Ant Invasion

[qwunk89]

hey all,

recently, i have a had an invasion of ants. is there a more natural way to keep them out other than buying some "ant killer" spray at tesco? don't want to be breathing that stuff in for the next few weeks. thanks.

chris

[philliphn]

Stomp them with your shoes.

[kennkate]

My wife uses Talcum Powder. Safe for the dogs and cats

[BigSnake]

Ant Chalk(cypermethrin) for about 5 baht, you can buy it at most markets(open air) that sell bug spray and othe chemical.

[sorensen]

Use Boric Acid, see below:

Insecticidal

Boric acid was first registered in the US as an insecticide in 1948 for control of cockroaches, termites, fire ants, fleas, silverfish, and many other insects.^[7] It acts as a stomach poison affecting the insects' metabolism, and the dry powder is abrasive to the insects' exoskeleton.

Boric acid is generally considered to be safe to use in household kitchens to control cockroaches and ants. Homemade ant bait can be made by dissolving 1 teaspoon (5 mL) powdered boric acid and 10 teaspoons (50 mL) sugar into 2 cups (500 mL) of water; this mixture can then be absorbed into cotton balls which are left near ant trails. This reportedly will be carried back into the ants' nest, killing any ants that eat it, potentially destroying the entire colony.

Boric acid is also made into a paste or gel form. The paste or gel has attractants in it to attract insects; mostly cockroaches. It is convenient to use because you can simply put a small dab under sinks, counters, refrigerators, and stoves. The boric acid dehydrates the insects. It does it slowly and they don't realize they are in danger. One of the real benefits of using boric acid is that immunity can't be built up; since it works through dehydration. The insects take the bait back to the nest and one application can eliminate them for an entire year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boric_acid

[ignis]

Stomp them with your shoes.

Easier to spray them with hair spray, as they set sweep them up..

[ignis]

hey all,

recently, i have a had an invasion of ants. is there a more natural way to keep them out other than buying some "ant killer" spray at tesco? don't want to be breathing that stuff in for the next few weeks. thanks.

chris

myself find the Gecko's eat them here, in UK I would find where they come in and put a line of lime/lemon juice they will not cross.

Not sure if Gecko's will live if you use air con, I hate air con and have loads of Gecko's in the kitchen, dinning room and lounge

[phaethon]

myself find the Gecko's eat them here...

Yes, my ant problem (3rd floor apartment) disappeared when my new best friend 'JJ' moved onto my balcony:

He doesn't actually have to live indoors as he intercepts the ants on their way in. Of course I have to deal with his occasional 'leavings' on the balcony sill, but it's a small price to pay for 'services rendered'.

Edited May 22, 2009 by phaethon

[Steve2UK]

Use Boric Acid, see below:

Insecticidal

Boric acid was first registered in the US as an insecticide in 1948 for control of cockroaches, termites, fire ants, fleas, silverfish, and many other insects.^[7] It acts as a stomach poison affecting the insects' metabolism, and the dry powder is abrasive to the insects' exoskeleton.

Boric acid is generally considered to be safe to use in household kitchens to control cockroaches and ants. Homemade ant bait can be made by dissolving 1 teaspoon (5 mL) powdered boric acid and 10 teaspoons (50 mL) sugar into 2 cups (500 mL) of water; this mixture can then be absorbed into cotton balls which are left near ant trails. This reportedly will be carried back into the ants' nest, killing any ants that eat it, potentially destroying the entire colony.

Boric acid is also made into a paste or gel form. The paste or gel has attractants in it to attract insects; mostly cockroaches. It is convenient to use because you can simply put a small dab under sinks, counters, refrigerators, and stoves. The boric acid dehydrates the insects. It does it slowly and they don't realize they are in danger. One of the real benefits of using boric acid is that immunity can't be built up; since it works through dehydration. The insects take the bait back to the nest and one application can eliminate them for an entire year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boric_acid

Another vote for the above. I have used a proprietary powder (about 25 baht for a pack containing 2 sachets of powder - which I think must be boric acid) obtainable from most mom & pop shops and probably Tesco Lotus/Carrefour etc. Seems to work better if you mix in some fine sugar before placing it on the ants' trails. Usual rules apply - keep away from pets, kids etc. With that in mind - and because the smaller black ants often make trails across walls - try taping a small folded piece of card to the wall to make a kind of miniature "shelf" on which to pour the powder mixture (I guess the same could be done with the soaked cotton ball approach).

One other thought: you can usually track the ants back to an outside nest. After you have used the above approach, use one of the sprays for crawling insects that has a plastic/metal tube to direct the spray directly into the nest (usually a crack). You won't be breathing that.

