Toni, you cannot water the soil with rubbing alcohol and vinegar. That would be very very very bad for the plants.

Terro, the maker of the indoor ant bait that I've used with great success, also makes a product for outdoor use. It's called Terro Outdoor Liquid Ant Bait. It's made with boric acid (the ingredient used in homemade baits) mixed in a sugary brew.

If you decide to try this product or any other, be SURE to read and follow all directions.

Toni, I tried watering with vinegar once (by accident, when my husband used one of my containers.) It killed the plant.

I get ants in my outside plants every year. They seem to choose only one or two pots. Those get totally over-run. I find out when I water and hundreds of ants start pouring out the top of the soil. My only solution so far is to shake all the soil off of the roots, spray them with water and repot in a fresh pot.
Plus my husband sprays around the edge of the greenhouse with a product by Bayer and I put an ant bait on top of the soil of the affected plants. The ants only go in plants in the greenhouse, so for me the baits can sit on top of the soil as they are plastic.

Hope that helps.
Elsie

Rhizo, thanks..I can't put baits in the back yard because of the dogs..Don't know if this stuff will hurt them, but don't want to take a chance..
However, as soon as the rain ends, I'm going to spray outside, around the house. And place baits on the sides and front.

Oh, thanks for the warning about watering w/vinegar and rubbing alcohol. Thankfully, I didn't get to that point, yet!

I got Terro..is the liquid in plastic cases? They work great.
About Boric Acid..I bought a big box, added powder in egg cartons, then set them near pots, in every room.

I bought different types of baits for in and outdoor use, placed them next to plant pots..The population decreased, on some..my Clivias were loaded.

Elsie..thanks..I'm doing the same..Clivia soil had a zillion ants. I brought each outside, tossed old soil, hosed, brought back in, rehosed in the sink, and potted in fresh soil.

My plants are usually summered outdoors, but if ants are going to find their way in the soil again, what's the sense? I might skip a year.

Ants eat roots. A couple of my Clivia roots were gone.
Else, it's bad enough finding ants in a gh, but in our homes! Yuck. Thank God I don't fear ants like spiders. lol

Thanks for your help, Rhizo and Elsie.

I take the pot outside, and shake wash out all of a soil, I remove the pot and aslo wash it out with soap and water, Find why that ants are in their the first place, get rid of the queen, you may use Saffers's soap, tht will not hurt anything. I have used alcohol, then washed it awaw after five minutes, Start fresh. I have used flour on my outdoor benches and the ants never came back, Tjhey just might, so far so good. What I'm trying to say is get rid of the source. You must remove the queen, do you have mealies, where they brought in when you purchased the plant,. Are their ants in other pots. Be a dective.
Ants farm mealies, Norma

Hi everyone! I hope you are all ok!

I was wondering. Does Diatomaceous earth help sprinkled on top and around the pot since it is safe for use from what I hear?

Here is a link that suggests it works for ants.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4477225_insecticide-also-works-fleas-insects.html

Thanks everyone!

Norma...I've been doing just that..taking plants outside, tossing old soil, and starting fresh..it IS a lot of work though. lol

Last spring/summer I had the same problem. I finally bought ant baits, eventually they died. But I'd bet they were living in the soil or had babies in the soil.

How many queens/scouts are there? lol..My plants are in different rooms..so are the ants.. And now, so are traps..The ant population decreased, but I'm sure they're hiding in the soil. Every so often I'll see another ant. Most are dead.

Another problem is I can only place baits in certain areas,..2 dogs and 4 birds..the little guy/dog, gets around. He's a real go-getter, lol. Sam, the larger dog, doesn't bother..Every so often, my birds take off flying when startled, and can land anywhere..it doesn't happen a lot, but I dont want to take chances. If they eat this stuff, oh God, don't want to go there.

Norma, don't know if you're the same Norma that's been around quite some time..If you are, you've probably heard me say I won't use chemicals, however the ants have gotten out of hand. It was a last resort. Who wants ants in their houses??? Thank God it's not spiders.

