Ask
the Expert:
Your
Questions
Question:
I've been using your
TERRO®
Liquid Ant Baits for a few weeks
with much success, but every day I find a small pile of dead ants. What's
going on? Where are the piles coming from?
Answer:
Those collections of
dead ants are called midden piles. They are the dead ants that
have been removed from the main colony. This means that there are still
at least a few ants remaining in the colony so keep up the baiting a while
longer.
Question:
I have been using your
TERRO®
Ant Killer to help with a serious
ant problem at home. I keep putting out bait for them and they keep eating
it. How do I know the bait is working and how do I know that they are all
dead?
Answer:
It can take several
days of baiting to get results. Try our TERRO®
Liquid Ant Baits for 10 days (they
work great and will not dry out very fast). Follow that up with a crack
and crevice treatment using TERRO®
Ant Killer Spray. A perimeter treatment
around the outside of the house with a residual product like TERRO®
Ant Dust or TERRO®
Outdoor Ant Killer granules will
also help to repel ants from the structure. The combination of these three
treatment techniques will solve even the toughest of ant problems. Ant colonies
can become very large. You may need to treat around the outside of the house
to maintain control.
Question:
Can the TERRO®
Liquid Ant Baits be used outside?
I was worried that rain might affect the bait somehow.
Answer:
The baits can be used outdoors and many times this will draw ants out of the structure and keep others from entering. Water will not get into the bait stations unless there the bait station is submerged in standing water.
Question:
I accidentally stepped
on one of the ant traps. How toxic is this bait and will this exposure harm
me? What if my cat or dog gets into the bait and eats some?
Answer:
TERRO®
Liquid Ant Bait is a sweet food based product similar to pancake syrup combined with Borax. Borax is a mineral that is mined in the desert in California and is a common active ingredient that is used in soap products such as 20 Mule Team Borax.
The product kills ants but a small dermal exposure would not harm people or pets. If you spill some on your skin, simply wash with warm water.
Pets occasionally find the Terro and eat it. Our advice when this happens is to do nothing at all. The product is not toxic enough to cause a problem and the pet will be just fine.
