Actually, I have some great ant traps here in Japan that work similar to the (Rotenone?) white powder sprinkled on the perimeter mentioned in an earlier post. There must be something like that over there in the big city.

The easiest way to get rid of them is to use their natural ‘programming’ against them. Find their initial food source (what they came inside to find in the first place). Dampness may attract them later, but it’s always the fault of a single scout that found a munchie and dragged her butt across the ground to make a trail for the rest of them.

After removing the offending substance, they’ll still crawl over the area for a few days (just in case, I guess… most likely it’s just because it takes awhile for the pheremone trail to dissipate completely, but particularly persistant ones can go for a week). Track it back to the initial mound and dump some sort of munchie halfway between the two directly in the path (wet sugar clumps work well, though old squished fruit is easy too). If you can’t find the original mound (or, alternatively, the original food source), simply find the point of entry to your house and put some in the path there.

The little blighters are cute, but not very bright… once they find the food, they will gather it and then head back to the mound, dropping a ‘return’ trail as they go. Once one of the actual scouts hits it and reinforces it with the proper scent, all the rest will just follow and you’ve ended up sidetracking the entire pile. After that they’ll have to send out scouts again as normal, but they’ll have a stronger trail to follow (the new one they just reinforced) and once the new scouts return to your house… well, you did remove the initial munchie they were going after, right? No more worries.

Of course, if a clever queen managed to build her nest somewhere inside your home (such as between some boards, under the floor, in the cracks in a wall, right under the doorstop, etc) then you’ll have to result to poison. But if the source is external, well, you don’t need to waste money on expensive poisons or traps. Obviously if you’ve got kids that like to play with dirt, you might want to exterminate the mounds outside, but that’s easy enough.

- Bang

- Believe me, I’ve done my share of battles with the little “legal” aliens…and you’re correct. It’s the moisture that draws them…Especially in swarming season…

- Bang

- Bang

I can’t figure out what these ants were trailing to, either. My kitchen is spotless and if I throw food in the trash I usually empty the trash that same night outside.

I have noticed for some reason ants are attracted to damp areas, so may want to check there.

I get them in the bathroom at times, if damp towel falls the the floor, sometimes there will be a few ants underneath when I pick it up in the morning.

Next time you talk to him, don’t worry about it, you probably made a great impression.

- Bang

Me either, I can kill plastic plants…

Sev – I can’t figure out what these ants were trailing to, either. My kitchen is spotless and if I throw food in the trash I usually empty the trash that same night outside.

Ryan – well, if my neighbor is impressed that I work out in the garden, I hope he won’t be too disappointed when I alert him to the fact that my gardening adventures are few and far in between. A green thumb I am *not* LOL.

Be back in a bit.

- Bang