No Mealy, or any other plant bugs. I hope there isn't. I buy new plants, so it's possible eggs are hidden on plants.. since the ants started last year, and if there were Mealy, etc, they'd be obvious by now. All over plants..And I sure know what Mealy look like..Disgusting creatures!
Norma, thanks for your help.

Hey Mike. How are you? Long time no talk, huh?
I checked the product, DE. Too lazy to spell out the entire name...lol
It sounds interesting. Tomorrow I'll call nearby, 'if there's any' pool stores, to see if they sell it.
I like the 'non-toxic' to humans part.
I intend on sprinkling Boric Acid, adding outdoor baits, and Ant Spray, too..There's a zillion and one ants outside, Mike. Everywhere you turn, there's another one!!! I feel the earth is being bombarded by ants! lol.
A great Sci/fi movie...

I really believe since neighbors spray, the bugs find their way to our house. Do I fight back..spray with spray?? lol. I dislike chemcials so much.
Thanks for your help, too...Toni

Toni, I suppose this is obvious but if your dog is fed outside even dry scraps will attract ants. I used to treat ant hills with diazanon (misspelled), but they took it off the market. There is a rule somewhere if something works well, the government will take it away from you . . .

Hi Woebegonia. My dogs are fed indoors, never outside.
I must admit, we feed wild birds..in bird feeders. Don't know if you're familiar with birds, they're messy little eaters. They eat the meat, deshell and toss. The smallest of seeds fall to the ground.

However, both sides of the house are ant-packed. There's no food, nor plants ants would eat. Not that I know of, anyway.

The front of the house has fewere ants. This is an assumption, but the front has way more light/sun than the sides or back yard. I sow/grow Sunflower for Gold Finches and Chickadees in front, but don't know if ants eat Sunflowers or their seeds..Even though it's a food source. I could be wrong. Seems they eat everything except garlic.
I've even placed garlic where ants congregate..they usually don't go near it. Think it's the smell.

Woe, to be honest, I wouldn't use Diazanon. When I worked at Rentokil Tropical Plants, I brought home a scale-infested Gardenia tree.
If I'd know Fish Emulsion killed Scale, I never would have bought a bottle of Diazanon. Although the Gardenia had Scale, it was alive, and didn't look bad.
I used the Diazanon, followed directions to a T. Two or so days later, the tree died. I tossed the poison and the tree, vowed never to use chemicals on my plants again.

Of course, I agree with you the government takes away stuff that works, and offers other things that don't. It's always been that way..Toni

Toni, I did a search here on Neem as it seems to be a big thing in the plant world - Heavens! There are 11 pages on it,I'm discouraged at looking at all that. It came to mind because of a woman who collects plants in India who swears by the use of Neem tea from the leaves not Neem oil (as it could damage foliage). My point is she sprayed her clothes with something called NeemAura and it did deter ants and other insects from crawling up her legs Maybe there is something there that could deter your ants. I bought some of the leaves at a health store, I will spray next time I bring home mealies or worse and see what I think.Thanks for the tip about fish emulsion taking care of scale, that was new to me. Good Luck, I know how tough this big problem is!

Woebegonia..I hope you don't bring in Mealy, but if you do, and use the leaves, please let me know how it works.
Will you make a tea from the leaves?
You said you bought leaves at a health food store...won't they wilt or mold? Or are they dry?
Where are they stored?

Rhizo, I'm Sorry..lol..

I checked the website Mike posted, but only read a small section. Before I bought let alone used a product, I'd have read every single word.

Yep, got it..:)

As for Baits, they're everywhere. Even in the room w/the birds, but under a TV stand, where pets can't get them.

I'm not going to place Boric Acid on soil. I considered cutting up egg cartons, adding a little BA in each cup, then placing the cups with BA in-between plants.
The baits direction state not to spray or use other poisons while in use.

Rhizo, when I bought the Diazinon, it was in a bottle, no box. I read every line on the label. The only mention of plants were edibles. The strange thing was, it said, Apply a few feet away for edibles..I wouldn't use poison on edibles, let alone eat them, if the chemical was 200 feet away.
Not intentionally..
Who knows what's sprayed on store-bought fruits and veggies.
Really, I was very careful using that stuff. I wore gloves. If I remember correctly, like fertilizer, I lessened the dosage. This happened in the mid-90's, so I'm not 100% certain. But I've always been afraid of chemicals. I'm not fond of cleaning products either. Instead of Window Cleaners I spray with Vinegar. For mirrors and glass. Unfortunatly, some cleaning products have to be used.

