Ants that seem to be uninterested in sugar and honey. Termites?
Okay I might have a picture of one of them. They left and came back. They are just really into hanging out above my stove. They don't seem interested in any of the food. It's like they are lost. What do you guys think? Should I just go to Lowe's and get some baits or call pest control?
@Wbtphdjd yes this is the way I would take care of ants at the lab I worked at in Vegas. Get the gel bait and put it on tape that you cover up the hole they are coming in from.
@scottyorange Publicly available ant baits focus almost exclusively on red fire ants, so they won't work well, or at all, on any other species. I don't believe that's a termite. It's definitely an ant of some kind, but damned if I know their name. They're common in the Southeast US. I've never been attacked by them, so I'm not sure if they sting or not. They're not aggressive. Regular Raid might do the trick and save you some money.
@POOetryma and I think since they don't seem to care about sugar normal bait wouldn't work.
@POOetryma can definitely second the non aggressiveness. They just seem to like to be around.
@scottyorange Doesn't really look like a termite. How long have they been there? I'd probably wait some, but I have cats and don't like having poisons around.
@BillieBun yeah I try to avoid poisons as much as possible. Just because I wouldn't want to be poisoned myself.
I am told that sometimes they are looking for water. Especially in these record heat waves, that might be the issue.
To add, I have had (knock on wood) success with the Terro ant traps. They are made out of borax (the laundry cleaner) in a liquid form. The liquid is kept within the trap, and unless it is turned upside down and/or squeezed, remains in there.
PS - saw them on sale for Prime Day yesterday.
@BlueStateBabe @scottyorange Could be. I don't buy anythin from Amazon if I can help it.
It is also commonly found in hardware stores, etc. Just mentioned Amazon because of the cut price.
@BillieBun @scottyorange Try lemon tree oil. It's 100% natural and non-toxic. It has a powerful smell that might deter certain pests. It does well against ticks and mosquitoes, and it's safe to use on cats. You might find some at Walmart.
@POOetryma @scottyorange I've never heard of lemon oil other than for furniture. I'll have to look for some.
@BillieBun @POOetryma also vinegar mixed with water and with orange peels in it. Vinegar can erase the pheromone trails they leave, and the citrus is somewhat of a repellent. But I think it's just for pleasant smelling. Feels like it does something.
@BillieBun @scottyorange Dollar Tree sold it years ago in the pet aisle, but they don't carry it anymore. I used it on my cats and it worked wonderfully.
@scottyorange They use wood for nests. You’ll want to make sure they’re not doing structural damage.
@sfleetucker planning on partially disassembling the above stove cabinets and looking in the air vent to see if I can tell if they are causing damage.
@scottyorange Yeah, odd.
@scottyorange That does seem odd because ants are always moving.
Maybe they're looking for water?
Seriously the most chill ants. This one just sat there while I took its picture from very close. And it seems like they don't react at all. Like they are on the box of graham crackers and I moved it, no reaction. "Wha... buh? Okay..." Just chilling, nothing to see here.