Sugar ants all over the floor — any recommendations?

[melodic_parsnip]

Recently I’ve seen a huge spike in sugar ant activity in my house. They’ve been around for a long time, as in many West Seattle single family houses, particularly old ones with all kinds of cracks where they can get in.

The spike actually happened when I tried using Terro ant bait. I had traps out for about a week, and the ants would spread out all over the floor and die. So, I had to vacuum and mop up dead poisoned ants from the entire house every single day and it was really unpleasant and time-consuming.

I tried mopping with some water and white vinegar, though I didn’t want to overdo it on the vinegar to not damage the wood floor. I’ve removed the traps since then, and they ants were actually gone during the really cold period over the last few days, since the house was also colder then, but now they’re coming back.

Has anyone had similar experiences? Any recommendations?

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[Ponderosa]

I’m having and have had the same issues. Right now, not too bad from the cold weather, so I haven’t done anything yet.

Every time I have put out cornmeal outside where I think they are entering the house, it’s generally taken care of the issue within a day or two. They will eat the cornmeal and it eventually kills them since they cannot digest it. I have never had to spray for ants, but I do use a tiny bit of vinegar with water, and some grapefruit seed oil extra to mop the wood floors as well.

Good luck!

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[birdrescuer]

Yes!!!!! They are appearing out of nowhere!!! Combat is a bit better than Terro but Home Depot is out.

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[T Rex]

The cold weather is probably upsetting the colony and they are moving underground. The scouts are the ones that you find in your house, they are looking for food and water source for the others.

I have a pest company that comes and sprays one a month. That was the ONLY thing that worked for me and I have not had ants in 2 years, knock on wood!

I use United Pest Solutions. They also helped me get rid of the gigantic wood spiders I have in my basement.

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[anonyme]

Although the notion that cornmeal kills ants has spread wildly on the internet, there is no scientific data supporting this claim. Any reduction in the ant infestation is probably either coincidental or due to temporary blockage of the established pathway. Once cleared, the ants will carry on as usual. Rodents might find it very tasty, however. The current home invasions are due to the freeze & thaw weather conditions in the past week or so, which disturbs Tapenoma nests in the ground around and under foundations. The problem should subside once the weather stabilizes, but there are some simple things you can do to prevent further problems.

For one, I always keep a tube of clear caulk around. It’s often easy to discover the entry point for ants, and exclusion is a far better option than widespread poison. In spring, diatomaceous earth around the perimeter of the house is a good deterrent. It goes without saying that food, especially sweets, should never be left out on countertops. Also, bait traps work best when colonies are actively feeding, especially spring. When placing these inside your house, try to get them as close to the entry point as possible. If placed inside a carton or on a paper towel, some of the distasteful cleanup of corpses can be avoided. I’m always a little cautious of placing bait inside, as this practice can also draw ants in – thereby establishing a feeding route.
T Rex, I suspect the “wood spiders” you speak of are Eratigena atrica, formerly Tegenaria gigantea, the giant European house spider. Scary, but harmless, and essential to the ecosystem.

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[JoB]

i keep combat in my pantry for infestations. if i get it out at the first sign of ants they are generally soon gone

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[Ms. Sparkles]

I’ve found that cinnamon is a good deterrent as well

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[linasenzerrose]

We used to have HUGE issues with these tiny pests. About 6 years ago we started having our house treated by Yohan from Progressive Pest Solutions. We now do a touch up once or twice a year (spring and/or fall) touch up and have not had issues for a few years now. In fact, it is unusual for me to even see an ant in the house anymore. I really recommend, he was affordable, knowledgable. We had been loosing our minds over the ants and it really helped!

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[birdrescuer]

I second Yohan Not only does he do great work, he is a very nice man.
206 444 6250.

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[Awesomepest]

Yeah ants are very annoying i suggests you should pest control your house at least once in a month and make your house free from ants.

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[birdrescuer]

A BIG SHOUT OUT FOR YOHAN AT PROGRESSIVE PEST SOLUTIONS.

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[mark47n]

Fire. Fire works very well.

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