Ants

[Tonyz]

Ive heard it said that 'If there are black ants around the house dont destroy them as they keep the white buggas at bay ie eat them"

Can anyone proove , confirm this or is it just a load of cods wallop

[echnidna]

all ordinary ants will eat termites

[Bob38S]

Have found them side by side in the garden almost as if neither was aware of each others existence - only when the white ants are exposed/disturbed - then the black ants attack them with a passion and clean out what they can find - unfortunately they do not get them all so keep up the normal vigilance and chemical barriers.

[Ashwood]

While i don't doubt that statement (ants eating termites), I wouldn't place a half cents' reliance on that keeping termites away. And the nuisance of ants in the house is in my view a b****dy pain ... it's "Ant Rid" for me, it's a sweetened clear liquid which you drip into their path (say 10 mm square 'pools'), and the ants go crazy, bring it back to their nest and it kills their colony. Has worked wonders for me repeatedly in different houses. You can get it at your supermarts in tiny plastic bottles.

[Bob38S]

....

... it's "Ant Rid" for me, it's a sweetened clear liquid which you drip into their path (say 10 mm square 'pools'), and the ants go crazy, bring it back to their nest and it kills their colony. Has worked wonders for me repeatedly in different houses. You can get it at your supermarts in tiny plastic bottles.

G'day Ashwood, don't want to rain on your parade but the ants up here in Qld drink the stuff - doesn't seem to have any effect - have tracked some and actually poured circles around the nests - they crossit, eat it and keep coming back for more but the nest, nor it appears the ants seem to be affected.

[Bleedin Thumb]

Tony I used to work up in FNQ where the termite mounds where higher than me. During moments of sheer boredom or juvenile delinquency I would sometimes smash the things and observe the resulting mayhem.

The results of this rigorous research is.... one particular species of ant would go bananas if the mound was breached and obviously delighted in eating termites ( I refer to them as termite killing ants) whilst most other ants either took a slight passing interest or ignored them.

The ant in question is also found in Sydney..don't know about your neck of the woods. I will see if I can find a picture. They are real quick walkers, a slightly glaborous black abdomen with the slightest flash of gold. Their legs are skinny for their body size - almost spider like.

[Bleedin Thumb]

Attachment 69570


looks very much like this one...a type of Honey ant.

[Barry Hicks]

Just about EVERYTHING will eat those little pills
of protein aka termites - if they are exposed.
They very quickly seal up any openings made
into their nests where they are near bullet proof.

We used to burn termite mounds when I was a
kid. Simply make a hole in the outer shell near
the base and another at the top, shove in a handful
of dry grass at the base and light the grass. The
whole centre of the mound burns away.

This works well out in the paddock but I wouldn't
recommend the practice if you find them in your
house!

[dazzler]

Have found them side by side in the garden almost as if neither was aware of each others existence - only when the white ants are exposed/disturbed - then the black ants attack them with a passion and clean out what they can find -.

Good to see the whiteys getting a hard time for a change

[HappyHammer]

G'day Ashwood, don't want to rain on your parade but the ants up here in Qld drink the stuff - doesn't seem to have any effect - have tracked some and actually poured circles around the nests - they crossit, eat it and keep coming back for more but the nest, nor it appears the ants seem to be affected.

Same here on mid north coast NSW. I had the large black variety of ant create a nest in some hollow metal balcony balustrades. I poured heaps of antrid and other chemicals into them and it had no effect whatsoever. Ended up have to blast them out with the hose and then move the balustrades away.

HH.

[Ashwood]

Hmmm, fair enuf. Had good success with it (Ant rid) here in Melbourne so far on at least 5 to 6 occasions over the past few years .. but all indoors though ie. put them on various spots and they disappeared from inside the house. Who knows, they might have just moved to another house???

The white "ant powder" nerve-insecticide should kill the ants though if you can get to their nest???

Or perhaps someone should start a "rent an anteater" service in QLD

[fenderbelly]

It's Ant-Rid for me as well, great stuff for the black ants i've even used it outside under the verandah at my last place


Don't know if it works on termites tho.

[Bob38S]

Forget the termites - they look for cellulose and operate in closed nests - bust one open and watch the activity and how quickly the breach is repaired - very good survivors.

[Gypsy]

Only had ants a few times in 20 years but each time just sprinkled talcum powder across the tracks. Ants wont cross talcum and they disappear. Don't know why but I stopped using it on my skin when I discovered this. Think ants might know something I don't.

[Terrian]

Ant Rid was little use to me, but I came across ant bait, 2" square, about 1/4" thick hollow plastic with some sort of gel in the middle, like ant rid, the ants take the contents back to the nest and the whole nest gets killed, got it from bunnings, may have been bayer brand.