So then I bought these ant traps from Migros, which have proven useless since they don't go near them. Someone at worked suggested creating a threshold of baby powder (talc) and that seemed to work for a while, in that the ants would get to the threshold and then walk back. However this morning I noticed that some of the more persistant buggers had broken through. What else can I do? I don't have pets or kids in the house so I am happy to go nuclear
The other day I lifted up a plate from the draining board, only to be confronted by about 100 tiny ants scurrying around. I traced the line all the way to the kitchen door, which leads to the balcony. Using superglue I tried to block all the holes I could find, but still the buggers kept on coming.
If you know where the hole is they are getting through fill it with silicon mastic.
None of the any pest stuff you can buy in Switzerland is effective, I bought a wasp trap and they are not interested, it's all too environmentally friendly.
When we have an infestation I get my mum to send over a tube of ant killer called "Nippon" available from DIY shops, garden centres and some chemists in the UK. This is the only thing that does the trick for us. The ants carry the gel back to the nest, feed the queen, queen dies along with the rest of the colony.
A quick Google search tells me you can buy it online.
We also had a problem with ants, and we bought (damn sorry forgot the name ) from jumbo, it is especialy for killing ants, it is green and round, there is a special liquid inside which is sticky, that attracts the ants, and once inside they can not get out, we put them on the ground on the patio, and i have had no trouble with ants since.
Sounds suitably evil.. I like it
Yes I always used Nippon in the UK. can buy as a tube or trap.
there are some liquids here too which seem to work the same, but can't remember the name, think made by Maegli ? They make a lot of this type of chemical.
They do become tolerant to it after a few years (nippon) but it's definately the best ant killer I've seen.
Failing that burn the sods with BBQ fluid and a lighter. Or provides hours of fun for kids with a magnifying glass!!(Joke)
Thing is, if you don't knock out the queen, which signals the end of the colony, you run the risk of them resurrecting.
That Nippon stuff sounds a lot like Ant Rid, an Aussie product that is very effective in wiping out ants.
The Ant-Rid site also has a few general ant-control tips .
Ants, rats, spiders, bats - it's been a rough week here, hasn't it?
I'd defer to the Aussie insect control methods above all others. You've got some monsters over there!
Get some peppermint oil and put it around the hole and a drop here and there. Apparantly they don't like the smell, don't know if it works myself but my eco friendly mate reckons it does.
I've been using a bleach spray and its very satisfying to watch them all drop dead. But a few hours later they're back, and they've even cleared the corpses of their fallen comrades
Few years back I saw a red/black ant colony war, was fasinating to watch. I'd say the red ants kicked some ass!
live and let live?
I prefer live and nuke those that trespass
You're in Basel; jump over to France- that's where I buy all my hardcore weapons.
Avoid the chemicals and get rid of them natually, buy an Anteater..
Brilliant i want one, can you buy them in pet stores
Castro i will have a look in the jumbo tomorrow, and find out the name of the green things i use, and then post it they really do work
I wonder if a cordon of Tabasco sauce would do the trick?
You can at least protect your bed by putting little coffee cans filled with petrol under each leg. That will prevent them from climbing up in the night and nipping your nads while you sleep.
I understand that the little ants with which you house would appear to be infested are well known for such nocturnal nibblings, which accounts for their name in German: Schafseckelameisen. In days gone by, farmers would be forced to protect their rams by all kinds of arcane means, for once an army of ants had acquired a taste for scrotal scran, it was almost impossible to get rid of them. They would nestle between the little woolly hairs down there, munching away quite merrily, while the ram was rapidly driven to insanity, thus becoming utterly useless to the farmer, except as a source of wool or as a rather inefficient beast of burden (there is a wide selection of ram saddles and yokes in the permanent exhibition of the Sheep Museum in Wollerau, should you happen to be Welsh).
Obviously, as a human, a good scratch is clearly a very satisfactory option, should your nether regions become infested by such formidable formicid fiends, so insanity is unlikely to result from such an itchy invasion.
Precautions are advisable, all the same, however. There's only so much distraction a gentleman can take while enjoying a good book, a cup of hot chocolate, a game of Twister, or whatever else he might choose to do in the comfort of his bed chamber.
You may want to lay off the cigars, though, at least until the ants have gone.
I had the same problem three years running in an apartment here. I located the place out side where they were coming in a sprayed there. It had not real impact even if I sprayed every couple of days. The swiss neighbours hired an exterminator at their own expense and I benefited greatly.