Ant's through slab plumbing - DIY Chatroom

aace · 01-05-2008, 11:49 AM

How can I prevent ants coming through the plumbing holes in the slab?

A little history here. 3 years ago I had my shower redone. The plumbing for the shower and tub share a common wall. When they took down the wall there was a huge ant mound in it. I took out at least a 5 gallons bucket of ant mound. I found that the original builder did not fill in a hole under the tub where the drain goes through probably 12" x 6". I cleaned it out and flooded it with termite & ant spray. The shower contractor was supposed to fill it in before they put the wall back in.

I started noticing ants again recently. They get into food in a pantry that shares the common wall. I suspected that the contractor didn't fill in the hole. This morning I cut a hole into the wall behind the refrigerator. The water for the icemaker comes from the same pipes.

Well I dug out another 5 gallon bucket of ant mound! The hole under the tub looks like it's been filled but I haven't been able to clean it out well enough to see how well. The ant's are active & pissed now. I sprayed down everything again will get it cleaned out later.

It looks like the ant's came through the plumbing this time. The pipes are wrapped with a red plastic close to the slab. I think this was supposed to prevent this. There are multiple pipes coming through the slab tying to 2 hot & cold pipes. Not sure the reason but I'm sure a plumber would.

Thanks Mike

Rehabber · 01-05-2008, 01:24 PM

The plastic is to prevent damage to the pipes by the concrete. Check out the use of Boric acid/with a bait and try flooding the area with that

saptam · 01-07-2008, 06:38 AM

use mild acids only, be careful while using it.

ocoee · 01-25-2008, 08:39 PM

Boric acid is not a caustic acid it is a natural mineral
It won't damage anything but the ants
Use Sodium Octoborate

kywoman · 02-13-2008, 05:48 PM

If you are interested in a more natural approach, you could use a substance called diatomaceous earth. We had an ant problem, and used this product. It worked pretty well. It is basically old seashells, crushed into a fine powder. When the ants (or other insects) walk across the powder, there are sharp microscopic edges on the grains that cut th insects. They then bleed to death. It took awhile for the DE to work though. There are diff types of DE. You don't want the kind that is used in pool filters. You want the type that can be bought at nurserys or garden supply stores.