Terro for Outdoor Ants
- , by Trudy Chuoke Trudy Chuoke
Terro has a newer product for outdoor ants that is easy to use, and I want to give you my experience with the product. Terro Liquid Outdoor Ant Bait Stakes are prefilled with a sweet bait that kills all common outdoor ants. I usually see ants around my outdoor faucet areas and around my sidewalks. And usually the ants will kill the grass. So I was really excited about the ease of using the stakes. They simply push into the ground. I wanted to keep them close the foundation of the house and near the sidewalk edge to protect them when my yardman mows. Push them into the ground so just the top shows and snip the edge of the stake. This will open the bait up to the ants. Now you will probably see more ants right away and you might question my advice. But this is what you want because the more ants that take the bait back to the nest the faster you will kill the rest of the colony. These stakes will last for 90 days, but complete control will only take 2 weeks. The packaging comes with 8 stakes and retails for 10.99.
Now to the email….
Question: I was just told I have roots in my drain. I have had them taken care of, but I was told I might continue to have problems because of all the trees in the yard. Is there a product that will get rid of them for good?
Answer: Twice a year pour a pound of Zep Root Kill in your toilet just before bedtime, then flush. Don’t use the toilet again until the next morning. Repeat the process the next night. Zep comes in a 2 pound container, so one container is all you need. If you have a septic system it will not harm the tanks.
Question: I have what my plumber called Drain Flies. What can I do to get rid of them. I see them in the kitchen, and then I see them in the upstairs bathroom. I don’t have a lot of plants in the house or fruit lying around- what’s the cause?
Answer: Drain flies breed in the organic material (aka gunk) that hangs on the sides of the drain. If you have a slow running drain, it makes it worse. Disposals are also a breeding ground for drain flies. But there is a simple answer. In the evening you need to pour eight ounces of Adios Drain Fly repellant drain the drain. But then go to each drain in the house and put Adios down each drain. This means all the sinks, showers, and tubs. These drain flies will go from one drain to the next using your plumbing as a highway. Once you pour Adios down the drain cover the drain so seal them in. Adios is completely safe for your pipes. This might take a few times so be patient. Great question!
Question: I have two wood columns on my front porch. They have started to rot at the bottom where they touch the wood of the porch. Can they be repaired?
Answer: Get some Minwax Wood Hardener and brush on several coats on the rotted area until it is shiny. The sealer will harden the rotted area. This hardener is solvent based and has solids in it and as the solvent is absorbed into the wood it dries leaving the solids behind. This is what will stop the rot and stabilize the column. If you have any voided areas, use Minwax Wood Filler. I used this on a garage door area and a window sill that rot. The contractor was amazed and said it saved me thousands of dollars. Just catch and repair early, at first detection.
Question: I have some cabinets that the screws have gotten loose. Everyone says to just get a bigger screw but that seems to me like it’s just not a good idea. It seems like you wrote about something that is better to use in a cabinet door.
Answer: I like to use a product called Screw It Again. Remove the loose screw. Screw in the Screw It Again anchor. Snap off the excess. Screw the original screw back in. This will tighten up the screw hole. Don’t throw the excess part of the anchor away. You can use it for the next project.