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Original poster

ARGH! Ants!

132 replies

GeorginaA · 21/02/2004 10:04

Well, it's about time for my weekly hormonal panic...

Dh has just informed me that he found four ants by the sofa this morning. He duly removed them, but I'm now rather worried. How likely are we to suddenly get a horde of them running through?

It's really bizarre - the sofa is nowhere near the door and I didn't really think it was ant season - still quite cold outside. Thought this was really a summer problem.

If we do get a load, what's the safest way to remove them? I have a 2 year old and I'm 26 weeks pregnant so I'm reluctant to have any chemicals in the house. Previously when we've had ants we've only had them outside so we could pour kettles of hot water down... not really as easy inside on the carpet!

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Original poster
GeorginaA · 17/03/2004 14:47

Coz although it is only a little thread, it has six legs and runs very fast, Coddy

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marthamoo · 17/03/2004 15:21

LOL, Georgina

Just come back from school run and ds2 starts pointing at the floor in the living room and going "whassaaat Mummy? Whassaaaat?" At least six ants running around under the corner of the rug. I hate them so much! Time to start pulling off the skirting boards....

Levanna · 17/03/2004 23:43

I can definitely vouch for bleach . I enter the kitchen every morning armed with a spray bottle of it watered down! (Cackle, cackle!) Thing is, I actually quite enjoy it - I thought ants were harmless little creatures going about their business, and not bothering anyone, but now - I HATE THEM!! I've launched a vendetta, but they're smart (can't believe I'm admitting to being outwitted but the bl*y things!) as soon as I think I've ridded the house of them, I realise that I haven't at all, they've just moved on to somewhere less accesible to the bleach spray! So, I really sympathise! Good luck with yours .

Original poster
GeorginaA · 18/03/2004 10:58

WHY ARE THE BASTARDS NOT DYING?!!!! GRRRRRR.... and I want a grumpy emote.

Still finding them on day 4 of Nippon (okay, so you're supposed to use it for 7-10 days, but I'm feeling unreasonably impatient, okay?!) and now finding them in different locations of downstairs as well as the kitchen.

Totally utterly completely fed up. Wish they would just piss off TO THE OUTSIDE WHERE THEY BELONG!

scream

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StuartC · 18/03/2004 11:19

Killing the ants that you can see only prolongs the problem.
Use the gel poisons - Nippon, etc.
Refresh the traps at least once every day - it's fresh, liquidy gel that attracts them. When it's dried out, there'll be no diners.
Be patient and they'll "suddenly" stop appearing.
There may be a second or third invasion later in the spring. Treat as previously.
Don't kill the individual ants - let them find the gel and take the poison to the nest.

Original poster
GeorginaA · 18/03/2004 11:34

I'm not killing them individually, but I swear they're just getting high on the Nippon Getting a bit worried there's a separate nest or another exit that we haven't found (we've located how they're getting in the kitchen and once we've finished treatment we'll polyfiller up the hole). I'm just impatient!!

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Levanna · 18/03/2004 21:31

And nor am I - I'm managing to get about ten per shot!
I think I'll have to give the nippon a try, can you let me know a good place to get it please?

Original poster
GeorginaA · 19/03/2004 08:08

We got ours from homebase - comes with two little trap things to put the liquid in.

So how are the other mumsnet ant colonies getting on?

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StuartC · 19/03/2004 09:31

Nippon contains disodium tetraborate as the active ingredient. If you really think they're immune to this, look for another brand that has a different poison. Nippon has never failed me, it just takes time.
It is possible that there are different nests, each finding the poison at different times.
I don't use the plastic traps - I just put the gel onto thin shiney cardoard (such as a piece of a cereal packet). Because of the shiney surface, the gel doesn't absorb into the cardboard.
I'll lay about a dozen of these along the ant runs (skirting board, etc). If you've young kids or pets this may not be suitable.
The trick is to put fresh gel out frequently - I try to do this twice daily. An invasion rarely lasts more than ten days if treated correctly.
There are some really strong sprays (I think one is Ant-Stop) which will even kill cockroaches. Personally, I'd only use these outside - around doorsteps, etc. These won't kill the nest, so Nippon still has a rôle.

popsycal · 20/03/2004 13:42

argh - an ant just ran across my hand"
we bought a lamp a week ago and afew ants ran out. we had afew for a couple of day then non - then afew yesterday. that was downstairs......i am upsatirs now

are their any toddler friendly remedies!!!!
please? will have to do something more now!

