Question from geoffmilw
Hi Debra,
We live in a wooded area and have a nest of carpenter ants in the wall above a window. Actually, they are in the structural header above the window (I verfied by drilling several small holes it’s all wood above the window). I wanted to use diatomaceous earth, which is non-toxic, except if inhaled, but that will not work in this structural header that is within the wall.
My wife is chemically sensitive and our daughter is due to have her first baby in August. Is Timbor a safe alternative for my wife, our pregnant daughter and the baby on the way?
Thanks very much for your help.
GW
Here is a home remedy for making a bait, just do as follows:
Carpenter ants will be attracted to the honey, because of their love for sweet foods, and then will sip up the boric acid, which will cause them to cease and desist.
Keep this away from children as it is harmful if swallowed.
Debra’s Answer
Yes, yes, yes. It smells like nothing. I wouldn’t eat it, but my husband has been applying Timbor to every bare piece of wood in our house for about five years and I never smell a thing. No ill effects.
That is very true Debra. I have let him have way too much control because he was so good at first.
I am confused. I thought Terro ant baits were safe. I do not have pets or kids and they were supposed to be Boric Acid liquid. I did not have just a few ants. I had an infestation of them and they were in almost every room. We closed all holes with Elmers..even along the baseboards but they kept coming. I was told they were in the walls but refused poison being drilled into them. So again is Torro not what it says?
COMMENT FROM DEBRA:
They are boric acid liquid. There is some disagreement as to whether or not that is safe.
Thanks for the comments. I had the hole plugged and my handyman went to HomeDepot to get some caulk for other places. I did not know it but he caulked my closet with GE Groov Caulk because he was told it was a green product. Well it smells awful so I am now sleeping in my guest room till it cures. That may take weeks. Meanwhile the ants hav moved into other parts of my home. Kitchen, Den, Bathrooms. I have put ant traps all over in hopes they will eat the stuff and go away. I hope they work. Terro is what I used. I could not find Timbor here in Mi.
COMMENT FROM DEBRA:
Do not use ant traps. Continue to fill the holes where ants are coming in with plain white or yellow glue.
Readers, this is just another reminder that you need to WATCH your workers and make it VERY CLEAR to them to NOT APPLY ANYTHING to your home without your review and approval.
Oh, my! Be sure to not set this out where any bird or bee can get access to it:
re:
Here is a home remedy for making a bait, just do as follows:
Carpenter ants will be attracted to the honey, because of their love for sweet foods, and then will sip up the boric acid, which will cause them to cease and desist.
Keep this away from children as it is harmful if swallowed.
I know this is old but I have just been invaded by carpenter ants in my upstairs closet. There is a flat roof up there that had a leak I had fixed last year. It is also above my kitchen. We saw some smaller ants outside and sprayed around the house with some toxic Raid stuff but I had all the windows closed etc for 2 days. I seemed ok then today I look in my closet and there are about 15 Carpenter Ants coming in a small floor hole in the wood floors. The xterminator said I need to have holes drilled in my walls upstairs and poison sprayed inside the walls. I am very MCS right now and that is not an option. Won’t it seep through the walls? I am afraid to sleep in my bedroom. They crawl all over and am afraid they will bite me. Help!!!
COMMENT FROM DEBRA:
If you are visibly seeing ants coming in through a hole, then the first thing you should do it patch up the holes. Don’t fill your walls with poison.