Ants

[BillaRickaDickay]

Is it just a bad year for Ants? Or are the pesky shits jus picking on me.
Got the Micro Ants and the Big Black Ants and their supporting army invading, more so overnight.
Keep the house clean so I don't know why they want to come and live with me. Waiting for a delivery of Borax so hopefully that will sort out the problem.

[Khun Paul]

Well ants arby their nature complex communicative insects which in some ases bring out the worst in man in their attempts to eradicate them.
Here I have a Kitchem block and daily the Ants small ones march along the front of the building carefully dealing iwth steps etc which make the journey no longer a straight run , often carrying some morsel of food ( to an Ant ) from A to B .

At first years ago i tried to stop them eradicate them but to no avail. They respected the rooms and building never entered nor caused concern, so I just left them to their own devices.

Red Ants are another story their Kamikaze efforts with falling off trees and getting in my hair on my clothes just because I am pruning are to be commended, however by removing all Mango trees ( I do not like Mangos { all 14 of them } ) I reduced my exposure to minimal, still get nests but not large and certainly all below eye level.

Numerically ANTS ( all species ) outnumber mere mortals by a few billion , so easier to live with them rather than fight them as you know you will never really win !!

They are the great cleanup soldiers in effect any animal or bird that falls to the ground, will over a fairly short period of time be reduced to almost nothing because fo the very nature of the Animal Kingdom , kill or be killed, something somewhere is food for someone else.

Moral of the story never leave FOOD lying around and clean up your floors from crumbs , make their reason for being there unproductive

[BillaRickaDickay]

Well, I wasn't really looking for a lecture, I think most of us know the population and habits of Ants, I was asking if anyone else is experiencing a current serge in Ant activity.

[Drunk Monkey]

Well, I wasn't really looking for a lecture, I think most of us know the population and habits of Ants, I was asking if anyone else is experiencing a current serge in Ant activity.

No more than normal BRD ... strangely less ants at the new quieter abode location slightly further out of town that at the old place on the RR/AP intersection.

I put up signs in 3 languages Thai English and Chinese NO ANTS ALLOWED .. just my luck seems my ants were illiterate or dickslexic

DM

[BillaRickaDickay]

Well, I wasn't really looking for a lecture, I think most of us know the population and habits of Ants, I was asking if anyone else is experiencing a current serge in Ant activity.

No more than normal BRD ... strangely less ants at the new quieter abode location slightly further out of town that at the old place on the RR/AP intersection.

I put up signs in 3 languages Thai English and Chinese NO ANTS ALLOWED .. just my luck seems my ants were illiterate or dickslexic

DM

I like that, I tried to talk to them but they don't seem to listen, I don't like killing anything just in case I get reincarnated as a Slug.
So tonight is the last warning I give otherwise the Borax is coming tomorrow.

[tamada]

[tutone]

Is it just a bad year for Ants? Or are the pesky shits jus picking on me.
Got the Micro Ants and the Big Black Ants and their supporting army invading, more so overnight.
Keep the house clean so I don't know why they want to come and live with me. Waiting for a delivery of Borax so hopefully that will sort out the problem.

I have had several ant colonies spring up around my house in the lawn recently. The tiny red ones create a city almost overnight that is about 1 square meter in area. I have never encountered this before in the 12 years I have been here. I haven't noticed any unusual activity inside the house. I didn't know about Borax. I may try it if they become much of a nuisance. Through the years I have dispersed the occasional smaller colony with the lawn mower which seems to keep them at bay. Otherwise I will live and let live hoping it is just a cyclical or temporary natural occurrence.

[BillaRickaDickay]

Is it just a bad year for Ants? Or are the pesky shits jus picking on me.
Got the Micro Ants and the Big Black Ants and their supporting army invading, more so overnight.
Keep the house clean so I don't know why they want to come and live with me. Waiting for a delivery of Borax so hopefully that will sort out the problem.

I have had several ant colonies spring up around my house in the lawn recently. The tiny red ones create a city almost overnight that is about 1 square meter in area. I have never encountered this before in the 12 years I have been here. I haven't noticed any unusual activity inside the house. I didn't know about Borax. I may try it if they become much of a nuisance. Through the years I have dispersed the occasional smaller colony with the lawn mower which seems to keep them at bay. Otherwise I will live and let live hoping it is just a cyclical or temporary natural occurrence.

Yeh, I'm pretty lay back with any critters but they have now become a pest, several of the larger ones, fortunately they don't bite, found their way into our bed last night.
I found the Borax solution on the Net, if what they say is true the Ants take the stuff back to their nest and apparently wipe out the colony.

[Drunk Monkey]

Is it just a bad year for Ants? Or are the pesky shits jus picking on me.
Got the Micro Ants and the Big Black Ants and their supporting army invading, more so overnight.
Keep the house clean so I don't know why they want to come and live with me. Waiting for a delivery of Borax so hopefully that will sort out the problem.

