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Spraying for bugs and snake safety...

jessicalb

jessicalb

New member
We just found ants in one of our bathrooms. I'm super squicky about bugs and I know that if we start getting more in here the scorpions (which are terrifying to me) will follow. So I'd like to get the pesticide guy in here but I am not sure how safe that would be for the snakes. Any ideas on this? Would it be better to just pick up some ant traps (and do the same for any other gross little things that come in) and not spray for bugs?

Thanks!
 
Make sure the traps you get are raid. I had a HORRIBLE ant infestation in my dorm room last year and didn't want any pesticides to be sprayed since I too was concerned for the snakes. I tried several different types of traps, but the ones from Raid worked instantly. I had no more ants within 24 hours, and the rest of the rooms in my hall were ant free within 48. :)
 
I'm glad you asked this question because I have been wondering myself. We tried the traps and they don't work worth a dime out here in VA. We sprayed for ants before we had the snakes. I'm just wondering what to do if we get ants again.
 
Thank you!

It's so weird... they are in the bathrooms, which are both interior rooms, no windows, with water run through all the pipes several times daily. How are they there and nowhere else? Where are they coming in? OMG we have teleporting insects. *shudder*
 
I found Prevent a mite worked for me.... In fact I spray it onto sections of floors and walls and along doors now to stop things from getting in and flies that land on it die....
 
You can always have pest control treat the perimeter, outside.

I had my ducts cleaned and treated with some anti-mold stuff last summer as part of having a new heat pump installed. They _said_ it wouldn't harm pets, but I still packed up all 50 snakes and removed them to my truck until the whole thing was done...Better safe than sorry.
 
Nanci said:
You can always have pest control treat the perimeter, outside.

I had my ducts cleaned and treated with some anti-mold stuff last summer as part of having a new heat pump installed. They _said_ it wouldn't harm pets, but I still packed up all 50 snakes and removed them to my truck until the whole thing was done...Better safe than sorry.
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I thought about that but with the temps here we'd need to move them at night and they'd ned to live someplace else for a couple of days. If we get a terrible infestation we'll do that, have them spray, give it a few days to settle, and then bring them back. Otherwise I'd rather just not take them outside the AC until "winter".

It sounds like the consensus is that pesticides are unsafe for the snakes so hopefully the traps will work. It's only a few ants. Probably they are after water, not food, or they'd be in my imperfectly maintained kitchen. As soon as it rains, hopefully they'll leave us alone.
 
If you want to avoid chemicals altogether, get food grade diatomaceous earth. It's what keeps grain from being infested with weevils, and you can get it from gardening supply sites as an organic form of pest control. I used it in my egg bins last year to kill off a fungus gnat problem, with no hazard to the eggs or the subsequent hatchlings.
 
The apartment complex already sprays around the buildings outside. Sorry, I meant to mention that earlier and forgot.

I have heard of the diatomaceous earth stuff. Thanks for the reminder! :)
 
jessicalb said:
The apartment complex already sprays around the buildings outside. Sorry, I meant to mention that earlier and forgot.

I have heard of the diatomaceous earth stuff. Thanks for the reminder! :)
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No worries, I just lent a tub of it to a workmate, because her baby granddaughter is at her house so much she didn't want to use chemicals to control ants and bugs. :)
 
Karoni said:
Janine, thanks for the tip. Do you know how it works? I'm really curious.
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It's made of crushed fossils of diatoms. The edges are so sharp that they pierce the waxy cuticles of bugs, which then causes them to dessicate and die! For a geek like me, that's just totally cool. They can be used mixed in foodstuff to control internal parasites too, again by cutting through the exoskeleton.
The grade used in swimming pool filters isn't safe to use because it can cause lung problems, so you have to be sure to use food grade DE
 
I second J9's recommendation of (food grade) Diatomaceous Earth.
The pool grade stuff is toxic to people & animals.
You do want to be careful not to breathe in the dust of the DE when applying it, even the food grade stuff. It can be a lung irritant.
It is safe to eat (people & animals), farmers use it on their livestock, & domestic pets for parasites.
You can put it on your pet for fleas, you can use it inside & outside of your house.
I've used it for carpenter ants around my house. Even just putting a perimeter of it around the outside of my house decreased the number of ants I saw.

It will kill anything with an exo skeleton(ants, flying insects, spiders, etc), both good & bad bugs, so keep that in mind.
 
We havent had any ant problems yet but it seems this is the year for the newborn centi/millipedes to make their way in. Within the last week i have killed at least 25-30 in the kitchen and living room alone. I've heard of people using Boric acid around doorways and windows outside for ants and creepy crawlies but it seems it could be pretty harmful in a high traffic area with other pets. Especially dogs and cats that like to lick their paws. For those of you that recommended Diatomaceous Earth, thank you. It definitely seems like a better way to take care of my insect issues without causing the major risks to my 6 month old Pekingese.
 
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