Oh Christ - we have an ants' nest in the kitchen

[Doigthebountyeater]

I am having the year from hell. One thing after another. We have a biggish patio outside the back door which we discovered a month ago to be a full ants' nest (underneath). We paid the pest control people to spray around. They set traps and put chemicals on a nest which was inside our cavity wall. They said it'd take at least a month to kill them.

Tonight I found that our (long kitchen) units nearest the wall have been turned into an egg fest, also under the dishwasher, washing machine etc. It's not a case of blocking entrance holes, They are tuneeling up under the house.

I swear I cannot take any more. I have just had one shitty thing after another happen to me this year and I cannot take much more. I am sitting here crying. I think God hates me.

Anyone got any success stories re ants. I could really do with one right now.

PS the pest man is coming back out again tomorrow morning.

Awwwwww you poor soul, just breathe. Things will get better! You're getting all your bad luck in one year. So your next 12 months should be all roses :)

Unfortunately I don't know anything about ants but if the pest control man didn't clear it successfully hopefully you won't have to pay for the return visit?

Good luck!

Thanks Calyx. I think the treatment is free. It is more the psychological aspect of them always trying to get in and us keeping them out. Like being under seige. I hate crawly things too.

Also, I am worried about the effect of the chemicals on my DC, especially the youngest who is crawling everywhere now.

ants really hate peppermint oil, so rub some on cotton wool inside your food cupboards to keep them away if you are concerned about chemicals in your kitchen. As it evaporates you will have to redo it. You can buy this online, or holland and barrat, even £1 shops.

We use nipon poison, and it works - you sound like you have a heavy infestation so would need several bait stations

you can of course get rid of lots of ants and eggs quickly using a hoover - burn the contents or take it to the dump, dont just leave it in your bin!

Oh poor you! We had ants coming in this summer, but no obvious hives. I felt like we were under seige, so I sympathise!

I found this site helpfule for day to day stuff. here

Clean your kitchen really really well using fairly vicious chemicals- you'll feel good because it's cleaner and it will put the evil buggers off their trails. Had ants too I know how you feel.

for the stuff under the dishwasher, and areas where you are able to mop, could you pour a bit of boiling water, to kill them, then mop up? I knwo this works well outside, but it could be totally impractical inside. Hopefully the pest control man will get it all sorted for you tomorrow. Then your luck will turn!

Poor you. We had a house like this and the icky ones with wings crawled all over. We hoovered .
If you find a good way of getting rid, let me know as my garden is full of nests and the bloody hens won't eat them. Or I'd post you a chicken

It's ME again!!

spider zooms in

spider zooms out

Admire my impressive legs as I whizz past

I spit on your lazy cats

HAR! HAR!

by spider

Doigthebountyeater I feel for you. It's been one of those year for us as well. Here's afew ideas you cab try. I like to try natural non toxic remedies so these might help:

Sounds crazy, but try vinegar! Fill a squirt bottle with plain old cheap white vinegar, and squirt it anyplace you've seen ants (kitchen counters, windowsills, etc) and let it dry. It's non-toxic, won't harm anything, and the smell will go away This worked for me!

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Mop the floor with about half liter of water mixed with two to three drops of lavender essential oil. That will keep ants away.
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1 Follow the trail of ants to determine where they come into the house.
2 Locate the holes. Fill the holes with soap or white glue; or Apply baby powder on the trail of ants. Ants that come in contact with the powder will die soon.
3 Apply more baby powder or red pepper to kill the remaining ants. After they are dead, sweep away the ants and excess powder or red pepper.
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Try a natural repellent such as ground or powdered chili, or used coffee grounds. Citrus peel (ground) works well, too.

For a more permanent solution, find the ant mound, and destroy it using boiling water (to collapse tunnels) mixed with a teaspoon of salt (to confuse their sense of direction).

If you can't bear to kill them, at the start of summer leave a jar of honey up a tree in the garden. The ants will be happy to stay out of your kitchen.

Feed them corn meal. They eat it. They take it back to their nest and feast on it. They can't digest it and it kills them. Also, corn meal won't harm children or pets.
Wheat flour and dried rice (any kind) also work. Like corn meal, it expands in their stomach and explodes them, resulting in a death slightly less nasty than being boiled alive.

They also hate cinnamon but will eventually get used to it.

You can destroy their nests by taking a stake and stabbing it down into their nest. Wiggle it around until you have a fair sized crater. Fill the crater with baking soda about half way up and pour vinegar over it. It is all-natural and will totally destroy the nest. Don't worry about it leaving a crater in the ground, it mostly fills itself in and if it doesn't just kick some dirt over it, plant some grass over it, and you will never be able to tell the difference.
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Ewwww I HATE ants. I actually moved out of my old house because there were ants that no amount of poisining or natural remedies would kill. They were nesting under the bathtub.

Thanks everyone. Will try out ALL of these!

Bollocksthespider - could you eat my ants please