I have had several ant colonies spring up around my house in the lawn recently. The tiny red ones create a city almost overnight that is about 1 square meter in area. I have never encountered this before in the 12 years I have been here. I haven't noticed any unusual activity inside the house. I didn't know about Borax. I may try it if they become much of a nuisance. Through the years I have dispersed the occasional smaller colony with the lawn mower which seems to keep them at bay. Otherwise I will live and let live hoping it is just a cyclical or temporary natural occurrence.

Yeh, I'm pretty lay back with any critters but they have now become a pest, several of the larger ones, fortunately they don't bite, found their way into our bed last night.
I found the Borax solution on the Net, if what they say is true the Ants take the stuff back to their nest and apparently wipe out the colony.

Let us know how the Borax gig goes BRD .. be handy for the future if works.

[Whistler]

I had 5 ants in my downstairs, now 5 more have moved into the kitchen. They are taking me to court now claiming ten-ants rights.

[jackspratt]

statts and 474 need to pay attention - there is a new Dad on the block.

[rick]

Warmer weather makes ants more active. Also in our house some come in looking for water. The Thai jug kettle particularly attracts them, insideoften many kamikaze water thieves. Years ago, a 3 month battle using Borax was fairly successful, and for one year didn't newd repeating. Unfortunately the ants that replaced them wouldn't eat Borax . Fridges are a wonderful ant deterrant where food is conceened!

[BillaRickaDickay]

Well, the Borax has arrived.
We spent the afternoon with a deep clean of the house, all food stashed away and waste bins emptied.
Just as the dusk was settling in it all kicked off again, attacking the house on three fronts, only the big black ones this time. I had another word with one of the soldiers but it just didn't want to know.
So out came the Borax, mixed it 1 to 3 of Sugar, hot water gave it a good stir, picked 4 hot spots and poured the solution onto slices of bread.
Now from what Rick has posted it could be a long wait, repeat the treatment on a daily basis.

[rick]

It takes about 3-4 weeks for a colony to die out completely. But usually there is more than one, and another takes over the first colonies foraging area when it dies off. So yes, it can take a few months. When i did it, the house was very much an old Thai wood and block house, lots of places for ants to make nests. Now that all the floors have been tiled and walls plastered over and painted, not as bad. Still get plenty of ant columns in the kitchen, but lounge and bedroom better.

[BillaRickaDickay]

Better last night, activity confined to the bait areas, just the odd straggler, liquid part of the bait all gone, fingers crossed try again tonight.

[Drunk Monkey]

Good to know re the borax BRD ..

When built our place did use treatments /chemicals for bugs etc but with two open land plots either side and a canal at the back may well get some unwanted creepy crawly visitors in the future... one snake n a few lizards so far but mi Jack Russells sorted them out... since your OP i have been on a daily bug check ..all clear on the Western front so far , maybe the bugs prefer the more open sewer style Scottish enclaves on the Eastern side of town .

Do have two resident large Minor birds that i dont mind at all, quite entertaining and very clever ... im sure i over heard one say to the other i wish that fat bald guy would put a shirt on hes scaring the chicks.

DM

[BillaRickaDickay]

Day 2, Dusk again the depleted armies are making a bold effort, just a handful made it this evening attacking one corner of the house, Borax seems to be working unless they are saving it all for later.

[Drunk Monkey]

Thanks for the update BRD ,, i found out ants dont like urine containing Chang .. either that or there all pissed n gone to bed .. maybe a hangover tomorrow ? ...........update to follow.

DM

[BillaRickaDickay]

Thanks for the update BRD ,, i found out ants dont like urine containing Chang .. either that or there all pissed n gone to bed .. maybe a hangover tomorrow ? ...........update to follow.

DM

Thanks for the Chang tip DM, I would try that but drinking that stuff is a sure route to a headache for me.
I found Duck works on the Big Ants and Window Cleaner on the Micro Ants, yeh I know it's cruel but I was desperate at the time and they were the only things to hand.
I've been having Nightmares lately, Indiana Jones, I'm the bloke being dragged down the hole.
Nearly forgot, still a few hanging about this morning and some of the liquid bait not consumed, repeat tonight.

[BillaRickaDickay]

Day 3, Large Black Ants still active and no longer interested in the Borax bait. Mainly confined to the ground floor of the house with the odd straggler appearing upstairs.
As Rick mentioned earlier I'm probably dealing with several Colonies and Sub Colonies and the recent hot and sticky weather has stirred them up.
I've been trying to identify the species but the Internet not much help. Looking at the Rentokill website closest I can get is the Carpenter ant. As the name suggests they like Rotting Timber and we have plenty of trees around us.
Amongst the larger Black Ants there are other smaller Ants and what appear to be some Flying Ants, lighter in colour. I noticed last night that they cart off their colleagues dead bodies where I had been swatting them so tonight no swatting.
I'm still trying to work out what they want as we are currently cleaning every day and making sure any food is stowed away, there is no timber in the house.
The Borax may be working but it may take some time before we see any results.
You maybe thinking, what's all the fuss about, they are just Ants doing their thing, well I've been here nearly 20years and never had a problem like this before.