Nooooooo... Ants!

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

We have ants in our new house, both in the basement and upstairs. Mr. FP is losing his shit. Dude can NOT handle ants :-).

When we owned a house before, it was in the Deep South and we had a pest control contract, but now we live in Colorado so we don't have to worry about palmetto bugs in our house and so on. Just ants (blech).

Anyway, are there do-it-yourself options we should try before calling a pest control company? We have pets and small children. Any advice appreciated.

[CheapskateWife]

Diatomaceous Earth?

[CheapskateWife]

Oh, and like roaches, they don't come unless they find something to eat.  Can you eliminate the food source? 

[Lis]

When you say upstairs, do you mean a second level, or just the main level? If they're on the second floor, that could mean bigger problems, and I'd get a pest control company in soon.

If you just mean main floor and basement, there are a couple of things you could try. First, if you can figure out how they're coming in, try blocking it up. Caulk the windows, make sure door frames fit tightly, try to cover all the holes (this will help with insulation as well!). Ants are tiny, so finding every entry might be impossible, but you can probably make it more difficult for them.

Ants (and most bugs) reeeaaaaally hate peppermint. If you can find where they're coming in, try spraying that area regularly with peppermint oil (watered down with water). Quick research also says they don't like cinnamon, so you could try that as well. Cloves and bay leaves are also apparently useful, but not with animals and babies who like to eat things.

If they're getting into your pantry or cabinets (or other places your children and pets can't get to), I'd recommend getting a couple of small traps to place in there. I think those are easily found at Home Depot and Lowes.

Wipe down any areas you see them crawling too. Ants leave a trail for their buddies that says "hey, this is a safe way to get food!" Honestly not sure what works best there, but I don't think you could ever go wrong with a good lysol wipe down your kitchen counter.

Good luck!

[1967mama]

I had an ant problem when I moved into our current home 5 years ago -- as in, I'm sitting in my comfortable chair reading, when I look across the room and see a line of ants coming up the wall from behind the couch. HORRIBLE!

Anyways, what I do now, and every year since then, is buy 2 packs of round, tin ant traps at Home Depot and place them strategically around the edges of my main floor. They are the kind that you poke 4 holes in and they smell like peanut butter. With pets, I think you'd have to bury them behind furniture, etc.

I've never had an ant problem since I started doing this DIY pest control program :-)

[Daley]

Keeping the house free of potential food supplies will help, but the best thing to do is nip the colony in the bud if they're problematic. My parents used a couple of these with an ant problem they had a few years back, and within a couple months, the ant problem disappeared and they really haven't been back since.

[Maseroni]

We had a similar problem in our last house but managed to eradicate them completely without a pest control company.  Here's what we did:

1. Observe: Look for the area in the house they appear the LEAST.  This will be the furthest point away from where they are coming in.  Next, look for the part of the house where they are at their most abundant - this will likely be the part of the house they are entering from. 

2. Follow the ants: After observing them for a while, you will begin to notice patterns - specifically patterns of coming and going.  Watch for ants carrying food - they are the ones returning to the nest; the ones empty handed and normally coming in.  Follow the ants until you can be sure of their patterns and try to find where large groups of ants are together. (Ants will normally be grouped together close to the entry point and fan out once inside).  Ants will ALWAYS lead you to their entry point(s).

3. Plug the entry points.  A spray or two of ant killer to stem the tide, followed by some spray foam (they make an insecticide version) and/or caulking will keep them out for good.

NOTES: 

A) Start on the inside - it is almost impossible to figure out where they are coming in from on the outside.  There could be dozens of active colonies around our home, but only one or two may be actually entering your home, but its very difficult to tell which ones.

B) This process takes time and perseverance but it will pay off.

C) Try to do some research on which kind of ants you have.  It will help you understand their patterns of behavior and better predict where their entry points are.

D) Don't get rid of food sources right away, you need to see them in order to figure out where they are.  Once they are in, they will find food no matter what, so it is impossible to eradicate ants by getting rid of food sources - denying entry is the ONLY way.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Traps are a definite no-go. The kids would eat them. Already tried cinnamon and it didn't work this time. There are no food sources in my basement and upstairs is also pretty clean. I mean, there's an occasional Cheerio or dried pea on my floor, but I sweep daily. (I'm talking about basement and ground level. What's weird is that the ants appear to be coming in through the basement floor. Didn't know they went that deep.)

