Need reliable pest control

[HistoryTeacher]

Ants don't know their place. The kitchen is mine. Would like opinions of pest control services for Killeen. Would rather not use Terminix or Orkin.

[sfotw]

368-1206, affordable termite and pest control, he is local and works Saturdays.

[IronErnin]

A cheap solution for ants...
Find the mound and cover it with dry grits or oats. They'll carry it into the mound, eat it and when it expands, they are killed.
If they are outside, in the lawn, a twice yearly treatment with Amway's Liquid Organic Cleaner helps keep a lawn healthy and pest free.

[beaver]

Natural Born (ant) Killers:
including instructions for grits

http://www.antswers.com/featured/natural-ant-killer/

[CenTexDave]

Do it yourself and save a bundle. Use Raid inside - follow to where they are coming in and blast all around it. Also around window sills, in corners, etc. Then outside - if you have a brick house on a foundation - you should have an air gap between about every 5th brick on top of the foundation. Blast in and around that air gap hole. Then spread a good granular such as Spectricide around the foundation of the house. They'll be gone.

[HistoryTeacher]

368-1206, affordable termite and pest control, he is local and works Saturdays.
Thanks! Big winged ants came in through window sill and I called and spoke to Patrick. Service next week.

[HistoryTeacher]

Do it yourself and save a bundle. Use Raid inside - follow to where they are coming in and blast all around it. Also around window sills, in corners, etc. Then outside - if you have a brick house on a foundation - you should have an air gap between about every 5th brick on top of the foundation. Blast in and around that air gap hole. Then spread a good granular such as Spectricide around the foundation of the house. They'll be gone.
Dave, you can bet I'm using every can I can find right now. I'm on a mission. Kill them all and wait for pest control to kill the ones I can't see.

[mac]

Thanks! Big winged ants came in through window sill and I called and spoke to Patrick. Service next week.

catch a couple of those "winged ants" on a piece of sticky tape or in a jar or something so your "executioner" and you can be sure of what you got.......termites are also swarming and migrating at this time of they year

[Ludwig]

A cheap solution for ants...
Find the mound and cover it with dry grits or oats. They'll carry it into the mound, eat it and when it expands, they are killed.
If they are outside, in the lawn, a twice yearly treatment with Amway's Liquid Organic Cleaner helps keep a lawn healthy and pest free.

Grits will not work for fire-ants. They are protein hunters and have no appetite for cereal. The other specie of ants will also not be affected by grits. This is because the adult ants can't eat solid food, including grits. They bring food back to the colony, where they feed it to their larvae. The larvae then chew and process the solids and regurgitate the partially digested food for their adult caretakers. The adult ants consume the liquefied nutrients. Thus, there's no chance that the stomach will explode.

[sojourner truth]

Identifying the type of ants is all important.

Fire ants are fairly easy to get rid of with AMDRO, but it is a systemic agent, and takes up to a week or 2 to kill the entire hive.

Pharoah ants, however, are a different story. They love being inside the house, and are immune to any type of bait killer (such as AMDRO). They don't go after sugar or sweets either. The best remedy for them is something called Fantom. It is a spray that dries and leaves a sticky crystal residue behind that they carry on their legs back to the hive. That was what I always used on them as a licensed pest controller. It also works well on black/carpenter ants, which are, likewise, immune to the stuff that kill fire ants.

Sprays only kill the ants you can see, and will not do the job all the way. You may get rid of the ones you can see, but like cockroaches, for every on you see, there are a thousand you can't.

I use Whole house pest control, because they know their ants, and don't try and sell you permanent termite control treatment when your real problem is ants. Plus, they look everywhere, not just the high visibility places.

[mac]

Grits will not work for fire-ants. They are protein hunters and have no appetite for cereal. The other specie of ants will also not be affected by grits. This is because the adult ants can't eat solid food, including grits. They bring food back to the colony, where they feed it to their larvae. The larvae then chew and process the solids and regurgitate the partially digested food for their adult caretakers. The adult ants consume the liquefied nutrients. Thus, there's no chance that the stomach will explode.

