# How do I kill these freakin sugar ants?



## redfishsc (Jul 20, 2008)

We've been getting sugar ants like crazy. They will find absolutely anything and swarm it. We had the same problem last year, but not this bad!

I have bug spray that kills them and keeps them from coming in the same place for quite a while, but it only diverts them to another spot. That, and the spray is very powerful and causes me minor respiratory distress if I am around it much. 

I have some of those Combat baits that claim to poison the whole nest. Can I trust these things or are they just feeding the ants? 

Just dunno what to do about wiping the blasted things out short of an exterminator or a hydrogen bomb (which is looking more and more likely!!!)


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## toolcrazy (Jul 20, 2008)

You need to find where they are coming in. Until you do, they will keep coming back. Bait traps don't work, because the have good sense of smell and know what it is. When you do find where they are coming in, spray that. Then you need to find the nest, because they will find another way in. An exterminator taught us how to combat the darn things. Also, find a good spray and spray the entire outside of your foundation, every inch. Ants do not like the smell and won't cross it. And if you can, do the same with the foundation under your house. We had the same problem till the exterminator did this a couple times, they haven't been back since.


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## gcurran (Jul 20, 2008)

*Kill em all!*

I have a neighbor that works for Terminix.  He claims that they have a solution to sugar ants (ferro ants) that actually kills the nest, not just drives em to a new spot.  Might want to check with them.


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## mikes pens (Jul 20, 2008)

Mix some sugar and baking soda together for the ants.  The sugar they like whereas the baking soda will give them bad gas.  Kaboom!


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## redfishsc (Jul 20, 2008)

Thanks for the tips, all!

Baking soda, eh? Do I give it to them, let them eat it, and then blast'em with vinegar! I'd love to watch'em pop!


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## TBone (Jul 20, 2008)

See if you can find a product called Terro.  Put a drop on a piece of cardboard and the ants will come to it like a picnic.  They carry it back and it kills the rest.  Never had to use more than 2 or 3 drops.


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## les-smith (Jul 20, 2008)

*This is what I used.*

I saw where the ants were coming in at and put these down.  After about a week I didn't see any.  I then sprayed around the house.  I haven't seen any inside since.  I see some in my shed now though.

http://www.terro.com/products.php?product=outdoor_ant_bait


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## DocStram (Jul 20, 2008)

Let me know when you solve your sugar ants problem ......  I have a ton of fire ants that would like to move to South Carolina.


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## redfishsc (Jul 20, 2008)

DocStram said:


> Let me know when you solve your sugar ants problem ......  I have a ton of fire ants that would like to move to South Carolina.




That's just fine with me, see'in as I live in NORTH Carolina (well, for the moment anyhow). 


Around here the far'aints aren't quite as bad as they were in Charleston SC. 


When I was a toddler, we lived in Alvin, TX (great place back then but haven't been there since '83 so dunno how it is now). The place was crawling with fire ants. 

We moved to the Carolinas in '83 and not a far'aint to be seen. Later we visited some folks in Mississippi, and noticed the far'aints during a stopover in Atlanta to our surprise and dismay. Dad said it was only a matter of time before they hit the upstate SC. He was right, in 3 years we had them.


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## railrider1920 (Jul 21, 2008)

I have had good results from using Ortho Home Defense Max. I got it at Wally World for about $12. I even used it to kill termites. It killed what I saw and they have not come back (at least I hope it killed them all). 

 If you happen to have another infestation of ants in the house, like if they are crawling all over the kitchen counters, spray them down with a citrus cleaner. I get mine from the dollar store. I have used it and it kills them on contact, not even any squirming after spraying.

About the fire ants, a product called (If I remember correctly) Over and Out, which is in granular form, is supposed to work really well. I use it for fleas. Works very well on them.

HTH


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## scroller99 (Jul 21, 2008)

*fire ants*

I was reading an article on vinegar and they said it would kill the fire ants when sprayed on them? couldn't hurt to try? Good Luck Howard


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## hehndc (Jul 21, 2008)

The terro stuff as worked well for us.  Got the stuff at the local hardware.

They are a pain in the, well you know...

Steve


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