Cicadas
- Thread starter TPD
- Start date
She is SO edgy!
SamSpade
Well-Known Member
Then it’s not just us. Holy crap. I shelled out a ton to fix the pool. Even when we took the pool motor to repairs, you could still shake ants out.
No cicadas though.
Sneakers
Just sneakin' around....
Absolutely not. Just bumped into my pest control guy, and he said EVERYONE is complaining about ants. I just finished treating the entire front and backyard, a full acre.
I just noticed today, that the yard at my fiancé's house is loaded with what seems to be hundreds of little ant hills. I haven't heard any cicadas yet.
Sneakers
Just sneakin' around....
Any day now.....Just be glad the Spiders aren't here yet.
lucky_bee
RBF expert
Here to commiserate too. I'm used to them popping up in March every year, but this year has been the worst and longest ant season yet. I've always treated around the house perimeter, but it's too tiny to use around the yard, and judging by the copious amounts of mounds I'm seeing this week, I need to. What do you use?
Sneakers
Just sneakin' around....
I've tried a few of the major brands, and a few different ways to apply them, but there really doesn't seem to be a discernible difference. Yesterday I used a combination of Spectracide Triazicide (known, less expensive) and BioAdvanced Complete Insect Killer (less know, more expensive, claims to start killing in minutes). Mixed them 2-1 Spectracide to BioAdvanced in the tow-behind spreader and put it down at a little higher rate than called for. I'll keep checking to see how it's doing.
I've been fighting ants in the house for months and months, even in the cold months. A few months ago I found the little piss ants were creating their own entry holes, tunneling thru the mortar on the brick exterior. Lots of places. Everytime I found an active ant track hole, or even a suspect hole, I'd use a cement bit and drill out the hole, pump the space between the exterior and interior brick full of liquid ant killer (Home Defense), then plug it with mortar repair. That seems to have taken care of the critters getting inside. At the same time, I have a treatment company treating the interior and exterior.
What I have noticed is that areas of the lawn that have poor grass have the most and biggest nests. The area of good grass and in partial shade have very few nests.
Very frustrating to be sitting with the laptop watching TV and have ants crawl across the screen.
Sneakers
Just sneakin' around....
Soon. Very soon...
We have fire ants here like crazy. "They" say it's because it's been so dry but my area is having normal rain and still the fire ants are everywhere.
lucky_bee
RBF expert
I have been having similar issues inside the home too...and now that I think of it, it did start earlier than usual in the cold months. Our direct neighbor has them as well, but houses on the other sides of ours do not. They've had companies out before and basically said ants are just part of the area
I'm not quite convinced everyone has them as bad as I do. I just put drops down of that TARO gel every time I start to see some, but feels like this year I'm reapplying gel 1-2x a week. Their favorite point of entry seems to be a couple spots around my kitchen (back of the house) and office (front of the house). I keep a pretty dang spotless kitchen too and it's so frustrating to see them coming back time and time again, like I don't keep my house clean. I've sprayed the perimeter of the house twice now.Now that you've mentioned the poor grass areas having the biggest nests, that's also where I'm seeing them the most too. We have several spots that just always remain bare and sandy (also haven't TRIED to seed it...bigger fish to fry) and those spots are currently COVERED in nests.
I told friends our house's foundation would likely crumble if it weren't for the thick clay we're sitting on, as we're likely sitting on top of an entire billion-ant-colony-empire.
Oh and last year I came back to work after a week of vacation to find ants had built a nest IN MY WORK LAPTOP (desk is right next to a grassy fire exit). My assistant watched me thoroughly clean and sanitize my desk before I'd left on that vaca too. I still have PTSD from picking it up absent-mindedly and watching/feeling HUNDREDS of ants just drop out the bottom of it. I swear I'm not the issue
Sneakers
Just sneakin' around....
They seem to like electronics. Sam mentioned they got into his pool pump stuff, and a few years back they got into my hot tub electronics, got between the relay contacts and shorted everything out.