I've never believed that old cream of wheat trick anyway. nothing works as good as orthene.....very expensive but quick, deadly and final.....

go down to that Korean store and buy some of that Chinese chalk to keep 'em out of the house.......mac

[sojourner truth]

Orhtane is a wonderful pesticide that works... Which is why they outlawed it about 15 years ago.

I had a secret stash of the stuff. It would kill every grub, moth, and bad critter in my lawn for 5 years straight. Now, it is only available south of the border, where they use a bunch of it.

OSHA has determined that any pest control agent that actually works is "bad" and relegated us to using expensive placebos that don't kill anything but your wallet.

[CenTexDave]

Those "ants with wings" might be ants, but also could be termites.
The "ants with wings" are females - they grab a male ant and mate in the air, then return to eat and eat the poor guy. Kind of backwards in the ant cycle. lol

[Night Owl]

They could be carpenter ants and they live up to their name. They eat wood. Have had to treat two of my homes this year for those pests.

[Ludwig]

They could be carpenter ants and they live up to their name. They eat wood. Have had to treat two of my homes this year for those pests.

Just a fountain of misinformation today!

The truth is that carpenter ants feed on sources of protein and sugar. Outdoors, mostly feed on living and dead insects and the pet food you left on your porch. They are also love honeydew, that sweet liquid produced by aphids and scale insects. Indoors, they feed on meats and pet food, as well as syrup, honey, sugar, jelly, and other sweets. Carpenter ants DO NOT, however, eat wood. They remove wood as they create galleries and tunnels for nesting.

[mac]

Orhtane is a wonderful pesticide that works... Which is why they outlawed it about 15 years ago.

I had a secret stash of the stuff. It would kill every grub, moth, and bad critter in my lawn for 5 years straight. Now, it is only available south of the border, where they use a bunch of it.

OSHA has determined that any pest control agent that actually works is "bad" and relegated us to using expensive placebos that don't kill anything but your wallet.

i'm down to bout 2 and a half cans of orthene. I did not know that they had banned it, sure glad I bought too much when I bought it. I knew that had done away with malathion which was also some pretty good stuff to broadcast on your place but I finally ran out last spring.

I believe orthene might still be available at a few places here in town, have to check it out, don't want to run out. can't imagine why they would've banned it.....hell, you only used a teaspoon per mound.......mac

[sojourner truth]

Well, they outlawed Orthane first, the went to Diazanon, which was only marginal. Then they banned that and went to Triazanon, which is all but useless. To get anything to work at all, you have to do a trial and error method of finding what the average Joe can actually but. And the ones on the market now are not very effective unless used in doses way over what the manufacturer is allowed to recommend. Amdro is one of the few that works on Fire ants, but is pretty much useless on any other type of ant. AND, if it gets wet for any reason, you just wasted your money. Fire ants will go up to 300 feet to get the stuff and take it back to the hive, and the way it works takes a week or more to actually kill the queen and hive, so instant results are not going to happen.

Carpenter ants and Pharoah ants take a different type of systemic treatment. I do know that Fantom works great on the Pharoah ants, but you have to have a license to buy it. Carpenter ants are susceptible to the sweet baits that you can buy in the store like Tetra, but that also takes a lot of time to work. Carpenter ants will not be killed by Amdro.

Most of the stuff that works takes a license to buy, however, and I suspect a plot between the OSHA and the Pest control industry going on with that one. Anything that really works, and is safe around the house is a rarity. AMDRO is about the only one that falls into that category.

Same with weed sprays. Roundup, as used by the licensed applicators, is about 50 times the strength that you can buy off the shelf. 24D in any form is much more efficient, but also only for a licensed applicator. (Think Agent Orange)... That's the key ingredient in Agent Orange, and why it is Orange.