Also agree with ignis about the geckos (jinjoks) - very welcome in my place and excellent at dealing with just about anything small that moves. Having to do the occasional sweep up of their droppings is a small price to pay for their good work.

[phaethon]

I spotted a jingjok attached to a glass door in the middle of the Singapore Asian Culture Museum. I asked the nearby security guard if it had a ticket. The guard said he didn't know...

No ants in the displays though

Edited May 22, 2009 by phaethon

[senign]

Now if some kind soul could translate boric acid or something that describes it into Thai script I would be very grateful.

Imagining myself trying to explain this to a mom and pop store with my limited Thai is giving me nightmares while being fully awake.

[sorensen]

Now if some kind soul could translate boric acid or something that describes it into Thai script I would be very grateful.

Imagining myself trying to explain this to a mom and pop store with my limited Thai is giving me nightmares while being fully awake.

A quick search on Google showed a few names for Boric acid (H₃BO₃):

BORIC AER-SID บอริคแอซิด which seems to be a direct transcription of the English word 'boric acid'.

BORIC GROT โบริกกรด (GROT is the Thai word for 'acid').

Also saw a few entries for it spelt as GROT BORIC กรดบอรริค, กรดบอริก etc

[cmjantje]

If you know where they enter, place some copper coins there. It works like my grandmother told me.

[sassienie]

This morning I went into the local village shop and asked for, (H3BO3).

The old lady looked confused, so I shouted it out again DO YOU HAVE ANY (H3BO3).

She replied, what`s it for? I said for killing ants dumbo.

Do you mean Boric Acid? Yes I said. Why didn`t you say so in the first place, she shouted.

Brought the stuff home, it poisoned my 2 dogs and the wife, but the ants are thriving.

Seems stupid, doesn`t it, but who in Thailand is going to understand what (H3BO3) and boric acid means?

Same thing happened when I tried to buy acid testers and ultra violet filters for a fish pond. No one had a clue, in the end I gave up.

Edited May 22, 2009 by sassienie

[IanForbes]

myself find the Gecko's eat them here...

Yes, my ant problem (3rd floor apartment) disappeared when my new best friend 'JJ' moved onto my balcony:

He doesn't actually have to live indoors as he intercepts the ants on their way in. Of course I have to deal with his occasional 'leavings' on the balcony sill, but it's a small price to pay for 'services rendered'.

No ants on my head either. Although there HAS been some discussion whether this is true or not...

Every November and December in my room at the Niranda apartments I have an invasion of the tiny ants that search out certain sweets that they like. I had a partially opened roll of those mint candies and they ate the coating off every one. I just wiped the ants up with a damp rag and mostly ignored them. Then, by March they were all gone. I don't have any understanding why they prefer some months to others.

[IanForbes]

Brought the stuff home, it poisoned my 2 dogs and the wife, but the ants are thriving.

Well, at least you had SOME success. Now all yah gotta do is get rid of the ants.

[Steve2UK]

Now if some kind soul could translate boric acid or something that describes it into Thai script I would be very grateful.

Imagining myself trying to explain this to a mom and pop store with my limited Thai is giving me nightmares while being fully awake.

No offence meant to them, but I doubt the average mom or pop will even know what boric acid is - however perfectly you pronounce it. Thai for ant is "mott" - the black ones being "mott dam" and the red ones (the biters) being "mott daeng". If you say "mott" and mime whatever version of killing takes your fancy , I think they'll get the point. The version I mentioned before is 2 sachets mounted on a card about the size of a small postcard. "ARS" make a version which includes a small green clear plastic trap to hold the powder - also mounted on a card.

BTW - I love the illustrations on the card....... the bottom one almost looks like the ants are rolling about laughing. The joke's on them - not very buddhist of me, I know but.........

Oh - and I think this only works with Chiang Mai ants. I have no idea what to use elsewhere in Thailand........

Edited May 22, 2009 by Steve2UK

[sassienie]

Now if some kind soul could translate boric acid or something that describes it into Thai script I would be very grateful.

Imagining myself trying to explain this to a mom and pop store with my limited Thai is giving me nightmares while being fully awake.

No offence meant to them, but I doubt the average mom or pop will even know what boric acid is - however perfectly you pronounce it. Thai for ant is "mott" - the black ones being "mott dam" and the red ones (the biters) being "mott daeng". If you say "mott" and mime whatever version of killing takes your fancy , I think they'll get the point. The version I mentioned before is 2 sachets mounted on a card about the size of a small postcard. "ARS" make a version which includes a small green clear plastic trap to hold the powder - also mounted on a card.

BTW - I love the illustrations on the card....... the bottom one almost looks like the ants are rolling about laughing. The joke's on them - not very buddhist of me, I know but.........

