Children and Insect Spraying - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

agball · 04-02-2004, 08:42 AM

Some advise/input on this would be helpful. The past 2 years whenever the weather starts to get warmer I get a ton of flying ants in my house. They tend to swarm around the windows & skylights, but I can never figure out where they are coming from. They are not termites. I want to have the house sprayed by an exterminator, but have 2 young children ages 3 and 9 months at home. I have put off the spraying for a number of years due to health concerns of spraying with young childern. Of course I would have the kids away from the house for the day if I have this done, but I am still a little weary of any potential health ramifications. Here is what the ants look like:

Any input would be helpful

raeanna74 · 04-03-2004, 05:07 AM

Call around to a couple of exterminator companies. I would ask lots of questions relating to the pesticides they use. I would think there may be a few things they can do to protect kids from the stuff cause they deal with it all the time they might have a few ideas. This may also give you a better idea of who to use. If they can give you some good ideas or if they just say it's no big deal. That might tell you who will be more careful. Also they may be able to better tell where the bugs are coming from and go right to the source or spray more outside instead of inside.

Also if you could send the kids to Grandma's for an additional day or two might ease your mind more. Besides Grandma should be more willing to help in order to protect her grandkids. Don't know if that's a possibility or not.

I don't know anything about that kind of bug. That's one route I'd take though. A thought.

A quick note. Reading up on this it seems that Carpenter Ants frequently live INSIDE homes and tunnel into soft or rotting wood structures. They don't eat the wood like termites do but they chew it and push it out of the nest as sawdust. Look for sawdust around to possibly locate the nest. From everything I read if you or an exterminator can locate the nest then you don't have to do a general spraying of the house. That would reduce any exposer of your children to the pesticide.

Tophat665 · 04-03-2004, 07:32 AM

That's not a carpenter ant. The head's shaped wrong. Next time you see flying ants, check ALL your baseboards and windows. When I was a kid, we used to get swarms of ants like that a couple times a summer. It was always really easy to tellwhere they came from, because the places from whence they issues would be covered with them.

Once you've identified a swarming point, gate it and soak it with your pesticide of choice. Keep the kids away from it. Hit it once a month for a year and the ants will die off.

agball · 04-06-2004, 06:12 AM

Thanks for the input

Redlemon · 04-06-2004, 06:30 AM

When my wife was a child, they bugbombed their house (mid-1970s). I have no idea what chemical was used, but she and her younger sister developed food allergies shortly thereafter. Her sister was affected more than she was. I would follow raeanna's advice and ask lots of questions. Sorry that I have no direct information for you.

lurkette · 04-06-2004, 07:38 AM

You might contact your local county extension office to see if they have recommendations about non-chemical pest control methods. My brother was highly reactive to a lot of pesticides and herbicides, and our ag extension office was really helpful in recommending other things we might try - "home remedies" of sorts, some of which were more effective than others.

When I did a Google search for "flying ants non-chemical control," most of the recommendations have to do with keeping food contained where they can't get it, sealing cracks they're getting in through, washing all surfaces well so their chemical trails get destroyed, and locating and destroying the nest. You might also try localized chemical control methods like sticky traps or the Terro bait in areas where your younguns can't reach them.

04-02-2004, 08:42 AM	#1 (permalink)
agball Insane Location: Long Island	Children and Insect Spraying Some advise/input on this would be helpful. The past 2 years whenever the weather starts to get warmer I get a ton of flying ants in my house. They tend to swarm around the windows & skylights, but I can never figure out where they are coming from. They are not termites. I want to have the house sprayed by an exterminator, but have 2 young children ages 3 and 9 months at home. I have put off the spraying for a number of years due to health concerns of spraying with young childern. Of course I would have the kids away from the house for the day if I have this done, but I am still a little weary of any potential health ramifications. Here is what the ants look like: Any input would be helpful __________________ "A friend with weed is a friend indeed"

04-03-2004, 05:07 AM	#2 (permalink)
raeanna74 I'm not a blonde! I'm knot! I'm knot! I'm knot! Location: Upper Michigan	Call around to a couple of exterminator companies. I would ask lots of questions relating to the pesticides they use. I would think there may be a few things they can do to protect kids from the stuff cause they deal with it all the time they might have a few ideas. This may also give you a better idea of who to use. If they can give you some good ideas or if they just say it's no big deal. That might tell you who will be more careful. Also they may be able to better tell where the bugs are coming from and go right to the source or spray more outside instead of inside. Also if you could send the kids to Grandma's for an additional day or two might ease your mind more. Besides Grandma should be more willing to help in order to protect her grandkids. Don't know if that's a possibility or not. I don't know anything about that kind of bug. That's one route I'd take though. A thought. A quick note. Reading up on this it seems that Carpenter Ants frequently live INSIDE homes and tunnel into soft or rotting wood structures. They don't eat the wood like termites do but they chew it and push it out of the nest as sawdust. Look for sawdust around to possibly locate the nest. From everything I read if you or an exterminator can locate the nest then you don't have to do a general spraying of the house. That would reduce any exposer of your children to the pesticide. __________________ "Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama My Karma just ran over your Dogma. Last edited by raeanna74; 04-03-2004 at 05:30 AM..

04-03-2004, 07:32 AM	#3 (permalink)
Tophat665 Minion of the scaléd ones Location: Northeast Jesusland	That's not a carpenter ant. The head's shaped wrong. Next time you see flying ants, check ALL your baseboards and windows. When I was a kid, we used to get swarms of ants like that a couple times a summer. It was always really easy to tellwhere they came from, because the places from whence they issues would be covered with them. Once you've identified a swarming point, gate it and soak it with your pesticide of choice. Keep the kids away from it. Hit it once a month for a year and the ants will die off. __________________ Light a man a fire, and he will be warm while it burns. Set a man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life.

04-06-2004, 06:12 AM	#4 (permalink)
agball Insane Location: Long Island	Thanks for the input __________________ "A friend with weed is a friend indeed"

04-06-2004, 06:30 AM	#5 (permalink)
Redlemon Devoted Donor Location: New England	When my wife was a child, they bugbombed their house (mid-1970s). I have no idea what chemical was used, but she and her younger sister developed food allergies shortly thereafter. Her sister was affected more than she was. I would follow raeanna's advice and ask lots of questions. Sorry that I have no direct information for you. __________________ I can't read your signature. Sorry.

04-06-2004, 07:38 AM	#6 (permalink)
lurkette My future is coming on Moderator Emeritus Location: east of the sun and west of the moon	You might contact your local county extension office to see if they have recommendations about non-chemical pest control methods. My brother was highly reactive to a lot of pesticides and herbicides, and our ag extension office was really helpful in recommending other things we might try - "home remedies" of sorts, some of which were more effective than others. When I did a Google search for "flying ants non-chemical control," most of the recommendations have to do with keeping food contained where they can't get it, sealing cracks they're getting in through, washing all surfaces well so their chemical trails get destroyed, and locating and destroying the nest. You might also try localized chemical control methods like sticky traps or the Terro bait in areas where your younguns can't reach them. __________________ "If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." - Anatole France