Anthony
2013-01-23 04:05:50 UTC
We first noticed a line of ants (which we later realized that they are pharaoh ants) on our kitchen counter then in our living room (right next to each other). We called in management and they brought in exterminators who came and sprayed the corners and edges of all the apartment.
The problem only got worse and it spread to bedroom #1 then the bathroom then bedroom #2 and #3.
They even made it into my laptop keyboard (everytime I pressed "F4", "P" or "L" they would rush out.
After doing much researching, we discovered that spraying them (like the exterminator did) actually causes them to panic, spread out and create satellite hives.
We went out and bought 10pcs of ant bait for about $15 from Canadian Tire. We spread them near where we found ants. This definitely removed the problem in a few of the rooms and reduced it in a couple others but the problem is still there. It has been almost 3 months from when we started using the ant bait.
I found a hive inside my Calculus book which was about 20cm from my laptop. I found another hive in the case of a pricey pen I got as a gift, which was 10 cm away. I went through an intensive cleaning and it was seriously disgusting!
So there are ants still in the bathroom (not as much but still there). In my room, I see an ant a day crawling on my laptop screen but I kill it immediately.
I bought a box of cookies which I hid in my underwear drawer across the room from my desk/laptop. A few hours later I felt like having some so I took it out and put it on the desk. (note that I haven't yet opened it). When I unfolded it once I saw a lot of ants.
I quickly put the whole thing into a plastic bag, closed it tight and threw it away. I then emptied out my underwear drawer and took it apart and found quite a bit of ants which I sprayed with windex (Don't ask, it was the first thing I could think of at 4am). I saw a couple more crawling in the cupboard where the drawer was so I sprayed them too.
I'm not sure if these ants came from the box/store or from my apartment. I bought it from Pharmaprix so I'm not sure what to think.
The association of apartments all were complaining about an infestation too. They recently built a new condominium right next to ours and had to dig into the hill. Could they have possible migrated into our building to look for a new home?
Either way, I'm sick and tired and seriously disgusted having to share an apartment with these ants. Also, I live on one of the high floors.
What can I do to remove them from my apartment and prevent them from entering/spreading again?