I'm going nuts here

homebuff · Wed May 16, 2007 8:42 pm

I need some help please w/ controlling these pesky small brown ants. Also having a bad problem w/ those lg. black water bugs. Those ants are crawling on me as i type. Thats how bad they are. The waterbugs sleep w/ us sometimes. had mice a long while back so we got some cats & now their gone. I need a break. Can't use strong smelling repellants or poisons. have 3 dogs, a bird & one waterdragon. Any one know how to control them?

Harry · Wed May 16, 2007 9:21 pm

Hi

Indoors I mix boric acid and syrup. Put it on a coin. Set it in the window sills. Works for me.

Harry

homebuff · Wed May 16, 2007 9:32 pm

Does this work for both the ants & the waterbugs? Do they eat it & go away & die? I sometimes set out some sweet stuff & wake up the next morning to find hundreds of them all gathered around it & spray them w/ Clorox Cleanup. makes a big mess but gets a portion of them.

Harry · Wed May 16, 2007 9:49 pm

Hi

Yes and yes.

Borax the detergent also works with syrup or sugar. One box would last you a life time.

Harry

PennylessZ28 · Wed May 16, 2007 10:49 pm

Harry wrote:Hi

Yes and yes.

Borax the detergent also works with syrup or sugar. One box would last you a life time.

Harry

They actually sell that as a product called Terro or something to the spelling, not sure. Its basically the same thing comes in a lil bottle and some tabs you put it on near the ants. They pile all over it, and a few days later they are gone for good.

Maureen · Wed May 16, 2007 11:39 pm

Hi Homebuff,

Yep, you can buy Terro, and is very good! As pennyless suggested. Much more expensive though!

What I do is buy a box of 20 mule team borax. You'd have to be as old as I am to know that brand LOL! You can find it in the laundry detergent aisle of Wal Mart, or any other store.

I have all sorts of pets. To keep them safe, I put a mixture of the borax and sugar in old margarine tubs. Poke holes around the bottom of the tub, large enough to let the bugs in, but keep the pets away from.

Like Harry said, a box of borax lasts forever!

They take this back to the nest and kill the rest of the colony.

I've posted the recipe many times on the board. Do a search, I'm sure you'll run across it! Search under fire ants in the decorating and landscaping forum. I know I posted it in the last 2 months!

Maureen

homebuff · Thu May 17, 2007 5:11 am

Thanks to you all for that info. Now maybe my wife & i can sleep better at night w/out guest & i won't be bothered while on my laptop.

Feels like we live outdoors sometimes. Yes Maureen I'm familiar w/ the soap you mentioned. I even watched Wagon Train late nights. Thanks all!!

Robert · Wed May 23, 2007 2:48 am

Rowdy Yates and Wishbone. The good ole days,LOL.

Take care and best wishes,
Robert

PennylessZ28 · Wed May 23, 2007 6:51 am

Gunsmoke was better

Maureen · Thu May 24, 2007 12:08 am

Rowdy Yates = Clint Eastwood. Gunsmoke was good, but it was hard to beat Wagon Train or Bonanza for young girls in the the late 50's, early 60's. Clint Eastwood and Michael Landon! Both were very hot back in my day!

They were both my first crushes 'back in the day' LOL!

Maureen

Yanita · Thu May 24, 2007 6:21 am

OMG..I would like I nickle for every time I watched Bonanza...LOL, just to see Micheal Landon

Come to think of it probably watched every one of the Little House on the Prairie episodes also.

Oh to be that young again!

~Yanita~

Maureen · Fri May 25, 2007 12:05 am

LOL, I think I watched all of the Little House On The Prairie shows 4 or 5 times! Not only was I a Michael Landon fan, but I loved The whole Louisa May Alcott series of books!

Since a lot of you ladies are grandmas now, another series of books coming to the big screen is the Nancy Drew series of books! Man, I had the whole series of original books at one time!

Here's a thought! Why not get those kids into books again! We've always been big readers here! Movies are great... but nothing gets the mind moving quite like books. Imagination expands the mind!

Sorry Yanita, I know this has gotten off topic for the repair forum. I just couldn't resist LOL!

Maureen

Yanita · Fri May 25, 2007 12:53 am

Hi Maureen,

LOL, yup, off topic, and certainly not repair. I must admit I sometimes just read the threads and pay no mind to the actual forum title.

In all fairness to the other users, I gotta shut us down. You know the drill, feel free to start another thread BUT please do it in the OT forum.

LOL,

~Yanita~

homebuff · Tue Jun 05, 2007 8:43 pm

Boy I got this post off on a roll did'nt I? Well back to my problem.my wife will not let me use the that stuff you mentioned where you mix w/ some sweet stuff. I guess i'll try the Borax solution. We have too many pets but am sorry to say we lost our waterdragon 2 weeks ago from being egg bound. At least i got my old bedroom back where i work on computers. But know we have a momma cat who had kittens in there. Where does it end. Run out of there again. Everytime i enter the room the big black bugs scatter. Its like its their haven.

Guest · Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:29 pm

I know I'm dating myself here a bit also, but it was actually "Death Valley Days" that was sponsored by "20 mule team" Borax in the '50s. Who could forget Ronald Regan as the host? They made it a point to mention that the main ingredient in Borax came from Death Valley.