Original poster
GeorginaA · 20/03/2004 13:45

This Nippon trap thing seems to work quite well with toddlers in that it's a sealed unit. We've also taken the precaution of siting it somewhere where ds can't reach (by the side of the fridge at the back, and underneath the edge of the sofa) but ds is singularly uninterested in them.

Only seen two ants today but at the "alternative" location. So I assume we have more than one nest.

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popsycal · 20/03/2004 13:49

i dont thikn we have a nest......just the stupid ones from b and q
i hope.....

popsycal · 20/03/2004 13:49

will go to b and q and get some nippon today then

Original poster
GeorginaA · 20/03/2004 13:51

If it's not a nest just squish them on sight - surely you'll come to the end of them eventually - they're probably all just worker ants...?

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bobsmum · 20/03/2004 13:51

Our ants arrived on Wednesday. We're using Nippon - within 5 mins of putting it down, there were flocks/hordes/swarms of the beasties. (what is the collective term for ants btw?)

For a trap, we're using an credit card that we were going to cancel, but it's so much more satisfying to see the little cretins meeting their maker on it instead DIE DIE DIE!!

Original poster
GeorginaA · 20/03/2004 13:53

ARGH ... Fab Lab on Cbeebies topic of the day is Ants. Talk about adding insult to injury... now ds thinks they're "cute"...

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popsycal · 20/03/2004 13:54

georgina - that is what we have been doing....yes i thikn they are worker ants but i am not a big expert on these things........
i am squashing and dyson-ing atm but may pop out to get stuff later....
dh is going to ring b and q - again - we are still waiting for them to 'get back to us'

popsycal · 20/03/2004 23:42

well just discovered half a dozen ants running over kitchen bench - yuk
off to get poison tomorrow!!

Levanna · 21/03/2004 00:01

Me too! Thanks Georgina .

Original poster
GeorginaA · 21/03/2004 08:03

Okay, I'm a Nippon convert... no sign of ants this morning... this is the seventh day of use. Will move the kitchen trap into the dining area where we saw a few stray ones the other day just to be absolutely sure, but I think we've cracked it!! Well, until the next infestation anyway.

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Original poster
GeorginaA · 21/03/2004 08:15

LOL ... spoke too soon.

ds: LOOK Mummy! Ants!

Moving the trap into the dining area now. Little six-legged bastards... Have now upset ds because dh did a good hoover round there first and ds is complaining because he "likes ants and wants to watch them".

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hercules · 21/03/2004 21:46

Ants appearing in our house now. Yeauch!!!

marthamoo · 21/03/2004 21:49

I sprayed Raid behind the skirting boards and used my new Ant Pen (like a marker pen you can draw a very precise line of poison with it) over door thresholds etc. Haven't seen one since....though I know from experience there'll be more.

I thought I dreamed about the ants on FabLab (was dozing on the settee after a very early wake-up call from ds2)

popsycal · 24/03/2004 11:45

right - bought stuff to get rid of them as it is getting worse....seems to be predominantly in the kitchen now.....
how do i find out where they are coming from!?

Original poster
GeorginaA · 24/03/2004 13:00

We found out the first place they were coming from by putting the stuff down... after a little while they just made straight for the poison and you could follow the line back to work out their entry point.

Ended up screaming at dh last night - I'd gone out for the evening, came home to find he hadn't cleared up the kitchen and there were ants EVERYWHERE... all over the worktop, in the jelly bowl he'd left out... was disgusting. So there I was at midnight, clearing away, washing up and wiping down surfaces. Was so angry.

And I thought we were making progress at reducing the ants too

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