How do I get ants to leave my house without killing them?

misty8723 · Jun 21, 2015

So, I have a bit of an ant problem. I want them to leave my house, but I do NOT want to kill them. I don't intentionally kill anything. I've hear about putting stuff down like cinnamon that they won't cross - but is that harmful to cats? And does it work? These are the little tiny ants, and they are very annoying.

opal16 · Jun 21, 2015

I suppose you could put down a deterrent but but ultimately I think you just need kill them unfortunately.

sivyaleah · Jun 21, 2015

I agree. There really is no effective way to get rid of ants once it's an infestation other than by chemicals. The best offense is a good defense to begin with although I do realize sometimes that's not entirely possible. Just today, we had a large army in our kitchen because my BF left a leftover pizza box on the floor, by the back sliding door. He totally forgot it was there (it fell behind the table which is cornered in the room). This morning, well, it was pretty bad to the point where I could see them on the back deck also making their way in. He took the box out to the garbage, and cleaned the floor completely to get rid of any possible crumbs leftover and odors which may attract them. I haven't seen any in hours, but I think it's because we caught it quick. I did buy some ant traps at the market just in case. I won't use sprays because of the cats, not even ones they say are safe for animals. The traps, they can't get into and the worse they'll do is bat them around.

misty8723 · Jun 21, 2015

THat's the problem, DH "forgets" to clean up after himself sometimes. As hard as I try to keep them at bay, I come home from work and find he's attracted a few more in.

I WON'T kill them. I collect them on paper towels and take them outside. Yes, I guess I'm odd, but I really do strongly believe in not killing things just because they are in my way or annoying me. They deserve to be able to live their lives - I just really wish they wouldn't do it in my kitchen.

opal16 · Jun 21, 2015

I just heard that you could use fresh garlic cloves in the places where they get in. It's a deterrent but they will just find another way in. I respect your choice but you might have a real problem if you don't get rid of them.

sivyaleah · Jun 21, 2015

Misty8723 said:
THat's the problem, DH "forgets" to clean up after himself sometimes. As hard as I try to keep them at bay, I come home from work and find he's attracted a few more in.

I WON'T kill them. I collect them on paper towels and take them outside. Yes, I guess I'm odd, but I really do strongly believe in not killing things just because they are in my way or annoying me. They deserve to be able to live their lives - I just really wish they wouldn't do it in my kitchen.

Try a vinegar/water mixture. If they aren't nesting indoors this may deter them. Caulk and seal entry points if you can also.

However, some species of ants can be very destructive to a home. I also respect your point of view, however, a house crumbling from the inside due to ants eating the wood could wind up being a very expensive fix down the road.

seaturtle · Jun 21, 2015

You might search the Net for humane ant traps, if such exist. I am the same as you. I will only kill mosquitoes. I have fruit flies and make traps for them out of used joghurt containers with Saran Wrap over them and needle-holes punched in the, a piece of fruit in the container. They get in there, and I take the containers out and release them.

There are exceptions: ants and flies and mosquitoes do carry disease as do rats and mice. A Hav-A-Heart with take care of the rodents, but for the insects, sometimes I must do the hard thing and get ant traps. I always apologize and beg forgiveness. But if a living thing will harm my health or my cats, there is no choice, hard as it is.

Winchester · Jun 22, 2015

I'm calling an exterminator. I've had it up to "here" with them. The year we gutted the kitchen, we had a terrible, horrible time with ants. Last year, it was more of the same. Rick tore the basement apart, looking for colonies and spraying like crazy. That really seemed to help.

We've been finding an ant here and there for the last week or so. And on Saturday morning, I got up to feed the cats and they were coming in the kitchen window, despite spraying and spraying and spraying the house perimeter with Home Defense. He was looking around last night and he thinks now they're in the attic, since he chased them out of the basement. He watched them trail upwards outside last night. We've been using ant bait, I've been sprinkling cinnamon about and nothing is doing a bit of good. Finally he sprayed heck out of the kitchen window areas and they're gone. For now. But it's just a matter of time before they come in someplace else.

After battling them all weekend, I'm done. I am done. While I admire you for not wanting to kill them, it's not going to do any good for you, your cats, or your house. If they really get inside, they can make your life miserable. Trust me.

Calling the exterminator this morning. And whenever I see an ant hill in the yard, I douse it with a big pot of boiling water.

