Happy Friday everyone! Well, I had originally had a completely different post planned for today, but I have decided to publish it in two parts due to extenuating circumstances.
This past Monday evening, I came home from work to a horrid site. I always feed my cats twice a day - once in the morning and once after I return home from my second shift job. That night, I observed a couple of big (both dead and alive!) black "things" on the catio/enclosed porch rug which had not been there earlier that morning. After a closer look, I realized that the black things were ANTS!
OMG! How disgusting! Seriously, the more research I did on these e*fers, the more appalled I became! First of all, killing any ant, will only serve to attract MORE ants because they emit a pheromone which attracts other ants from the colony who track the dead bodies and carry them away.
So, after further research, my hubby and I completely cleaned the catio that evening, vacuumed up the dead ants, and placed ant traps at the enter points in the room. In addition. I sprayed the doorways and entrance points with the (cat safe) mixture of dish washing detergent and water which not only suffocates these menaces, but erases the pheromones they tract which the dead bodies leave.
There are some other natural deterrents that are a hindrance, although toxic to ants, you can use are cinnamon, vinegar, and essential peppermint and citrus oil, but be very cautious with the safety of your cat! For example, cinnamon is not good for a cat to ingest because it contains the ingredient coumarin, a substance that can irritate a cat's digestive system, leading to vomiting and diarrhea. Why? Cat's livers can not process toxins as easily as a lot of other animals are able to. They also do not like catnip
That being said, I have been tracking the progress ever since. So far, they are appearing little by little DEAD and I am cleaning them up daily.
Never the less you need to KILL THE QUEEN before you can eradicate the colony!
AFTER Hubby and I completely cleaned up the catio ...
Today, I had a TOST (time off)). My hubby treated to me to my favorite lunch - Grilled seasoned chicken, lettuce, and cheese only (NO dressing) ...
There's nothing worse than finding an influx of indoor ants (or worse). So far I think you're doing a great job of eradicating them. A dry mixture of powdered sugar and baking soda can be used. The sugar attracts the ants and baking soda destroys their digestive system.
ReplyDeleteBut, of course, you have to be careful with the kitties around.
When I first moved to Texas, my kitchen was infested with tiny ants. They got into everything. Here in Tennessee ants are fairly scarce.....but mice!!!.....my God!!!
Anyway, hang in there. Jon