I Am Scared Of Ants

[brit1984]

I am not a big fan of creepy crawlies but have recently moved to Thailand. We have just started renting a house and I am worried that small animals / bugs will get in to my house (partly due to my phobia and partly fears for the safety of my daughter). I have seen lots of wildlife in the garden - squirrels, lizards (big and small), frogs, birds, snails, spiders, ants and a huge red millipede. Luckily I haven't seen any of these in the house so for (except a tiny spider) and I am keen to make sure they stay in the garden. Any suggestions how to make this happen?

[IanForbes]

I know it's not sensible to just tell someone with a phobia to not be scared. That just isn't reasonable. But, one thing that I've shown others that helps is to actually embrace the creatures and take time to study them up close and personal in their own environment. Get a magnifying glass and study them and their living habits. Ants are one of the most amazing creatures on earth. There is almost an infinite variety of species, and each have separate habits. Read up on them and try to recognize as many species as you can. Even the poisonous creatures like scorpions and centipedes are fascinating, and venom carrying creatures like certain snakes can be studied af tairly close range if you don't frighten them. Just don't try to pick them up.

These ants were tiny and only about 2 mm long. I had to put my camera within 4cm just to get this picture.

My ex was terrified of spiders because she was from Australia that has a few very nasty ones like the funnel web, but I showed her how fascinating they were to a point where we had a few pet spiders in our home. We had a whole family of Black widow spiders living in the crawl space under our home.

The same with a pet tarantula

The huge Golden Orb is a beautiful spider and mostly harmless if left alone.

In Thailand it's only the centipede that I wouldn't want around if I had children. Their body is really toxic and their bite is really nasty. Don't pick up a dead one with your bare hands. Don't touch any part of their body with your bare skin.

[theblether]

Your a cruel man Ian

Poor brit1984 will need counselling after seeing all those photos

Edited March 30, 2012 by astral
No need to quote the entire post

[David48]

Your a cruel man Ian

Poor brit1984 will need counselling after seeing all those photos

Have to agree with theblether ... therapy maybe required!

Being an Aussie, we have to deal with these on a regular basis.

Firstly, what we call the gecko is your friend ... they love to chase down some of the nasties that are troublesome for you. Plus the Gecko will run away from a human, no worries about an inquisitive child.

the smaller geckos I'm referring to.

But, first up, about the Ants ... they are simply searching for food, so it's a case of leaving nothing that they would be interested in available. Plus they leave a scented trail (hence they all walk the same path) and you can disrupt that trail.

The very small Thai Ant can be a real nuisance and darn near impossible to 'ant proof' against.

For some reason they loved the towels in my bathroom!

For the larger creatures, insect screens, doors with a bottom seal helps plug the gap at the bottom.

But Thailand being a tropical country with open doors, open windows and visiting relatives/neighbours/friends not used to closing doors extra might be a difficult ask.

Plus, since you are renting, your choices to modify your home are limited.

If you do decide to go the way of poisons or insecticides (surface sprays/ant sand etc) just be careful that your little one can't ingest the poison.

[theblether]

Your a cruel man Ian

Poor brit1984 will need counselling after seeing all those photos

Have to agree with theblether ... therapy maybe required!

Being an Aussie, we have to deal with these on a regular basis.

Firstly, what we call the gecko is your friend ... they love to chase down some of the nasties that are troublesome for you. Plus the Gecko will run away from a human, no worries about an inquisitive child.

the smaller geckos I'm referring to.

But, first up, about the Ants ... they are simply searching for food, so it's a case of leaving nothing that they would be interested in available. Plus they leave a scented trail (hence they all walk the same path) and you can disrupt that trail.

The very small Thai Ant can be a real nuisance and darn near impossible to 'ant proof' against.

For some reason they loved the towels in my bathroom!

For the larger creatures, insect screens, doors with a bottom seal helps plug the gap at the bottom.

But Thailand being a tropical country with open doors, open windows and visiting relatives/neighbours/friends not used to closing doors extra might be a difficult ask.

