Ant wars!!!

[slimshavy]

I think I've said it before, but I have a deal worked out with bugs.
I go out of my way to avoid disturbing or bothering insects outside.
If they come into the house, and I see them, they are dead.

We have a similar deal with ants and the like. We don't spray outside because flickers eat the ants by the thousand and we don't want to hurt them. Also, it's the ants' turf, literally and figuratively.

We offer more lenient terms to spiders (because they're beneficial) and stink bugs (because we don't want to deal with the stink): relocation to the yard or garden.

 

[Rico Suave]

I once had a downstairs half bathroom completely invaded by ants, many hundreds appeared seemingly at once, no idea why. I used a shop vac to suck up the loose ants and then sprayed the wooden floor with citrus oil and wiped it everywhere. That stuff is harmless to humans, and even smells nice. But the ants seemingly hated it, they never came back. I conjecture the citrus oil interferes with the ants' chemical navigation systems, but don't really know. Subsequently used citrus oil as bug repellent a few times with very good outcomes.

 

[luvmysuper]

We have a similar deal with ants and the like. We don't spray outside because flickers eat the ants by the thousand and we don't want to hurt them. Also, it's the ants' turf, literally and figuratively.

We offer more lenient terms to spiders (because they're beneficial) and stink bugs (because we don't want to deal with the stink): relocation to the yard or garden.

We offer more lenient terms to spiders (because they're beneficial) and stink bugs (because we don't want to deal with the stink): relocation to the yard or garden.

Depending on spider type, I can be lenient. Daddy Long Legs and any garden variety spider gets a walk outside.
Any "inside" spiders get the smush. Don't want to help out Black Widow and Brown Recluse types.
Stink Bugs get the smush regardless. I try to get them really fast with a good whack, which usually results in them not having time to stink.
They are an invasive species here and will hide inside walls over winter, so we see them most in the spring and the fall as they attempt to come or go. I smush them because I don't want to deal with their kids next year.
Wasps inside the house or screened porch get the smush, even though they are some of the few predators that have taken up killing stink bugs.

 

[Eric_75]

Brown Recluse

Had them at my old place in Nashville. Tea Tree oil, Eucalyptus oil, Lavender oil, Peppermint oil and other essential oils really helped keep them out. Also replacing all cardboard boxes in the place with plastic totes worked wonders.

 

[Mojo88]

Outside spiders are on the do not disturb list along with any praying mantis or walking stick.

Our next door neighbor had a box elder tree in a cluster of trees . They removed all the trees with the exception of the box elder. One day I went out and it looked like our house was covered with lighting bugs. With google’s help I found they were box elder bugs. Disturbing them caused them to relocate to our house. I mixed up a combination of dawn dish soap and sprayed them with it. There were literally hundreds at a time everywhere. I fought that battle for years in the spring. Fortunately they took the tree down as it was too close to their house and the roots were close to the foundation.

 

[LuckyR]

Ants, being inherently hungry essentially kill themselves. Half of the time they want sugar, half of the time protein. So I have honey/borax and dog food/water/borax mixes. When the spring scouts come out, bait with both. They're gone til next spring's scouts.

 

[luvmysuper]

Water is also an attraction for ants. If you have moist conditions, they will come.

 

[Mojo88]

Water is also an attraction for ants. If you have moist conditions, they will come.

Our neighbor had a carpenter ant issue and I explained that there was water penetration somewhere. He finally tracked it down to two things: A clogged gutter causing water to run in the foundation and a dropped slab. He had a company do slab jacking, cleaned his gutters and called an exterminator. Fortunately he caught it early and the damage was minimal.