Anything with more than 4 legs (and some things with 2) needs a good killin’. Bugs are one thing I’m really happy that I don’t have to deal with since I live on the 3rd floor now. Spiders are my kryptonite… Evil little fuckers.

some of the indigenous lizard species love to chow on ants – but i wouldn’t, sadly, count on them as a bio-balance solution…
if for no other reason than your cats…

i’m pretty “live-and-let-live” -
tho’ somewhat selectively -
when it comes to insects we sometimes classify as pests.

i will even coexist w/black widow spiders in some circumstances…
(i seem to have a knack for noticing them)

however -
my dear friends in s pas were repeatedly besieged by seemingly endless ant legions-
(i even witnessed stan disassembling the rice cooker to get at the little exoskeletoned rat-bastards)

and so -
i have to concede that;
in cases of severe and/or intolerably frequent visitation/infestation/uninvited cohabitation -
the professional services of
“the exterminator”
(description by profession,
not movie title),
was their knight in, (albeit chemically), shining armor.

tho’ ’tis
a conflict for me to advocate toxins being released into the environment,
particularly when they may only ultimately fortify the “target” w/eventual increased power in the form of evolutionary resistance to the very substance used against them…

really;
i’m still trying to maintain my anti-chem stance -
(sad; isn’t it?) -

but the exterminator approach has worked for them – in the (geophysical) short term – when no other tactic would.

- AND:
it has spared the current,
new,
(w/fuzzy logic),
rice cooker from disembowelment -
so far

(k)

Indoor spiders (not to be confused with outdoor spiders that happen to get caught indoors) are harmless, and actually somewhat beneficial in that they prey upon insects in your home (all spiders are carnivores).

That doesn’t make them any less gross though. :P

NOOOOOO! Not the fuzzy logic rice cooker! That’s my dream one!

Also, I agree that spiders are good. They eat the ants. Unless they’re dead, then the ants travel from far and wide to eat them, which sort of brings me back to square one.

A good organic way to get rid of ants is to use cinnamon. I used to have ants coming into my apartment around the washing machine (to use my washer?)… I some cinnamon down where they were coming in and now they’re gone. I don’t know if this will work on your Argentine ants, though it might be worth a try.

I’ve tried all that cinnamon/cayenne stuff and none of it worked. I think the trick is just to catch them when you see the lone scout – don’t let him tell the others about what sort of stuff you have in your pad.

Of course wiping down counters and surfaces regularly is pretty key. It’s tough though with a dog – they really seem to love kibble.

Also, boric acid powder along all the window frames and door jambs really seems to help at our place. It’s not toxic to humans and seems to keep them from even venturing in. (It might actually help with silverfish and centipedes too!)

Well, I’ve tried the ol’ boric acid trick, but it didn’t keep them away completely.

BUT! I will say that I have found a way to keep them out of the cat food. I put my cats’ food bowl inside a larger glass bowl and fill that one with a little water so it makes a nice moat. It’s a food fortress!

I also take all the extra food out of the bag it comes in and put it in sealed tupperware containers.

Minor point of order regarding MR HOOKS’ above statement regarding the diet of arachnids. In fact they are not carnivorous, they are insectivorous.

When I throw down the cinnamon, I’m covering the floor in the corners and around the floor boards. I’m also using powerdered cinnamon to get it into all the cracks. That part of my apartment looks like a dirt box for a while.

But, if it doesn’t work for you… I guess it doesn’t work.