Plus, since you are renting, your choices to modify your home are limited.

If you do decide to go the way of poisons or insecticides (surface sprays/ant sand etc) just be careful that your little one can't ingest the poison.

When I was growing up I had an Ant Jean........she had a moustache and I was terrified of her

[pauljones]

Chickens will take care of those bugs, no?

[theblether]

Chickens will take care of those bugs, no?

Very good idea...........

Advice on how to raise Chickens is available here

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/542987-how-to-grow-a-chicken/

[pauljones]

A cat, a dog too.

I also have heard that Peacocks go after snakes.

As far as ants go, I found some bait sold at The Villa. A little green plastic box with a yellow bait.

They carry it back to the nest and kill the colony. A real bunker buster.

[Beetlejuice]

If the OP has phobias of these creatures, than he has chosen the wrong part of the world to reside in.

There is no way possible to stop insects and some other video nasties from entering the home. You should have seen the size of the spider that visited my bedroom last night. Big brown hairy thing it was, fangs like needles and fierce red eyes, 14 of them in fact, just staring at me and I recognised him from a couple of weeks ago, real mean critter with a scar above it`s left cheek. Nasty. Enough even to give Freddy krueger nightmares.

I’m sure he’s the spider that killed my rottweiler last month, so it`s personal now.

I would take our Ian’s good advice and start embracing them, because there are no other options.

Sorry to sound so harsh, but those are the facts.

Edited March 26, 2012 by Beetlejuice

[nocturn]

every body who lives in thailand should fear and respect the centipede.

but to say that hey are toxic under any circumstances beyond one sinking its jaws in to you is utter <deleted>.

[Naam]

A cat, a dog too.

I also have heard that Peacocks go after snakes.

As far as ants go, I found some bait sold at The Villa. A little green plastic box with a yellow bait.

They carry it back to the nest and kill the colony. A real bunker buster.

the best against creepy crawlies is to keep a pink elefant in the front garden. having another one in the back garden is not exactly mandatory but an optimal solution. it is a well known fact that nobody who uses that method has ever had an insect, lizard, bats or the likes in his/her home.

[Ijustwannateach]

Great photos and great attitude, Ian!

OP: Ants *will* get in your house. There's no way to stop 'em. But rest assured, you should be so lucky as to be clean as ants are- they are some of the most compulsively finicky, neat, self-cleaning animals on Earth. If you see a trail in a particularly bothersome place, as other posters have said, disrupt the train- even talcum powder discourages them- but they are persistent and will usually 'detour' somewhere else (but hopefully less inconvenient).

[h90]

Chickens will take care of those bugs, no?

Chicken, Geckos and Tockay will take care of most, but usually in the forest there are all of these and still there are insects. So it won't work.

Filling the house with chlorine gas should take care of the insects.

Only you need to wear these clothes inside

[patroller]

Geckos are your friend.

[geriatrickid]

I am opposed to keeping chickens in a domestic environment. There is a real threat of avian borne illness. Rely on natural predators. Spiders will eat other insects and other spiders. Frogs and toads will eat insects. And as pointed out, the gecko and other related species will devour insects especially troublesome cockroaches. Local birds are good at keeping reptile populations in check. There is no better bug controller than nature itself. Have faith, work with nature.

And curse you mr. Forbes. I got my own phobias......

[David48]

... but all of this will be of little help to you if you are near Asoke?

Edited March 26, 2012 by David48

[chris1970]

you can use talc powder on the floors etc we use it outside too.

it depends where you live and the design of your house as to how well you can keep things out.

if you have ants coming insdie the house for food then that stuff in the clear green plastic box works well i think it's called ars.

[David48]

you can use talc powder on the floors etc we use it outside too.

it depends where you live and the design of your house as to how well you can keep things out.

if you have ants coming insdie the house for food then that stuff in the clear green plastic box works well i think it's called ars.

Careful of what the kids will eat / put in their tiny mouths

[IanForbes]

every body who lives in thailand should fear and respect the centipede.

but to say that hey are toxic under any circumstances beyond one sinking its jaws in to you is utter <deleted>.

