Ant problem- Urgent help required

[shootfromthehip]

Since moving into this house 3 yrs ago we have had ants every summer. I have tried all sorts of potions/ sprays to get rid of them but they started appearing about 10 days ago and I don't know if my sanity can take another year of trying to get rid of them. I have had 'rentokill' out who told me that the garden and surrounding are is full of them so there was nothing they could do.

I don't mind them in the garden, I just don't want them in the house. Any ideas?

Please help save my sanity!

pour boiling water down any cracks that you see them coming out of.

Did try the boiling water thing last year- worked for about 2 days and then they were back in the feckin' house- it makes me feel like my housekeeping isn't up to speed but my super clean elderly neighbour does get them too. Have bare floorboards and think they must be getting in that way- it's an old and holey house!

In Australia there are ants everywhere. We got this barrier spray for crawling insects and sprayed it round the perimeter and around the door and window frames on the outside. It is working I think as they were everywhere before. It lasts months too.

Sounds good- could you tell me the name of it savoy?

We have some stuff called Nippon I think which we squirt at the doors and generally seems to thwart them.

Have had the same bottle for a few years - ot only needs a bit.

Here it is

Just scared myself to death as there is a picture of a huuuge spider on the bottle. It is called 'Outdoor barrier home defender spray'

Made by a company called Defender.

Many thanks all- used the Nippon before and it is good- used the last of mine the other day. Anyone tried any of those plugin repellers?

If you don't want to use chemicals baking powder works. You do end up with white powder in doorways etc for a while but it does work. We had huge problems in the study which has 3 windows that also open as doors and they were coming in there. My cleaner sprinkled baking powder along each door and pushed in right into the edges and corners. Haven't had any ants there since.

You don't need plug in repellers. We have a horrid ant problem every year as well.
Put flour down where they are coming into your house. Ants can't walk on it for some reason. Stops the buggers getting in the house.
Also make it a rule that everyone has to take their shoes off before coming in and check for ants.
The bloke we had round to sort them said that is one of the most common ways they get in once all entrances are blocked.

Use the boiling water method anywhere you find a nest near to your home and do it once a week. Just doing it once isn't enough.

Use something like nippon for the ones you already have in the house at the moment.

We put the little "houses" with ant poison in outside (we put a large stone on top) and they are very effective but you need one every five feet or so if you have a lot of ants. If we find them trying to come inside then they will not cross lines of cinnamon or washing up liquid (but this depends on having children of the right age not to enjoy playing with the little "houses" or the "lines" ).