To control ants, try these tips

Advertiser Staff

The Department of Agriculture's recommended ant control agent is a combination of water (three cups), sugar (one cup) and boric acid powder (one tablespoon).

"You put this in small containers near the trails," covered or located so that pets or children can't reach it, says Bernarr Kumashiro of the plant pest control branch. Similar concoctions are for sale commercially.

Joanne Tenorio, former Bishop Museum entomologist and co-author of the popular Hawai'i insect pest book, "What's Bugging Me", suggests:

• Use easy commercial bait traps, perhaps sweetened with some food your ants like.
• Clean up and keep food and waste under wraps.
• Caulk holes ants use to get in.
• Dust concealed spaces (between walls, behind cabinets) with boric acid dust or desiccants such as silica aerogel.
• Drench nests found outside with soapy water.

And, Tenorio said, remember that a few ants around the house may help fight other pests and clean up old food or debris in cracks and crevices you can't reach.