants for 2 or 3 days then no more until next time. If the ant killer is placed close to their entry point, perhaps on the window sill, they are kept off the bench and away from food.
dee238,
Sep 6, 11:21pm
I had a real problem with ants: bottom of the hot water cupboard, coming through kitchen windows, cupboards under the sink. A couple of years ago I sprinkled ant sand along the sills of the kitchen windows, at the bottom of the hot water cupboard, and the backs of the cupboards. Anywhere they were crawling. Followed their trail outside and sprinkled there as well. They died in their millions and stopped coming. I've never had a problem since.
cantabman1,
Sep 7, 4:29am
I have them around the house, but so far not inside. The Darwin ant; that's the very tiny ant, came into Canterbury many years ago and were found in the port wood piles. When these were replaced in the early 1980's the Stevedores took them home for firewood as it was Jarra hardwood and great to burn. Unfortunatly it spread the ants all over the port hills and then Christchurch city.
fendie,
Sep 7, 1:09pm
I have a collection of ant baits, the ones that they take back to the nest. Once I see them coming in I put out a selection (ant smorgasbord) for them to choose from, when I see which one they like this week I put more of that one out. They seem to like different ones from month to month, you will need to find a trail path to put the bait. I can see where they are coming in but a trail path is fine. Good luck
deecee2,
Sep 7, 1:17pm
Get some borax and mix some with something sweet, like jam. After a week or two of the ants feeding on this, you won't have an ant problem.
autumnwinds,
Sep 7, 6:44pm
There's some interesting, natural, ant killer ideas here: https://www.nowtolove.co.nz/lifestyle/homes/how-to-get-rid-of-ants-19756 (Some already mentioned in this thread). In my last home, I found crushing up peppermints (the "I'm a Lumberjack" type ones! Large white round ones. oddfellows. had a brainfade, and it came back!). Works well outside, dropping some into the cracks between pavers, where the trails are. Apparently they take it back inside, and the peppermint given off kills them. so the story goes, but I've seen it work.
Borax is the active ingredient in Raid ant killer, so one may just as well buy Raid. As for the "week or two feeding on this", just the same with Raid.
I have found that it may look it is not working because there are neverending masses of ants but in fact it is killing but as colony one dies, another takes over their territory (and the Raid bait) which gives the false impression that it is not working. The solution lies in keeping topping up the milk bottle tops with the Raid Liquid until no more ants appear. Many colonies means it will take many days so just live with it . When they appear to have ceased coming, still leave the baits out for 3 / 4 days to ensure that there is not another colony yet to find it.
solarboy,
Sep 8, 7:19am
Agree 100%. I bought a small red bottle of the Raid ant killer ($6 or so at the time) some years ago and have probably used less than half of it. Last few invasions have been in my letterbox, 150 metres from the house, so I think they're on their way to the neighbours .
planespotterhvn,
Sep 9, 12:53pm
Kiwi Care No Ants Nest Killer Gel Bait Available at supermarkets. Don't touch the stuff or get it on food prep areas. I put a blob on some 2 inch masking tape near where the ants were getting in. The ants surround the blob like zebras at a watering hole. If you gently breathe on them they scatter but soon go back. After two or three days feeding, no more ants!
kiwisapper,
Sep 9, 1:39pm
If so, then if they are relying on NZ POST courier bags or even "snail mail" for the trip, they won't be able to afford the increased costs.
chnman,
Sep 16, 7:15pm
http://www.nopests.co.nz/product-details/x-it-ant/https://keyindustries.co.nz/View-A-Product/ID/829/Product/DIY-NPXANT?ProductName=NoPests%C2%AE%20X-it%20Ant%20225ml After using pest control company to spray around the outside of house several years ago, it worked. until ants from neighbouring properties came in less than 6 months later. Having tried many different baits before this (which weren't 100% effective, as the species of ant was the 'white-footed ant', a black ant which doesn't take bait back to nest), and the costs of using a pest control company, I came across 'X-It Ant', which is from a company called 'Key Industries', recently the product has been re-branded as 'No Pests X-It Ant'.
Used every 3-4 months I was keeping the ants away, and have had great success. My last spray was mid-March 2018 and I haven't done one since, as they seem to have vanished. But when the weather gets better I'm sure they'll be back!
Some good videos (3) which is where I came across the product. The 3rd video talks about X-It Ant.
we've struggled with ants for most of our married life, (60 years next August) I can now smell them before they get a hold, but they are the bane of our lives now, living on sandy soil. We get a contractor to come in now and treat inside and out. We;re too old to be messing around. Last time he came, he left us a little bottle of EXTERM AN ANT and we haven't had to use it. Maybe we have got on top of them at last, but they will be building next door shortly, and that could disturb them. One huge infestation we had was when we cleared a garden along the front of the house, they came up in their millions between the cladding and the inner lining and when we opened the washing machine lid, the whole machine was a heaving mass of black. I wanted to throw the washing machine out and buy a new one, but hubby set to and cleared out every single ant. I wish you luck.
gypsymeg,
Sep 21, 10:04pm
years ago I used to go outside at night with a torch and when I spotted their entry points would spray with the 30 day residue insect spray that was availiable. outside in the garden or sheds many years ago used to use a powder called yates postmaster, this was deadly and has not been availiable for a long time but never had an ant problem for years after I used it
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