We used to have the ant problem every year until we got proactive about it. Now at the beginning of every spring we stick new ant bait traps outside as well as sprinkling either borax or corn meal around the side of the house. We should probably reapply after all this rain, but we haven't had an ant problem since we started doing that a few years ago.

I use Terro on ants.

You picked a great time to leave town.

The ants you see should not be killed. They can be subverted to be your messengers of death back to the colonies from whence they came. If you kill, you are just daring the colonies to replace the staff. Ant bait granules sprinkled everywhere they go if you don't have a dog or cat, plastic bait containers and Grant's Ant Stakes if you do. These are much cheaper at warehouse membership stores. Pay special attention to ant trails--don't wash or spray them--they are your highway to to the ant heads of state. Put bait right on them.

Wow. A sadist after my own heart. EL

That likely won't work. To get rid of the ants, you have to get rid of their nest. You will only get rid of the small percentage of the ants that are out, foraging for food. If you really want to solve the problem, you have to find the nest and destroy it. Pouring boiling water in the nest usually works.

Cauldrons of boiling oil poured from rhe ramparts.

Bucky,
Does boiling water work with fire ant mounds too? Those buggers are fierce.

So, Baltimore is getting the spring ants back.

Each spring, we get tiny frogs that croak really LOUD. But only at night. And they stay outside too.

Yes, when it comes to ants, I am the happiest sadist--a line from the bad guy in A Wrinkle in Time, a Newberry winner back when city schools made kids read them. This approach using ant ethology is the only way I know to get to the nest, as they're not built where I can get at 'em. Vanquished the dread carpenter ants that way--which reminds me, they're about to do their spring swarm. That requires flying insect vapor strips to knock them dead as they fly before they can disperse to establish new nests.

P.S. Research reveals that most ants do hibernate. A few crawl south for the winter. PCB Rob? Do you see lots of ants showing up down there in January?

I've read that ants don't cross vinegar. As soon as I remember where the buggers come in, I'm giving that a try.

FL Rob, when I lived in Houston we had a brutal time with fire ants. They were my mortal enemies after my then-3-year-old son fell into a mound of them. There was stuff called Firecracker! that would wipe the #$%* out in a second. It was banned by the EPA because it made eagle egg shells too thin. I used to pour clorox on the mound, but they only moved operations a couple of feet. We also tried "salad oil". Same result.

I second the terro traps (http://www.terro.com/). Those things are awesome. You can find them at walmart in the garden section.

As the daughter of a lifelong exterminator, I will concur that Chowsearch is correct in that approach. We suffer from an ant invasion every year too, and it makes me (the daughter of a lifelong exterminator) cah-razy and a little embarrassed. Here is the product I use, and it works Every.Single.Time. (http://combatbugs.com/roach-products/combat-ant-killing-gel-ants/) You can find it at Mars Grocery and Ace Hardware.

You can put the gel anywhere, including vertical surfaces, and the next thing you know, you will have millions of ants swarming the gel to take back to their home, where they will feed it to the queen and kill her and the rest of the colony. Within hours, they will be gone FOREVAH!
[wringing hands] Mmmwahahahahahaha! Mmmwahahahahahaha!

When I lived in Alabama I always used boiling water to kill fire ants around my house. When you pour the water on the nest, the ants will try to save the larvae by bring them to the surface. I swear boiled ant larvae smells just like boiled chicken.

Bucky,
Yes, they all show up with their little sunglasses and suitcases.

Seriously, fire ants here are a lot less active in winter, but they are still around. They might hibernate during the cold snaps we get.

Eve, I have been bit/stung twice by them and it was weeks before it cleared up.
This new powder, called Bengal, does a pretty good job on killing fire ants. But you have to hit all the mounds in your yard at the same time, or they just move like you said.
Some mounds are obvious, but others can be real tiny and hidden in the grass.

I went to the new farmers' market by the U of MD med school (Paca and Baltimore). Only 4 vendors, but tons of people there.

One farm selling apples (not bad), potted flowers and potted herbes, Firefly Farms (goat cheese, the Buche de Noire I got Sunday at JFX from them was tasty), a baker (baguettes, brownies, cookies, whole wheat bread, etc.) and someone with free range eggs (I'll crack an egg tonight to see if they really are), chickens and Pacific NW seafood (salmon, oysters, etc.).

