Help! Ants in my bathroom, no ant powder...what to do?

[bananabump]

I don't like killing anything, would prefer to shoo them outside, but can't "shoo" ants, and it looks like they're coming from under the bath panel (aargh!) so can't just block up the crack they're getting under cos they'll still be there!

What can I do? My dp suggested hoovering them up. I don't think so!

Well if you don't want to kill them, I think you have to live with them.

What fluffyanimal said.

Sorry but I agree.

There was a thread a few weeks ago which suggested cinnamon - haven't tried it tho!

Uhm. I used to live in India. There were lots of ants, coming in from EVERYWHERE! I used white play doh as putty to cover the cracks in the wall they came from. Or Chewing Gum, as I had nothing else. Both worked a treat. I did not care if they were still in the walls, other than knowing they would search out another crack and be prepared with my play-do tub!! LOL

KILL THEM. i have been squishing them with damp paper towel. they'll tell all their friensd and move into your kitchen next.

cinnamon, eh? I have cinnamon....

I just hate killing things, I feel so evil just because they're "inconvenient" to me.

I have left them for the past week or two, there's only been about five at a time visible, but now there's about 20.

I think dp's been stamping on them everytime he goes in.

And spraying cillit bang on them.

What do you expect the cinnamon to do? They will either eat it and love it and come back in thousands for more, or they will ignore it and still be there, or they will die. They won't think, "cinnamon, how uncouth, I prefer nutmeg" and move out of your bathroom. Stop fannying around and kill them - or put up with them and do nothing.

Well, I did try to put up with them but I don't particularly want an invasion!

I did try the cinnamon. They walked around in it like "whaaaaat the hell?" but didn't appear to be running off in disgust, so I just swept as many of the little sods up as I could into a dustpan and put them outside.

When I came back in there were about ten more, then after I took those out, about 8 more, then 4 more.

Then I got annoyed and sprayed them with cillit bang.

On a positive note, my bathroom smells delish!

Not sure how effective this is but if you draw a chalk line around the area you don't want them to cross, that should in theory stop them as they won't cross the line. Make it really thick!

I find that if I do kill them, I remove them straight away or the others will come and look for them!

Feel terrible but the cillit bang seems to have worked (and my bathroom floor looks cleaner than it has for quite a while)

I just read that talc kills them too, that might have been nicer to use than harsh detergents. Still, killing is killing I spose, whether you use baby products or bleach.

I might just stash an open pot of honey in the garden to lure them all away from the house.

pour a little bleach on them till you get some ant powder that should kill them.

Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice onto the ants. This will make the ants leave, they cannot abide citric acid.

Also place some lemon slices under the bath panel as well, you won't get any further infestations by doing that.

put bay leaves in your cupboards ect this will stop them from going near there as they cannot stand the smell i live in cyprus and this is what the cypriots do