Diatomaceous earth might be the winner--sounds safe an inexpensive--but will also try observation to see if there's something we need to plug. Thanks, everyone!

[1967mama]

@frugalparagon,

When we had a cat, we put traps under the couch (no chance of access for the cat) and it did the trick, since that was where I first saw the ants, so it must've been near their nest. Also, if you're seeing them on counters, one in a high counter spot could possibly be inaccessible to children. In cupboards? On shelves?

My youngest is 7, but he doesn't bother with the traps. 

Let us know if you get them eradicated!! Good luck!!

[MrsK]

Vinegar.  We have season ants here in our rental house.  I pour vinegar down the drains and wipe the window-sills with it.  The poster who mentioned observation is correct.  I really watch and we have 2 rooms they go to--interestingly the kitchen is not one of them.  They love my upstairs bathroom and my office.  I also use a few of the enclosed ant traps by the windows I think they are entering in.

For us, the ants seem to come on April and May and then they disappear.  The key to DIY pest control is to be a scientist, observe, trial and error.

Good Luck!

[catccc]

When you say upstairs, do you mean a second level, or just the main level? If they're on the second floor, that could mean bigger problems, and I'd get a pest control company in soon.

We have ants in our 2nd floor bathroom.  Around the sink.  No clue what they are eating, there's no food in the bathroom.  But what's the extra concern with 2nd floor ants?

[theoverlook]

We used Terro ant killer and it worked great.  If they're the small sugar ants, try it.  They carry it back to the colony so the whole colony dies off.  We have two kids in the house, just put it somewhere that it won't be reachable by them.  The ants will find it, trust me.  They'll be doing their little seance around it for a couple days then they'll be gone from the house.

I just read that the active ingredient is Borax, which you might already own as a laundry detergent booster.  Maybe you could mix some sugar syrup and borax and put it out for the ants?  (Again, somewhere the kiddies can't reach it!)

[Papa bear]

Sugar water and borax.  Keep the kids and pets away, but if they get in it, shouldn't be too toxic (I hear they put borax in food in Asia to make it chewy??)   They also sell basically the same thing commercially in containers which may be easier. 

Not sure on your ants, but carpenter ants can be a big problem.  And they don't necessarily want your food, they just want a place to stay.  Look for moist, wet, or rotting wood on your exterior (door and window frames, siding, fascia, etc) and that could be your problem.


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[Jacana]

Regarding the comment about more problems being on the second floor, I can't speak for the poster but to me it could mean that the nest is IN the house or very close. If the nest were outside in the yard, you would see a few isolated scouts all over. Then a big group would make straight for the located food, and bring it back outside in classic two-way lines. There would not be lots congregating upstairs where there is little food. But that's not always true, don't panic!

The question is why are they there. What kind of ant, any idea? Are you seeing lots in one place with no food or a few here and there? Any larvae or pupae? Can you trace them to an entry point anywhere? Some ants are also attracted to water sources; is there standing water or a leak near that sink? If so, try to fix that. Also, are they congregating near a vent or hole in the drywall? Sometimes the food source is not human food but something else (like a carcass of an insect or rodent in the wall). OK again don't panic. Sorry.

As for natural methods, citrus or some dried herbs like tansy, wormwood (artemesia), lavender, etc can help repel ants but you should still keep kids and pets away if they might chew on it. My mom rings her sugar bowl with dried tansy in the summer and the sugar ants usually stay away. Not a whole house solution but effective if you find a favorite target. Different ants require different repellents, so experiment.

There is an insect repellant based on citrus extract d-limonene (brand I use is orange guard) that you can purchase and is pretty safe for pets and kids once dry, or you can make a spray yourself. I don't have a recipe but I'm sure you can find some online.

Good luck!

[happy]

I always have good success with a product called Rid, which is essentially borax in a thick syrup. The ants are attracted to the syrup and take it back to their nest, which kills the rest of the ants as well.  Borax in very small quantities/dilutions  used to be used for dressing wounds a century ago, and is in laundry powder. It is a poison though  if consumed and this preparation needs to be kept away from pets/ young kids.  Works well without fail, although eventually another ant colony will find its way in…could take years though.