Years ago, there was an insecticide called I-Bomb..I sprayed plants a few times, then decided it wasn't a good idea breathing the fumes. That stopped, fast.

Anyway, there was no mention of specific plants, let alone Gardenias. I read the label in the store, and before it was applied.

As far as I can recall, there wasn't any 'Do Not Use' on the label.

Up above, I said there were ants on both sides and in front of the house. I should have been more specific. I meant outside the house, not indoors.

Last year there were thousands, if not millions, outside.
We're in an old house.. I suppose ants have ways finding a way in.

In the 21-yrs we lived here, (plants were set outside every summer) ants never snuck in the house. Last summer, 2010, was the first time.

So, I'm using baits, refreshing soil and scrubbing pots for ALL plants, if health permits.

If that doesn't work, we're moving. lol

Thanks. Toni

Hi Toni,

I went to google and found this link. There are other similar
links in a google search.

I hope this helps.

Larry

Here is a link that might be useful: Natural ant remedies

Larry,
I just read through the info on your link. I like the natural remedies as I have two dogs. Thanks .

Elsie

Larry, thank you. I saved the Ant Site to Favorites.

It seems we have both sugar and grain ants. lol. These guys eat anything they find.

I clean the counters daily, 'their main meeting area.'
Ironically, I start dinner 3-5pm..I don't know if it's the scent, but they start hunting around that time.
I no longer use the counter to prepare foods..it's a pain, but I don't want to eat an ant..lol.

I have half a box of Boric Acid, and several jugs of vinegar waiting to do their thing.
Thanks again, Toni

Toni, we had ants in the kitchen for the first time ever this spring. They appeared first in a pot with a large sansevieria which was not outside. This is what my son told us to do. We filled a large terracotta pot with compost, then on the top we placed a jelly sweet. Almost immediately some ants came to investigate, There was a great deal of excitement with ants swarming all round the pot. We shook cinnamon all around where they were coming from, leaving just a small path free. Over the next two days the whole nest moved into the new pot with the sweet, (you call it candy in the US, I think), and after about ten days my son moved the pot outside and way down the garden and that is the last we have seen of ants in the house. We also shook cinnamon all around the base of the house to deter further invasion. My son left the nest in the pot and as far as we know they are still there.

Hi Marguerite....Yep, we call it candy, but sweets, too. :)

That's an interesting approach. I'd much rather go organic, than use poisons.
And who doesn't like the scent of Cinnamon?

Thanks much..I'll try the Cinnamon in a room w/less ants..to start..

The baits have reduced the population, but I'm afraid these little buggers are living in my plants.

I was going to spray around the house when heavy rain storms ended, instead I'll try Cinnamon.
Plus there are other organic options stated on sites people like Larry posted.

I'm thankful to everyone who responded.

Marguerite, you're lucky you found the source. How in the world would they have crept in your Sans if it had never been outdoors? By chance, was your Sans neighboring a plant that had been out?

Who came first, ants or man? lol.
I've seen ant mounds, outdoors, years ago, but haven't seen one a long time. So, where do these guys come from? Probably my plants..lol..

I'm lol'ing, but really upset about this entire ordeal. I had to wrap our toothbrushes, and other items that contain a food scent. Snacks, which are usually kept on the counter, (boxed/packaged) are now in the fridge.
Pet food, which lands on the floor at times, is swept and tossed outside, ASAP.
I mop floors daily, but since the ants, it's twice a day. I decided to add Vinegar with the soap..see if that helps.
It's not really funny, but our house smells like Italian dressing. LOL.

