Ant Invasion

How do I get rid of ants without hurting my gliders? There are so many ants in the glider room. I put their food in for the night and within minutes they are swarming. I clean the cage with vinegar and wipe down the bars before I put the food in, but it doesn't stop them, lol. Any glider safe ant repellents?

I had a problem with ants a few years ago and the only thing that worked was placing all four legs of the glider cage in small bowls of water. The ants couldn't climb the cage without falling in to the bowls of water. If your cage doesn't have legs maybe you can put it on a low metal table or dolly? Theresa

First thing to do it make sure the whole colony hasn't moved in/on tithe cage. Follow the trail, and make sure the ants trail goes away frome the cage. A flash light comes in handy for this,, and i had to wait till dinnertime to see their trail. If you find the trail. Skip the next paragraph.

If you don't find their trail, pull the cage to the middle of the room or in good light and check all nooks and crannies. If your cage frame is made of square metal tubing, watch to trails in or out of little cracks. Also a good time to pull drop pan wipe down or wash. There are probably ants there as well. If you find that they have nested, either take the cage outside and power wash, or use the dish soap water( listed below) and squirt it all down, and as much in the cracks as possible. Wipe down and watch for ants for a few days to make sure you got them.


I'll list what I've tried and how it worked for me:

Dawn dish soap and water: works great for killing ants on contact. It takes about a teaspoon of soap and fill the spray bottle with water. I have sprayed their trail on the cage, and wiped down with wet warm towel. I have followed the trail to the outside source and sprayed down as well. That only cleans them up for me. They'll be back to the cage in a few days.


Dryer sheets under cage legs: it works, until I need to move the cage to clean, and the cage and cover aren't touching walls, or curtains, floor, or any other furniture. About a month or so, needs replaced.

Bowls under legs: for me it was a bad idea. Our cage sat in a corner in the living room on carpet. Getting and keeping the bowls there was a bit tricky while cleaning. And I also learned at this point to watch the cage cover and curtains. If they even slightly touch, it creates a bridge for ants to find.

Food grade diatomaceous earth: this was my last try. I wish I had skipped all the above and gone this way first , but I had a few months with time on my hands and wanted to see for myself what would best suit me. Dish soap and water did work, and I got instant gratification to rid the cage of those little devils... so, diatomaceous earth. I used paper plates under each wheel ( I have carpet), or pour a circle around wheel of the diatomaceous earth. Ants won't cross it, or get near it. It is safe for gliders and other animals as well. I also poured a small trail of it to our window(outside source where they were coming in). I haven't seen 1 single ants in about a month now.

Sorry. I get long winded, but I will refer back to this thread to help others.

I hope this was helpful!

Thank you for the information! So very helpful! I used to have some diatomaceous earth somewhere, I'll have to see if I can find it again! 😁

You are welcome.

I have needed to post my results for some time. You reminded me. Thanks!