Random Thought Thread

oldmanwilly said:
Does anybody have any pesticide-free recommendations to get fire ants out of a kitchen? They've taken over my counter tops and my wife is vehemently opposed to any poison as a solution.

I've tried spraying them and their entry point with detergent, mint extract, and fresh basil (all of which supposedly scare them off), but they haven't left. I'd prefer to put out bait traps and spray Raid at the entry point, but that's not an option for me. Any suggestions are welcome.
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You start them eating unpoisoned bait. Mint jelly, for whatever reason, seems to work pretty well.

Once they have established it as a food source you add borax to it

It can kill the entire colony


Edit: (borax isn't exactly non-toxic to people, but some cultures have actually used it as a food additive so it's not terrible to have in the kitchen in small amounts)
 
Ben was up first on today's cutting competition in Georgia


A sub one minute run and almost perfect on the points. A win is not a foregone conclusion, of course. But it's hard to see how anyone is going to top that run.

To the uninitiated: he cuts those two by fours so quickly it looks effortless. Trust me, it ain't.

That boy is a beast
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
You start them eating unpoisoned bait. Mint jelly, for whatever reason, seems to work pretty well.

Once they have established it as a food source you add borax to it

It can kill the entire colony


Edit: (borax isn't exactly non-toxic to people, but some cultures have actually used it as a food additive so it's not terrible to have in the kitchen in small amounts)
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Nerd....



You can also just use boric acid powder, which is also a cure for pink eye when diluted with water.

I've heard corn meal can kill ants as well, but I don't know if that works.
 
Wishfulthinker580 said:
Zevo is supposed to be safe to use around people and pets.
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ferider said:
Had that problem once, many years ago, after a water flooding of our apartment. Woke up in the morning, and our sugar dispenser was black and white sprinkled ! After the apartment was dry, I looked from the outside where the ants were coming in (the "roads" coming from the nest), and killed them there with spray.
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Nathan the Machinist said:
You start them eating unpoisoned bait. Mint jelly, for whatever reason, seems to work pretty well.

Once they have established it as a food source you add borax to it

It can kill the entire colony


Edit: (borax isn't exactly non-toxic to people, but some cultures have actually used it as a food additive so it's not terrible to have in the kitchen in small amounts)
Click to expand...

Thank y'all for the recommendations. I will give these a try and see what works.

I know we have some ant piles in our yard, but I haven't seen any directly adjacent to the house or any indication of where they're entering from the exterior. I'll take another look today and try to find the rascals.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
Ben was up first on today's cutting competition in Georgia


A sub one minute run and almost perfect on the points. A win is not a foregone conclusion, of course. But it's hard to see how anyone is going to top that run.

To the uninitiated: he cuts those two by fours so quickly it looks effortless. Trust me, it ain't.

That boy is a beast
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WOW! Those 2x4 cuts were HIGHLY IMPRESSIVE! Amazing work by you and him!

You're so right on the comment about the "uninitiated". I still remember my first attempt at cleaving a new 2x4 in two with a nice sharp 10 inch chopper (not a CPK). I was fully expecting it to bite deep and hard in a very satisfying way. Well, it may as well have been made out of Ironwood or something because my first strike didn't go more than a 1/4" into the board! I was quickly humbled.

I've found that 2x4 hardness varies quite a bit from batch to batch so perhaps that complicated matters, and no doubt my poor technique had a lot to do with that but still, it was not the walk in the park I thought it was going to be!
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
Ben was up first on today's cutting competition in Georgia


A sub one minute run and almost perfect on the points. A win is not a foregone conclusion, of course. But it's hard to see how anyone is going to top that run.

To the uninitiated: he cuts those two by fours so quickly it looks effortless. Trust me, it ain't.

That boy is a beast
Click to expand...
Bennie is a savage!!!!!

It takes me about 162 hits to get through a 2x4 lol
 
oldmanwilly said:
Does anybody have any pesticide-free recommendations to get fire ants out of a kitchen? They've taken over my counter tops and my wife is vehemently opposed to any poison as a solution.

I've tried spraying them and their entry point with detergent, mint extract, and fresh basil (all of which supposedly scare them off), but they haven't left. I'd prefer to put out bait traps and spray Raid at the entry point, but that's not an option for me. Any suggestions are welcome.
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Use glue traps for mice, catches every insect that touches it. Works wonders and is completely 100% safe.

But if pets step on it, it becomes a royal mess. Keep it hidden and out of the way and it will work wonders.

Use more than you think you will need, because you are going to catch a multitude of things.

They last a long time too.
 
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