Thanks again..BTW, long time no see. Hope you're well, Toni

We're not sure exactly where they came from, but we found a tiny hole in the window sill inside, through which they might have come in, or perhaps on the underneath of the dog dish - what is plain is that they headed for the first plant pot they found, and although I saw signs of excavation, I just thought I must have knocked compost out of the pot myself, until it kept happening...by the way, my son says be sure to leave the drain holes in the new pot unblocked because that is how the main party will go in, then watch for evidence of holes in the top of the compost to signal that they are building a nest and bringing the sugar down by little tunnels. When they have established their nest in the pot you can also sprinkle cinnamon around it to ensure they stay put until you move them.

Cinnamon will work for some ants but not all. It works on the ones around here, but it does not kill ants, it's just a repellent.

You can kill all the ants you see but if the nest is still around you will keep seeing new ones. Queens don't move out of an established nest and some nests can have hundreds of thousands of individual ants. You can see a bunch of holes in an area, they can all be from the same nest. Young Queens land from their mating flights and dig in and start squirting out eggs. Once a nest is established it will have a supply of food and enough worker ants to repopulate the colony.

If you see them in your house it may be best to follow them to see where they go. They follow sent trails from the nest, to the food sources, You'll see that they mostly walk in a line as they go where ever they go. Then seal up those openings both inside and outside if you can.

Ants serve an ecological purpose in the environment of your garden (mostly as scavengers) so by completely wiping them out you will also be doing damage. Most likely the population of critters that like to munch on ants has somehow crashed.

Marguerite..Thanks. I'll keep that in mind..'placing Cinnamon on top of the soil.'
It's not that they frighten me, but who wants a bunch of ants walking on their hand? Yikes!! lol.

Please tell your son, Thank You, and the same to you.
Every tidbit helps.

Danny..How does one know which ants Cinnamon will repel?
Heck, I don't know the type of ants we have..lol..they're the black, smaller type.
Some look like they have sections, but I don't stick my head close enough to inspect their bodies..lol.

Marguerite said she hasn't seen ants since...

Even if Cinnamon works as a repellent, it should help..especially if sprinkled around the outside of our house.
I dislike chemicals, but will spray as a last resort.
It's still raining here, so I haven't spread/sprayed outside, yet. Once the sun is out, and rain ends, I'll sprinkle every organic substance known to man. lol.

Danny, when you say nests..do ants build an actual, genuine ant-made nest, like birds, or is nest used as an expression? Hypothetically?

Vinegar is a repellent. I've sprayed, it kills ants on sight, but unless a stray ant happens to get caught in a puddle of vinegar, it'll be on its merry way, hunting for food.

To think people mix vinegar in salads? Why does it not harm humans? Maybe it does, if eaten daily, over a long period of time. It can't be good for our stomachs..

Danny, our environment is pretty messed up now...another reason I don't care to use chemicals..

Believe me, I don't go out of my way killing insects, etc. But, when they're living among us, in my home, that's a different story.
They can live happily ever after, outside, but when they're walking on my kitchen counter, well, it's good-bye.
I'd much rather see a bird, ant-eater, or whatever eats ants, having dinner...
Do you mean to say, citters that munch on ants are endangered or extinct? That is so sad. I hate hearing this stuff..

If the government continues spraying chemicals over fields, towns and cities--- all living beings will be eradicated.

I don't see half the butterfly's, Lightning Bugs, Bees or Lady Bugs that used to be around..
While trying to rid Mosquitoes, they're murdering all living things. Sad World...Toni

Hey Toni!

Just bring your plants up to my house. They can drown and or freeze to death in my weather expected for another 7 days just like the last 2 weeks...:-)

Rhizo: Thank you so much for everything and all you have to offer. Everything you suggest I do works and I appreciate it:-)

Mike

Toni,
I guess the easiest way to know if cinnamon would work on the ants you have is to try it but wait til the rain goes away.

Lots of things eat ants, Ants will eat other ants, Birds, Some types of Nematodes, A lot of other insects eat them, Spiders, some small species of snakes. Mites and Fungi can also kill them. Possibly the ants just got off to an earlier start this year then the predators.

An ant nest is not something like a birds nest but it has basically the same function, Most ants here in the midwest will build their nest underground or in logs and trees. Usually the species that tend aphids live in trees. The colonies live in the nest, it has a queen's chamber and brood chambers, chambers to rest and store food and often someplace they dump wastes. Some colonies can be huge with hundreds or thousands of mounds covering huge areas but most are small, maybe you just got lucky.

