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Just read online that all you have to do is expose them to light and they will move their eggs elsewhere - they want a dark spot. Saves you from killing them.
That method normally works for us, but it has not worked this year, they keep returning after the mail courier puts new mail in & closes it again. I am going to try this method after they clear out from the open door in hopes that they don't return AGAIN.
Yes, it surprised the heckouta me. There's apparently a lot of ants in my area as it's been a constant battle inside the house; making an effort to keep the counters scrubbed clean and Terro ant baits left out at frequent entry points. (I put them on 2X5 note cards, in case there's any spillage.) But in my mailbox? They were little tiny ants and the mailbox had some sand-like substance in there too; ant droppings?
So, I scubbed out the mailbox with 409 household cleaner, waited for it to dry, and placed two Terro ant baits in there too, in the back corners; also on 2X5 note cards. Strange thing is, I've been here for 30 years and this has NEVER happened before.
Keep a small, slightly open baggie of bay leaves in there.
Put a orange peeling in the mailbox. Worked wonders for me.
Spray the inside of mailbox with 409! Kills ants on contact. Wiped down the inside of mail box.
I suddenly had ants and sugar in my mailbox and I whish whoever put them there had balls enough to just say to me there problem ...What Assholes.
I had them twice. Both times I simply used the garden hose and blasted them out. Never used any cleaners.
I read this article first, and was disgusted by the thought of having to somehow remove the nursery, but ready to work myself up to it.
In the meantime, i read another tip that said, just make the environment unfriendly by leaving the mailbox open. They picked it because it was dark and secure. Change that.
I did this and checked back 2 hours later and there was NO TRACE of the ants or their eggs.
If you want to follow this up with washing the interior, then go for it, but save yourself the nightmare-inducing tasks of removing the ants and let them do the work for you.
Ants? No.
Earwigs, crickets, and a bewildered bumblebee? Yes.
Just never know what I'll find -- but it's still better than bills. :)