[ctmustache]

Sugar water and borax.  Keep the kids and pets away, but if they get in it, shouldn't be too toxic (I hear they put borax in food in Asia to make it chewy??)   They also sell basically the same thing commercially in containers which may be easier. 

Not sure on your ants, but carpenter ants can be a big problem.  And they don't necessarily want your food, they just want a place to stay.  Look for moist, wet, or rotting wood on your exterior (door and window frames, siding, fascia, etc) and that could be your problem.


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Make sure they are not carpenter ants. We also discovered significant ants in our new home, and didn't immediately recognize them as carpenter ants. Few months later we discovered they'd eaten most of the rim joist which our back deck is attached to.

[galliver]

We had some bad ant infestations when I was growing up. The first and worst was when my dad left calamari out on the kitchen counter...those ants LOVED seafood. It was crazy. Over the years, we learned that you really had to kill the colony to get rid of them, or they *would* find a way in. And eventually they'd find a speck of food, somewhere. Or the trash can. And then they would be everywhere. We used those light plastic Combat traps (Raid makes something similar). I think there are adhesive ones you can tape out of reach of kids, inside cabinets, etc. Or you could probably tape them, nail them, etc. by the edges. It does also help to seal entry points if you can find them. Might be a crack in a wall or by a window, something like that. But it might be tiny enough you can't.  Finally, if you just want to get rid of all the ones already there...vacuum them. And then wipe down the spot with cleaner/vinegar/etc to get rid of the pheromones. It's what we'd do if we came down one morning and found an "ant highway" all around the kitchen.

Carpenter ants sound terrifying.

[Lis]

Carpenter ants are BAD. My parents had a severe infestation a couple of years back... When they bought there house, there had been a large enclosed three season room (seemingly hastily built and probably not up to code, but that's a different story). A couple years ago, they decided they wanted to put a family room there instead, so they had a carpenter friend (no pun intended) come look at the space and give them his thoughts. They found the wood on the far side of the room (luckily far away from the rest of the house) was pretty much gone. Once demolition day came, the workers literally just pushed against the wall until it fell over. Luckily the damage was minimal to the main part of the house. They called pest control for that.

I'm pretty sure (thought I could be wrong) that ants on a second floor could mean carpenter ants and you should have them checked out. At that point, the concern is that they've wiggled their way through inside your walls and are popping out. All kinds of ants can get in through the ground floor and basements, but it's unusual to see them on a second floor. Could be something, could be nothing, but for peace of mind I'd take a picture of any ants I see on a second floor and ask around.

[Scizzler]

I can't say enough good things about the Terro traps. I had a pretty bad infestation last year, and it took a couple of weeks of using the traps (both indoor and outdoor) to get rid of the ants. Prepare yourself though, because once the ants find the Terro, they will ALL come for it and you'll really get an appreciation for just how many ants you don't see.

With the weather warming up I started seeing ants in my bathroom again, and I placed individual drops of the liquid (which you can buy in a bottle like hand sanitizer) where I found the ants coming in. Yes, I could have sealed up the crack in the tile, but this way I know when they come back. There was some pretty heavy traffic for a couple of days, but it has once again done the job.

Frankly, I really enjoy the thought that the Terro turns the ants into either zombies or suicide bombers, and it's not a pesticide.

[jj20051]

I usually use instant mash-potatoes on my colonies. It's cheap and the ants take it home. The potatoes when eaten remove moisture from their bodies and they die.

The problem with most commercial ant bait and/or ant traps is that it doesn't have a chance to kill the colony as it kills a few ants really quickly then nothing happens. Anything you do must get back to the colony to be shared with the queen before it'll make any difference really. Even if you manage to kill 90% of a colony the queen will generally survive and produce more young who will in turn go get more food perpetuating the problem.

[Mrs. PoP]

I can't say enough good things about the Terro traps. I had a pretty bad infestation last year, and it took a couple of weeks of using the traps (both indoor and outdoor) to get rid of the ants. Prepare yourself though, because once the ants find the Terro, they will ALL come for it and you'll really get an appreciation for just how many ants you don't see.

With the weather warming up I started seeing ants in my bathroom again, and I placed individual drops of the liquid (which you can buy in a bottle like hand sanitizer) where I found the ants coming in. Yes, I could have sealed up the crack in the tile, but this way I know when they come back. There was some pretty heavy traffic for a couple of days, but it has once again done the job.

