We are periodically plagued with these tiny, tiny ants. I mean tiny. They come and go. We've tried every kind of ant killer on the market and they still show up periodically. They show up all over the house. We spray, set out traps, etc. and they go away. Then they come back weeks or months later. Today, I see one running across the screen of my new laptop. I reach out and squash it. Then I realize that it's UNDER the screen, not on top of it. Now I have a squashed tiny ant permanently displayed on my screen and it's driving me crazy. How the heck did it get in there? What the heck can I do? Arrrgggghhhhh.....
My son had a similar problem with small ants in his home in Indiana, and it originated with the fact that that house was built on a slab. Once the ants got under the slab, nothing could reach them. I bought him some Terro Ant bait stations, both indoor and outdoor. You have to use bait the ants will carry to the nest as no spray or trap will affect the nests. After you set the traps (try to find where they enter you home and lace the bait stations there--both indoors and outdoors (different types of bait stations)--and it will take two or more weeks before you notice relief. Leave the baits in place for 6 or more weeks after the problem is gone, but re-install the bait station every few months to make sure they don't come back. I have no idea if your house is on a slab, but if it is, try this solution. Bait
You can use yeast and jelly, jam, anything sweet to do the same thing. Mix a pack of yeast in a little bit of jam, etc. Put some of it in a jar lid or shallow dish. Put it where the ants crawl. They eat it and take some back down to the queen. She eats it and dies. End of ant problem.
Oh...under the screen..it will dissolve ...anyway...borax...sugar...water...put cotton balls on top...use bowl...cut holes in side...they take it back home...ratio is teaspoon borax...3 teaspoon sugar.. just enough water to moisten well...so they can carry...
we get aphids that the ants farm..they're a problem every year...ants gone..leaves the aphids vulnerable..and we can manage aphids with no farmer ants...that yeast is simplest solution...
I tried borax and sugar...they just walked around it. The bait stations did not seem to work, either. The march along the wall on the kitchen counter, so I know the stuff is in their path. I get them annually, I forget how long they hang around. Then they're gone until next year. Annoying little buggers.
Yep, borax is the active ingredient in the Terro baits, I think, but the commercial stuff isn't that expensive and the bait stations keep pets and kids out of the stuff, as well as other wildlife in the outdoor stations. As far as I know, nothing has ever developed a tolerance to borax/boron. It even kills cockroaches well.
They could be fat eating ants, and then you should use a peanut butter/borax mixture, but you REALLY have to keep the critters and kids away from that.
Oops. Ships in the night. I'll keep that in mind...they really had zero interest in the sugar. Fortunately, I got no critters here (2 legged or 4 legged.)
They will eventually loose interest and take a powder......no more powdered donuts at the computer, please!