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#349726 - 08/01/2012 17:03 Ants
tanstaafl.
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/07/1999
Posts: 5549
Loc: Ajijic, Mexico
My house is infested with tiny little ants. Oh, they're not running rampant in unstoppable hordes, they usually appear one or two at a time. A couple days ago I failed to clean up a drop of strawberry jam on the counter, and the next morning there were a dozen or so of them feasting away.

I think the ants came into the house with my new refrigerator. In two years prior to that I never saw an ant in the house, and the day the refrigerator was delivered they were crawling on the outside of it, especially seeking the moisture in the cold water dispenser. For weeks every time I dispensed cold water it would come complete with an ant or two. I actually watched a couple of them climb up the door and disappear into the little pipe that dispenses the water.

What should I do to get rid of these little invaders?

tanstaafl.


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"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

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#349727 - 08/01/2012 17:46 Re: Ants [Re: tanstaafl.]
JBjorgen
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
I just ignore them. Part of living in "paradise". They don't bite.

And drinking a few won't hurt anything. Ask how I know... smile


Edited by JBjorgen (08/01/2012 17:47)
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#349728 - 08/01/2012 23:58 Re: Ants [Re: JBjorgen]
msaeger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 23/09/2000
Posts: 3608
Loc: Minnetonka, MN
We had ants here in the summer but they are all gone now :-) one of the advantages of living where there is winter.
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#349729 - 09/01/2012 01:47 Re: Ants [Re: tanstaafl.]
K447
old hand

Registered: 29/05/2002
Posts: 799
Loc: near Toronto, Ontario, Canada
You sure that fridge was completely new, never used? If there was water in the dispenser water lines from a previous user that may have been why the ants are there.

Small creatures (bugs) often seek out sources of water, even tiny sources. Food without water nearby is not sustainable, so controlling the ants access to water might help you get rid of them.

Shutting off and capping the fridge water exit for a while might help, but also close access to the sink drains whenever you are not using the sink (put the plugs in). Kitchen and bathroom. No dishes or cups with water left on the counter.

Once they get established somewhere, it can take real effort to eradicate ants. If they have a nest somewhere in the fridge insulation (for example) then you would need to deal with that.

All the above is Internet Advice (TM) - your situation may be different and the ant appearances may have little to do with that new fridge.

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#349731 - 09/01/2012 02:59 Re: Ants [Re: msaeger]
DWallach
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
You can purchase all manner of ant poisons, dry granular things that the ants will helpfully carry home to feed their queen, killing off the whole nest. I once had a serious infestation in my house spread some of that out, and first observed a lot of dead ants, then they all disappeared. Apparently my local ants chose not to leave their comrades behind.

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