[mac]

Well, they outlawed Orthane first, the went to Diazanon, which was only marginal. Then they banned that and went to Triazanon, which is all but useless. To get anything to work at all, you have to do a trial and error method of finding what the average Joe can actually but. And the ones on the market now are not very effective unless used in doses way over what the manufacturer is allowed to recommend. Amdro is one of the few that works on Fire ants, but is pretty much useless on any other type of ant. AND, if it gets wet for any reason, you just wasted your money. Fire ants will go up to 300 feet to get the stuff and take it back to the hive, and the way it works takes a week or more to actually kill the queen and hive, so instant results are not going to happen.

Carpenter ants and Pharoah ants take a different type of systemic treatment. I do know that Fantom works great on the Pharoah ants, but you have to have a license to buy it. Carpenter ants are susceptible to the sweet baits that you can buy in the store like Tetra, but that also takes a lot of time to work. Carpenter ants will not be killed by Amdro.

Most of the stuff that works takes a license to buy, however, and I suspect a plot between the OSHA and the Pest control industry going on with that one. Anything that really works, and is safe around the house is a rarity. AMDRO is about the only one that falls into that category.

Same with weed sprays. Roundup, as used by the licensed applicators, is about 50 times the strength that you can buy off the shelf. 24D in any form is much more efficient, but also only for a licensed applicator. (Think Agent Orange)... That's the key ingredient in Agent Orange, and why it is Orange.

Ouch! don't know why I said malathiazon.....I meant diazinon. I had real good luck with it and was able to buy enough to last me several years after it was banned. I would just generally broadcast it agaist the side of the house and let her fall down......maybe once again about this time of the year but all in all, I was very pleased with diazinon.

you're right as rain about round up.......the farmers around here will sell you what you need for bout the price of a cup of coffee. that stuff's really cheap when you don't buy it by the pint or gallon......mac

[Mestral]

You have to be careful with spelling. IIRC, Orthene is a brand name, and still available.
Orthane is a chemical, and that is what SJ says they banned.
Also, knowing the exact variety is necessary.

I use a variety of chemicals. Used to use Amdro, but the fire ants in this area have no appetite for it. Ludwig pointed out they are protein hunters, and that would explain it. Amdro is made from, and tastes like corn. Worked pretty well on the ones in Bastrop County, but not here. Must be a slightly different variety.

I have some sort of wood boring insects in my yard from time to time. I find pinholes in the wood I cut from the dead trees I am taking down one limb at a time, and all the corkwood and sapwood is eaten. I find fire ants swarming in the area between bark and heartwood, but I don't know if they are eating the wood, or eating the insects that ate the wood. Ahhh, the cycle of life :)

Anyway, I have an attic with just a crawl access, so I set of one of those little 3 oz bombs up there from time to time. (The only reasonable way they can get into my house is to climb up into the attic and then climb back down the inside of the wall.) I kill any mounds inside of about 30 feet of the house with a strong dose of triazicide spray just over the top of their mound (saturate an area 4 feet by 4 feet over the top of the colony, and then blanket the same area with water...this stuff soaks straight down.). And I use an (variety of brands - I go cheap) ant block granules in a band out to 40 feet or more from the house (this month I have a bag of "Spectracide Fire Ant Killer").

About the only thing I see after that are worms and rolly-polly's.

[sojourner truth]

Don't know where you got your info from, but the last time I went for CEUs given by A and M, the field professors said Orthane was on the banned list. Maybe they can still buy what's left at the professional applicators level, but you and I aren't going to buy it off the shelf. Dursban is another brand that is good, but unobtainable any more off the shelf. In fact, not much you can get off the shelf has the strength needed to do the job. I'll contact one of my currently licensed friends and get a clarification on Orthane... I may have it confused with Chloridane, another very effective pesticide that was banned after the hoax book "A silent spring" was released... We can also thank that book for not having DDT any more. DDT, which was banned here, is why we still have so much of a mosquito problem today. It is, however, still legal in the rest of the world, as they either didn't get all PC over the book, or they figured the health risks from DDT overrode the results of the diseases the moquitos were responsible for. More from drinking infested and unpurified water than of blood borne illnesses.

