# Sugar Ants



## kolbasz (Jun 7, 2017)

Very simple, the internet says just use Terro, which I have, but they still come back. Not sure if I am doing it wrong or if there is a bigger problem.

The wife is insisting I call an exterminator, but I tell her the internet says that that is extreme. Since they keep running about the kitchen, she is finally fed up. I refuse to spend 100$ to have a guy spray bifen or some other similar product I can buy and spray myself.

Therefore, I am here to ask what do I need to buy and how do i apply? My assumption is I need a special tip for indoor spraying, but beyond that, I am here for guidance.

The are in our kitchen around the baseboards as their source.


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## FlaDave (Jul 10, 2018)

My exterminator once told me the best way to get rid of sugar ants is to get rid of their water source. He said that you would think that they are looking for food only, but that they need water daily and survive weeks without food. This advice worked very well for me. I cleaned out all the drip pans and trays in the appliances and kept the sinks dry with plugs in the drains when not in use. They eventually stopped coming back. Coffee makers are a big magnet for them also.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

This: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=6476

Spray outside around the foundation and in the kitchen.


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## kolbasz (Jun 7, 2017)

g-man said:


> This: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=6476
> 
> Spray outside around the foundation and in the kitchen.


I have sprayed outside, so the thought is to take things indoors.

I have Bifen XTS on hand, is this the same (similar) to TalstarP, just higher % Bifenthrin?

According to the label XTS can be used indoors, I believe I just cut it down to the .06%


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## Ridgerunner (May 16, 2017)

The Terro liquid Boron (w/ or w/o spaying the foundation) has always worked for me. They carry back to the nest and within a couple of days, it kills the whole farm. Problem is, within a couple of months a new group establishes (mother nature) and it's rinse and repeat. I just put a new Terro out every 3-4 weeks to keep them from invading and forget about it.


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

I'm a huge fan of the use of fipronil to eliminate ants. My results have been nothing short of astounding.

Don't just take my word for it, though. Read through the online reviews at domyown.com as well:

https://www.domyown.com/taurus-sc-termiticide-p-1816.html

The above product is what I've used on the exterior. For an interior product, I'd suggest one of the following, which I have also used with excellent results.

https://www.domyown.com/maxforce-fc-ant-bait-gel-p-102.html

https://www.domyown.com/maxforce-carpenter-ant-bait-gel-p-112.html

However, I should also mention that once I started using the exterior product as a perimeter spray, I haven't had any interior ants, either.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

ken-n-nancy said:


> I'm a huge fan of the use of fipronil to eliminate ants. My results have been nothing short of astounding.
> 
> Don't just take my word for it, though. Read through the online reviews at domyown.com as well:
> 
> ...


This x1000. My favorite insecticide by a long shot.


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## kolbasz (Jun 7, 2017)

ken-n-nancy said:


> I'm a huge fan of the use of fipronil to eliminate ants. My results have been nothing short of astounding.
> 
> Don't just take my word for it, though. Read through the online reviews at domyown.com as well:
> 
> ...


do you put the gel on anything? like you would with terro? I saw the gel in the do my own youtub video and they seem to put it right on the hard wood, but that seems odd to me


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

kolbasz said:


> ken-n-nancy said:
> 
> 
> > I'm a huge fan of the use of fipronil to eliminate ants. My results have been nothing short of astounding.
> ...


When we used the gel it was to address ants inside the home. I put the gel in a few different places. I should probably note that when we used the gel a few years ago, we did not have any pets that will be eating things off the floor and didn't have any babies or toddlers that would do that, either. Now with little grandchildren visiting regularly, I'd be much more cautious about where I placed the gel.

Where did we use it, though: (1) on the floor up against baseboards, particularly in the places we'd observed ants, which included the kitchen, the hallways, and the bathrooms. (2) The instructions say not to use on food preparation surfaces (i.e. the kitchen counter), obviously to avoid contaminating food. However, that is a common place to see ants, so what I did is cut out pieces of flat plastic about 5" square from trash we were throwing away (like a lid to a plastic box of produce or baked goods), set that on the counter where I'd seen ants, and put a little bit of the gel on that.

The stuff worked really well. I only ended up using about 1/4 of the gel tube, which got rid of all of the ants we saw inside. Since that initial application a few years ago, I've only used the exterior spray around the perimeter of the house in the spring and fall (one time each) and had no signs of ants inside the house since then. That 20oz bottle is like a 10-year supply for a 2ksqft home, so even though it's not cheap to buy initially, it will last for a long time. I've also been using it at our summer camp in the woods with outstanding results.

My only problem now is deciding what to do with the 1/2 bottle I have left of the prior product I have (not fipronil) that is still on a shelf in the garage...


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## kolbasz (Jun 7, 2017)

Awesome, thanks.

Been doing something similar with Terro. Putting it on a piece of foil where I see ants. It's been working, but then after short time they return. My thought is to maybe put some behind a removable baseboard (under a shelving unit), so I can leave it longer.

I've sprayed the bifen outside, but I don't know if my mix is right. I think so, but I still get the pests inside.

Wonder if the gel is much different from Terro, I'll have to look at the active ingredients


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

kolbasz said:


> Wonder if the gel is much different from Terro, I'll have to look at the active ingredients.


If it uses fipronil as an active ingredient, then I'd say use it.

If it uses something else, I'd suggest using a product with fipronil as the active ingredient.

The Terro products that I've seen use Borax, but they may have a whole family of products with different active ingredients for all I know.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

kolbasz said:


> Awesome, thanks.
> 
> Been doing something similar with Terro. Putting it on a piece of foil where I see ants. It's been working, but then after short time they return. My thought is to maybe put some behind a removable baseboard (under a shelving unit), so I can leave it longer.
> 
> ...


Bifen is a contact poison only. Fipronil is a bait. The ants will carry it back to the mound and do significantly more damage in total than bifenthrin.


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## kolbasz (Jun 7, 2017)

Thanks guys. Think I'll order a cyringe worth and put it under the shelf unit long term.

Beats trying to spray inside the house


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