Ants In Apartment?

[ellyr]

Hi all -

This past weekend I've seen about ten or so large black ants crawling around my apartment. I don't have a clear idea of where they're coming in from or what they want - the majority of them have *not* been in the kitchen or the bathroom, so they don't seem to be making a beeline for likely food and water sources. Anyway. They're inside, I suspect more will probably show up, and I want to deal with it.

I've been spraying them with vinegar solution, and dusted some food-grade diatomaceous earth near the living room radiator where I saw a few. I've had very limited success with eco-friendly remedies in the past, so if this continues I'm thinking of trying the Terro liquid bait traps. I'm worried about my cat, though. I think that if I tucked a trap behind the radiator she wouldn't get into it, but I can't say for certain.

Anyone else who has had to combat ants have any advice?

 

[catlover73]

I am in a town house and have ant issues every year. I use a mint spray that is pet safe once it dries. I keep the cats away from it until it dries. I get it at home depot. I mainly have problems on my lower level. I spray the floors down with it and allow it to dry. I keep the cats in the bedroom upstairs for about 2 hours after use to make sure it is completely dry. One application lasts 3 months.

 

[Mother Dragon]

Terro ant baits are by design hard to get into unless you're an ant. If you're worried about the cats playing hockey with them, use double-stick tape and perhaps put some lemon oil by them. I doubt it'll bother the ants. We've used Terro for years and had no problems. It's about the only thing that will work on those dratted pharaoh ants. You'll probably be OK with it.

 

[kashmir64]

I am in a town house and have ant issues every year. I use a mint spray that is pet safe once it dries. I keep the cats away from it until it dries. I get it at home depot. I mainly have problems on my lower level. I spray the floors down with it and allow it to dry. I keep the cats in the bedroom upstairs for about 2 hours after use to make sure it is completely dry. One application lasts 3 months.

You beat me to it. Mint spray is good for most bugs and even rodents. Also, as the OP mentioned, DE around window sills and doors. (around the mound if you can find it)

 

[neely]

A co-worker once told me to use cinnamon. We get ants in the spring so I tried using cinnamon and it really helped, plus it smells good too! (Note: we only get them on the kitchen counter near the sink)

 

[ellyr]

Okay -will look into these!

Any tips on keeping ants out of the food bowls? I found one crawling around in Mal's wet food yesterday morning and it was...unpleasant, to say the least. I've heard that if you spray vinegar solution under the dishes that can help deter them?

 

[arouetta]

If you have a management company instead of owning your own place, see if they will treat outdoors. I had a bad case of sugar ants once, like you they weren't in the kitchen or bathroom, they were hanging around the patio door. The management company said it was the weather, they were seeking shelter not food or water, and treating the outside only solved the whole issue.

 

[Mother Dragon]

You can put vaseline around the bottom of the dish or set it in a pan of water. I would put out some Terro where the kitties can't get to it. Terro really works.

Be sure NOT to ask management to spray inside because often the stuff they use is toxic to cats but they use it anyway.

 

[kissthisangel]

when I was growing up we had ant problems every summer. The treatment has to start outside. It sounds awful but if you have a colony coming in this year, you'll have the same one next year, and so on. If you have a look around your outside area, you will be able to see where they are nesting. When the ants clear out an area, the finest soil residue is left behind. on a still, dry day this will make it easier to locate a nest little mounds of powdery soil build up. I don't really like destroying them though, their colonies are very interesting, it's just when they start stealing your sugar they are a pest.

 

[ellyr]

I'm on the second floor, and my downstairs neighbors haven't noticed a similar issue. Interesting. I do think I've managed to determine that the entry point is my in my living room, at the baseboards. I've dusted liberally with DE where I think they're coming through.

This is *naturally* all happening right before I need to leave town for a few days. It's really kicking my anxiety into high gear. I'm worried about my cat. A sitter will be coming to check on her; I just have this nightmare scenario of my cat alone in an ant filled apartment. :/

 

[Mother Dragon]

I don't think the ants are going to move in en masse. Have the sitter put the food dish in another dish with a little water. This will keep them out of her food until you get back and can deal with them.

You might query your neighbors on either side and above you if there are any. Apartments have common walls and attics so it's easy for insects to travel from one apartment to another.

The DE should help. It would be good if all your neighbors did the same thing. I'd also look for mounds outside and treat them.

Have a great trip and don't worry. Everything and everyone will be just fine.

 

[arouetta]

Even if you live on the second floor, they are starting their path at ground level. The outside needs to be treated.

I've heard that bleach can remove the scent trail that ants rely on for messages about where good things are.

 

[ellyr]

Yeah - I figured that they were coming up, which is why I was a bit surprised that my neighbors hadn't noticed them.

I'll get in touch with the landlord as soon as I get back. I *think* these are carpenter ants - they're big and black. Hopefully that will spur them to take some action, since those can damage the whole building.

I know logically that this is something that can be dealt with; I'm just one of those anxious people who sees ants and immediately thinks, "The harbingers of the apocalypse are here and are coming for everything I hold dear, starting with my cat!"

 

[kashmir64]

If there are no strays or outside pets in the complex, Amdro is wonderful and works fast.

 

[neely]

If they're carpenter ants it indicates rotted (wet) wood somewhere.

 

[Kieka]

The Terro Ant Baits are great. The problem gets worse for a day or two but then within a week they are gone. We had a persistant problem with tiny black ants last winter and tried everything safe for cats. And they were coming in through the kitchen vent so we couldn't find the trail outside to cut them off before the came in the house. Nothing was working, put down the Terro and they were gone. It worked so good my parents put Terro bait to kill off the colony in their car (don't ask, I don't know how that happened but they only use the car once every other month or so).

Funny story, I got home yesterday to an ant trail from the roof, in the back door, across the ceiling and down to the cat food. Raid outside (cats aren't climbing the side of the house, under the eve and down the drain pipe) and a thorough cleaning inside. We had a weird muggy storm yesterday so the cats were torn between escaping the storm and escaping my cleaning fest.