What most of the lectures I went to suggested for the average homeowner who doesn't want to hire a professional, is to broadcast AMDRO across the entire yard. Now, that works only if you don't water the yard for about a week, and it doesn't rai. And it is also very expensive. At around $15 for a small container of AMDRO over the counter, it can add up pretty fast.

I have had no problems with the local fire ants gobbling up AMDRO and dying in Heights. Nor did I have any problems in Killeen when I lived there. Problem is, most folks expect instant results, and that just isn't going to happen. And, when buying any type of pesticide, brand names are about the only way we put a label on what we buy. The actual name of the active ingredient is universally designed to be unpronounceable. Not sure what 24D is, but it's something like 2 Methyl dioxichloride. (IE=24D) also labeled under a variety of different brand names that use the basic 24D as the base agent for their product. What we have a problem with is actuall killing other types of ants than the Fire Ant... If you think they are bad, just wait until the Strawberry ant (or "crazy ant') gets here from down south.

[Night Owl]

Just a fountain of misinformation today!

The truth is that carpenter ants feed on sources of protein and sugar. Outdoors, mostly feed on living and dead insects and the pet food you left on your porch. They are also love honeydew, that sweet liquid produced by aphids and scale insects. Indoors, they feed on meats and pet food, as well as syrup, honey, sugar, jelly, and other sweets. Carpenter ants DO NOT, however, eat wood. They remove wood as they create galleries and tunnels for nesting.
Ok, so they don't eat it but they tunnel through it. Hmmmmm, how do they tunnel through wood, ole wise one?

[Mestral]

Chloridane and DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) are indeed banned. One problem was, once released into the environment, they are there forever. Chlorodane has been banned for 35 years, but you can still find it in the fish in Ladybird Lake in Austin. But, I understand, the need for them, and I think some countries made the right choice to bring DDT back.

Dursban was diazinon, and it has been linked to brain tumors, among other things. Trouble with diazinon was that it traveled. Use it in your yard and you can bet it will be in your house within the next week or so (depending on how often you walk on the grasss).

Triazicide is an almost identical chemical, but it doesn't travel (I have missed a portion of a mound by as little as six inches, and those ants survived.) I have gotten pretty good at using it. One thing to be aware of, though. Modern liquid triazicide formulae jell within hours of mixing with water, so clean your sprayer out thoroughly.

I looked it up. Orthane and Orthene were trademark names for Acephate (http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC34806). One article said currently available with license for crop use, and you have to wear a hazmat suit to handle it. But I found it on Amazon, and at Home Depot in granular formulae for home treatment of fire ants. Maybe you need a license for larger than a certain size container.

All chemicals I list in this post are classed as highly acutely toxic, cholinesterase inhibitor, meaning nerve agents. In addition some of them are chronic liver toxins (but I can't find that listing right now) meaning repeated exposures build up over time.

I agree most of them have very unpronounceable names.

[sojourner truth]

It's not the size of the container you get that makes it a license only pesticide... The ones that the licensed guys use are almost 50 times more potent than what you buy off the shelf.

In any insecticide, the main concern for health is the inclusion of Cholinesterase inhibitors. The active agent that kills the insect can, if taken into a human on a regular basis, and in very large amounts, can destroy the nerve synapses and give the recipient symptoms of Parkinsons disease. You can actually see the effects in some of the old timers who did pest control before safety was a primary issue. Involuntary shaking, and loss of muscular control. 24D also has this agent, and that is why those who claim to have been in contact with it in large doses claim health issue. The point is, you have to have large dose exposure over prolonged periods of time before any bad effects are evidenced. Even too much pure water can kill you if too much is imbibed in too short a period of time. The ingredients in tooth paste are highly toxic if ingested.

