Get Rid of Little Black Ants (Argentine Ants) - These Ant Baits Work

Amazon Price: $11.95 (as of 02/23/2012)

I've tried a ton of ant baits: Grant's, Combat, Raid, and others. Finally, after reading a review of Terro ant baits from someone in Santa Ana, I tried them. Bingo! My ants walked right around the Raid and other ant baits and into this one. They were gone in 2 days. Like many baits, this one is inside a closed plastic container with a few small holes, and the ants enter it and take the poison back to the hive.

Handle with care. These baits are sealed plastic with liquid inside, but you've got to cut a hole for the ants to get in. I managed to tip and spill some. Tuck these baits in places kids and pets can't reach: behind appliances or a heavy trash can, inside a sink cabinet, etc. Boric acid is toxic in large quantities, but it's one of those "drinking six gallons increases your chances of cancer" toxins which is probably less harmful for you than eating fast food.

Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 02/23/2012)

Before I found Terro Ant Baits, I would stop little black ants with a combination of this spray and Diatomaceous Earth (see below). Ecosmart ant/roach spray has the following ingredients: Organic Rosemary Oil 5%, Cinnamon Oil 3%, Water, Wintergreen Oil, Mineral Oil, Oleic Acid, Canola Oil, Carbon Dioxide (huh?), Vanillih, Lecithin.

If you spray ants directly with this stuff, they drop dead. If you spray their point of entry, they'll stop coming in that way, at least, and that's often enough to stop an outbreak. All these essential oils are nontoxic, they're just REALLY STRONG, so they make your house reek of bad potpourri.

Amazon Price: $7.49 (as of 02/23/2012)

This stuff doesn't work 100%, but it seems to kill ants if you get it right on an anthill. It also discourages them from crossing the spot where you sprinkle it. I sprinkle it around the base of the house and put it under paver stones in my patio when I find a colony. It's white powder, so it's a little messy inside the house.

Also, you can use pure diatomaceous earth to pick up carpet stains. Sprinkle some water, sprinkle this stuff over it, and tamp hard on it with a washcloth, then vacuum it the next day. It usually gets the stain out. I haven't used this particular brand, since my current home has laminate floors, but I have used pool filter diatomaceous earth for carpet stain removal. I learned this tip from my Mom's carpet cleaning guy.

Diatomaceous earth is actually fossilized diatoms, tiny organisms whose shells are spongy, spiky, and apparently rough on ants. It's like micro-gravel.

Amazon Price: $25.00 (as of 02/23/2012)

I haven't tested this one, but I nearly got it because it was recommended by a number of websites discussing which baits worked for black ants and sugar ants. The package claims it'll work on "odiferous black ants" as well as "Argentine black ants."

It's got mixed reviews (click to visit Amazon reviews): some reviewers rave about it, but one guy says that it worked on both pavement and larger black ants, then a month later he got a different batch of pavement ants who avoided this stuff and went for the Terro bait . What this suggests to me is that Max Force tastes slightly different, so if your ants ignore the Terro gel (not that I think they will; it's got tons of favorable reviews and worked for me) this one might suit your finicky ants' tastes.