Try explaining that to three of my farang friends who got a nasty rash from handling dead ones after they beat the creature to death with a shoe.

[chris1970]

you can use talc powder on the floors etc we use it outside too.

it depends where you live and the design of your house as to how well you can keep things out.

if you have ants coming insdie the house for food then that stuff in the clear green plastic box works well i think it's called ars.

Careful of what the kids will eat / put in their tiny mouths

if you use ars then put it down at night - it takes a few hours for the ants to take it all away,

talc is fine and it helps our ant problem.

things will get better the longer you live here you'll see where things hang out.

it's the small red ants and mosquitos that you want to keep away.

[h90]

every body who lives in thailand should fear and respect the centipede.

but to say that hey are toxic under any circumstances beyond one sinking its jaws in to you is utter <deleted>.

Try explaining that to three of my farang friends who got a nasty rash from handling dead ones after they beat the creature to death with a shoe.

They deserve it....I always keep them alive....open the door and scare them out....

[brit1984]

A cat, a dog too.

I also have heard that Peacocks go after snakes.

We plan to use our house as a business too so dogs and cats are probably not a good idea (or chickens) as customers might be put off

Peacocks are a good idea as they look nice - would they help? Are there many peacock breeders in Thailand?

Are there any other aesthetically pleasing animals that we could use for pest control?

We already have some gheckos (larger blue variety) living by the front wall - how can we ensure they prosper (and maybe multiply)?

[brit1984]

In Thailand it's only the centipede that I wouldn't want around if I had children.

There was one of these on the patio the other night. I coerced it onto a paper plate then carried it (on the paper plate) out onto the pavement (apologies to anyone who may have been have been confronted by him on their walk home from the pub). I had a feeling I needed to keep it away from the house - scary little thing!

[Crossy]

Are there any other aesthetically pleasing animals that we could use for pest control?

Guinea Fowl (Gai Tok) are quite nice to look at and eat mainly bugs, wifey wants them as apparently they don't scratch up the ground as much as chickens do. http://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/guinea-fowl-info.htm

[nattydread]

Chaindrite 'em

[brit1984]

I have just seen another fearsome centipede prowling around the patio trying to find a way into my house to eat me and my family. That is 2 this week, unless the same one I dumped in the street the other day found his way back to my house and jumped the 10-foot wall (or crawled under the gate). There must be millions (or afew) in my garden. What can I do about these centipedes? (other than respecting and fearing them as already suggested)

[StreetCowboy]

You should see the creatures I've got living in my place. One of the buggers had the cheek to scoop me onto a paper plate and throw me out in the street. From my own home! The effrontery of it!

SC

[Shot]

We already have some gheckos (larger blue variety) living by the front wall - how can we ensure they prosper (and maybe multiply)?

How about some nice music, a bottle of good red wine and some ice cubes in the right place.

[theblether]

You should see the creatures I've got living in my place. One of the buggers had the cheek to scoop me onto a paper plate and throw me out in the street. From my own home! The effrontery of it!

SC

To be fair though, you did refuse to pick up your own socks. I would have thrown you out as well.

[chris1970]

I have just seen another fearsome centipede prowling around the patio trying to find a way into my house to eat me and my family. That is 2 this week, unless the same one I dumped in the street the other day found his way back to my house and jumped the 10-foot wall (or crawled under the gate). There must be millions (or afew) in my garden. What can I do about these centipedes? (other than respecting and fearing them as already suggested)

get a knife and kill them.

the bite is quite bad so better to kill as many as possible around your child.

i was staying away from home and got bitten in the night, i was given some granules to mix in water and put on the bite so maybe you could try and get some incase you get bitten.

i was already i'll with a temp. so i think that's why i got bitten,

a friend of mine had one walk over his foot and he didn't get bitten so they aren't that bad.

get some powder or that cranadite poison powder and if you see one on the patio make a circle of powder and see if the centipede is affected by it.

if you get ants nests in your house or roof you'll have to use ars.