Diazanon uses these (Cholinesterase) agents as well, but in very limited amounts. The biggest problem is with what is known as "drift" from these agents, and comes from water runoff from folks who use too much, and don't water it in when first applied. Then, when a frog strangling rain comes along, it gets into the water supply from run off. ERGO... the need for licenses and restrictions on its use, and limitations on the percentage of agent able to be bought over the counter. The low dose over the counter products we are allowed to buy are just not all that effective.

I get good results from Bayer grub killer. The best results for fertilizer I have experimented with come from Scotts turf builder, which I didn't like when I first used it. I swear by it now, as well as Bayer grub bait.

[Mestral]

Diazanon uses these (Cholinesterase) agents as well, but in very limited amounts. The biggest problem is with what is known as "drift" from these agents, and comes from water runoff from folks who use too much, and don't water it in when first applied. Then, when a frog strangling rain comes along, it gets into the water supply from run off. ERGO... the need for licenses and restrictions on its use, and limitations on the percentage of agent able to be bought over the counter. The low dose over the counter products we are allowed to buy are just not all that effective.Diazanon had the added problem of being oil based. That is one reason it would wind up in your home. It sticks to the bottoms of your shoes. On the (corporate) farm I lived during most of my youth, we used copious amounts of many chemicals. We did have a policy of shoes off at the door, so that cut the spread a bit, but my brother and I went barefoot as much as Tom Sawyer. He is gone (brain tumor) and the rest of us have nervous system damage of one sort or another. My grandfather died of Parkinsons, but at a fairly old age. I am hoping for heart failure, and eating a diet to promote it. Life is a crap shoot, and anything you do can get you killed, including doing nothing, so I don't have a problem with any of this.

[Grammar Rules]

:shaking my head: What does one eat to "promote heart failure"?

[sojourner truth]

Go to Dairy Queen and just get about anything on the menu...

[Ludwig]

Ok, so they don't eat it but they tunnel through it. Hmmmmm, how do they tunnel through wood, ole wise one?

Just like a saw does not eat the wood but converts it to saw dust, so does the carpenter ant.

[Night Owl]

Just like a saw does not eat the wood but converts it to saw dust, so does the carpenter ant.
Still destroying the wood in either case. I'll have to check next time I see one and find out if it's a crosscut saw they are using.

[Mestral]

:shaking my head: What does one eat to "promote heart failure"?
I eat what I want, instead of what I might know is better for me.

What I have seen of Parkinsons and cancer tells me I would rather not go that way,
although in the end, I know it won't really be up to me to decide.

[ClickaNerd]

Ants don't know their place. The kitchen is mine. Would like opinions of pest control services for Killeen. Would rather not use Terminix or Orkin.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Raid-Double-Ant-Baits-4-ct/11046003

The ants eat the stuff and bring it back to the nest.

Works excellent and is very clean.

Outside just use any old pesticide expert to spray the entire yard.

[Mestral]

Well there have been several solutions and some good advice given in this thread.
Post #'s 2, 10, 19, 22, and 30 are all good, on topic ideas.
History Teacher already said she is going with the first idea - post #2,
so it may be of interest to see how that works out.

[sojourner truth]

All the classes I ever attended had a common theme for any pest... If you don't supply a critter with what he wants, they won't come around.

Right... Like that's going to happen.

[siamcat]

All the classes I ever attended had a common theme for any pest... If you don't supply a critter with what he wants, they won't come around.

Right... Like that's going to happen.

The only place we have ants in the house is at the kitchen sink. Hubby blames me for not cleaning the sink. I've cleaned it everyday for a week and still there were ants. I think they just like the water. They are nowhere else.

Outside we use the smelly stuff in the green bottle on mounds and there is not much of a problem.

[HistoryTeacher]

Pest control came today. Can't smell the poison, but I wasn't here then.

[Mestral]

All the classes I ever attended had a common theme for any pest... If you don't supply a critter with what he wants, they won't come around.

Right... Like that's going to happen.Step one. Pavement. Starting at the center of your house and extending to 5 yards past any structures, in all directions.

