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MC...Follow Bennie's advice and use the boric acid without the honey. The idea here to kill the ants, not feed them.

No - that is incorrect. The idea is to provide the worker ant with a bait which poisons the nest upon returning to home base. It is not an instant process. Killing the worker ants only prompts the queen ant to make more soldiers. To win such a battle is impossible.

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It is looking better here. Not sure if the boric in honey did it or the Homigon did it or the stuff from Jara did it. Whatever, it took weeks to get to them. I'm sure not being able to access the nests made it a lot harder.

For sure, these tiny ones are much harder to kill than the big ones.

Thanks to all for your help and advice and particularly to the person who generously shared some Hormigon with me.

You all are a great bunch of folks!

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Last year outside we had lots of ants from mounts and all over underneath the yard shed, I read on the internet about using coffee grinds, so we began saving the grinds and started sprinkling it around shrubs and around the shed...

Started to see for sale signs...they are gone !

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Guest bennie2

chillin, you dont set sweet traps for ants. that is for mice, not 1000s of tiny bugs. i have gotton rid of all my tiny ants w/the boric acid. you need to keep all oils/honey in the fridge or completely sealed. even one drop will bring them out. i havenno idea why they like electrical outlets ect. still have a few in the kitchen. if i get one drop of something on the counter they come out of no where.

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In typical masonry construction, electrical lines are run in plastic conduit imbedded within the walls and floors. That conduit makes a nice, cool, dark pathway for those tiny ants to enter your home and travel from room to room or anywhere else they wish.

In the US and Canada, wiring is just stapled to the studs, rafters and joists without conduit; so it is not as convenient for ants.

Your first step might be to put sealant caulk around the electrical boxes on the exterior of your home, and under the cover plate before replacing it. Some boric acid in each electrical box might also help. You could also seal the boxes in the kitchen and bathroom, as those are their favorite destinations.

Be careful, if you are not comfortable working around electricity. Turn off the breakers first; obviously.

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jrm30655- I saw that National Geographic program also. It was fascinating but I did feel sorry for the ants. Especially after all the hard work they did.

The Artist- My friend and I also believe that Terro Ant Baits are the only thing that kills the small ants. Unfortunately we can only get it in the States. You cannot bring it in by plane, even in checked baggage. So we can only get it when we do a car trip.

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jrm30655- I saw that National Geographic program also. It was fascinating but I did feel sorry for the ants. Especially after all the hard work they did.

The Artist- My friend and I also believe that Terro Ant Baits are the only thing that kills the small ants. Unfortunately we can only get it in the States. You cannot bring it in by plane, even in checked baggage. So we can only get it when we do a car trip.

Terro is just 5% boric acid in a sweet base.

I've tried corn syrup, maple syrup and sugar syrup for the base. Maple syrup seems to work the best. Also tried strawberry preserves and peanut butter and that works also.

The trick seems to be to get it close enough to the nest that the workers make it back before they die. Too much boric and they die on the return trip.

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Well, here's a really cool thing about those tiny ants. A couple weeks ago there was a hatch of the winged termites. Normally I am swatting them for hours and then there are dustpans full of wings to sweep up the next morning. This time, the tiny ants that had been marching in and out of the wall outlet attacked those critters- there were instantly about 30 ants on one termite, they were still alive, the wings still on, then the ants just carried them away. Not one wing in the morning.

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I had ants in a couple of apartments and tried lots of things- most had odors or were expensive and didn't work. One thing that wasn't toxic and did work- for awhile anyway- was Ivory liquid soap diluted in a spray bottle. They sell Ivory Liquid at Superlake (unless they're sold out). You will need to repeat when you see the ants again. I also keep any open foods (even dried pastas) in seal bags, and wipe all counters for any traces of anything! an ant might want to eat.

I forget the proportions, but you can experiment. I just know ants don't like it!

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  • 5 weeks later...

I have been told that Hormigol is quite toxic so be careful where you put it and how you handle.

I do sprinkle it around the base of some plants that the ants hit the night before. It last until the next rain or the sprinkler system.

As far as I know, Hormigol is very toxic, be careful with your pets.

http://www.terralia.com/agroquimicos_de_mexico/index.php?proceso=registro&numero=5571&id_marca=453&base=2014

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