Ant Problem

[krazyaboutkatz]

Hi everyone. I have an ant problem. It's mainly in my kitchen. I'd like to know what is good to use to get rid of ants that won't be harmful to my cats? I've tried the ant traps in the past and they don't work. I live in a condo so the whole building is affected. Please help me?

[zippy-kat]

Try some honey on a saucer--the ants will (hopefully) be drawn towards the sweetness and get stuck--and hey if the cats eat it, it's extra protein!

[moosmom]

They have these electronic things you plug in that are supposed to get rid of ants and rodents. Only problem is you can use them in a home that has rodents for pets (such as gerbils, mice, hamster, guinea pigs). I used it and it worked like a charm. You can get them on QVC or Wal-Mart.

Good luck. Ants are a pain in the butt!!

[krazyaboutkatz]

Originally posted by moosmom
They have these electronic things you plug in that are supposed to get rid of ants and rodents. Only problem is you can use them in a home that has rodents for pets (such as gerbils, mice, hamster, guinea pigs). I used it and it worked like a charm. You can get them on QVC or Wal-Mart.

Good luck. Ants are a pain in the butt!!

I've tried this before and it didn't work. They had a show about these on t.v. one time and said that none of the ones that they tested worked. They said it's a scam.

[aly]

One apartment I lived in, I got a problem with ants on the kitchen floor where I fed Shiloh. All I did was soak up the ants with wet paper towels several times a day and move Shiloh's food to a platter on a stand that was surrounded by water. That way if they tried to crawl in, they wouldn't make it to the food cause they'd run into the water. I wish I took a picture of it because it worked wonders. After about a week there were no more ants.

Do you have cat food or any kind of crumbs on your kitchen floor?

[krazyaboutkatz]

Originally posted by aly
One apartment I lived in, I got a problem with ants on the kitchen floor where I fed Shiloh. All I did was soak up the ants with wet paper towels several times a day and move Shiloh's food to a platter on a stand that was surrounded by water. That way if they tried to crawl in, they wouldn't make it to the food cause they'd run into the water. I wish I took a picture of it because it worked wonders. After about a week there were no more ants.

Do you have cat food or any kind of crumbs on your kitchen floor?

Not that I know of but my roommate is kind of messy and sometimes she doesn't clean up all of her crumbs.

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Yeah the ant things that Popcornbird is talking about works well. It looks like one of those roach motels except it is for ants... you just put it in the line of ants (somwhere where the precious kitties can not get to it) and they take the poison to the colony and it kills them all... I had to use them and it worked.

Hey Aly!! You know someone invented something like you were talking about.. I saw it in my Cat Fancy magazine... It is a tray you set the cat food bowls on and you fill it up with water and the ants can not get to the food because they run into a canal of water... but they engeneered it to be spill proof.... GIRL you should have pattened that and made you some money!

[Kater]

"I have an ant problem. I’d rather not kill the ants, but I do want to get rid of them. What should I do?

Avoid using insect sprays. Pesticides are the number two cause of household poisonings in the U.S., as people and companion animals breathe in the toxic air. The best way to keep ants out of your house safely and naturally is by using products you may have in your kitchen cabinets right now. Try pouring a line of cream of tartar, red chili powder, paprika, or dried peppermint at the place where you think ants might be entering the house; they won’t cross it. You can also try washing countertops, cabinets, and floors with equal parts vinegar and water. To keep insects out in the first place, fill holes and cracks in walls with caulk or white glue. Finally, probably the most important thing you can do is to avoid giving insects a food supply, by keeping living areas clean. Be careful to sweep up crumbs, wash dishes immediately, store food in tightly sealed containers, and empty garbage frequently. "

is the answer given on http://www.askcarla.com
which is associated with Peta’s website (http://www.peta.org)

[aly]

Originally posted by Sara luvs her Tinky

Hey Aly!! You know someone invented something like you were talking about.. I saw it in my Cat Fancy magazine... It is a tray you set the cat food bowls on and you fill it up with water and the ants can not get to the food because they run into a canal of water... but they engeneered it to be spill proof.... GIRL you should have pattened that and made you some money!

Awww man I thought it was pretty clever myself when I did it. Next time I get an idea, I'll patent that sucker!!!

[NoahsMommy]

We just had this problem!! We used the Raid and wiped it up with those Clorox wipes...but the smell was TERRIBLE! (we even bought the flowery scented one) That wasn't the worst part, even though I wiped everything down with those Clorox wipes, I was scared to let the cats in the bathroom (or kitchen counters, which they aren't allowed on anyway....at least when I'm there to stop them! )

So, we went to our local PetSmart to find something that was non-toxic to the cats. They didn't have anything! So, my huby started spraying 409 cleaner and then wiping it down...haven't seen any ants since....

I've heard that if you put salt out, they wont cross that either.

Hope that helps! Do you know where the ants are coming in from?

[gini]

I have had a horrible ant problem each spring. One evening I came home and my entire kitchen counter was black! It was disgusting.

For a temporary solution to keeping ants out of Rascal's food, I used a Chinese chalk that I bought at the hardware store.

You simply, mark a line all around the food and water dishes. It does work. But, I have heard that any kind of chalk will work as well. I also used the chalk around my coffeemaker and in my cupboards and it worked there as well.

I don't want to use the Raid products around Rascal, so I too, used the 409 to get rid of the ants.

You can scrub your kitchen down, but if they find an open bottle of maple syrup etc. - they go nuts. I put bottles of that type in ziplock bags or just put everything in the refridgerator.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks for all the help. I'll try some of these and hope that at least one of them will do the job.

[NoahsMommy]

KrazyaboutKatz,

Did your ants go away?? What helped? We still find a few "loner" ants...yuck!

[NoahsMommy]

ACK!!! We came home to ANTS in our kitchen!!!

Time to get the 409 and spices/salt out!!!

[krazyaboutkatz]

Originally posted by NoahsMommy
KrazyaboutKatz,

Did your ants go away?? What helped? We still find a few "loner" ants...yuck!

I wiped down my kitchen counters with a vinegar and water mixture and they seemed to go away for a couple of days. Then they were coming back so I sprayed some unscented raid in the area where they were coming into the kitchen. So far no more ants. I only see dead ones. This stuff is supposed to work for 4 weeks. I still see some loner ants in the bathroom though. I don't want to spray everywhere because I don't want my cats getting into the poison. Thanks for everyone's help. Once you have ants they are so hard to get rid of.