My brother and SIL had a severe ant problem last year. They tried to deal with it themselves. But it got out of control and they had to get an exterminator to come in. She told me yesterday that their green carpet in the sunroom looked black....from all the ants that came out of the woodwork and then died. It was disgusting and she was ready to move.

And the thing is, I clean. And clean. And clean. Our house is not dirty, darn it. I vacuum regularly, esp the kitchen. There are never dirty dishes in the sink. I wash out and disinfect our trash containers that are under the sink and in the bathroom closet every darn week. I clean the counters and am always wiping things up. And yet, there they are. It doesn't take long for it to get out of control sometimes.

Sorry. But enough is enough.

Draco · Jun 22, 2015

I had bad ant problems when I moved into my new place in the kitchen.. where there's also a slider door. If I forget to pick up the cats' bowls after they've eaten, within 20 minutes they're all over the place. I've washed the floors every day with different solutions, but they still came back. I've put traps in every corner.. nope. I've tried the vinegar/water solution, but it attracted wasps when I have the door open! I found their nests, poured boiling hot water down them for several days.. they still came. I even tried liquid poison stakes near the nests.

Winter came, no ants. But in the spring, they came right back in. No matter how clean I tried to be, they came in. So I got this spray, I forget which it is, but I sprayed it all outside, every exterior window and door. I sprayed behind the stove where I think they were coming in.. they have not come back since and it's been a few months since I've sprayed. The spray was all natural and safe for cats and dogs (of course, I kept them out of the kitchen until the spray dried fully)

I think the best bet is to use a barrier spray. Remind me and I'll look to see which I have for you if you wish tonight.

meshmesh · Jun 22, 2015

I read somewhere that vinegar deters them. I think I once tried sweeping the door entrances with vinegar but never got round to doing so regularly to check if it works..

betsygee · Jun 22, 2015

Cinnamon has worked sometimes for me. I've used it three times successfully--they didn't cross it, I don't know if it's the scent or what. But one time I used it and they just made sort of a little trail through it. Maybe if I'd put down more, it would have worked but by then, I'd had enough of ants in the cat bowls and used the Raid on them.

From what I read, it's not dangerous for cats unless they inhale a large amount: http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/2013/11/nutmeg-cinnamon-toxicity/

Kat0121 · Jun 22, 2015

Winchester said:
I'm calling an exterminator. I've had it up to "here" with them. The year we gutted the kitchen, we had a terrible, horrible time with ants. Last year, it was more of the same. Rick tore the basement apart, looking for colonies and spraying like crazy. That really seemed to help.

We've been finding an ant here and there for the last week or so. And on Saturday morning, I got up to feed the cats and they were coming in the kitchen window, despite spraying and spraying and spraying the house perimeter with Home Defense. He was looking around last night and he thinks now they're in the attic, since he chased them out of the basement. He watched them trail upwards outside last night. We've been using ant bait, I've been sprinkling cinnamon about and nothing is doing a bit of good. Finally he sprayed heck out of the kitchen window areas and they're gone. For now. But it's just a matter of time before they come in someplace else.

After battling them all weekend, I'm done. I am done. While I admire you for not wanting to kill them, it's not going to do any good for you, your cats, or your house. If they really get inside, they can make your life miserable. Trust me.

Calling the exterminator this morning. And whenever I see an ant hill in the yard, I douse it with a big pot of boiling water.

My brother and SIL had a severe ant problem last year. They tried to deal with it themselves. But it got out of control and they had to get an exterminator to come in. She told me yesterday that their green carpet in the sunroom looked black....from all the ants that came out of the woodwork and then died. It was disgusting and she was ready to move.

And the thing is, I clean. And clean. And clean. Our house is not dirty, darn it. I vacuum regularly, esp the kitchen. There are never dirty dishes in the sink. I wash out and disinfect our trash containers that are under the sink and in the bathroom closet every darn week. I clean the counters and am always wiping things up. And yet, there they are. It doesn't take long for it to get out of control sometimes.

Sorry. But enough is enough.

I'm with you. They can do whatever they want outside. They have the entire great outdoors to live their little lives in. They come in my house, it's over. Just like any other intruder. I never had a big problem with ants until I got the cats. They really like cat food I guess.

I bought 2 Antsers from Ebay and ant problem solved. The ants were relentless in Henry's room. As soon as I put his dish on top of the Antser, they stopped coming in. They don't come in anymore, so I don't have to kill them so win- win, I guess. They just don't get any more free meals from us.

