How do I get rid of large ants in my apartment and why are they here in the wintertime?

Question

These are not the small "pissants" that you usually see in large numbers in the kitchen forming a line to a crumb that dropped on the floor. Instead, these are the large, black, three-segmented ants that are nearly a centimeter long, and they are appearing in all rooms of my apartment (though I've seen none in the bedroom, yet), and I only ever see one solitary ant at a time, usually on a wall, but I am seeing them more frequently. And it is wintertime here in Colorado, so how/why are they even here? And How can I be rid of them? Again, they do not travel in packs. They are loners, and they are in various areas of the apartment.

Lar · Accepted Answer

Probably carpenter ant nesting in the wall or a hollow core door...too cold to go outside they tend to migrate inside.  They will be more active between midnight and 4 am.  The more you see in an area will determine where the nest may be...also look for a loose saw dust looking material that they kick out of the nest and it will pile up...look straight up from that pile and you will find a nest opening. You should be able to locate a specialized ant bait for them (they aren't attracted to the normal commercial ant baits) called Maxforce Carpenter Ant Gel, though hiring a pro will probably be a quicker remedy for them

Manila Mark · Answer

There are some very good Ant Gel poisons at the hardware store. I forgot the name but you just clip the top off and put them around the apt. where you see ants walk the most. I used 4 (6 in a box) and within a week the ants were gone. I had a massive infestation of medium sized black ants. They were everywhere until I used the gel bait trap. Actually, they eat and walk in it, then return to the hive and spread it around. Eventually it kills the queen. Try it, it works!

Eco/Enviro Girl · Answer

Suprisingly, I had the same problem in our house last year.... I used ground cinnamon... It's eco/enviro friendly, cheap,  and it really works!! 

I took cinnamon, mixed with vinegar and lined my door ways, windows and any cracks where I saw the little buggers and viola, they were gone... We had what looked like queen ants (but a lot of them) they were huge... I was worried my son would be bitten by them... We have kids, and pets so the natural remedy was great!

Also, here are a couple of links with natural remedies for ant repellents:

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/980528a.cfm

http://www.gomestic.com/Gardening/Six-Natural-Ant-Repellants.38570

Give it a go and let me know what happens ;~)

Anonymous · Answer

Carpenter ants.  Watch out for the plumbing ants and the painter beetles; and the roofer weevils.

How do I get rid of large ants in my apartment and why are they here in the wintertime?

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