Tenant Troubles: Ant Infestation

I once had an ant invasion with a twist....the ants had marked a trail into my freezer, where they promptly died. Because no ant was alive to go back and mark the trail "don't go this way or you'll die" they kept piling up. Ants organize using a scent trail they put down to tell other ants where the food is.

Once we found the breach, the landlord and I put down ant traps and sprayed. However we found that piling on Nutrasweet (not saccharin, not splenda, not sugar) repelled the ants in a way even RAID couldn't.

Apparently there's something in the chemical makeup of Nutrasweet that absolutely repels ants. What that means for humans is anyone's guess, but they finally stopped dying in the freezer!

First of all: DONT USE RAID. Talk about a violation to human health and water quality. The ants are coming into the house because they are looking for food, and the rain is flooding their nest outside. Argentine ants probably control more real estate in California than the UC system, so eliminating them is next to impossible. Using containerized baits with sugar water (Outside) will draw the ants away from your kitchen to a more readily available food source. Then you need to look for areas that are allowing the ants access into your unit. Caulking cracks and crevices is a great way to keep ants out. Also make sure you regularly take out your trash and compost, so you do not attract them inside. IF you decide you need to call an exterminator, check with the Department of Health and the Department of the Environment to see which pest management companies they recommend. These companies will probably conform their practices to green pest management certification requirements and only use chemical products on the SF Environment reduced risk pesticide list. Keeping pests out of your home comes down to good building management practices, so Landlords might want to consider helping you out to protect their reputation. The UC Davis IPM center has a lot of great info on do it yourself ant management. Check it out.

Turmeric works wonders for ant infestations. They hate the stuff. I put it in all the various cracks where they were entering the flat and we haven't had any new ants in years.