Ant problem

[lulu74]

Hi everyone! I'm Liz. I got my first sulcata baby, Dozer, about a month ago. She's (I call her she because I can't call it "it" until I can see what "it" is) eating really good- romain, clover, dandelion leaves, violet and is growing pretty quickly. My one issue right now is I somehow got ants in my enclosure. Makes sense since it's got everything an ant needs but how do I get rid of them without using chemicals that'll hurt Dozer??
Thanks in advance!!

 

[Ray--Opo]

Welcome, I had a problem with ants with my tort but his hide was outside. I read here to put cinnamon around the hide. It really works.
Do you happen to use coco coir substrate? One time I put fresh coco coir in his indoor enclosure and got ants. I think it was in the coco coir. What I did was feed Opo some acorn squash and noticed the ants all over it.
So I would take out the food dish and rinse the ants down the sink. The next day I did it again and after 4 days got rid of the ants. Good luck

 

[Lyn W]

Food grade diatomaceous earth is another good thing to use.
I ordered some of Amazon last summer for my ant problem.
It's not toxic but it causes the ants to dry up and dehydrate.
I hate killing anything but when the ants found a way into the house they had to go.
I'll try cinnamon next time if it drives the ants away rather than killing them.

 

[jaizei]

Food grade diatomaceous earth is another good thing to use.
I ordered some of Amazon last summer for my ant problem.
It's not toxic but it causes the ants to dry up and dehydrate.
I hate killing anything but when the ants found a way into the house they had to go.
I'll try cinnamon next time if it drives the ants away rather than killing them.

I think most essential oils work also, tho peppermint is the most common. Mixed with water and sprayed to form a boundary where ever you don't want bugs to go.

 

[Yvonne G]

Here are some remedies I've accumulated over the years:

Several Home-made Ant Remedies


1 – Boric Acid

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon of Boric Acid, 1 tsp of Sugar, 4 oz water, Cotton Balls.

Mix Boric Acid and Sugar in a bowl. This can be poured over a cotton wad in

a small dish or bottle cap. Keep this from drying out for continued

effectiveness. Place Cotton balls in path of Ants. If the ants are drawn to sugar, if you make a solution of boric acid and sugar, not too much boric acid initially, the ants will eat it up take it to their young and feed it to them. This method will kill the entire nest in about two weeks. The solution should initially be weak because you don't want them to taste the boric acid and you don't want to kill the ants before they feed the rest of the nest. If they are protein eating ants mix the boric acid in broth.



2 – Another Boric Acid


>> 1 teaspoon boric acid (available at any drug store,, $2.99 for 4 oz) 6 tablespoons sugar

>> 2 cups water

>> mix together in a jar till all dissolved,, label and store safely.

>>Soak a few cotton balls with it, then put them in a small, covered plastic >container (margarine or <?>) with a few small openings in it for the ants to >get in, (I also put a brick on top so other curious creatures could not get >in)and then freshen it 1-2 times a week.

>> This is a slow acting 1 percent solution to get them to take some back to

>> the nest and even feed the queen :>

>>after a few weeks changing to a 1/2 percent solution should keep them gone.


3 - bacon grease

....in a margarine tub which is sunk into the ground level. The ants here can smell animal fat from what seems like a mile away...Around the outside of the margarine tub I place a big circle of boric acid...and cover it with a rock. The ants have to walk through the boric acid to get to the bacon grease, then back through it on the way out. If they get back to the nest carrying it on their legs, it kills whatever it comes into contact with. We have 4or 5 species of ants here...two of which are lethal!


4 - Found this in Jerry Bakers stuff

Ant Ambrosia

4-5 tbsp. of cornmeal

3 tbsp. of bacon grease

3 tbsp. of baking powder

3 packages of baker's yeast


Mix the cornmeal and bacon grease into a paste, then add the baking powder and yeast. Dab the gooey mix on the sides of jar lids, and set them near the anthills. The pesky critters will love it to death!!""



5 - If you can't find Everclear, liquefy orange peels and pour it around the ant hills. You may get fruit flies, but you won't have any trouble with ants!


6 - I have a friend that put a circle of diatomaceous earth around her aviaries and

effectively kept the ants out that way. She also uses it to directly attack any hills in the area.


7 - I believe that the "new age chalk" is a combination of diatomaceous earth and boric acid. Boric acid is the major component in "Roach Proof" and is a fairly benign and very effective means of insect control.


8 - Amdro is another effective treatment, but it is an actual poison, but safer than others. Both Amdro and Logic are baits that the ants pick up and take into the mound so that the queen eats it.


9 - (this one's from Tortoise Forum Member, Loni: I had a yard that was half fire ant hill because there were a lot of fruit trees. I used the "erupting volcano" recipe from the kids science fairs. Sprinkle the ant hill liberally with baking soda and then pour concentrated white vinegar (from Home Depot, etc not food grade) on it. The resulting foam is acidic and follows their tunnels into the nest itself and kills them. Then water heavily to disperse the residue when it is done. Didn't have tortoises at the time but was safe for dogs and cats.