Some advice please

[Chippygeoff]

I have been in my new home for 3 months now and from day one I have had a problem with woodlice and other bugs. The second day I woke up and went into the kitchen there must have been 50 woodlice all over the floor. Not a day has gone past that I don't get any coming in. Yesterday I went to the bathroom and was shocked to see at least a dozen ants on the windowsill. I have been outside and filled gaps in the pointing between the bricks. I have sealed up any likely places, holes etc and I have spent a small fortune on insect powder that is supposed to kill off all known insects but still they are coming in. I am at a loss as to what to do next so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wellywood]

Woodlice are often looking for moisture so a mass invasion could indicate a damp problem.

 

[MARK.B.]

As Pete says woodlice love a nice damp enviroment,you might want to take a peek under the floor boards. Is there any smell or sign of damp around the sink/washing machine/dishwasher.

 

[Chippygeoff]

I don't have any floor boards, all the floors are solid concrete. All the walls are brick inside and out.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Woodlice like dark and damp so there will be a source somewhere. Also they're not insects (they're arthropods which are more related to crabs and lobsters than insects) which is why insecticides wont necessarily harm them..

 

[wellywood]

Woodlice like dark and damp so there will be a source somewhere. Also they're not insects (they're arthropods which are more related to crabs and lobsters than insects) which is why insecticides wont necessarily harm them..

See,Geoff. Things could be worse. You could have crabs.

 

[Chippygeoff]

Some years ago I used a public toilet in Gibraltar and there was a sign on the door which said. Please do not throw matches down the toilet as the crabs here pole vault.

 

[wellywood]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Benchwayze]

Ants are a pest against which there is no known weapon. I have tried everything, but I will still have to dig up the porch floor and relay the pavers. I also noticed a small crack in the brickwork, so I reckon I must do something.

I wanted to get some arsenic, which does work, but no pharmacist would sell me any. Natch!
They have only once invaded my kitchen, so I sprayed all around the angles of floor and walls with 'Deathlac' (spelling?) That seems to have kept them away, but they are still under my porch.

Does the Semolina trick actually work? I saw that mentioned somewhere. Apparently, the ants take it into the nest as food, and it causes the queen to bloat and die. I'd have thought that ants know what not to eat, so it sounds a bit improbable to me. But if it's true that should work.

 

[Silas Gull]

Google Max Force Ant Bait. Trust me, this stuff works.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Fire works

 

[dunbarhamlin]

Only way I've found to fix ants is to spend an afternoon feeding the little blighters. Just following the instructions has never worked for me. Instead put dots of the nasty ant death goo along their trail and keep topping up every quarter hour... they'll eat LOTs but it'll sort them until next year.

 

[MMUK]

I squirt ants nests with solvent cleaner. It's fun watching them melt :twisted: