31 replies to this topic

[lbeachstace]

Hey there

We own a house and our laundry room has been overtaken by these ants.  Can anyone help us identify them and suggest the best way to lure the queen out, so we can get them to relocate?

https://imgur.com/oYIdVOv

[Canadian anter]

You can't really lure the queen out. Though it roughly looks like Tetramorium immigrans, with such a rough photo and without the other information we can't infer much

[NickAnter]

Please follow proper ID format, and get a better pic. When you do so, you will get a difinitive answer.

[lbeachstace]

Hi there -

 

Thanks for your responses.  I'm not sure if I am asking the right questions.

 

Although ants are fascinating, we are not hobbyists and our goal is to figure out a way to not have them living in our laundry room.  The house is actually rental property, so I have a legal obligation to remove them.  But I want to do so in an environmentally-friendly way if that is possible, and learn how to reduce the probability of them returning.

 

That being said, are the specifics for the type of ant as relevant to this question?  I can definitely get better photos and answer most of the requested questions, but I am not setup to get pics to the level of detail requested.

 

Your guidance is most appreciated.

 

Thanks.

 

Stace

[PacificNorthWestern]

The only way to lure the queen ant (that I know) Is to give them a nest to stay in that is better than their current nest and it may take a while for them to move if they even move at all or finding the nest and hand moving them. We cannot tell you if they are in your laundry room until you show us pictures of brood or the queen as that may just be a satellite nest which means they use it to forage at and bring back food to but does not contain the queen who would be at another nesting site. there are no simple tricks to lure out the queen and the whole colony all at once, it will probably take a while to locate the nest if they are a mature tetremorium colony as it looks, these ants keep there queens deep in the nest. I wish you the best of luck in removing this colony inside your house. I'm sorry if this does not help

[lbeachstace]

Hey guys -

 

I was able to grab a few pics - none that are award-winning, but I think a few came out pretty good.  Hopefully this is enough to help identify them.  Note that the wingless ones below are a fraction of the size of the winged ones.  These are all clustered at the same location.  I will add the questionnaire answers tomorrow for as many of those questions I am able to answer.  Let me know whether the size measurements are needed - that may be a challenge.

 

To reiterate, I'm seeking advice on how to make their current location (laundry/utility room) so that it is no longer their home or vacation spot of choice.

 

Thanks so much for your help!

 

Stace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[camponotuskeeper]

Looks like tetramorium

[lbeachstace]

Thanks - that's what we thought based on our own research.  The winged ones are there to mate, right?

 

What steps can we take so that they won't choose to choose our laundry room as their home base?  They've entirely destroyed our front patio as well by dimantling a ton of the cement and grout.

[Mercutia]

Sounds like pavement ants (Tetramorium) to me. Honestly, with being how prolific they are you're going to have a very hard time getting rid of them gently. I would go around and see if there are any gaps in your laundry room that they are coming in through and sealing that up first. If they still keep on coming you might not have much of a choice but to leave out raid or something similar to kill the colony.

[lbeachstace]

Well, our tenant actually did try putting Terro baits there.  They are sugar-based and the ants had no interest in them at all.  Do they not eat sugar during their mating season?  From what I understand, the presence of the winged ants indicates it is mating season - and I read also that June-July tends to be their mating season.

 

There is a large gap in the laundry room floor that goes straight through to the ground below.  We had thought about closing it up with some cement.  The house is on a slab, so the concern is whether closing it up would have the ants simply appear inside the living space of the house instead.  Currently the tenant encounters a handful of them inside the living space, but they are not swarming there like they are in the laundry room.

[Mercutia]

They are ants that eat sugar, but they might have a surplus elsewhere they are receiving their sugary sustenance from and thus don't find your traps very appealing. June and July do tend to be their mating season which means they'll be most active on the surface because of this. Their virgins are trying to find ways to leave and the swarming of winged ants happens because they're all trying to have their virginal mating flights but then find themselves trapped in your laundry room. Commercial bait traps still might be your best bet though. It might just be having a variety for them to choose from and putting it where they are most active. One of them's bound to work.

Edited by Mercutia, July 26 2019 - 10:31 AM.

[lbeachstace]

Thanks Mercutia.  Unfortunately I am in New York and cannot purchase commercial baits.  Can I create my own bait with something like honey + boric acid to try to create something more appealing?  Is there a particular type of sugar known to be particularly appealing?  Or is it the presence of the boric acid that may be turning them off to the bait?

[Acutus]

The Tetras that invade my house this time of year are more after water than sugar. We use soapy water to kill them inlarge groups and they eventually don't come in as much. Just a spray bottle with water and a few drops of dawn will do it.

[lbeachstace]

It's totally possible that is the case here as well, given they are in the dampest room of the house.

 

Question:  if you hitting them with a bubble bath, that is certainly not eliminating the colony - so doesn't that simply cause them to break off and form additional colonies?  Or are you saying that you are using the soap in the damp areas as a deterrent to mitigate future invasions? 

[gcsnelling]

Thanks Mercutia.  Unfortunately I am in New York and cannot purchase commercial baits.  Can I create my own bait with something like honey + boric acid to try to create something more appealing?  Is there a particular type of sugar known to be particularly appealing?  Or is it the presence of the boric acid that may be turning them off to the bait?

 

Surely you can buy Terro ant bait over the counter.

[RushmoreAnts]

The winged ones are male alates.

[lbeachstace]

 

Thanks Mercutia.  Unfortunately I am in New York and cannot purchase commercial baits.  Can I create my own bait with something like honey + boric acid to try to create something more appealing?  Is there a particular type of sugar known to be particularly appealing?  Or is it the presence of the boric acid that may be turning them off to the bait?

 

Surely you can buy Terro ant bait over the counter.

 

 

Of course.  Mercula responded to my note that Terro did not work at all for us with these ants.  For some reason they are not at all interested in the Terro.  So Mercula was suggesting to try a commercial bait as an alternative.

 

Ideal would be to mix up some custom boric acid cocktail that is effective, because I'm not particularly a fan of commercial pesticides. 

[gcsnelling]

boric

 

 

 

Thanks Mercutia.  Unfortunately I am in New York and cannot purchase commercial baits.  Can I create my own bait with something like honey + boric acid to try to create something more appealing?  Is there a particular type of sugar known to be particularly appealing?  Or is it the presence of the boric acid that may be turning them off to the bait?

 

Surely you can buy Terro ant bait over the counter.

 

 

Of course.  Mercula responded to my note that Terro did not work at all for us with these ants.  For some reason they are not at all interested in the Terro.  So Mercula was suggesting to try a commercial bait as an alternative.

 

Ideal would be to mix up some custom boric acid cocktail that is effective, because I'm not particularly a fan of commercial pesticides. 

 

 

 

 Try boric acid and Karo syrup

[lbeachstace]

Thanks for the tip.  Any reason in particular for Karo syrup versus other sugary mixes?  And particularly versus whatever sugary mix is in the Terro baits?

[gcsnelling]

It is highly concentrated and fairly easy to work with.