Frankly, I really enjoy the thought that the Terro turns the ants into either zombies or suicide bombers, and it's not a pesticide.

+1 to Terro.  It's the best and though it would be sticky if Kitty PoP stepped through it, we've been told it's safe for pets and kids.  Also, apparently it's possible to DIY your own  Terro drops if you truly need massive quantities, though a little tube of it goes a long way and isn't that expensive if you don't need an absolute ton of it.   

[dess1313]

For ants outside, we powder the hill with potato dust.  it gets into their food when they carry it in and destroys the hill better than any foaming stuff you buy.  can you find the main hill and attack there as well?

[momoneymama]

plain white vinegar infused with mint leaves.

Ants leave a track that tells the other ants where to find the food - vinegar removes this.
Mint deters ants.

We have an ant problem every year. This year I tried vinegar and mint and the ants are gone.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Wow, this is all really interesting :-). Our are definitely sugar  ants because I have seen them trying to carry off bits of the kids' Goldfish crackers if I don't sweep them right away.

Because we are seeing them in open areas to which the kids have access and our couch sits flat on the floor, we are going to try the diatomaceous earth--Mr. FP picked some up. Plenty of time to get more serious if that doesn't work, is my feeling.

We have hardwood floors, so not sure how we would use vinegar without damaging them.

[jeromedawg]

I hear boric acid works well. Same with Diatomaceous Earth. I've used Terro in the past and it worked well too. But I'm sure you could concoct something very similar with a simple syrup/boric acid mixture. I heard ants *hate* cinnamon as well, so that might be a good thing to sprinkle *after* the eradication phase.

[Shropskr]

I would Google and pull up photos just to be sure there only little tiny black sugar ants.

But if that's all you've got sprinkle maple brown sugar malt o meal somewhere they can find it.  They carry it back to the hive and eat it by by hive. Works for us outside every single year.  Keeps em out of my strawberries.

Good luck.

[MMMaybe]

This thread is timely as I have an ant invasion. I have been trying a homemade bait that I found on the internet (yeast, baking soda and sugar) and it has been like feeding time at the zoo. But the numbers don't seem to be reducing.

Heres hoping I can find instant mash potato in the Philippines as that will be my next line of defence!

[1967mama]

Found my first ant of the season yesterday, so out go the ant traps! It will take a week or so, but they happily cart all that peanut-buttery borax back to the nest and BAM! no more ants!

[HipGnosis]

I had very tiny ants on my kitchen counter (which is not on an outside wall) - the vinegar worked a treat.
But 2 weeks later I had BIG ants on the counter.  So I went and got the Terro liquid ant killer.
The instructions are vague, so I contacted the Co. by their website 'chat'.
Here's what they told me (to my specific questions):
Put a drop or two on a few little pieces of cardboard.
Check the cardboards every day or 2.  The liquid will either be removed by the ants or hardened from drying out.
If it's removed, add another drop or 2. 
They told me to tell if it's hardened by watching to see if ants walk over the drops  - this is just impractical (and I told them that)!  If it's there after 2 days, throw it out.  Replace it if there are any ants in the area.
I bent up one corner of the pieces of cardboard to make picking them up easier.

[sleepyguy]

Ugh, they are annoying but definitely doable.  Mind you this is MY method that I used and it worked but can't say it will work for you or another type of species native in your area.

1. Old home 1920s'ish: tiny red ants all randomly around the kitchen and such.  Obvously we cleaned and sprayed everything.  After, we observed and tracked were they were coming from.  Seems our patio door wasn't 100% sealed.  We sealed it up then we put some DE around perimeter of the house.  Not an ant in sight indoors for the 5yrs we stayed there.

2. Old'ish 1960s home: larger black carpenter ants around rooms and such.  Yes we were pretty worried as they can do HEFTY damage if left unnoticed for years.  These are the steps we took.
- removed EVERY dead log or old tree around the house, we had TONS.
- cut back ALL overhanging trees and such, yes they get from top through the roof as well.
- seal up any door/window areas, check for rotten dead wooded areas
- after those 2 steps were  done we noticed a VAST drop of ants being seen... probably like over 90%.  Still we were seeing one every so often.
- I used Ant Bait (stuff take back to queen).  It took about 6 days or so but after that we never saw a single ant again.

