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Steve from Ludington Mi writes

What do I do when ants ignore every kind of sweet and protein bait I have offered them?

I have small (~1/8", no more than 3/16" long) black or very dark brown ants which are in the wall behind the bathroom shower. I have found a hole where they come out at the base of the shower. I tried several sugar-syrup baits (terro and revenge, plus home-made boric acid + sugar +water and boric acid + pancake syrup, and Raid bait traps, which appear to have peanut butter inside. I also made home-made peanut butter + boric acid. I put out a small piece of cheese. Nothing seems to attract them. I have ordered some Advance 375A protein bait and some Intice sweet liquid bait from your web site, but have not received them yet, so I don't know if they will work. I would prefer to use baits, as I am not enthused with spreading toxic sprays inside my house. Please advise.

Answer:

There are several species of ants that make their own food and will not take any type of bait at all. You may be dealing with one of these ant species. In cases like this you are limited to using a spray, dust or foam of some sort to gain control. When the products are used as recommended on the product label they are usually limited to cracks and crevices and voids and are not spread through the home. Phantom Aerosol would be a good choice for ant control indoors. Phantom is a non-repellent insecticide that has a delayed reaction which allows ants time to get back to the colony and spread the product. In essence, the ants will not be able to tell that the product is in place and they will pick it up on the fine hairs all over their body and inadvertently carry it back to the colony where over a course of a few days it will knock out the entire colony. Phantom works really well because you don't have to worry about whether the ants will all take the bait, they just need to walk over the treated areas. Phantom should be applied around baseboards, door frames, window frames and places where utilities (cables, pipes and wires) enter through the wall as these are the most likely places for the ants to enter/exit.

Answer last updated on: 07/01/2013

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