[sojourner truth]

Pest control came today. Can't smell the poison, but I wasn't here then.


Most of the newer pesticides are fairly odor free. Only a few have any type of discernible odor when they dry up. The ant control pesticides use microscopic crystals that stick to the legs of the workers, and kill the rest of the hive when they track it back home.

The guy I use has a policy of no cost return trips if his treatment doesn't give results. He comes once every 3 months and sprays, then any time in between if I need him.

I like that because it means I can trust him not just spraying water and telling me he sprayed pesticide... And yes, that does happen with some less reputable firms.

[Night Owl]

Most of the newer pesticides are fairly odor free. Only a few have any type of discernible odor when they dry up. The ant control pesticides use microscopic crystals that stick to the legs of the workers, and kill the rest of the hive when they track it back home.

The guy I use has a policy of no cost return trips if his treatment doesn't give results. He comes once every 3 months and sprays, then any time in between if I need him.

I like that because it means I can trust him not just spraying water and telling me he sprayed pesticide... And yes, that does happen with some less reputable firms.
We might have the same company. Sure sounds like it. Mantis.

[sojourner truth]

Nope... I use Whole House... It is a 2 man owned company. They do a great job, and always schedule their visits to fit your schedule.

[cnjbond]

I found a remedy online that called for hot water and LOTS of it. You pour the hot water on the mound and wait a bit for them to start evacuating and then you pour more hot water on them. It said you can usually kill about 40-60% of the mound that way but you have to keep an eye on them because they'll usually just move to another spot in the yard. You also have to be careful with the hot water because it'll kill your vegetation as well.

I changed the process up just a little by spraying a half can of RAID on top and around the mound after the first few buckets of hot water were poured and after the ants started scurrying out with the eggs and larvae trying to find another location. Then I dropped a few more buckets of hot water on the mound to make sure it all soaked in. I'm sure that wasn't the most environmentally sound way to do it but it seems to have done the trick...for now!

[CenTexDave]

You have to kill the queen though or else they will just relocate.
Over and Out is kind of expensive, but it does work pretty good. Made by Bayer. The bag says it covers 5000 sq ft, but I laid it down real thick so buy more than just one bag.

[Mestral]

You have to kill the queen though or else they will just relocate.
Over and Out is kind of expensive, but it does work pretty good. Made by Bayer. The bag says it covers 5000 sq ft, but I laid it down real thick so buy more than just one bag.I too, find their estimates of sq footage a bit optimistic.

[cnjbond]

You have to kill the queen though or else they will just relocate.
Over and Out is kind of expensive, but it does work pretty good. Made by Bayer. The bag says it covers 5000 sq ft, but I laid it down real thick so buy more than just one bag.

Yeah I was wondering how the hot water method would reach the queen but I figured it was worth a shot...I'll let y'all know how well it worked in a couple of days.

[Mestral]

Generally, the hot water method is only useful for temporary suppression of the mound, for instance if you are planning a backyard party with small children and don't want pesticide where they may be playing.

[sojourner truth]

I did the boiling water thing at my old house... It did kill a lot of ants, but not the queen who can live up to 30 feet below ground.

I did have a lot of nice dead patches of grass all over the yard though... That did not turn green again for about 2 years. The water sterilizes the soil, and all the nutrients in it.

Roundup is the only thing I use now, as it gets the queen every time. It isn't cheap, and takes about 2 weeks to do the job, but it works every time. At least it has for me.

[Mestral]

Roundup for fireants?

[sojourner truth]

Sorry... Meant Amdro..:)

[Mestral]

Well, it may for a while, but the fire ants around my neighborhood before 2011 got to where they didn't care for the taste of Amdro, and if they won't take it into the nest to feed to the colony it won't work. The drought in 2011 pretty much killed out the fire ants in my area and I haven't checked to see if the ones I have now will "take the bait."

[CenTexDave]

Gunpowder works too and is fun to pour down inside the ant hill and then light it. :)