ants

[k-angel]

hey i have a problem with ants in the bowls of my bird cages ive tryed corn meal and cinnamon to get rid of them i dont no what else to try that wont hurt the birds do any of you have i idea

[liz]

Clean everything out real good then put a ring of vasaline around the leg of the cage. Bugs can't cross it.

[pchela]

I just got some Terro and killer from Target and it worked great. Put the traps out and 3 days later, not a single ant in my house. You have to make sure your parrots can't get to it of course.

[TheNzJessie]

Clean everything out real good then put a ring of vasaline around the leg of the cage. Bugs can't cross it.

the vasaline trick i have been using since i have had birds. no bugs in my bird ages except for the odd fruit fly

[liz]

I just got some Terro and killer from Target and it worked great. Put the traps out and 3 days later, not a single ant in my house. You have to make sure your parrots can't get to it of course.

Terro works great, but it is sweet. If you use it near your birds tape it underneath the cage where they can't get it. (birds like sweet - Rambo begs for jelly beans)

There is a corner in my bathroom where the ants come in. I tape a tarro cut side up to the back of my laundry hamper then push it up against the wall. I think this house was built in ant country.

[AmazonServant]

Just a note about pests in general - I've taken to cleaning out the grate at the bottom of my bird's cage in the evening instead of in the morning so that there isn't a bunch of crud sitting down there to entice critters in the night. It's also a good idea to remove food cups at night. I used to just leave a bowl of pellets in the cage at all times, but then a mouse moved in and started climbing up into the food bowl to steal the pellets every night, storing them in a horde I later discovered elsewhere in the room! My poor bird was terrified to have her cage plundered every night by that little mouse. There have also been cockroach problems in my building, so once I found out about that I got more diligent about cleaning up before bedtime because cockroaches feed at night. I also applied a vinegar solution to the floors around the cage because apparently that acts as a repellant, and I was concerned that if cockroaches were ever to discover my bird's cage, I'd never be able to convince them to leave. I've never had a problem with ants, but just thought I'd share.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Windex is really good at killing ants and obliterating the trail. You don't want to spray it in the immediate vicinity of the birds, but I've found that a good strategy with ants in general is to trace the trail to the point of entry into the room or building. "Break" the trail at that point with window cleaner and work backwards to get rid of most of the invaders, then place bait either at the point the ants are entering the place or outside where they are coming in or both. (Being careful to keep pets away from the bait station, although they are typically pretty impervious -- what you don't want is it getting dropped in a water dish.

If you can break the trail it will take them a while to re-discover the food source and by then the bait will hopefully have taken effect.

I am lucky that our ants have yet to discover the birdcages, although I'm sure it is inevitable. I am deeply grateful that I'm not still living in the deep south. When I did, I was super-anal about housekeeping and I don't know how I'd find the time to be THAT meticulous with the birds. Yikes!