Question
Hi Richard, I have a 15 month old daughter and a dog and I have terrible ants in my backyard grass. I don't know what kind they are but they are black and little and will bite. I put out a hooded sandbox for my little one and when we went to use it, there were ants on the top, which then tried to crawl in once the lid was off. I've had ants every year and they have been bad but this is really bad. I'm looking for some product I can use that will not harm my baby or dog. Thanks!

Answer
with your concern for your pet and child i think you need to call a professional pesticide applicator. there are mant products you can buy at your local hardware store for ant control(ant hotels, liquid ant traps, granular applications, etc.). all work quite well on most ants. most have to be continually replaced every 30-90 days to be effective. during dry spells you need to use a wet bait & during wet spells use a food bait. w/the hotels the ants will take some of it back to the main colony to help exterminate it. w/the liquid bait it will kill them at the bait station. all need to be placed where children & pets won't get to them.
a professional exterminator will use something more effective that will get rid of them in a few days. normally they will want to followup w/monthly resprays. it can get expensive.
the choice is yours.
good luck
rick