Ants!

The past week I have had ants constantly in & around my snake rack. Is there anything that I can spray safely that will get those little buggers out of here but not hurt the snakes?

I have just been using a rag with some cleaner on it to wipe them up. Was debating on taking the rack out of the room & spraying like mad then bring them back in after a day or so.

Take super sticky double-sided tape and put it around the base of the rack.

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Originally Posted by TimNA

The past week I have had ants constantly in & around my snake rack. Is there anything that I can spray safely that will get those little buggers out of here but not hurt the snakes?

I have just been using a rag with some cleaner on it to wipe them up. Was debating on taking the rack out of the room & spraying like mad then bring them back in after a day or so.

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Ants hate cucumbers!!!:D

I have pharaoh ants I use diatomaceous earth to keep them away from my snakes.

lay out some 20 ounce soda pop tops with some pancake syrup in them, they will stick like glue;)

Maybe get some ant traps and place them around the shelves/bottom?

That sticky tape idea sounds good too! Never thought of that before...or the cucumber thing, useful stuff. :)

I use Terro liquid ant bait. It comes in a little pack that opens in the bottom like a roach trap. The ants eat the liquid and take it back to the queen and BAM!!! no more ants.

You can get a clear double-sided tape at Home Depot, Walmart even the Dollar store. It's advertised to keep cats from scratching your furniture, it easily removes from surfaces and will catch the ants, and you can't really notice it's there. SO it's more aesthetically pleasing:)

i sprinkle suger water on the ants and around the holes in which they came and the ants collect the sugar water food and take it back to the nest and leave me alone. :)

I had to read your post, cause I immediately knew you were from SoCal! haha Why does SoCal have such a huge problem with ants this time of year? I don't have anything to suggest in terms of products, but maybe become a complete nazi when it comes to cleanliness around that area. A clean, crumb free area usually will keep ants away in the first place. Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Apophis

I use Terro liquid ant bait. It comes in a little pack that opens in the bottom like a roach trap. The ants eat the liquid and take it back to the queen and BAM!!! no more ants.

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All good sugestions in this post. We did get ants in our kitchen when it rains outside to much, but not any more. Begining of summer I put out the liquid ant bait and change it every 3 months. I haven't seen a ant in the kitchen for about 2 years now. You need to KILL THE QUEEN to stop ants. ;)

It does depend on the ants pharaoh ants have multiple queens and satellite nests, baits work but it takes tons of effort the pest control people want to 'bag' the house and flood the whole works with insecticide. I'd suggest bait products with barriers around the rack. Things such as diatomaceous earth, silica gel, or tangle foot products. Oil filled cups might work well too.

It seems once for awhile every year I have an ant problem. >.> I had problems with ants in my pet rat's cages awhile back.
I went to the extreme without using anything that would really hurt my rats(like no chemicals and stuff)
Like Vaseline around the cage, chili powder and cinnamon on the table around the cage, corn meal on the floor.(They love the taste of corn meal, but can't digest it so it kills them I guess)
Though one time I decided to put my bearded dragon's salad dish on the floor that had dryish mango in it at night and when I woke up it was covered with ants so I put hand sanatiser on them. XD Mean, but it kills them quick enough.
I hate ants.
I hope you can get them gone! Oh, they also HATE HATE HATE mint. :3

I live in Ga and every year battle ants. I have to spray the outside of my house every two weeks with a concentrated spray to keep them out. I didnt get them in the house much this year.

I do use Terro sometimes when they do get in the house. But sometimes I feel that they are clever and learn that the bait is killing them. I have had them eating terro for days and then all of the sudden, they dissappear from that route only to show up somewhere else. Another colony with a different route? Who knows...

Anyhow, yes I have had them in the reptile room. Last year was BAD. It was literally attacked one night when I got home from work. Little b@stards were every where! In snake cages, in my gecko cages, all across the floor and walls! I went bananas! I attacked with what I had! And what I had was 2 sprays...Prevent-o-mite AND RID...and guess what? Everywhere I sprayed ended up being a long lasting repelent!

Of course I exercised caution and did the whole ventilation thing. But, I have not had any ants breach my racks since or in that room for that matter.

BTW...YES I used a 19 dollar can of prevent-o-mite. But, at the time I also knew that the active ingredient in POM is... .50% Permethrin & 99.50 "Other Ingredients"....WHICH IS THE SAME thing as RID which is a "wally world" brand of "Home Lice Control Spray" for a fraction of the cost ;) I have found other sprays geared for Bed Bugs but can't remember the name of the spray. Just remember the active ingredients and you'll find the spray.

So....my advice, and hopefully it works on your strain of ants as it did on mine, is to spray a border in your room. It has worked well for me. Besides, having a spray around that is .50% Permethrin & 99.50 "Other Ingredients" comes in handy should your snakes get mites.

Hope this helps.
Severa

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