Look, just because I'm a hermit doesn't mean I'm a gentle monk in harmony with nature, okay? 'Cause I'm not. Sometimes I'm in direct conflict with nature, and when that happens I like to win. Usually that involves one-on-one battle in which my single opponent really has no chance to score and may not even know he's in a battle until the .22 cracks or the trap snaps shut. This time it involved a certain amount of genocide.
I really don't like to kill things, and certainly not in wholesale lots. But this summer I was invaded by thousands of very industrious ants that just wouldn't be dissuaded. They swarmed my sink and counter. I watched them dissect and carry off the body of a horsefly (also killed by yours truly) in minutes. These guys were positively scary.
I found and treated their entry point. That kept them away for a day or two, but then they'd always come back in even greater numbers. I did this again and again, and it just never got the point across. So finally I followed them outside the RV, across the yard, and found their very extensive nest. I identified three separate entrances, and then I nuked their numerous little aboriginal asses.
There are ant nests all over the place here - some of them huge, high constructions. Mostly we coexist peacefully. I'm happy to do that if they are. But you really mustn't screw with Old Uncle Doom, okay?
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Two ideas that work. Sprinkle borax at entry points to your home. Put it in corners under the sink and any place you find ants. It is even compatible with rugs (it won't hurt them and when you vacuum it just gets picked up).
Buy a bottle of hot peppers and put on your vinyl gloves and cut the tops of of them and remove the seeds. You put the cleaned peppers back in the bottle for later consumption but used the seeds and tops to place on and near ant hills. Give it a day or two and the ants will move. I assume they still are underground somewhere but their open up a new anthill hopefully away from your home
I've had good luck with ant baits-brand name doesn't really seem to make much difference-they're not instant overnight ant annihilation, but you'll see fewer and fewer over a period of a week or so. At least, this is what happened when I dealt with a major ant invasion.
I have had good experience with Sulfuric Acid. Outdoor use only. It comes marketed as proffesional grade draing opener, runs somewhere near 70-80% sulfuric acid. Pour a little down the entrance and the ants will disappear. The ground will smoke and bubble a bit and nothing will grow in that spot for years, but it works. Don't use it on concrete though it will leave a gray scar.
I always cackle "How about a little nerve gas, Scarecrow?" in my best witch-y voice while I'm spraying the stuff...
Diatomaceous earth is a better answer and has more uses. Non toxic to humans or pets, and won't sterilize the ground.
http://www.earthworkshealth.com/
1) Mother Nature thinks of you as food.
2) Mother Nature will win.
Your job - should you choose to accept it - is to postpone that outcome as long as possible.
It's war. Fight as if your life depended on it.
Q
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