[TreeTired]

(I see others have mentioned Borax upthread... here is some more detail)

We get rid of the little tiny ants with this method that works so quickly and so well that at first I questioned..... did this really work?   Is this possible?    The ant killing ingredient is  20 Mule Team Borax.     The thing that kills the ants is the Borax.    You have to bait it  (I use strawberry jam) and the little buggers carry it back to their nest and feed it to the queen an it kills all of them..... quickly.    The mechanics are pretty simple.  If the ants are on the floor I use an old plastic container, mix the bait and poke holes in the container to let the ants in but keep pets out.   This stuf is non-toxic.  You don't want your cat or dog to eat it, but it is not a toxic chemical poison.

I have not tried it with big ants, but I don't see why it wouldn't work any differently.   For the little ants I used to spray poison on them and they would disappear for a few days and come back.  This method is incredible.   

The secret ingredient:



Here is the trap.  This time the ants were on a window sill heading to the kitchen counter.  Because the window sill was out of the dog's reach I left it open.  If it is on the floor you can enclose the container and poke holes in it.   This is Borax mixed in with strawberry jam.  Ants love it!



The very next day,  all the ants are gone!  They don't drown or die in the bait,  they carry it away.



It is truly amazing how quickly and completely the ants disappeared!


And after you get rid of your ants,  you can mix this stuff with your detergent -  gets your clothes real clean!!  :)

[GuinnessPhish]

Taurus SC.

Commercial grade, non repellant insecticide.  Ants (and other insects) walk through it, and the amount they carry back kills the nest.

Buy Taurus SC, a 1 gallon pressure sprayer, problem solved.

[Cpa Cat]

We get ants every year. And no, we don't leave food lying around.

We get them in the bathroom - mostly scouts. Once they led a trail up to the shower. To eat our filth? Who knows.

We get them in the kitchen - once in awhile, these ones will locate cat food crumbs. One of our cats hates ants. She has a special "ants are crawling on me" dance that she does. Whenever we see her do the ant dance, we know it's time for a couple of Terro traps.

This year, we had a real treat. In the Spring, they came in through the cracks around a basement window and set up a whole nest in some honeycomb blinds - in the cells and the headrail. Just a whole big nest. They were living in our house and then going OUTSIDE to eat. This one was super special because we actually had quarterly pest control to deal with our anticipated ant problem. You can guess what I cancelled the next day.

Those little ant traps work great. The cats stay out of them - we use the ones that only have a little hole or slot for the ants. Thanks to the cat's "ant dance" we usually catch them early and that's perfect for the ant traps.

I caulked the basement window - no ants there ever since (we removed the nest, AKA blinds).

But for us, every Spring is the same - it starts to rain a little and the ants are on the move for a new home, and they like the looks of ours. They can be just about anywhere - we often can't tell where they're coming from. Best just to ant-bait them so they kill their nest.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

FWIW, we've been busy and never got around to actually doing anything at all and the ants just wandered off on their own. Haven't seen one in a couple of weeks.

[TheOldestYoungMan]

If you tend towards keeping your place clean, occasionally seeing ants, maybe leave them alone.  Seeing ants for a little while is preferable to smelling whatever died in your house and attracted them.

If you absolutely must get rid of them, peanut butter works pretty good as bait.  Once the ants find the peanut butter, you swap it out for a water-sugar-boric acid mixture.  You can put the peanut butter almost anywhere, for those worried about kids or pets, just put the bait somewhere they can't get to.

Won't take the ants long to find it.

Broadcasting poison over the whole yard is pretty cool.  On a smaller property with neighbors who don't do it, the ants will keep coming back every year.  They really keep other pests down though, so if you can learn to live with them it's probably better for all concerned.

[MMMaybe]

I just made an ant bait so we will see how it works. Peanut butter, diatomaceous earth and sugar, mixed into a paste. They love it. I can't use borax because of my cat but hopefully this is a good alternative.

[MrsStubble]

Ugh ANTS!!!!  They are jerks!!   We had a major problem with them a few years ago that drove my husband completely nuts.  He swears as soon as they discover how to make fire they will take over the world. 

