Heavy axle grease has worked for me since my houses are on steel pipe. I just wipe a film of it on the pipe and voila! no more ants or snakes either for that matter.
Rotenone is bad stuff despite its "organic" classification. Very toxic to fish, and mildly toxic to birds.Diatomaceous earth seems to be relatively harmless, I have used it successfully for ants and slugs in garden settings, but have not tried it in bird houses. Here is a link you might with to peruse:http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html "There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot."--- Aldo Leopold <http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/43828.Aldo_Leopold>Carol Reese Ornamental Horticulture Specialist -Western District University of Tennessee Extension Service 605 Airways Blvd. Jackson TN 38301 731 425 4767 email jreese5@xxxxxxx <mailto:jreese5@xxxxxxx>*From:*tn-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tn-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *Lynne Davis*Sent:* Wednesday, June 12, 2013 7:19 AM *To:* tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx *Subject:* [TN-Bird] Ants in birdhousesWe have ants in nearly all our bird boxes. An older book we have recommends putting a thin layer of rotenone in the bottom of the boxes. I went to the "big box" home improvement store yesterday looking for it, and they didn't know what I was talking about. They suggested diatomaceous earth. Does anyone know if this is safe and effective for bird boxes? If not, do you know where to look for rotenone?One bird box contained a very pretty and docile black rat snake, probably less than two years old, still showing the remnants of his baby stripes. He was encouraged to "roost" elsewhere.Thanks, Lynne Davis Seymour, Sevier County
