Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Ants!

GF Lover

Recommended Posts

GF Lover Rising Star
GF Lover
Posted

Here in the Midwest we have these Mutant Sugar Ants.  They Bite!  I use Bay Leaves in my pantry and one of the bathrooms where the ants come every year but it's not practical to use them outside.   I noticed last Fall and now this Spring that they have invaded my flower gardens.  It's not just a couple of annoying nests, these things are THICK.  I'm looking for a non-chemical way to eradicate  them without hurting any other wildlife. 

 

Any Ideas?

 

Colleen

 

 

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Borax. They hate to walk on it. Or heavy chalk lines on concrete or wood siding.

GF Lover Rising Star
GF Lover
Posted
  • Author

Did you know that Borax can shut down a Nuclear Reaction?  And can stop a Radiator Leak?  And......can be used in making Silly Putty?

 

Would I need a Hazmat Suit for this stuff?    :lol:  Isn't "Wiki" annoying?  LMAO

Wi11ow Apprentice
Wi11ow
Posted

Try a sweet n low barrier.

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

If you are not Muslim, you can boil them (this conversation came up just yesterday). It is cheap and relatively safe. Do not burn yourself! Track the nest and pour pots of hot water as the ants rise to the surface. I did this for several weeks (during toddler nap-time) and after a decade -- no ants. The ants are making their way back into my yard this year, but I think a decade without them is pretty good.

I am pretty good with a flashlight and fly swatter aimed at black widows too! Love all other spiders though and help them whenever possible!

GF Lover Rising Star
GF Lover
Posted
  • Author

Is it the texture of chalk/borax/sweet n low.... they don't like?   What about corn starch?  That fine, silky feel?  Boiling water is very interesting....I will ponder that one.  Just wondering how my flowers would like that hot water, of if I could find the main nests I could do that.  hmmmmm.

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Borax is made from a rock. Not sure why a little of that is bad. They can't walk on it.

When I find the ants very annoying, I track them to their home, dig them up a little and flood them out with the garden hose and a bit of dawn detergent if I think of it.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


nvsmom Community Regular
nvsmom
Posted

My husband was partial to lighter fluid and a match... I made him tame his redneck ways once we had children.  LOL

 

We are at war with carpenter ants here. They invaded a wall and chewed a header above sliding glass doors into fine cardboard... the ceiling was starting to sag. Darn things! The room is stripped down to the studs at the moment.  :rolleyes:

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

Boric acid. Tried and true.  Just a little light  dose sprinkled in a fine line around the outside of your house deters them.

 

I lived in the remote countryside as you know and we had no ants in our house. (unheard of)

 

It never bothered my cats, my dog, or any other animals that romped around my 6 acres. My Dad used it and he had tons of birds, bunnies and other wildlife in his yard.

 

Just use it LIGHTLY and never walk your pups through it.

 

Sorry, but sometimes, chemicals are necessary if you do not want to be overwhelmed by bugs.  And I am not a bad person! Remember, I was bitten while trying to help a chipmunk out of a netting before he choked to death...and required a painful shot. 

 

Please, read these then decide.

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

Open Original Shared Link

Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted

I may possibly, maybe, sort of never have grown out of the lighter fluid/flame method. :ph34r: I once got a lovely 2 x 4 inch patch of my left arm covered in fire ant bites. I don't care the type anymore, death comes to all who invade my space. I settle for the boiling water method if I can find a nest. It doesn't seem to do any real harm to the yard. It also works wonders to kill the roots of weeds in the garden before we start planting.

GF Lover Rising Star
GF Lover
Posted
  • Author

I may possibly, maybe, sort of never have grown out of the lighter fluid/flame method. :ph34r: I once got a lovely 2 x 4 inch patch of my left arm covered in fire ant bites. I don't care the type anymore, death comes to all who invade my space. I settle for the boiling water method if I can find a nest. It doesn't seem to do any real harm to the yard. It also works wonders to kill the roots of weeds in the garden before we start planting.

 

You are truly devious  :blink:  I wonder if lighter fluid would catch the mulch on fire.  

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

You are truly devious  :blink:  I wonder if lighter fluid would catch the mulch on fire.  

 

 

Lighter fluid is horrible stuff..geez louise! ..it has more chemicals in it than the boric acid! and YEAH I do kinda  think it would ignite the mulch!

 

You're scaring me!  :D

GF Lover Rising Star
GF Lover
Posted
  • Author

POOF  :lol: There goes the house!....lol.

 

So, I read those links Irish and these areas will get rain on them so the borax will not work and my Haz Mat suit is at the Cleaners anyway.

