ANTS! I knew it'd happen eventually.

[kinyonga]

Can you put the legs of your cage stands in cups of water? Or maybe something sticky that is non-toxic to reptiles?

You can buy a liquid that the ants will drink then take back to the nest and kill the whole colony.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrPmR0-HGzM&feature=related

I've heard vinegar can work too.

Maybe these will help...
"when you just need the bugs to drop dead now try some of those orange oil cleaners"...
http://www.instructables.com/id/Getting-Rid-of-Ants-or-How-to-Kill-an-Ant-Invasi/
http://www.thefrugallife.com/ants.html

 

[Syn]

Can you put the legs of your cage stands in cups of water? Or maybe something sticky that is non-toxic to reptiles?

You can buy a liquid that the ants will drink then take back to the nest and kill the whole colony.

I have the liquid. I have moved all of the reptiles except 4 leopard geckos into my own room on the opposite side of the house. The leopard geckos are on a stand with slick metal that they shouldn't be able to climb.

 

[summoner12]

Vacuum? Shop Vac? Hiking boots?

lol I was thinking the same thing... use a wet/dry shop vac... put some water into the vacuum so the ands drawn after being sucked into the container.

 

[Syn]

I'm worried that I probably should not go to sleep otherwise they will invade while I'm asleep...

Can you rent a shop vac? I killed my vacuum trying to get cinnamon off the carpet and ants.

 

[Syn]

This is not good.. the ants are back and they are swarming outside and it looks like they are getting under the trailer I live in and trying to get to the roof.. I found a few coming in through my window AC INTO MY REPTILE ROOM! I am panicking right now and my sister is going to get bug spray... what I need to know is can I spray bug spray OUTSIDE of the house? If I can, what kind of precautions can I take to prevent it from affecting the geckos?

BAD NEWS: The neighbors were putting down some powder and I could smell it going into the reptile room from the A/C ... the A/C is getting turned off and a towel was put over it until they stop.. but some still got in...

In case you couldn't tell, I'm in a panic!

 

[Elizadolots]

I guess I would try spraying onto a towel and then wiping the path the ants are on. You'll need to go a bit outside the path. For anything that gets inside, vinegar might be the best choice at this point.

My guess is they are after the water.

 

[Syn]

My sister isn't answering her phone for me to tell her to get vinegar. I have so many ant bites from jumping around and pouring the powder down.. Would it be possible to spray if I cover the A/C with a wet towel then a garbage bag over top?

 

[Syn]

She started spraying before I could tell her not too.. I will be off the forums for a while to try to gas-proof my room..
If anyone wants to contact me on the phone my # is 48O two 7447five1.

EDIT: Not sure what else I can do but sit in my room for a while and hope no one gets sick..

 

[ShaunaLynnA]

Syn,
How is everyone doing? I hope everything worked out for the best! Keep us updated when you get a chance on how everything went.

 

[panther67]

Put baby powder in their trail.

 

[Giggy]

Use skin so soft, ants hate it!!!

 

[Syn]

Outside the house was sprayed... I protested as much as I could to no avail. Looks like everyone is OK but I won't know for sure for a few days I'd bet. :\

 

[ruru]

if you have a yard or a small area around your house theres spearmint plants you can plant or just leave in the pot and they are like magic...ants wont come around..i had ants really bad at my place until i got some and planted them....idr the actuall name of them but i can look them up if you want

 

[Syn]

Plants and gardens do not do so well here. With $15 extra watering a month in the summer I just could not keep my garden alive in this 120F heat. I don't think spearmint would be any better off unfortunately.

 

[ChromaChameleons]

I recently saw a program on TV regarding mobile homes and RVs. It was stated that some trailers are constructed with plywood and resins that actually attract bugs. They specified ants and termites love the stuff.

Have you checked the net for any suggestions from other similar situations?

 

[Mr Wilson]

Spraying outside should be fine. I've had an exterminator come with some serious spray to cover the perimeter of my house and all my guys were fine. Not sure how much the AC will allow in? I mean my windows were open shortly after the spray and everything was fine. Hope everything is working out

 

[Syn]

I recently saw a program on TV regarding mobile homes and RVs. It was stated that some trailers are constructed with plywood and resins that actually attract bugs. They specified ants and termites love the stuff.

Have you checked the net for any suggestions from other similar situations?

I have not read that and will definitely look into it. If that's the case.. well, my Mom and I are going to be in a bit of trouble. Thanks for notifying me of this, it may very well be the thing that determines whether or not I can get rid of these ants!

Spraying outside should be fine. I've had an exterminator come with some serious spray to cover the perimeter of my house and all my guys were fine. Not sure how much the AC will allow in? I mean my windows were open shortly after the spray and everything was fine. Hope everything is working out

Seems like everyone is alright. I turned the AC off and covered it just in case. Fortunately because the swamp cooler was running it was letting air out rather than in.

Really hoping these ants don't come back. I think it partially has to do with the rain we are getting for monsoon season.

 

[drewtt]

I'm sure you'd get a lot more ideas if you used a search button (ie, google) rather than making this thread.

Drew

 

[Syn]

I'm sure you'd get a lot more ideas if you used a search button (ie, google) rather than making this thread.

Drew

Surprisingly all of the ideas that popped up on google either made the problem worse or only spread the ants around. The ideas I've gotten on here have been a lot more helpful.
You must also realize that google mostly has ideas based on homes that do not have reptiles..

Trust me, I had searched google and it gave me the cinnamon idea. It made the situation worse. I tried other methods that only spread the ants around.
The problem started at 2pm so I waited quite a while to make this post. Yes, I should have used the search function but I was looking for a solution that was specific to my problem.

 

[Elizadolots]

Was that an episode of Billy the Exterminator?

Here's a link to some non-toxic ideas for keeping ants at bay.

My favorite is: Spray or paint sticky barriers made out of tanglefoot products on plants and trees. These barriers prevent ants from climbing up stems and trunks to feed.