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#1
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Black Ant Problem
We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant problem
with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators (costly), but they were only successful for a period of time before the ants returned. I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The problem is that I don't know the proportions that should be used. Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options that I don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial products, and also stay as "green" as possible. TIA -- Wayne Boatwright ******************************************* Date: Monday, 08(VIII)/25(XXV)/08(MMVIII) ******************************************* Countdown till Labor Day 6dys 14hrs 40mins ******************************************* 'If you can't hear me it's because I'm in parentheses.' s.w. ******************************************* |
#2
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Black Ant Problem
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant problem with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators (costly), but they were only successful for a period of time before the ants returned. I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The problem is that I don't know the proportions that should be used. Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options that I don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial products, and also stay as "green" as possible. TIA If they're "in the yard" why are they a problem? I can see wanting to kill them if they are in the house but mostly ants and insects in a yard are a good thing. The poison you mention is only effective against sweet eating ants. Give yours a drop of syrup and see if they devour it. -- Art |
#3
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Black Ant Problem
On Mon 25 Aug 2008 09:58:27a, Art told us...
Wayne Boatwright wrote: We live in the Arizona desert near Phoenix and have a significant problem with large black ants in the yard. We have had exterminators (costly), but they were only successful for a period of time before the ants returned. I had read somewhere that one could make a solution of water, sugar, and borax (boric acid?), which was an effective poison for ants. The problem is that I don't know the proportions that should be used. Can anyone here help with this? Are there other homemade options that I don't know about? We're trying to steer clear of commercial products, and also stay as "green" as possible. TIA If they're "in the yard" why are they a problem? I can see wanting to kill them if they are in the house but mostly ants and insects in a yard are a good thing. Generally, I would agree, but there are literally thousands of them and they bite, and I don't want the to end up in the house. The poison you mention is only effective against sweet eating ants. Give yours a drop of syrup and see if they devour it. Worth a try. -- Wayne Boatwright ******************************************* Date: Monday, 08(VIII)/25(XXV)/08(MMVIII) ******************************************* Countdown till Labor Day 6dys 13hrs 29mins ******************************************* Bad things come to those who wait too. ******************************************* |
#4
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Black Ant Problem
i mix about 15% boric acid in pancake syrup(sometimes more by accident)
and it works here in ky. ... i was told but didnt try it ,, that boric acid spread around mounds kills them.the walk in it and lick it off. lucas ---------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.minibite.com/america/malone.htm |
#5
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Black Ant Problem
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
On Mon 25 Aug 2008 09:58:27a, Art told us... If they're "in the yard" why are they a problem? I can see wanting to kill them if they are in the house but mostly ants and insects in a yard are a good thing. Generally, I would agree, but there are literally thousands of them and they bite, and I don't want the to end up in the house. The poison you mention is only effective against sweet eating ants. Give yours a drop of syrup and see if they devour it. Worth a try. I'd suggest some research to find out what their food source is and then see if you can do anything about that. Here on the east coast we get a lot of small sweet eating ants but they don't sound much like what you are dealing with. They "farm" aphids to live off of their excrement as it is sweet. So we go after the aphids and that seems to work very well. Good luck! -- Art |
#6
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Black Ant Problem
On Mon 25 Aug 2008 06:30:59p, Art told us...
Wayne Boatwright wrote: On Mon 25 Aug 2008 09:58:27a, Art told us... If they're "in the yard" why are they a problem? I can see wanting to kill them if they are in the house but mostly ants and insects in a yard are a good thing. Generally, I would agree, but there are literally thousands of them and they bite, and I don't want the to end up in the house. The poison you mention is only effective against sweet eating ants. Give yours a drop of syrup and see if they devour it. Worth a try. I'd suggest some research to find out what their food source is and then see if you can do anything about that. Here on the east coast we get a lot of small sweet eating ants but they don't sound much like what you are dealing with. They "farm" aphids to live off of their excrement as it is sweet. So we go after the aphids and that seems to work very well. Good luck! I've actually tried to find this out by observation, but I never seen them with what appears to be a food source. Our yard is compacted granite and I never see any other insects. These ants disappear into several holes in the ground during the heat of the day, and only appear in the morning and evening cooler temperatures. I suspect the queen and the primary nest could even be miles from our property. I also suspect that we will never eradicate the total colony, but only manage to control those that appears on our property. It will be an ongoing battle. Even two years of professional exterminator treatment did not eradicate the population, but it did disappear for periods of time. For me, it's a matter of economics. The pros are just too expensive for ongoing permanent treatment. If I can find an inexpensive treatment that I can apply on an ongoing or periodic basis, I'll be glad to use it. Thanks for your input... -- Wayne Boatwright ******************************************* Date: Monday, 08(VIII)/25(XXV)/08(MMVIII) ******************************************* Countdown till Labor Day 6dys 4hrs 18mins ******************************************* Death is a nonmaskable interrupt. ******************************************* |
#7
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Black Ant Problem
The poison you mention is only effective against sweet eating ants. Give yours a drop of syrup and see if they devour it. Nice suggestion. Try it and see how it works. Posted from the Free Home Improvement Forum at http://www.spicyhome.com |
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