When I was growing up during the warm summer months my grandma's kitchen would be filled with ants. Each morning we would wake up to ants around the sink, on the counters, and crawling up the cupboards.
One day she hired a person to come to the house to spray for the ants. Afterwards, we couldn't use the kitchen for several hours and had to disinfect the countertops and sink area. After the spraying my grandmother took sick. The smell of the spray was toxic to her and put her in the hospital for a few days.
During this time I needed to clean the kitchen and try to air out the home so she could return. I decided to clean the windows in the kitchen. I noticed that we had ants again. The spay they used didn't stop the ants in the kitchen or garden.
When I was cleaning the windows I decided to spray the ants with Windex. I saw the ants dying off quickly. For the next week we didn't have a single ant in our kitchen. When the ants returned a few weeks later I sprayed them again with Windex. This seemed to be the perfect solution to control the ants in the kitchen.
Windex was't harmful to my grandmother and the ammonia in the Windex was perfect for cleaning the kitchen. We used Windex on the stove and refrigerator to clean the stovetop and outside of the refrigerator. Now we used Windex on the counter, around the baseboards, and sink area. We no longer had ants in our home.
Years ago we didn't have Internet, home remedies, or other solutions to control ants. When we had an ant problem we just took out the bottle of Windex and sprayed the kitchen.
Today I still use Windex or another brand of window cleaner to control ants in my home. I guess some old tricks stick with us through the years.
Check out these tips.
Follow the ants' trail and try to find where they are entering from. Spray the area with lemon scented furniture polish and they will stop entering the house, kitchen, or wherever you see them.
If you see ants in your kitchen, it's really pointless to kill them. If you kill 10, they wont be missed by the nest which may contain thousands. You can use these 10+ ants to your advantage.
I learned today that the cheap nonstick cooking oil spray kills black kitchen ants on contact, even if it lacks the ability to keep them from coming back.
I put a little hot sauce bottle, that was empty, with a small amount of water in the bottom, by the kitchen sink. When I see ants, I shake it on the area and wipe up with paper towel.
To deter ants from invading your house, find out where they are getting in and lay bay leaves along their track - they will go away fast!
It was always one of those dreaded calling cards of Spring; the annual invasion of the Micro Ants, with lines snaking from my window or under sink to the nearest cabinet with anything sweet inside!
I use a peeled strip from a cucumber, the green skin. Lay it down where they are. It works even when dried up. Does not harm pets or children.
No games by scaring these little pests. Just use "Eggo" syrup or other pancake or waffle syrup , and some powdered 20 Mule Team Borax. Mix 60% syrup to 40% Borax very well. Place mixture on a plate or something NON-porous, like shiny flat cardboard flat.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
We have got ants everywhere in the kitchen. How can I get rid of them?
By Alec
There is a product called Terro. It's basically a syrup that has chemicals that kill the whole colony. You put a quarter sized drop on the little cardboard pieces they give you and stick them between the fridge and stove, stove and counters, under the sink, etc. It's ok if pets or kids get into it, but it's better if it's where the ants are and not seen by curious critters. The inert ingredient is basically a sweet syrup like pancake syrup.
If you can see the circle an hour or so later, you will see the entomological equivalent of a solar eclipse. They will be around the outside like a bunch of animals in a drinking hole. Then, they will take it all back and kill the rest.
The other solution is to also find out where they are coming from. You didn't mention if you lived where your home connects to others? It might be they are coming from them. If so, you landlord needs to be contacted and they will pay for and exterminator for all the units effected, and charge the person causing it.
Most of the time, it's simply poor housekeeping so that is an issue they can address at the same time. If you need more info, go to www.terro.com and they have everything you need to know. A small bottle costs about 4.00 and goes a long way.
I hope that helps.
How does one get rid of the small tiny ants that keep coming back almost every summer in the kitchen?
By John Bliss
As soon as you see the first ant, put out a mixure of borax and sugar with enough water to make it liquid. I use an old can lid and put it down where I have seen the first ant. They will flock to the sugar, borax, water mix.
I have these little brown ants crawling all over my kitchen counters, my sink, etc. and want to get rid of them. I have tried all kinds of things, but nothing works. I would like to know if anyone has a natural home remedy for getting rid of these pesky ants? It is kind of unappetizing to have these things crawling over the dishes and silverware and everywhere else!
By Linda Delcamp from Brighton, MI
My husband and I live in an apartment complex and we had the same problem. There were ants crawling around our kitchen and bathroom floors. I called the management office and one of the maintenance men gave me a box of Raid Double Control Ant Baits.
You must be careful where you place these. This is toxic to children and pets. This does not work instantly. The ants will take this back to the nest. Eventually all the ants will die. I have found boric acid in dollar discount stores. As it is with any powder chemical, be careful when adding the boric acid that you do not inhale it. As a precaution, I always place these in areas of our home in the spring whether I see ants or not.
ANT KILL
3 cup warm water
4 tsp. boric acid
2 cup sugar
Mix in large bowl until dissolved. Add some cotton balls to three jelly jars or something similar. Pour some of the mixture onto cotton balls in each jar. Do not fill completely. Leave small amount of mixture on the sides outside of the jars to lure the ants. Tightly place lids with small ant holes on jars. Put in areas where you see the ants but out of reach of children and pets.
Does anyone have a suggestions on how to get rid of ants? They are on my kitchen counter and believe it or not in my bathroom! Please help.
By Kathy F.
Well, the ants come from outside and they may have built a nest in your wall cavities so you could hire a exterminator to spray the foundation on the outside. They use a product that the ants carry back to the nest to feed on and die. In my state we have only two types of ants. The small red ants and the black carpenter ants. I hire an exterminator every three years or so to rid the ants. They disappear in about 2 days.
