ANTS in the bird room!!!!!

[spiritwolf46]

We live in an old farm house that we are remodeling, little by little, and I have been noticing ANTS in the bird room around the discarded seeds. I vacuum everyday (does not seem to bother the birds at all, they are used to it) but this is becoming a HUGE problem. I have a product called Taro, but it is highly poisonous. I know that the birds cannot get out (we have extra latches on their doors now) and I can put it on pieces of cardboard where they cannot get to it just in case they ever get out, but I am worried about the ants possibly carrying someting into the cage. I have NEVER seen any ants in their cages, only on the floor, but am truly worried about this. If they eat the ant, will it kill the bird???

I have seen ant traps, but do not know if they work. Can anyone think of anything that may help?

I have only had this problem once and that was years ago in the kitchen and I used the Taro and they disappeared.

I just want the birds to be SAFE!

[linda040899]

This is an easy one, but it's bait so you need to be patient and let it work. You will need a couple of margarine tubs (with lids), cotton balls, sugar and boric acid. Mix a cup of water with a quarter cup of sugar (you want this to be sweet!) and add 1 tablespoon of boric acid powder. Puncture holes in the margarine tubs, sides and lids. You want these to be decent size holes, as this is how the ants will come and go. Soak cotton balls with the water, sugar, boric acid solution and put them in the margarine tubs. Cover with the lid to help the solution from drying out. Place your ant traps where the ants trail. Since the solution is sweet, the ants will eat it and even take some of the cotton back to their mounds. The boric acid is what's lethal so it should take out the entire colony.

Does this work? You bet it does! It won't have an immediate effect but you will see the ants disappear within a couple of days.

[spiritwolf46]

OMG Linda!!!! You ARE a life saver!! THANK YOU! Now I have to find some boric acid somewhere. I am not sure if they sell the powder here anymore. That is also a GREAT way to kill fleas if anyone has them. Place powdered boric acid in the sweeper bag or even in bagless sweepers and as you sweep, it kills fleas. You can sprinkle it around the carpets and upholstery, leave it for a while and then vacuum. Learned that from a professional a long time ago and we had NO fleas at all with three dogs! But....I could not find it any longer in the powder around here.

Okay, there is one place that MAY have it around these parts and I am off to see if I can get some.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU again!

[spiritwolf46]

GOT IT!!!! I had to ask the pharmacist for the boric acid, but I got some. My traps are set. :) Thank you again!

[Janie]

Glad you found it and I'm sure that will take care of the ants. :)

Another great way to get rid of them fast is with Camacide insect spray. I buy it by the gallon at bird fairs and use it in the bird room (with them IN the room when I spray), in my kitchen, etc. Anywhere I find ants! It is a bird safe product.

[Flapjack]

is plain boric acid mandatory, or does Borax work just as well?

[linda040899]

Borax will work but plain boric acid is more potent! Camacide will work but it only does an immediate kill. It leaves no residue and it's not carried back to the mound. When I kill 'em, I want them all to die!!!!! >: While they are small insects, they are a huge annoyance!

[chromasnake]

Borax will work but plain boric acid is more potent! Camacide will work but it only does an immediate kill. It leaves no residue and it's not carried back to the mound. When I kill 'em, I want them all to die!!!!! >: While they are small insects, they are a huge annoyance!

It sounds like using both methods would be a good thing...one for immediate satisfaction, and the other for the long range. :)

Great tips! I am going to save this information. Thanks and thanks for asking the question, Spiritwolf!