Ants

Ants are attracted to food so the kitchen is one of their favourite places. Wipe up any food on worktops and floor. There are chemicals available to use but if you have small children or pets living in or visiting your home then try a more natural product. Ants don't like the smell of citrus fruits. I find them coming out of skirting boards so I sprinkle a few drops of lemon oil nearby and it seems to work.

To be honest, there are many different ant killers and also natural remedies, so the choice is up to you. Google 'how to stop ants coming in' and you'll see various products and suggestions.

In the past I have put poison drops down and also closed the windows and doors and sprayed the hell out of them when they flew indoors at work once. I'm not saying that's the best idea, but probably good to have some spray ready for mid-summer when they take flight just in case they do come in. But if you try other things now maybe they will be deterred.

Mine used to come into the sitting room from somewhere when it was "flying ant time" - never saw them at any other time - or elsewhere.

I filled all the old cracks in the sitting room wall where it met with the floor when we redecorated... and had the outside re-pointed.... no problems since! 🤞

I had an invasion of ants a few years ago - they were marching from the sitting room into the hall and up a table leg - I was horrified!! I discovered they were getting in at the base of the skirting board on an outside wall. I went outside and found a hole on the flower border and could see them all!! I used the ant drops over and over again, to no avail. In desperation I poured a load of bleach down the hole, and I mean LOADS!!!
It worked - Had no more trouble since. The garden recovered very quickly. In wish you luck.

Have you seen the fire ants in Australia? Glad we don't get them!

We've had a problem with ants for years - I think there's a big nest under the house! It's an old cottage with no proper foundation, so they seem to be able to get right under and emerge in a few places in the middle, near the chimney. Not much of an issue most of the time, except when they decide to get wings and take flight when we get warm, humid weather in summer.
I've tried various treatments- powders, sprays etc. Nippon syrup which has a poison they bring back to nest, had worked years ago, but they weren't attracted to it recently. Then last year I found the ants swarming over the lid of a honey jar. I mixed the Nippon with some honey and left it in their path - the lid it was on was soon swarming with ants traveling back and forth and the next day there were none!

Yes, I saw them on the lunchtime news.

SueRosie

Have you seen the fire ants in Australia? Glad we don't get them!

If they sting it is very, very painful.

Jonlin ants only develop wings in the summer, usually July when you see them flying off to form new nests.

Nippon is your answer.

Ant Stop are crystals which the workers carry back to the queen to feed her and hopefully that should stop the nest If you have pets kids etc put in a trap of out of their reach

My previous house was built on an ant-hill- we only found this out of course after we moved in!

Luckily it was mostly the kitchen they came into and they were easily spotted.

The key is to locate the nests. We found lots of them outside near the paving and at the grass edges, because they built little waste piles of sand to show us where they were. I used a variety of methods to destroy the next, including boiling water, which seems harsh.

Another method was to use splenda, canderel, or other supermarket sweetener that looks like sugar. Sprinkle some around the nest site and they'll head for it, not knowing their bodies aren't designed to absorb the chemicals, and take it back to the nest.

If you do this whenever you spot them they will soon move elsewhere.

I agree they can give a nasty bite.

I think flying ants are just ants that have grown wings later on but I'm not an expert on these things- just killing them!

Since I moved to a new house I haven't seen a single ant here in five years! Hope I haven't spoken too soon.

Good luck.

Diatomaceous earth available in good hardware shops and amazon. Safe for pets and kids.. it is a dessicant and they carry it back to the nest.

SueRosie

Have you seen the fire ants in Australia? Glad we don't get them!

Awful creatures. There’s an initiation ceremony in Brazil where gloves full of fire ants have to be worn
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEWmynRcEEQ

I use ant powder outside but inside I use this . I get it off Etsy smells lovely. But ants hate it. I found it safe to spray on my carpets ,shower room floor tiles and my Karndean flooring in my kitchen and hall. It's 500ml. Quick delivery.

Ant powder outside the patio doors, Nippon inside, we had some ants about three weeks ago, this sorted them, for now.

Still fighting the battle of the ant . Thought I had it over. Gorilla tape quarter way up my skirting board and rest on carpet where I can reach using spray indoors as well as cotton wool balls soaked in oils they don't like. Found 4 in my spare bedroom. Going outside with the ant powder again .🤬🤬🤬🤬

bump

Bump

Bumps

Bump

bump

I got rid of the last lot with a white vinegar spray. They seem to like the wooden plinth inside my patio doors as the first sign is sawdust. When I hoover it up the ants come streaming out.

My goto for ants is the Nippon liquid mixed with sugar/syrup/honey. I use two jam jar lids, put the mixture inside one lid and tape the other lid on top, with just the tiniest gap so only ants can get in. It lives amongst the flowers in the border. Ants are attracted to the sugar and take the liquid back to the nest. I renew it every few months.