They really need more vendors.

Lissa

How was the Lamb and Wool Fest?

You may have already reported but I get on here not frequently enough to remember what zig or zag of a previous post, that report might be.

ATTN: IMPROVE YOUR SEARCH FUNCTION UTILITY!

A coworker of mine swears that Windex repels them. She sprays down her counters and doorsills with it, as well as anywhere she can see they're coming in, and she says it keeps them away. I've never tried it but it might be worth a shot, I guess.

Lissa,
How can you tell if eggs really are free range when you crack them open? Different color?

EL, please DO NOT poison your kitchen. Those nasty little ants just invaded my kitchen as well. I bought a new Safer's product, an ant killer with "natural plant extracts" and a nice minty scent. I don't know if it is as natural as they claim, but it does kill the ants right in their tracks. I also put bait down in some areas the kittens can't reach, but if you have any pets, you need to be careful about what you use. I have also used the boiling water trick on nests in our terrace, but they just seem to move someplace else.

mice and moths: help.
the ants I have under control, or the illusion of it.

LEC, the Sheep and Wool Festival was great fun. I got to see all kinds of rare sheep breeds I've only seen described before. The food was so so, but there were over a hundred vendors, sheep, Morris Dancers, plants...just tons of stuff.

PCB Rob, it is easier later in the year, but it is mostly by the colour of the yolk (darker the better, although they can be dyed, and this time of year they aren't as orange naturally) and the texture of the whites when I crack it (although that is more freshness). If that is good, I'll fry one up and eat it. If all three of those agree, they are really free range, and not "cage free" (which isn't, although it is better than battery cages) or regular commercial eggs.

RAID Ant Baits are the best, they are inexpensive and they work. You can find them at any supermarket, hardware store, etc.

I third Terro. Works on our spring ants.

jl, want to rent a cat?

Dahlink's right, cats are the answer to mice.

I wish I had an answer to moths.

I too would like to rent a cat. I've written before about the lack of mousing skills that my terrier, Mr. Jefferson, has.

Perhaps the blog could all go in on a cat together, like a time share.

Some cats love to chase moths. I hear they are bitter, though.

Our rescue kittens, Max and Missy, haven't had the chance to test their mousing skills yet, but judging by the ferocious way they pounce on the occasional bug or dried leaf, mice wouldn't stand a chance. Maybe I could arrange a temporary visit the next time we plan a trip? Solve two problems with one stone, or something like that!

Some cats love to chase moths.

I think the moths eat my clothes in an earlier stage before they fly and attract cats.

Unfortunately, my cat loves to bring IN mice & birds. Sometimes alive, sometimes dead. They say that the cat feels like they are bringing you a present, but I say go pounce on something at Bed, Bath, and Beyond if you want to get me a present.

The little tiny ants really don't like Lysol, either. That's what I've been using because I don't want to spray Raid on my kitchen counter. I'll have to try the Terro. I've heard that the ant gel works great. I'll put some outside and see what happens, I surely don't want "millions" of ants in my kitchen looking for a snack and freaking out my family.

I had put down the Raid plastic ant bait houses, but last week the dog went into the bathroom and came out with one in his mouth like it was a toy. End of that experiment.

A few years ago I had an apartment in the basement of a big old victorian house in Hamilton. Once, I woke up in the middle of the night, and without turning on any lights, went into the kitchen for a snack. I grabbed a chocolate covered Entemann's doughnut and ate it in the dark. Then I felt the "crumbs" moving. When I turned on the light, I saw that the doughnuts were completely covered in ants.

mice and moths: help.

I never had a rodent in my house. I used to see them in the alley and every now & then I'd find a dead one in my yard, but never the house. The German Shepherd died and it was suddenly like the Pied Piper'd had a snit. It was horrible. Got a gorgeous cat from Defenders of Animal Rights and the rodent problem is solved.

The aforementioned cat and the dog both chase flying things. I had to move the Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden to an easy-escape corner of the yard so that I wouldn't have to wonder every time I heard the big Dober-jaws snap.

Hal, the Dober-mix almost went through a window chasing a fly. If you mean clothing moths, oranges or apples with cloves stuck in them truly do seem to repel moths. (And they're great cub scout projects.)

Our cat Ludlow (otherwise known as the golden haired green eyed menace) will occasionally catch a mouse and leave just the head on the floor next to my bed. Nothing like stepping on a wet mouse head first thing in the morning.