Oh - and I think this only works with Chiang Mai ants. I have no idea what to use elsewhere in Thailand........

I tried this product, it had hardly any effect.

It’s expensive, at Tescos about 54 baht.

In my case there was just too many ants around my property and these seem to be immune to this stuff, plus after a few days out in the sun and heat, it dries out and becomes useless.

In the end all that was left to do is keep on applying the chalk and spraying directly onto the ants as they appeared in the home.

[Steve2UK]

Now if some kind soul could translate boric acid or something that describes it into Thai script I would be very grateful.

Imagining myself trying to explain this to a mom and pop store with my limited Thai is giving me nightmares while being fully awake.

No offence meant to them, but I doubt the average mom or pop will even know what boric acid is - however perfectly you pronounce it. Thai for ant is "mott" - the black ones being "mott dam" and the red ones (the biters) being "mott daeng". If you say "mott" and mime whatever version of killing takes your fancy , I think they'll get the point. The version I mentioned before is 2 sachets mounted on a card about the size of a small postcard. "ARS" make a version which includes a small green clear plastic trap to hold the powder - also mounted on a card.

BTW - I love the illustrations on the card....... the bottom one almost looks like the ants are rolling about laughing. The joke's on them - not very buddhist of me, I know but.........

Oh - and I think this only works with Chiang Mai ants. I have no idea what to use elsewhere in Thailand........

I tried this product, it had hardly any effect.

It's expensive, at Tescos about 54 baht.

In my case there was just too many ants around my property and these seem to be immune to this stuff, plus after a few days out in the sun and heat, it dries out and becomes useless.

In the end all that was left to do is keep on applying the chalk and spraying directly onto the ants as they appeared in the home.

Sorry it didn't do the business for you. I showed the pic so as to help out senign with the Thai script. I haven't tried this one yet - the other product I mentioned before works so well (for me) that I didn't need to, so this pack was still in the cupboard. And - the other product is half the price. I repeat the suggestion that you also track the ants back to their nest(s) and use a tube aerosol (ARS, Chaindrite or similar) to spray directly into the nest. Where applicable, boiling water will also destroy the nest.

[cmjantje]

Now if some kind soul could translate boric acid or something that describes it into Thai script I would be very grateful.

Imagining myself trying to explain this to a mom and pop store with my limited Thai is giving me nightmares while being fully awake.

No offence meant to them, but I doubt the average mom or pop will even know what boric acid is - however perfectly you pronounce it. Thai for ant is "mott" - the black ones being "mott dam" and the red ones (the biters) being "mott daeng". If you say "mott" and mime whatever version of killing takes your fancy , I think they'll get the point. The version I mentioned before is 2 sachets mounted on a card about the size of a small postcard. "ARS" make a version which includes a small green clear plastic trap to hold the powder - also mounted on a card.

BTW - I love the illustrations on the card....... the bottom one almost looks like the ants are rolling about laughing. The joke's on them - not very buddhist of me, I know but.........

Oh - and I think this only works with Chiang Mai ants. I have no idea what to use elsewhere in Thailand........

I tried this product, it had hardly any effect.

It's expensive, at Tescos about 54 baht.

In my case there was just too many ants around my property and these seem to be immune to this stuff, plus after a few days out in the sun and heat, it dries out and becomes useless.

In the end all that was left to do is keep on applying the chalk and spraying directly onto the ants as they appeared in the home.

Sorry it didn't do the business for you. I showed the pic so as to help out senign with the Thai script. I haven't tried this one yet - the other product I mentioned before works so well (for me) that I didn't need to, so this pack was still in the cupboard. And - the other product is half the price. I repeat the suggestion that you also track the ants back to their nest(s) and use a tube aerosol (ARS, Chaindrite or similar) to spray directly into the nest. Where applicable, boiling water will also destroy the nest.

The stuff on the picture works like a dream for me! The only problem which I cannot solve is the very small ants inside my kitchen

[jackr]

The best stuff I've used is the chaindrite liquid (below) that you mix with water 40/1 and spray it. Pretty potent stuff though even at that ratio. Had an ant problem in the kitchen, sprayed it on a few of them at night, next morning there were hundreds of the blighters dead on the deck and have had no more of that type in since... a year ago. Any home store will have it and a small one will do, about 160 baht.

[mcgriffith]

Probably contains plutonium, jackr.

An alternative to this dilemma is to live on the 11th floor of an apt bldg.

Almost never see a cockroach, mosquito, or other vermin. Maybe a dead rat down at ground level, once in a while.

I have tiny little red ants outside in the planter box, and get the flying termites, bees, and every other flying critter like everyone else.

But those can be a tasty treat, when prepared properly.