Ok so for reference I’m in Illinois and we are currently experiencing a typical “Chicago” spring which means roller coaster temperatures and RAIN which means the ants are being flooded out of their dens. I have ant traps in place but I’m still experiencing what I feel are too many ants for my liking in my kitchen. I’m probably going to have an exterminator out but I’m also planning on having a large patio poured which I’m hoping is going to be a deterrent as well. My question is does anyone have any recommendations beyond the typical ant traps or exterminator? 

We have the same problem every year near our fireplace. I put a Terro liquid bait trap near where they come in, and they're usually gone in a couple of days. You can get them at Lowes, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, etc. My wife thinks it's gross because there are 1000s of dead ants in the traps, but it beats having live ants in the house IMO.

Get food grade diatomaceous earth sprinkle it where they walk.  It is harmless to people and pets but deadly to animals with exoskeletons.

Terro drops. Or “just call the man aunt bea!”

We spent years playing the "DIY exterminator" game with only marginal success and repeated frustration.  We broke down and called an exterminator.  $75 for one treatment a year and never saw an ant again.  Not one.  

Terro has always worked here.

My mom has a great pest control company and she never has many bugs at all, not even the basement and only a few in the garage. I think they can get a bunch of chemicals we cannot, via somewhat expensive permits/charters. 
 

Ants have only gotten bad at my house a time or 3 and with patience the terro worked but it took a while. If you’ve got brown sugar, lock it down in a mason jar or something crazy tight. I put that on any food that goes onto the smoker and the ants like it more than anything 

Now ! 

Does Terro make something for stinkbugs ❓

We’ve had them the last two years and I did the DIY route after it was too late. Last year they chewed the crap out of our casing to one of our exterior doors! My house is almost three years old so it really ticked me off but we’re next to a river so it’s all sand. Thankfully my wife’s cousin owns a pest control company so he hooked us up with three treatments this year so we’ll see. Stink bugs and Japanese beetles are bad during the spring and fall too.

Terro has worked well for me. 

Another terro user here. Has worked for my house. If anybody has a fruit fly remedy that actually works though I’d love to hear it. 

 

Another happy Tero user here for ants - for everything else, Ortho Home Defense.

If they’re really fruit flies, there’s a Terro trap for them that works great, but you have to figure out where they’re coming from (old fruit, compost bin, etc). If they’re gnats, there’s the great yellow butterfly-shaped sticky traps that you can stick in your houseplants that are almost magical. YMMV 

If ants had thumbs they would rule the world.

 

The only way that I know of to effectively combat any bugs is to hire a pest control company and have monthly service.

I rotate between Talstar P and I think its Bifen? I put it 2 feet up on the foundation and a little on the ground before it as well as around any windows, crawls space vents and doors. Haven't had an issue with any spiders, ants, etc. in a few years. I'll mix up a batch in a sprayer and usually after 2 applications its out and I'll switch to the other one. Exterminator "friend" said they do that because certain bugs can grow a resistance if you use just one type all the time. 

On 4/4/2025 at 10:24 AM, Eric 26 said:

Ok so for reference I’m in Illinois and we are currently experiencing a typical “Chicago” spring which means roller coaster temperatures and RAIN which means the ants are being flooded out of their dens. I have ant traps in place but I’m still experiencing what I feel are too many ants for my liking in my kitchen. I’m probably going to have an exterminator out but I’m also planning on having a large patio poured which I’m hoping is going to be a deterrent as well. My question is does anyone have any recommendations beyond the typical ant traps or exterminator? 

i consider myself a subject matter expert on this now.  we have odorous ants in our hood and occasionally the full-on invasion.  used to give me panic attacks. 

 

exterminators were not successful at my place.  they baited my yard, sprayed around the perimeter and put a few bait stations in my house. 

i did these things:

1.  we do not leave food out.  ever.  i will wash my honey jar exterior before i put it back.