One of the reasons I like Terro (besides that it works) is that it isn't supposed to harm animals. I think it is basically borax, water and sugar.

None of my kids over the years have paid any attention to Terro.

Gee, RayRay, I don't know what's more appealing, the ant encrusted donut or the wet mouse head. I hope lots of good things happened to you in the interim of those two events because that would make for a really lousy week or a definite day from hell!

RayRay, isn't it sweet of Ludlow to save you the best part?

Yuck, RayRay. I used to have a cat who would catch crickets and leave one leg next to the coffee pot.

Ah yes RayRay, nothing compares to finding just bits and pieces of the mouse verses the whole thing. And you are right come to think of it...it is usually just the head. Guess eating brains is not their thing!

I can usually tell when Lud has caught something because the throw rugs are all bunched up and there are blood streaks on the tile floor. If the "prize" isn't next to the bed, it's because he isn't finished batting it around yet. Then I have to crawl around on the floor with a flashlight checking under the furniture until I find it.

When I find feline takeaway (generally in the water bowl, so I don't know if they are giving it to me or to the dog), I praise both cats (they both claim they killed it and that the other cat is lying), thank them and bag it up. I then stick it in the fridge, so I can "take it to work tomorrow."

The cats don't know I work in a garbage can.

Long ago, when I bought my first house, my legendary cat, the most macho being - (wo)man or beast - that I've ever met, would sleep all day. During the night, we'd hear terrible crashing sounds as she trashed the house, and every morning there would be a dead mouse in the exact center of the kitchen floor. Every morning I would shriek and she would laugh. Got old after a while, but I hated to disappoint her.

Ok, now my colleagues keep coming over to check on me because I'm laughing so hard I'm gasping for breath and crying.

I ma have told this story here before, but this whole thread reminds me of some cats that belonged to friends of ours. One was a mighty hunter, the other couldn't catch anything. Hunter would come home with a dead critter and toss it around outside until it lost interest--then Jeffrey would pretend to catch it and go through the whole tossing routine all over again. Jeffrey also had a stash of caught sponges--the only thing he was successful at hunting.

All,
Thanks for the great stories of your cats and their antics.

if I were RayRay, I'd never eat another Entenmanns' chocolate doughnut again.

Before we moved to Hamilton, we lived in Northwood and the rowhouse had a kitchen window that was shoulder-high, where the stove was.

Many a morning my Mom would be cooking breakfast and our cat Puff would be carefully balanced on the outer sill of the window, holding his quite dead bird or mouse in his mouth, staring at my Mom. I guess Puff thought that was his contribution to the household.

It freaked my Mom out. A lot.

RayRay, my former cat (who died) would eat the front half of a mouse, leaving the tail and hind legs on the rug. One time I picked up the remains and almost yacked when I realized what it was. ICK!!! Our current two cats are excellent mousers; fortunately, they don't eat their kill but just leave it to us to find. Occasionally, however, the male will bring a live "trophy" into our bed to play with. What a circus THAT is!

My cats are indoor cats, and quite happy with that designation, but for one.
She is a very frustrated hunter, and since she can't go outside, has taken to hunting the trash can. Quite often we will hear her enter the living room making that special sound cats make when they have captured their prey. However, her prey is usually the wrapper from lunch meat or ground beef wrappers. She will bring it into the living room to show us, and then drop it on the floor. She makes do with what she has, but boy, is she proud of herself :-)

My cats are indoor cats, but they still get the occasional mouse. Especially in the fall.

My late Quark was so happy the first time he got a mouse that my partner used to threaten to bring him a 6 pack of mice. Being as Quark was a very large, very active, very athletic cat and I had a 600 sq. foot house, I used to beg her not to.

Great cat stories, all. Dottie, you made me grateful that our great hunter Cleo never decided to bring a live "trophy" into bed. She did go through a phase when she escalated from leaving us the dead mouse or vole to bringing them in the house alive and making a big show out of stalking and killing them, Then came the day that she brought in wise old grandfather mouse, who got away. He hid under the refrigerator or the oven. We tried setting traps, but he would take the bait and never spring the trap. On the 4th or 5th day of this I came home to find the worthy mouse opponent dead and laid out on the kitchen floor to make the point. I think that was the last time Cleo brought a live one indoors.