Now we're onto yearly maintenance to keep their #'s down and out of the house.  We use a combo of attacks...
1. Tero (liquid form, not the traps.  Put a quarter-size drop in their path and after a week of them gorging on it and you refilling it, their #'s should drop significantly.   
2.  House barrier spray.  We do this in the early spring before bugs come out, and then again in mid/late-summer before bugs start coming in for the winter.  We basically spray the whole exterior b/c they were coming in the windows. 
3.  Eliminate food sources - move pet food around so they don't get used to sources, put things in containers or in the fridge, keep your kitchen/food areas clean.
4.  Find and destroy them at the source. Track the lines back to the nests and destroy them, otherwise they will just come back year after year.

[theoverlook]

I just made an ant bait so we will see how it works. Peanut butter, diatomaceous earth and sugar, mixed into a paste. They love it. I can't use borax because of my cat but hopefully this is a good alternative.

TreeTired mentioned an awesome tip on how to use baited Borax in a house with pets (in this thread: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/do-it-yourself-forum!/nooooooo-ants!/msg642071/#msg642071 ).  Just put it in a sealable container like an old Yogurt tub and poke or drill some holes in the sides.  Put the baited Borax in it and then put the lid on.  Voila, pet-proof container with ant bait in it.

[MMMaybe]

I did something similar today. Used an old parmesan shaker/container and now its cat proof!

[sequoia]

+ for Terro. After about a week, they are almost all gone. I placed Terro in a bottle cap outside the house,  on their trail. Feed them everyday.

[flyingaway]

I used ant baits (liquid Terro, gel Raid)  from Home Depot for killing the ants under my door. It seemed to kill them after a few days every year, but they come back at the same place the next year. It takes more days to kill them as the year goes. It looks like they are getting resistance.

[MMMaybe]

Best stuff ever is this chalk which contains insecticide. Not sure if it is available outside Asia though (maybe in Chinese shops) Draw a line around their entry point and they will be gone fast!

[ShoulderThingThatGoesUp]

We had an ant problem in our living room shortly after buying this house. Turns out they were living in the exterior windowsill. On replacement, no more ants.

[CowboyAndIndian]

Best stuff ever is this chalk which contains insecticide. Not sure if it is available outside Asia though (maybe in Chinese shops) Draw a line around their entry point and they will be gone fast!

Don't use this, this is DDT.
DDT has been banned for a long time now in the US. It is bad for the environment and you and your family.

You can buy this in some Asian stores in the US as well in India.

[MMMaybe]

Best stuff ever is this chalk which contains insecticide. Not sure if it is available outside Asia though (maybe in Chinese shops) Draw a line around their entry point and they will be gone fast!
[/don't

Don't use this, this is DDT.
DDT has been banned for a long time now in the US. It is bad for the environment and you and your family.

You can buy this in some Asian stores in the US as well in India.

I will have to take my chances. Nothing else works and we are continually under siege in this climate. I kind of weigh up the toxicity against the diseases that roaches, mozzies etc carry, which are nasty.

[MMMaybe]

Actually I just checked, the chalk does not contain DDT. It is actually considered less toxic than other insecticides. Its just banned in the US due to children ingesting it. Back to ant warfare tomorrow.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

The diatamaceous earth is still working.

Unfortunately, now we have at least one mouse.

It's possible that I actually jumped on a chair.

Sigh.

[Lis]

The diatamaceous earth is still working.

Unfortunately, now we have at least one mouse.

It's possible that I actually jumped on a chair.

Sigh.

:( (But lol a little bit)

Last winter I had mice in my basement apartment. Each cat got the opportunity to kill one, which they did. After that, the mice stuck to the upstairs, terrorizing my landlords.

[Jdslepp]

Clean their trails to remove the pheromones they release, then bait near their entrance(s) to the house with a 1:3 mix of Borax and sugar in something like an upside down jar lid.  They can't tell the difference, it it all, and die.  It does take time, however.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I have no idea at all where they are getting in. The one I saw ran from under the dishwasher to under the stove--nowhere near an exterior wall.

I got traps at Home Depot, the kind that you bait with peanut butter, then the mouse goes in, is killed by some sort of mechanism, and you never have to see it again but just throw away the whole trap. What can I say--I'm weak. However, they are still sitting on my dining room table. Eventually I'm going to put one under the dishwasher and one under the stove and keep my eyes open for other signs of mouse residence.