We were getting the same ones as you. The little ones. We call them sugar ants here despite the fact that there's nothing sweet about the little ............. jerks......

stewball · Jun 22, 2015

seaturtle said:
You might search the Net for humane ant traps, if such exist. I am the same as you. I will only kill mosquitoes. I have fruit flies and make traps for them out of used joghurt containers with Saran Wrap over them and needle-holes punched in the, a piece of fruit in the container. They get in there, and I take the containers out and release them.

There are exceptions: ants and flies and mosquitoes do carry disease as do rats and mice. A Hav-A-Heart with take care of the rodents, but for the insec
sometimes I must do the hard thing and get ant traps. I always apologize and beg forgiveness. But if a living thing will harm my health or my cats, there is no choice, hard as it is.

what about cockroaches? We get big flying ones and I have no compunction in killing them.

stewball · Jun 22, 2015

Misty8723 said:
So, I have a bit of an ant problem. I want them to leave my house, but I do NOT want to kill them. I don't intentionally kill anything. I've hear about putting stuff down like cinnamon that they won't cross - but is that harmful to cats? And does it work? These are the little tiny ants, and they are very annoying.

I've heard they won't cross a line of salt.

Winchester · Jun 23, 2015

Stewball said:
I've heard they won't cross a line of salt.

Neither will demons.

I've been watching way too much Supernatural.

Draco · Jun 23, 2015

Stewball said:
what about cockroaches? We get big flying ones and I have no compunction in killing them.

I've had those things for years in my old apartment. I couldn't get rid of them. Landlord even hired terminators to spray, but they only did the outside. I tried roach traps with bait, roach spray, roach gel.. nothing worked. I'd wake up to find dead ones on the floor after the cats played with them. I can't stand those things, especially the flying ones.

twinkles21 · Jun 25, 2015

I didn't read all the replies so sorry if someone already said this. But baby powder. In our old place we had ants pouring in through the windows and apparently ants have a super sensitive sense of smell. Baby powder is way to strong for them, they won't go near it.

I sprinkled powder around the windows and never saw them again, and we lived there for 8 years.

sickoants · Aug 10, 2015

I quite frankly care if I kill the ants,.

They are tiny and annoying.

Now that they are leaving my cupboards slowly now quicker.

They only have my cats feeding dish left.

I wake up in the am have to throw out their food.

Its nuts, they only like dry food.

What am I suppose to do now not feed my boys/cats,,,,

I work so I have to leave them food out.

So frusterated

Please any suggestions

seline · Aug 10, 2015

Misty8723 said:
So, I have a bit of an ant problem. I want them to leave my house, but I do NOT want to kill them. I don't intentionally kill anything. I've hear about putting stuff down like cinnamon that they won't cross - but is that harmful to cats? And does it work? These are the little tiny ants, and they are very annoying.

sickoants said:

I quite frankly care if I kill the ants,.
They are tiny and annoying.
Now that they are leaving my cupboards slowly now quicker.
They only have my cats feeding dish left.
I wake up in the am have to throw out their food.
Its nuts, they only like dry food.
What am I suppose to do now not feed my boys/cats,,,,
I work so I have to leave them food out.

So frusterated
Please any suggestions

Click to expand...

Vinegar in all crossing surfaces,it works

Kat0121 · Aug 10, 2015

sickoants said:
I quite frankly care if I kill the ants,.

They are tiny and annoying.

Now that they are leaving my cupboards slowly now quicker.

They only have my cats feeding dish left.

I wake up in the am have to throw out their food.

Its nuts, they only like dry food.

What am I suppose to do now not feed my boys/cats,,,,

I work so I have to leave them food out.

So frusterated

Please any suggestions

If the only think they are infesting is the cat's dish, you should try the Antser. It's a little over $30 US with shipping but it really works. The base is where you pour the water and then there's a top that goes over that. The ants can't get past the water to get to the top. Ants don't waste time. Once they figure out that there's no food to be had, they move on. I had a heck of a time with ants in my one cat's dish. I made a makeshift moat but he kept dropping food in the water, it was messy and a pain. The Antser is none of those things. Yeah, it's an expense but how much did I spend dumping food that my cat couldn't eat because it was full of ants?? You can find it on Ebay and through their own website. I bought mine on Ebay and I'd buy them again. It's actually pretty big. You can fit a standard sized kitchen trash can on it. I put my 3 cats' food dishes on it at the same time and they all fit comfortably.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.theantser.com/

How do I get ants to leave my house without killing them?

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