Organic Ant Killer

Does anyone know anything that will kill the big black ants that are all over my deck? They have been driving me nuts and I have realized that I have been keeping my feet off the ground because I keep having those nasty little things climbing up my leg.
A nice, safe, wildlife friendly killing solution would be great.
BTW my deck is new so they arent eating the wood, they just walk all over it.
Janice

This one takes a while to brew, but it really works. Take a quart jar (larger or smaller to fit your needs), fill it half way with orange peels and fill with water. Let sit for about 3 weeks. Strain off the peels. Use as a spray, but preferably, find the ant hill and pour directly on it. They leave, and they don't come back. We have the dreaded fire ants which like to surprise you as you're weeding your garden and suddenly pull your hand back covered in these ants from hell who somehow manage to synchronize their stings. Unfortunately, this also kills beneficials, so it is better used as a pour rather than a spray. It will also burn plants, so avoid spraying on them.

Lantana,

This is gonna sound gross, but I heard on Neil Sperry's program, that human urine would kill fire ants....guaranteed. Don't ask me, just passing the info along. Those fire ants are treacherous.

Jerrie

feed them aspertame. it will kill them in about 4 to 6 weeks. Just sprinkle a few packets on their trsails and they will eat it and take it back to the others and soon all will be poisoned.

You're kidding aren't you, Lucy? If you aren't, I hate to think what that stuff must be doing to us! Yikes!

Terri

I am very serious. A doctor told me about this and I have had great success with it. No ants in my house for years from one dose. it is the only thing i will use aspertame for, I certianly won't eat it.

Lucy, sounds like you created a Super Fund site from one treatment of aspertame!

I use boric acid-laced baits: sugar/applemint jelly for the sugar-loving ants and peanut butter for protein/fat-loving ants.

We still have ants around the house just not in it. Never looked at it as a superfund kinda thing. Hmmmm....

A newspaper carried this under its "tip-a-day":
Take a kilo of alum, dissolve it in three quarts of boiling water and apply it in every joint and corner of the house to kill ants, cockroaches and bugs. Try, Janice.

Hi,
I use Diatemaceous Earth. You can buy it anywhere they sell organics and I heard you can buy it with pool supplies as well? Anyway, you have to reapply anytime it rains or the powder gets wet. I use it both indoors and out, but put it where pets and kids cannot get to it. I have found it to be really effective.
Michele

I have had good luck recently with pouring ( very cheap) dishwashing liquid on the hills and around the foundation of the house.

We used to get those big black suckers in the house... and My mother swore by cinnamon... she used plain cinnamon powder on the doorsills of the basement and the ants won't cross it for some reason... can't hurt to give it a try.

Daddy used to pour the boiling water from cooking sweetcorn on the anthills too -- cooked those suckers!

Also, hot chili powder deters white butterflies that lay their eggs on cabbagey vegetables...

Good luck!

Gotta try the boiling water to them! There are fireants in our stump which houses a container of m/rose .They don't seem to bother the plant but anytime I go around pulling some up for transplanting ,they bite! Tree stumps are great motels for fireants! As for the soil in the container,gotta go w/maybe the cinnamon or hot pepper?...Jane

I heard on another website to get rid of ants try one of the two following suggestions.
1) Puor plain uncooked white rice on the anthill. Since the ants are pretty tidy, they will come out and clear away all of the rice, carrying it all inside the hills. After all of the rice dissapears, go back out and pour alot of water over the hill. This of course will swell up the rice and get rid of the ants.
2) Since ants are very territorial, you could sprinkle some of one anthill on top of another and they will kill each other for you.
I have not tried either suggestions!!!

Sweet and Low works as well as the aspartame. They eat it and it kills them. We also buy a product that is made of corn syrup and boric acid called Terro-Terro. It kills them too.
Cala

I've tried that mixing tribes thing and it didn't work for me.