2.  i continue to bait outdoors.  i use "ants no more bait station" and the same gel they used.  i kill hundreds but i dont know how effective it is for my home invasions.

3.  i use Phantom aerosal spray.  this is EVERYTHING.  this is a non repellent bug killer.  this means it doesnt kill on contact, and the bugs dont avoid it.  they get tiny dust on their bodies from the spray, drag it home and kill everyone.   an ant hive usually has more than one queen.  many queens.  you use a repellant type spray (RAID!) and the colony will immediately understand they are under attack and the queens split for safety.  you essentially split the giant hive into several giant hives.  i watched my stubborn 90+ neighbor do this and her house got flooded by MILLIONS of ants.  she had to hire a pro to fume her home.  the pro took all her RAID and tossed it.  

4.  i keep AdvionAD and keep a few bait stations loaded year round.   not sure this helps because of my #5.

5.  i see ANTs coming it, i will open up the light fixture or whatever and spray it with Phantom.  then i seal the opening with clear silicone.   sometimes i move a bait nearby and they hit it hard.  keeps them from making long trips across my house.  they come in from the crack, eat, go, die.  i seal it always.  at this point, my house will float.  i use a bright flashlight and find where the little mofo's are coming from and i will spray and seal.  

6. once a year, i go back and spray all the suspect areas i dont fill.   i open up electrical switches and plug plates and give it a quick spray of dust.  under door threshholds, etc.  

 

good luck.  odorous ants and Argentina ants are no joke. 

Our 100% solution to getting rid of ants in our Illinois home was to use a solution of 1.5 tablespoons of borax, .5 cup of sugar and 1.5 cups of warm water. We soak some cotton balls in the mixture, put the cotton balls in some bottle caps, and place the caps near where the ants get in. The ants pickup the solution and take it back to the nest and within a day or so, all the ants are gone. I have no idea what variety of ants we had, or whether the borax works on every type, but its a cheap and effective method that has always worked for us.

Terro, by the way, uses borax. Mixing it yourself is significantly cheaper

Once a year I get tiny ants and it used to drive me crazy until I discovered they were coming through the electrical switch plates and outlets.  Now I remove the electrical plates and shoot in a short blast of Raid;  totally solves the problem.

I greatly appreciate everyone who has taken the time to respond and if it were possible I would have multiple “Mark as solution” comments. We used Terro along with my re caulking the counter top to the exterior wall and both have helped tremendously and I’m definitely going to try some of the other suggestions as well. 

Terro works, but it works sometimes too well and will alert the hive it is under attack.   the pro versions kill slowly.  wipes out the colony.

 

good luck.  

one next door neighbor is visually impaired, and the other neighbor is 96.  i treat their homes sometimes.  i am getting pretty good at it.  

 

oh wear nitrile gloves.  

 

i buy my stuff from DIY pest control.  

I just went to the county animal shelter and adopted an ant eater.  Problem solved.  They are really good with children.

On 4/7/2025 at 12:30 PM, Scott F said:

Our 100% solution to getting rid of ants in our Illinois home was to use a solution of 1.5 tablespoons of borax, .5 cup of sugar and 1.5 cups of warm water. We soak some cotton balls in the mixture, put the cotton balls in some bottle caps, and place the caps near where the ants get in. The ants pickup the solution and take it back to the nest and within a day or so, all the ants are gone. I have no idea what variety of ants we had, or whether the borax works on every type, but its a cheap and effective method that has always worked for us.

Terro, by the way, uses borax. Mixing it yourself is significantly cheaper

I’ve used Borax and sugar for the past few years. It works 

I tried borax and grape jelly to kill some yellow jackets one time. They were in someone’s soffit and I was at the top of a 32 foot ladder . I just mixed it all up in an empty container and set it in the gutter on a streak of sunny days. I hope it worked because I was never going back up there again 😂 

On 4/7/2025 at 10:13 PM, Columbia Craw said:

I just went to the county animal shelter and adopted an ant eater.  Problem solved.  They are really good with children.