There's the macro-environment of the area you live in and there is the micro-environment of your garden. Ants are one of the scavengers in that micro-environment. They clean up many of the dead bugs and other tasty morsels they come across and carry it all into the nest to either eat or convert it into something to eat.

Don't spray the vinegar on any plants you want to keep, it kills many plants and changes the pH of the soil, It'll neutralize in a day or so but that won't help any plants you've killed with it.

Toni, the cinnamon is indeed not to kill the ants, but to deter them. The trick is to get them to move their nest lock stock and barrel into the large pot which they find very convenient for building galleries, tunnels etc., and it is bound to be more comfortable than sharing a pot with a plant which regularly gets watered. Simple water will also cause them to move house, but this is not very satisfactory indoors. It only takes a few days before they adapt to their new surroundings and then you can move the pot. The sugar or candy means they do not need to move around the house foraging and they will be quite happy to stay home. Once they have grubs to look after, this is also a reason to stay home.

By the way, it is typically small black ants which venture indoors almost universally, from what I read on the web.

Also, Toni, you don't put the cinnamon on top of the compost, just in areas around the new pot to keep them focused on it in their initial period of activity. But don't do this until they have detected their new quarters. You will notice after a while that they become quieter and that is a sign that they are settling.

We used a large plastic box in which to put the pot for moving purposes, in case any scouts might try to decamp en route to their new halting site outside.

Hey Mike! Is it cold there, too? What happened? Last week, we had 3-4 days in the 90's. lol..This week, they're saying, nights 40's.
Yep, I'll haul ALL my plants up east..lol

Danny...are you an Etomologist? lol. If there's a nest/meeting place, whatever you want to call it, I have no idea where it's located since I found ants in the upstairs bathroom last night. It's not above the kitchen, so I'm stumped.

I add vinegar to acid-loving plants, 'soil' and have sprayed, mixing a little vinager and water as a preventative.. Among other organics.

Ironically, since last winter and spring, quite a few people have been complaining about ants and Mealy Bug. What's going on?

Wonder what the 'conversion' after ants eat looks like? LOL

It's sunny now, but we're expecting more rain. As soon as they say no rain for a while, I'm be applying spices, what have you, along the sides of the house.

Do LadyBugs eat ants? Out of all the predators you named, Lady Bugs are about all I can take. lol.."I don't like Spiders and Snakes." taken from an old song.

Marguerite..I got you.

Actually, my sister sometimes sits her neighbors' children. They have large ants in their house!
Not my sister, the woman.
My sister is terrified of ants, small or large, and suggested they exterminate, but they refused.
These people don't think twice about ants crawling all over their house; even with a newborn baby. Disgusting!

Do you place the plastic box under the pot before ants make it their home or after?

I wonder what ants think?? lol..Seriously..they must communicate, some way...
Saturday, outside temps dropped..Not one ant was seen. Then Sunday, (very chilly outdoors) I walked in the upstairs bathroom to clean the sink, when what to my wandering eyes should appear? A sink of ants!
Although my knee is dangling by threads, I managed to jump 3' high! lol. I immediately reached for the vinegar, which killed them instantly..then set two of the last three baits.

It's gotten to the point I fear hauling plants to the sink for their weekly shower. What happens if a zillion ants run out?? Oh God! One ant isn't bad, but when they're in crowds---well............

Thanks again. This problem will end. I started repotting all my plants, but then outside temps dropped...it's too cold to take plants outside and hose, so for now, it's baits, vinegar and soon cinnamon. Toni

Toni, If your just killing the ants when you see them, you're doing it wrong. You want to prevent them from getting in to begin with. Watch where they go and they'll lead you to the opening they're using to either come into the house or the colony if it is already in your house.

When ants go in search of food they leave a scent trail so they can find their way back home and then have their sisters follow them back. They do not just wander around aimlessly as it sometimes look. If you watch where they go you'll see at some point there will be a hole or crack or some kind of opening they're passing through to come visit you. Follow the trail and look for the opening and close it up with chalking. A colony can have thousands to millions of individual ants and if you're just killing the few you see your not making any difference.