 

I'm thinking I will try the boiling water and see what happens.  My Cat lays in the gardens too so I really want to avoid chemicals.  If all else fails I will Nuke the place with Borax and deal with the Fall Out 

 

Addy, although my son readily volunteered to Torch the place, I nixed the idea due to an "arson" clause in out Insurance Policy  ;)

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

Just follow the trail to find the nest. Our ants seem to like concrete cracks as an entrance to their nests. Just takes an on-and-off stream of hot water as they come rushing out with their eggs. To use this ant elimination method, I think you might have had to have been a kid who took great delight poking a stick at the ant nests located next to the orange groves on the way to school!

It does work, it is non-toxic to kids, pets and other good insects, but it takes a stove full of hot water (microwave too) and persistence to get the job done!

I read an article in the Reader's Digest recently about those sweet ants. They seem to be worse than red ants!

StephanieL Enthusiast
StephanieL
Posted

We had an organic exterminator out 2 years ago. She used heavy duty natural oils and sprayed in out trouble spots. Said it would get worse before it got better and after 2 days of seeing them popping up I haven't seen one since!  Seriously I was skeptical and then amazed!  DH didn't want to try it but even he's a convert!  And the house smelled lovely with peppermint and rosemary and stuff for a day or two ;)  They oils are neuro toxic to them.  She gave a year guarantee but as I said, we've been ant free since!  

 

She does the pet stores in this part of the state so if you are interested and don't find them in the yellow pages, perhaps give one of your local pet stores a call ;)

Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted

So this won't work for you:

 

there-was-a-spider-i-panicked_zps3ab7612

GF Lover Rising Star
GF Lover
Posted
  • Author

:o Step away from the lighter fluid Addy.... :lol:

nvsmom Community Regular
nvsmom
Posted

LOL  :lol:

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,685
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    tdouglas2901
    Newest Member
    tdouglas2901
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Draft gluten-free ciders… can they be trusted ?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I'd go with a vodka tonic, but that's just me😉
    • Rejoicephd
      Draft gluten-free ciders… can they be trusted ?

      By Rejoicephd · Posted

      That and my nutritionist also said that drinking cider is one of the worst drink choices for me, given that I have candida overgrowth.  She said the combination of the alcohol and sugar would be very likely to worsen my candida problem.  She suggested that if I drink, I go for clear vodka, either neat or with a splash of cranberry.   So in summary, I am giving ciders a rest.  Whether it's a gluten risk or sugars and yeast overgrowth, its just not worth it.
    • Inkie
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Inkie · Posted

      Thank you for the information ill will definitely bring it into practice .
    • Scott Adams
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      While plain, pure tea leaves (black, green, or white) are naturally gluten-free, the issue often lies not with the tea itself but with other ingredients or processing. Many flavored teas use barley malt or other gluten-containing grains as a flavoring agent, which would be clearly listed on the ingredient label. Cross-contamination is another possibility, either in the facility where the tea is processed or, surprisingly, from the tea bag material itself—some tea bags are sealed with a wheat-based glue. Furthermore, it's important to consider that your reaction could be to other substances in tea, such as high levels of tannins, which can be hard on the stomach, or to natural histamines or other compounds that can cause a non-celiac immune response. The best way to investigate is to carefully read labels for hidden ingredients, try switching to a certified gluten-free tea brand that uses whole leaf or pyramid-style bags, and see if the reaction persists.
    • Scott Adams
      Inconclusive results

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      This is a challenging and confusing situation. The combination of a positive EMA—which is a highly specific marker rarely yielding false positives—alongside strongly elevated TTG on two separate occasions, years apart, is profoundly suggestive of celiac disease, even in the absence of biopsy damage. This pattern strongly aligns with what is known as "potential celiac disease," where the immune system is clearly activated, but intestinal damage has not yet become visible under the microscope. Your concern about the long-term risk of continued gluten consumption is valid, especially given your family's experience with the consequences of delayed diagnosis. Since your daughter is now at an age where her buy-in is essential for a gluten-free lifestyle, obtaining a definitive answer is crucial for her long-term adherence and health. Given that she is asymptomatic yet serologically positive, a third biopsy now, after a proper 12-week challenge, offers the best chance to capture any microscopic damage that may have developed, providing the concrete evidence needed to justify the dietary change. This isn't about wanting her to have celiac; it's about wanting to prevent the insidious damage that can occur while waiting for symptoms to appear, and ultimately giving her the unambiguous "why" she needs to accept and commit to the necessary treatment. This article might be helpful. It breaks down each type of test, and what a positive results means in terms of the probability that you might have celiac disease. One test that always needs to be done is the IgA Levels/Deficiency Test (often called "Total IGA") because some people are naturally IGA deficient, and if this is the case, then certain blood tests for celiac disease might be false-negative, and other types of tests need to be done to make an accurate diagnosis. The article includes the "Mayo Clinic Protocol," which is the best overall protocol for results to be ~98% accurate.    
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.