It's the beginning of "Ant Season" here in these parts of Pennsyltucky.
Ants are just a fact of life in these parts. We just have to deal with them.
The first line of defense is to keep the kitchen and dining areas scrupulously clean.
Don't leave food out. Don't leave dirty dishes in the sink. Always rinse dishes and empty glasses then put them into the dishwasher. Take the garbage out regularly and keep the bins clean.
If you don't do those things, there's no medication or preparation that will keep ants away.
Once we've done those things, we use "Formula 409" to thoroughly clean the counters in order to obliterate all the ant trails. (Ants leave scent trails that other ants follow to find food.)
After that, we use some sort of aromatic like eucalyptus or peppermint oil to act as a repellant. If you mix some eucalyptus with some Castile soap and water it does a good job of "fouling up the ants' radar" to keep them away for a while. You just have to refresh it once or twice a week.
In the days before we adopted Casper, I would have also sprayed some household insecticide around the baseboards and doorways. However, with the cat in the house, I have second thoughts about the usual household sprays.
So... The question is... Does anybody out there know about cat-safe insect sprays that actually work?
T.I.A.
Ants are just a fact of life in these parts. We just have to deal with them.
The first line of defense is to keep the kitchen and dining areas scrupulously clean.
Don't leave food out. Don't leave dirty dishes in the sink. Always rinse dishes and empty glasses then put them into the dishwasher. Take the garbage out regularly and keep the bins clean.
If you don't do those things, there's no medication or preparation that will keep ants away.
Once we've done those things, we use "Formula 409" to thoroughly clean the counters in order to obliterate all the ant trails. (Ants leave scent trails that other ants follow to find food.)
After that, we use some sort of aromatic like eucalyptus or peppermint oil to act as a repellant. If you mix some eucalyptus with some Castile soap and water it does a good job of "fouling up the ants' radar" to keep them away for a while. You just have to refresh it once or twice a week.
In the days before we adopted Casper, I would have also sprayed some household insecticide around the baseboards and doorways. However, with the cat in the house, I have second thoughts about the usual household sprays.
So... The question is... Does anybody out there know about cat-safe insect sprays that actually work?
T.I.A.