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How To Get Rid Of Ants?

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I got rid of 99% of them with COMBAT mini, very happy now.

Occasionally (like once a week) I see 1 or 2 ants only.

Those are the scouts. Kill them before they bring their friends lol.

My home was infested with those small reddish brown ants. They like to build their nests in my old gadgets and in between my games cardboard boxes.... very annoying and destructive! I've tried the golden rooster brand bait before, it worked for a while then after that they start to avoid it. I've also tried those stick on ant baits... I think crushing them with my fingers more effective. Then I switched to 1Step ant gel bait... worked for a while but they started coming back and avoiding that bait as well. Finally eliminated them with Terro-PCO liquid ant bait. So far been ant free for almost a year now :)

 

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So combat ant bait will work?

Based on experience... it might work in the beginning but if you don't wipe out the entire colony, the ants will avoid the bait in the future.

 

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Based on experience... it might work in the beginning but if you don't wipe out the entire colony, the ants will avoid the bait in the future.

Where can buy Tecco liquid bait?

 

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Use "Combat" insect killer (http://www.combatbugs.com). We use it in our household. Used to to have ants in flower pots, living in the dining tables' legs, in the cupboard, and outside the kitchen window, even in the false ceiling. Leave a few of the traps near where the ant trails and they will go in, come in contact with the poison, and take it back to their nest. In a few days or a week's time all the ants will have been poisoned. It will get rid of cockroaches too (my old workplace had cockroaches, but I kept a few of the traps underneath my desk so my area was roach-free).

As is with most insecticides, keep it out of reach of little kids. Also, the poison/bait inside the little plastic houses gets mouldy after a couple of weeks, especially in this damp monsoon weather, so either use up the whole pack, or seal unused traps in an airtight container. Also remember to throw away old traps after maybe a couple of weeks, because the uneaten poison/bait inside tends to liquify after some time - it may ruin surfaces which can be stained.

 

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Hello, my name is Aaron Taylor. Me and my dad started a Pest control company here in Reno. We have been in the pest control business for 10 years. I joined to give some advice on fighting these ants, because i have seen some advice given that can lead to worsening the issue rather than helping it.

First off, these ants are most likely "odorous house ants" so you can do some more targeted research on them.

These type of ants are very good at surviving. When the colony is stressed, they will fracture. Fracturing is when a queen ant takes a number of workers, and relocates to a new area. There are multiple queens to do this, and when they do, the issue spreads. This is a survival action taken by the colony, hence why they are tough to get rid of.

The key to fighting these ants is not to stress them. Applying chemicals that kill on contact is the worst thing you can do with these particular ants. Baits do work, but it takes quite a bit to get enough into the colony to kill off ALL the nest. Generally baits will knock down the population in the colony to a minimal amount, but they will rebuild. This is why some things work for a while then they come back in a few months.

Wiping the tables/floors/and counters with a mixture of dish soap and water will break down the pheromone trails they use to navigate and communicate. This will help keep them from walking all over your usable areas. but a chemical application is needed to target the colony. there are many liquid chemicals that work well, but you must do your research to make sure the product you use is not a fast acting poison. Some recommended products we have found effective are: Arilon, Phantom, and Termidor. There are others as well, but these are fairly common. These are products that should be used by pest management professionals, but if you take the time to read the directions, you will be able to use them just the same as we can. You will need a hand sprayer to apply the product. I recommend Arilon/Phantom for interiors, and Termidor for exteriors. You do want to treat the areas that they forage and "trail". I recommend treating all the baseboards in kitchen, and going around the exterior foundation of the home also. I would NOT treat above counter height with spray, but use a treated towel and wipe other areas with product. These products are designed to allow the ants to move over it for a few days before it takes effect, this allows the ants to become infected and then carry the product back into the colony. As they pass each other, they will transmit the product onto the ants that touch them. This is why these products work, but you have to ignore the ants while they are spreading the product to the rest of the colony. try not to disturb them for a few days after treatment.

Lastly for those of you who are skeptical about the use of pesticides and chemicals, this is not the option for you. I realize not everyone is on the same page with regard to using chemicals. These chemicals when used as per the directed mixing instructions, and handled with care, are no more dangerous then medicines or cleaning chemicals.

Again, this is best left to professionals who do this for a living, and know what to look for, but if that is not an option, this can be done by homeowners if directions are followed. If you are not going to read the directions fully, DO NOT USE CHEMICALS OF ANY KIND.

If anyone has any further questions, I will follow this thread, and reply back when i can, or you could call me and i can walk you through it.

I don't want anyone to feel as though I'm advertising on here, that is not my purpose, I just want to help prevent the issue from getting out of hand.

Aaron Taylor

775-830-9310

 

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My old flat used to have this problem! Nasty ants crawling around in the kitchen! Argh.

Sis went to supermarts and bought 'Combat' ants killer, less than 2 days, the ants are gone o.o

We just stick them around where we always see the ants.

They basically brought the 'poison' to the colony.

Yay to no more ants!

 

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I use the Optigard ant gel. Industrial grade ant poision. Cannot get it locally, but can buy from ebay

Found that those sold at ntuc or wujingdian are quite useless. This one totally works

Here is a reference picture

287_402_optigard-ant-gel-bait.jpg

Edited by hawthorne
 

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