Ant problem - should I sell??

[Mountainjacq]

Hi all, I'd be interested in your views please on a situation I'm in. I have a 4 bedroom house in a good area, which is currently rented out. The house is great - I bought it as my PPOR - but it has a HUGE ant problem. There's basically an ant colony in the ceiling, not picked up before purchase because of (frankly) a shoddy inspection. They're just plain black ants. I manage the situation carefully but it's a drag knowing that it's a problem that is unlikely to go away anytime soon. (The pest controllers visit 2-3 times per year as it is.) Fortunately the tenants have never been too bothered by the problem.

I have an option of moving back to the house soon when the current lease expires, so I'm looking at all options. Because of the ants, one option I'm considering is just selling it, taking the equity and investing in something else. I love the house except for the ants though!

Has anyone else had a similar experience? I'd welcome any sage advice. Thanks.

 

[wylie]

Why can't you get someone in to get rid of the ants? I know black ants are hard to get rid of, because we have the little critters in our house and we've had them treated, but it doesn't last long.

However, if there is a "colony" in the ceiling, wouldn't that be easier to get rid of than the ants we have that march in from neighbourhood yards?

 

[eternit]

Hi all, I'd be interested in your views please on a situation I'm in. I have a 4 bedroom house in a good area, which is currently rented out. The house is great - I bought it as my PPOR - but it has a HUGE ant problem. There's basically an ant colony in the ceiling, not picked up before purchase because of (frankly) a shoddy inspection. They're just plain black ants. I manage the situation carefully but it's a drag knowing that it's a problem that is unlikely to go away anytime soon. (The pest controllers visit 2-3 times per year as it is.) Fortunately the tenants have never been too bothered by the problem.

I have an option of moving back to the house soon when the current lease expires, so I'm looking at all options. Because of the ants, one option I'm considering is just selling it, taking the equity and investing in something else. I love the house except for the ants though!

Has anyone else had a similar experience? I'd welcome any sage advice. Thanks.

I have noticed black ants in older properties in Canberra during summer to be a common problem. Where is your property?

 

[Mountainjacq]

I have a pest company in every few months to keep them under control, but it gets beyond a joke when they start streaming out of power points and dropping out of down lights. It's a big problem.

I'm in Weston.

 

[eternit]

I have a pest company in every few months to keep them under control, but it gets beyond a joke when they start streaming out of power points and dropping out of down lights. It's a big problem.

I'm in Weston.

I have seen this in properties in Weston areas. Is it only a problem during summer period?

 

[Mountainjacq]

It definitely gets worse in spring and summer, then is less noticeable in the colder months.

 

[eternit]

It definitely gets worse in spring and summer, then is less noticeable in the colder months.

Have you tried ant rid?

 

[Rolf Latham]

if an occupier isnt allergic to the ants, id suggest let em be

ta
rolf

 

[Sylvester]

Because of the ants, one option I'm considering is just selling it, taking the equity and investing in something else. I love the house except for the ants though!

Yeah sell it to me.

Ants are like humans, the colony will decrease in size and go elsewhere with food scarcity. There's heaps of info on the web on how to do that.

Something that has worked for me in the past is to establish a food supply and potential new residence a few meters from the house (a compost pile), then every couple of weeks move it further from the house....then after a few months, decrease its size slowly. Of course, you have to have no food sources in the house in this time.

 

[chrispy]

I have had the same problem with my home. I had the roof lifted and had ant killer sprayed in. My problem is the insulation, the ants love it. How I control it is by buying large quantities of ant killer and spraying the circumference of the house plus all corners, down pipes etc, anywhere ants can climb. They no longer fall out of ights or come out of the power points!

You have to be diligent and keep the spraying up every 2 to 3 months and they go.

I buy the huge containers with spray gun from Bunnings. It works

Chris

 

[Mountainjacq]

Thanks Chrispy, the insulation is the problem in my case too. Lifting the roof is exactly what I'm been thinking of doing too, but haven't yet got quotes. Did it cost a motzah?

 

[chrispy]

I needed new fascia, so I had the roof lifted at the same time as having the fascia replaced, so it really was no extra cost.

It did not solve the problem but helped. The constant spraying around the house is what has done the trick. It also stops the bugs from coming in to the house. I have to walk around constantly checking where the ants are. As soon as they appear I spray around the bottom of the house and up all the drainpipes and every corner. My house is brick and the ants love climbing up the corners. They also love the stink pipe by each of the toilets, so I soak them.

Every house in my street has the same problem.

Good luck

Chris

 

[Mountainjacq]

Thanks Chris. I think I might just move back into the house and resume the diligent annihilation I used to do. In time I'll look at the roof option too. They're never going to go away completely I know....sigh.

 

[Macca]

Thanks Chrispy, the insulation is the problem in my case too. Lifting the roof is exactly what I'm been thinking of doing too, but haven't yet got quotes. Did it cost a motzah?

Is it possible to change the type of insulation ? If that is the attraction then change to one they don't like, spray around the walls so they can't go out for food and be extra careful in the house keeping it squeaky clean.

I would then put ant baits around inside so they eat them out of necessity and kill the nest.

 

[Mountainjacq]

Hi Macca, it may well be possible. The little buggers are under the roof insulation as well as in it, if that makes sense. I'll have to look at the cost (always a factor!) but think it would be a viable way to reduce their numbers.

 

[Mush]

On the bright side,their presence should ensure that you are unlikely to be bothered by their highly destructive arch enemies,the termites.

 

[brocky05]

Hmm Pretty sure my dad had a colony in his roof. I will get back to you about what he did to get rid of them. I know how annoying they can be we had a brick letterbox and for some reason they always hung around inside thousands of them and they would be crawling over it all day long up and down. Ant rid worked for quite some time. The sandy kind of ant rid apparently you can put it down and it creates a barrier and they wont cross over the sand. Could be handy if you know where they are coming from. Pretty sure my dad got a pest guy in to remove his colony in the ceiling. As far as I know though they are pretty harmles sjust really annoying.

 

[DaveM]

You need to get a camera up there and have a good look around for any issues. I believe its called a colonyoscopy

 

[Mountainjacq]

Brocky - thanks, I'd be interested to know how your dad got rid of them. The pest guys who have been treating the house have treated the ceiling space several times, plus we've attacked possible and evident ingress points right around the perimeter of the house. Every few months.

It's good to hear they'll keep termites away! There had to be an up side!

 

[Macca]

Brocky - thanks, I'd be interested to know how your dad got rid of them. The pest guys who have been treating the house have treated the ceiling space several times, plus we've attacked possible and evident ingress points right around the perimeter of the house. Every few months.

It's good to hear they'll keep termites away! There had to be an up side!

They would only keep them out of the roof, the black ants love eating termites though, true story.