DEAR JOAN: With all this rain, the local ants have sought shelter and sustenance inside. My usual method of putting the cat food bowl in water doesn’t seem to deter them. I have tried wiping down the area with white vinegar, but this doesn’t seem to work either.
Any suggestions about how to keep them from swarming in the cat food bowl? I have to leave a little food for (my cat) overnight in his room, or else he howls bright and early in the morning.
— Ellen, Inverness
DEAR ELLEN: Placing pet food bowls in a shallow tray of water is the most common weapon in the anti-ant arsenal. The moats work well in theory — because ants can’t swim, they can’t reach the food bowl island, right?
It should work, except that ants will use their dead, drowned brethren to create a bridge to the bowl. All’s fair in the pursuit of food for the colony, I guess. Pets add to the problem, accidentally dropping food in the water, which can then be used as stepping stones. Vigilance — regularly cleaning the moat and changing the water — may help. Some people recommend putting petroleum jelly around the edge of the moat or bowl, but the first ants become mired in the goo, and those behind climb on their bodies to reach the food. It also gets all over your pets.
There are dozens of ant-proof items on the market. A popular one is a bowl that appears to float off the floor. It’s actually sitting on a base that elevates the bowl slightly, so the ants must crawl under the bowl to the supporting base, climb up the side, make a U-turn to head down the opposite side, then summit the lip and up the outside of the bowl. Apparently, they get baffled at the U-turn and never complete the journey.
To stop the ants before they get in the house, experts suggest using outdoor-grade silicone caulk to fill cracks and gaps in your foundation and siding, sealing up anything larger than a quarter inch. Door sweeps can help with gaps at entryways, as will patching or replacing damaged windows and screens.
If you can track where the ants are coming in, you can sprinkle cinnamon or talcum powder over the entrance. And instead of using ant spray to kill the ants, use Windex or Febreeze. They will kill the intruders, but won’t harm your pet.
Lastly, keep the feeding area spotless, cleaning up any dropped food and picking up the bowls when not in use. This will make it less tempting to the ants.
DEAR JOAN: A neighbor has an unwanted nest of bees close to her home. Any suggestions about removal?
Related Articles
Police find 13 dogs, 65 cats in large-scale animal rescue in Hollister
About half the cats taken in one California county in 2023 died. So what’s being done?
Photographing the elusive, city-living bobcats of San Jose
Is my cat really trying to kill me by dropping heavy objects on my head?
Animal rescue group abandons dozens of dogs at California kennel
— Mike Gordon, Pleasant Hill
DEAR MIKE: First make sure they are bees and not wasps, then contact your local beekeepers association. They can collect the bees and take them away without harming them, and most just ask for a donation to the association.
Contact Contra Costa County’s Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association at www.diablobees.org; the Alameda County Beekeepers Association at www.alamedabees.org; and the Santa Clara Beekeepers Guild at www.beeguild.org.
If it turns out to be wasps, and they are causing a problem, contact a pest company.
Animal Life runs on Mondays. Reach Joan Morris at [email protected]
+ There are no comments
Add yours