Ants

[Ding Dang Doo]

I have a problem.

ANTS

I keep finding them in the house... if I get rid of them from one part of the house, they end up in another part.

Last night I killed about half a dozen on the kitchen table (ooooh, I hear you say, what a brave man you are Mr. Doo).

I left them there, as a reminder to their mates, of just who they are dealing with here! Trophies of a past battle, one that changed the course of history...

Went to bed.

Came down this morning.

No ants!

Must have been the stretcher bearering ants came in the dead of night, when I was off my guard, and carried off their dead and wounded.

While I'm sure that under the rules of engagement this is allowed, I was most annoyed at finding them gone!

So, what is my next move? How do I rid myself of this crawling intrusion to my castle, my home???

My fellow comrades in arms - I ask you to furnish me with the skills and knowledge to progress in the next stage of this great battle!

Ta

Pete

[Janos]

Ants are one manifestation of Satan himself. [1] I was plagued by ants a couple years back, but, after a few attempts, managed to get rid of them succesfully.

The most effective solution is this stuff called "Nippon gel". It's a sweet, clear, sticky gel that the ants love to eat! The downside is that it contains a slow acting poison. If you put a little puddle on one of their regular runs, they soon cluster around while you cry "That's it, tuck in my dears" in the style of Mr. Burns offa the Simpsons.

Once they have had their fill they take it back to feed to the other ants in the nest. Sooner or later the queen will take a bit and then that's it - nest over!

It takes a few days but it works.

For smaller nests, track them down and several pans of boiling water does the trick, but in my garden the ants were everywhere, so this wasn't practical.

Janos

[1] - Satan also used to appear in the form of a cat which used to come and crap in my garden.

[chrisch]

Answer the door in your PJs with your nob hanging out (Ooops.. that's how to get rid of aunts..)

Ants.
Nippon. Gel and powder. Gel kills em and the powder round the DPC and doors stops em getting in. They will collect dead comrades from the table to eat... Nippon is in B&Q and the like in a red tube/bottle with a picture of aunts on it..

Chris

[rads]

Ant Lacquer.

Transparent and practically invisible aerosol spray which you squirt around the edge of the room, and anywhere else the ants may be getting in. Doesn't make a mess, and has worked brilliantly for me on the 2 occasions we have had to repell boarders.

David

[Ding Dang Doo]

Originally Posted by Janos

[1] - Satan also used to appear in the form of a cat which used to come and crap in my garden.

Are you living in my house??

Satan the cat now frequents my borders... how did you rid yourself of this dispicable foe? (you can PM me if it's not for the proles to see!)

[Janos]

Originally Posted by Ding Dang Doo

Satan the cat now frequents my borders... how did you rid yourself of this dispicable foe? (you can PM me if it's not for the proles to see!)

A crossbow firing silver tipped bolts.

If you don't have a crossbow that fires silver tipped bolts, then you can get some garlic pellets which human's can't smell, but cats can. I also tried orange peel, but that didn't work after a couple of days. It's also an excuse to buy a modern water pistol (which are a lot more powerful than the little pistolly type things we had when I were a lad) but in the end my neighbours moved [1] and Satan disappeared at around the same time.

I think getting rid of Satan in his cat-shaped manifestation is much harder then when he appears as ants. But the cat-shaped manifestation is less irritating.

Janos

[1] Pure co-incidence

[CatB]

Originally Posted by Ding Dang Doo

Satan the cat now frequents my borders... how did you rid yourself of this dispicable foe? (you can PM me if it's not for the proles to see!)

I hosepipe (assuming they aren't banned in your area at the moment) with a trigger attachment - same idea as the waterpistol but with more power and range! If Satan the cat like to walk along your fence tops looking like he owns the place, a well aimed shot can knock him back into his own garden

And before the cat lovers have a go at me - no cats seem to suffer more than dented pride from this, they have cunning ways of landing on their feet when they fall from a height.

[SoggyFox]

If you fill the water pistol with petrol and attach a lighter to the muzzle, sigorney weaver styleee, you'll find most manifestations and infestations can be quickly and effectively controlled.

[Kirstie]

Originally Posted by Ding Dang Doo

Are you living in my house??

Satan the cat now frequents my borders... how did you rid yourself of this dispicable foe? (you can PM me if it's not for the proles to see!)

I must say, I do like the way you always put little reference points (1) in your posts!




(1) Like this




Oops, sorry, meant to copy Janos's post!

[chrisch]

Cats come and shit in your garden because its part of their territory. The 100% sure-fire way to stop this is buy a cat and then it will "own" the garden. Beyond this (desperate) measure there are no long-term solutions that do not involve angry exchanges with moronic anthropomorphic cat-lovers and the RSPCA.

You can get stuff that stinks and will supposedly discourage the moggies. In my experience the cat shit is the lesser of the two evils.

Another thing that works for a while is a rubber snake placed around the flower beds and moved from time to time. This will scare off any remaining wild birds that the bastard cats have not eaten. In time both cats and birds will suss out it is not real. (A real snake is an option if you can stop it escaping).

A hose pipe or water pistol of the type suggested by Janos is OK but requires constant "manning". An air gun is a better (and more permanent option) Best to fit night sights and make sure no-one else is around as you deposit the dead moggie in the wheelie bin though.

In the end I find its easiest to give up and just flick the turds onto your neighbour's lawn for them to deal with.

Chris