Pests: ants & geckos

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Thu, 03 Mar 2011 7:55 am

Well, that's a bit of a theory-killer isn't it?

dazzlebabe · Post by **dazzlebabe** » Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:52 am

1 Level teaspoon of Poisonous Boric Acid powder

Where can i find this? Tried all hardware shops but none carry them; infact no one in the shops even know what it is! Do they work for all pests? (Roaches, rodents?)

Mary Hatch Bailey · Post by **Mary Hatch Bailey** » Thu, 03 Mar 2011 12:34 pm

I was told by Phillip at Handyman Centre that the sale of boric acid is illegal in Singapore.

ksl · Post by **ksl** » Thu, 03 Mar 2011 1:28 pm

JR8 wrote:
ksl wrote:My cat brings these long lizards home with curly toe nails, maybe tree geckos about 30 to 40cm long, she likes to let them run around the house and chase after them.

Harmless i guess, as i pick them up and sit them on my arm for a minute or two, holding the tail, before putting them in the tree outside. Though i go crazy when she brings the pigeons home, feathers flying all over the place We don't see or hear many geckos at all one or two at most.

It is said that cats are the only animals with the capacity to kill for pleasure, besides ourselves.

Have you ever seen a Jack Russel at work, one of the best killing machines around for vermin especially RATS.

ev-disinfection · Post by **ev-disinfection** » Thu, 03 Mar 2011 2:26 pm

1) Gather some small plastic containers with lids. I will use either Philadelphia Cream Cheese or margarine containers that I have saved. Poke 4-5 holes spaced evenly around the outside each container about an inch from the top. These holes should be about the size of a pencil to allow the ants to enter the container easily. It would look something like this:

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
...X...O....O....O....O..X
......X..................... X
........X.................X
..........X............X
...........XXXXXX

2) Buy a box of 20 Mule Team Borax.

3) Mix the Borax with granulated sugar in a 1:3 ratio. I will prepare 1 cup of Borax with 3 cups of sugar for 6-8 traps.

4) Fill the plastic container about half full with the powder. You want the level to be about 1/2 an inch or so below the holes in the container.

5) Add enough water to make the mixture slightly soupy. The exact amount of water is not important. The mixture will become like syrup over time.

6) Add about 1 teaspoon of peanut butter to the mixture. Stir until well mixed. Place the lid on the container.

7) Set the traps in areas where you find ants. These can be used indoors, but I find it more effective outside the house. I put them near the kitchen window, near the doors, under the house, by trash cans, next to existing ant colonies, or even in the flower garden.

The bait works in two ways. First, it is toxic to ants that ingest it immediately. Second, most ants will naturally transport the bait back to the colony where other ants will ingest the bait and die. Most types of ants will respond to the bait. You will notice some dead ants in the vicinity of the bait within a couple of days. I find that within 2 weeks, it is difficult to find any ants around.

CAUTION: Borax is toxic. Do not place the traps in areas where animals (like the family pet) can accidentally open the lid and ingest the poison.

Buy the Borax here....
http://www.amazon.com/Dial-Corporation- ... B000RNBX0G

beppi · Post by **beppi** » Thu, 03 Mar 2011 2:43 pm

Boric Acid is nasty stuff and rightly banned from sale.
Borax is as harmless to humans as kitchen salt. It is widely available (don't know about Singapore, though) and commonly used as food additive.
Borax is the salt of Boric acid, just like kitchen salt is the salt of Hydrochloric acid (an even nastier stuff).
You can put your Borax mixture anywhere, it won't harm your kids or pets.

Correction:
I just checked and found out that I am wrong about Boric Acid: It is also just an harmless as table salt (according to Wikipedia) and used as disinfectant and eye wash.

Post by **nakatago** » Thu, 03 Mar 2011 2:50 pm

beppi wrote:Boric Acid is nasty stuff and rightly banned from sale.
Borax is as harmless to humans as kitchen salt. It is widely available (don't know about Singapore, though) and commonly used as food additive.
Borax is the salt of Boric acid, just like kitchen salt is the salt of Hydrochloric acid (an even nastier stuff).
You can put your Borax mixture anywhere, it won't harm your kids or pets.

http://pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemica ... Id=PC34355

dazzlebabe · Post by **dazzlebabe** » Thu, 03 Mar 2011 2:58 pm

So all this talk about boric acid - and you can't buy it in Singapore!

ev-disinfection · Post by **ev-disinfection** » Thu, 03 Mar 2011 3:11 pm

Hey Dazzle,
Try my suggestion above, also a link to buy the 20 mule team borax.

dazzlebabe · Post by **dazzlebabe** » Thu, 03 Mar 2011 3:30 pm

So they will send it to Singapore? I won't get the pigs at my door?

ev-disinfection · Post by **ev-disinfection** » Thu, 03 Mar 2011 3:32 pm

dazzlebabe wrote:So they will send it to Singapore? I won't get the pigs at my door?

Pigs, you have to order here.
http://www.meidi-ya.com.sg/en/hds.asp?act=l3&qid=10

Mary Hatch Bailey · Post by **Mary Hatch Bailey** » Thu, 03 Mar 2011 4:57 pm

dazzlebabe wrote:So they will send it to Singapore? I won't get the pigs at my door?

1972 called. They want their teen-angst inspired anti-establishment rhetoric back.

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Thu, 03 Mar 2011 5:10 pm

dazzlebabe wrote:So they will send it to Singapore? I won't get the pigs at my door?

I once bought a pretty serious catapult to 'dissuade' the minah birds that would congregate outside my kitchen windows. After I had placed the order I suddenly wondered if they might be illegal in SG considering how funny it can be about these kinds of things.

Later that day browsing in Handyman I noticed that the owner stocked all kinds of things including samurai type swords, so I asked him what would happen to me if my catapult was found and stopped at customs.

He told me that I would get a card from the post office/customs in somewhere remote like Woodlands inviting me to come and collect my parcel (i.e. it would not be delivered, nor delivery attempted). If I did so, they would then expect me to witness them opening the package, and then the trouble would unfold. So his advice was if I received such a card from them, to ignore it, and that would be the end of the problem. So DB, they do not turn up at your door to arrest you (though if you ordered a crate of AK-47s I expect they might

)

p.s. KSL. Your avatar is very regal! Have you been invited to the wedding or something?

Yes I am quite familiar with the 'mini killing machines' that are Jack Russels. I only put that in quotes as they are the sweetest dogs and there is a lot more to them than just that. But you're right, you get one on a rat or rabbit and it is finished. But I believe they do it by instinct, not for pleasure. I have never seen a JRT (or other dog) half kill something and then toy with it for hours until it eventually dies.

dazzlebabe · Post by **dazzlebabe** » Thu, 03 Mar 2011 5:22 pm

Mary Hatch Bailey wrote:
dazzlebabe wrote:So they will send it to Singapore? I won't get the pigs at my door?
1972 called. They want their teen-angst inspired anti-establishment rhetoric back.

Ok, will send it back to them along with the rodent and pests. Fancy a free ride back too?

ev-disinfection · Post by **ev-disinfection** » Thu, 03 Mar 2011 5:24 pm

errrrrr guys.... we are talking about laundry detergent here, http://www.20muleteamlaundry.com

and no we don't call the police, pigs anymore.

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Pests: ants & geckos

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