No, I'm not an Entomologist, I'm a glass blower and artist. I'm a science nut and I read about the natural sciences all the time and regularly listen to about a dozen science related podcasts a week. When ever something peaks my interest I can spend hours to days reading about it.

Danny...Actually, before setting baits, I was spraying with vinegar. When that didn't work, I relented, bought and set out traps.

When I said I spayed vinager yesterday, in the upstairs bathroom, there were no baits in the room..nowhere upstairs.
I was about to wash the sink, was in a hurry, so I sprayed with vinegar to kill visible ants, then get the sink cleaned.

They don't like vinegar or Comet. When I checked later and today, there were a couple dying or dead ants.

I have an idea where they're coming from in the kitchen, but not 100% certain. Especially, since I found a group behind the fridge.. Lord! It's impossible to check behind the ridge since it outweighs me; I can't move it..On the other side is the cooking stove. I fear moving the stove because the gas hose is only so long..

The instructions on bait boxes said not to use insecticides/sprays while using baits. I'm not spraying w/vinegar, 'in those areas.' Spraying would defeat the purpose since the object is for the ants who eat from the baits become host poison carriers. When they go back to feed other ants, or other ants eat from they poisoned ant/s, they too die.

Did you mean to close/seal an opening with chalk or caulk?
Either way, I wish it were that simple. Seems they're finding openings more than one place.

We live in an old, wood/aluminum sided house. In fact, it was one of the first houses built on this street..Found this info from a library book.
Around WW2, a few small, brick homes were erected..And I mean tiny, for soldiers who made it back home.
This house was built prior to the brick homes, so that might give you an idea how long it's been around.
At one time it was well-built. A tenant who lived here before the previous owner, went, umm, balistic. He intentionally made holes in the walls, scraped original hard-wood floors. He was evicted.
The last owner bought and fixed it up. He made a huge profit. He used the cheapest crap wanna-be wood he could find. There's more, but I won't get into it.

Since it was freshly painted, new carpeting, not to mention 27 windows, 'plants,' a sun room, and third bedroom with 6 windows, we jumped the gun and bought it.

The Freddy Kruggar furnace should have been a clue of its age. Gas converted from coal. The door on the furnace says 1902 or 1906. I'd have to check, lol.

Now you know the history of our house, Bet you deemed this short story, very interesting, lol.. YAWN

Another thing..it doesn't help our neighbors have their homes exterminated regulalry. I truly believe, every creature in our neighborhood, finds our house. lol.

However, I'll keep an eye out where these guys go. Then figure a way to block their entrance doorway.

Glass Blower..did you have anything to do with the glass pieces displayed at Garfield Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens?

Does your art involve glass? Paintings, drawings, music or something entirely different? If you feel it's personal, Danny, no need to answer. Toni

All I know is I can't wait until these creatures are gone.

Yeah, I meant caulk, I only proofread the post like four times. . .

My parents have lived in a house built in 1892 for almost 50 years, they didn't seem to make a lot of effort to bug proof homes back then.

The glass at the conservatory is made by Dale Chihuly. I do blown glass, Fused glass and torchworked glass and I also sandblast/etch glass for awards and architectural work.

Here's a link to my very, very out of date website.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://dannyellisglass.com/home.html

Danny, only four times? lolol.

Wow, your parents' home is a real antique.

Your glass items are very very nice. How long does it take to make, let's say a pendant? Very pretty. Toni

A pendant can take as little as 10 minutes to as long as 30 minutes depending on the design.

We shouldn't wander to far off topic, If you have any other questions about glass click on my name and send me an email directly.

Danny. I started this thread, so there's no problem discussing whatever topic comes up..The only time straying matters is when someone else starts a thread..and other topics are sometimes discussed then...since I started this thread, it makes no difference to me..lol..

Anyway, the glass is very interesting, and your items are gorgoues..Toni

Ok, then nevermind and thank you!

Putting the pot with ants into a larger container and fill with water has always worked and has been easiestfor me. It does take a while for all to drown but it's safe and chemical free. You can also add insecticidal soap to the water and it's done in 20 minutes.