So, it turns out I have a home (office) made ant farm!

[Coventina]

I'd been having ant infestations in my office at work, so I'd been trying out some non-toxic pest control options.

One of them is some night-like things that supposedly emit a ultrasonic noise that keeps pests away. One of the pests listed was ants.

They came as a set of four plug-in lights. I put them in around my office, including one in the powerstrip under my desk. They never seemed to have much of an effect, but I left them, as they are kind of cool lights and I often work at night.

Today, I noticed that the light under my desk was flickering oddly. Turns out, ants have made the interior their home! The plastic is somewhat see-through, and I can see the shadows of their bodies working away at whatever ants do inside their homes.
Now what? I honestly don't want to disturb them, as I really do find ants fascinating, and really, it's not THEIR fault the light makes such a good home for them.

So, definite fail on this product, at least as far as ants go......

[underpants]

1. Terro (Borax and sugar)

Available at any Lowes. They take it back, Queen dies, colony collapses

[Coventina]

2. I'm not sure I want to kill them, though.

I just wanted to keep them out of my office, not kill them.




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[ms liberty]

5. I made my own borax/sugar mix, and yes, it works great.

Nothing else I had tried worked for more than a minute. The borax/sugar mix has been a definitive success.

[Backseat Driver]

3. I think you've taken the moral compass too far

What are you thinking...Kill those pests - infestations of insects indoors is creepy even if you are the Dali Lama who has attained enlightenment - OTOH, you could bring in an insect eating bird and a bat or two and enjoy their sweet full-bellied songs and magical radar-installed flights day and night, LOL! Remember, no good deed or kind distraction goes unpunished - there's a reason they're wild outdoor "dirty birdies" and/or play host to human pathogens; they tend to make those whitish to brownish and purplish splats all over your windows, floors, desks, sweats, heads, but least important, your unprotected work products and equipment not so protected. Your office cleaning crews will not be happy!

[ms liberty]

4. 1 part Borax, 3 parts sugar. You can go up to a 1/5 ratio and it works as well

Mix with water to make a paste. You can put it on a piece of tin foil or a plastic lid, or a plastic container that you can poke holes in. Place it adjacent to their trail. And wait. Ants love it and soon they'll all be feasting while others take some back to the nest. And then they all die, and it's no more ants in the house. It's glorious. I had an awful ant problem and had tried everything that didn't work, and then tried this, which is cheap, safe for animals and humans, and it works like crazy.