Does anybody know of a pet-friendly way to get rid of ants? They keep appearing in the kitchen even though I wipe down the counters regularly and pack away any food. I'm nervous about using ant traps and insect sprays because my pets are really nosey and I don't want them to get sick from the ant poison. Thanks!
Pet-friendly way to get rid of ants?
MollyJ77 on 07/09/2022 - 16:32
Comments
Sck 'em Rex.
https://buglord.com/diatomaceous-earth-for-ants-complete-diy…
What sets Diatomaceous Earth apart from other pesticides is the fact that it works mechanically, not chemically. It’s a natural mineral that contains no harmful chemicals and is certified organic by OMRI, the Organic Materials Review Institute (with some exceptions for artificially treated variations).
DE isn’t toxic to humans or animals, and only kills insects because of their small size and vulnerable exoskeletons. In fact, most DE you can buy is classified as “food-grade,” which means that, yes, you can eat the stuff.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth#Pest_contro…
In order to be effective as an insecticide, diatomaceous earth must be uncalcinated (i.e., it must not be heat-treated prior to application)[28] and have a mean particle size below about 12 μm (i.e., food grade—see below).
it worked for us
Just note that while DE is not toxic, inhaling it is very dangerous and can cause severe lung damage (silicosis etc) so handle with care.
not these days it isn't. while it's not a good idea to start snorting it, if you inhale a little bit you'll be fine, as long as you buy it from a trustworthy source / brand.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth#Safety_cons…
Inhalation of crystalline silica is harmful to the lungs, causing silicosis. Amorphous silica is considered to have low toxicity, but prolonged inhalation causes changes to the lungs
Diatomaceous earth is mostly amorphous silica but contains some crystalline silica, especially in the saltwater forms. In a 1978 study of workers, those exposed to natural diatomaceous earth for over five years had no significant lung changes while 40% of those exposed to the calcined form had developed pneumoconiosis.Today's common diatomaceous earth formulations are safer to use, as they are predominantly made up of amorphous silica and contain little or no crystalline silica.
Wiping them down in the kitchen isn't going to do much. Try to find the nest first. I'd spray with a pet friendly product carefully in certain areas and then hose down. Keep the pets indoors if the nest is outside will help too.
Depends where they are, Melbourne sits on a gigantic, 100km long ant colony so you can spray, the ants will die, the poison will fade and new ants will just move straight in.
I'm on top of a really bad part, we had the outside sprayed, the wall cavities filled up with something poisonous to them (so when they do come back, that's what they'll hit first) and hope for the best. Last did it a couple of years ago and they're just starting to come back now (one or two around the windows, nothing bad yet).
That's amazing. I'd still spray them to minimise impacts on my property though. It's better than finding ants in food and binning it.
Oh definitely, sorry to make it sound like it's a bad idea as I still do the same. It's just horrible fighting these things as even getting to the nest doesn't do much!
There's a 6000km nest under Spain and France apparently, and I remember reading that Perth had like a 30 year eradication program of spraying to try get rid of them (they gave up because the pesticides were probably worse than the ants). Best one is there's an ongoing war between two colonies in California, 30 million ants die every year on the "front". Fascinating things, Argentine ants.
I engaged in hand to hand combat with mine. See if you can figure where they are going and coming from, attack and wipe down the ant tracks. Can you train your pets to lick up ants?
That doesn't seem fair due to the discrepancy in the number of limbs
Would you rather termites? Ants help control termites.
How do they do this? I have never heard this before! I will do some research
Talon gel from woolworths. Works amazingly well. Put it where they walk, they grab it and take it back to the nest. End of the problem. We have pets, cats and dogs, and its never been an issue.
Get an echidna. They're a friendly pet. And they eat ants. No, I'm not kidd'n ya.
Ant sand
Wipe with a cloth soaked with vinegar. It seems to deter the ants. After one or two times, the ants don't seem to come back.
Covering their entry in talcum powder or similar will typically stop them from continuing to access - remove the ones one the inside of the line and the outer ones will give up - may take days for them to move on, but works.
Oh, and clean up whatever it is they're coming in for.
Figure out where they're entering from and clean it religiously with vinegar or similar. If you see even 1 ant then you clean it again. Apparently ants move by scent and will follow a delicious scent until they find the source. It'll make them lose interest. Also make sure no leaking water/drips as they like water and check if there's any cracks or shifts in the external wall, in case how they got in.
Depends on the type of ant and type of pet (different ants go for different baits). Ant Rid in little containers in the kitchen bench or window sill if ants can’t get up there should work for sugar ants temporarily. Once you use Ant Rid once in a particular areas the ants get used to in and won’t feed on it again, but if you haven’t done it recently it should be good. If your pet is a bird that flys around the house however this would be a terrible idea.
This stuff is good to use around the outside of the house where your pets can’t get to it https://www.bunnings.com.au/pestxpert-150g-nest-kill-granula… it uses a variety of baits for different ants. My dog was super interested in the smell of this but I put it where he couldn’t get to it. Basically baits work to kill the nest and if you put it where your pets can’t get it it will be fine for them.
The Talon ant gel mentioned above by ravensbane is also another good bait.
Ant rid works but I find that it is too concentrated and the ant dies on the spot. I had more success making my own by mixing equal parts borax and sugar in a few drops of water to make a syrup.
If the ant is not a sugar ant, what seemed to work for me is bacon fat soaked in borax solution.
Ant sand works though it is not meant to be used indoors. When I did, the place looked like Armageddon - ants died in their tracks.
Thanks everyone for these great suggestions! Although I'd love an echidna or an anteater, I'll probably consider some other methods first :)
Get an Anteater pet. /s
Or find where the ants come in (cracks, gaps) and seal it up if you can…