22 replies to this topic

[Vendayn]

So its become an issue when our apartment walls and floorboards are being filled with Pheidole megacephala. And they are digging it up because we see piles of stuff stuff in the cracks between the floorboards. And while we are not not going to hire someone to spray the whole area, I was wondering if they'd push the problem further since the Pheidole are everywhere? I already contacted the state about them (last year is when they responded) and they know they are here, but they haven't done anything. And guess covid doesn't help.

 

Also, would pest control require the apartment complex require permission to work in our unit, outside our home and on our porch? We don't see much a point if they don't spray the ones out front (though they do go past other units), because then we get invaded again right away. There are a ton outside and all around, so maybe it requires more the apartment complex to do something. But they don't even go inside anyones unit for any reason because of covid. From what we heard from our neighbors, one of them is pretty much being forced to move out because her apartment is in worse shape than ours because of the ants, where upstairs she can't even use the shower because they come pouring out of the drain when she turns the shower on. Its actually gotten pretty bad, and us+3 other nearby neighbors have all asked management to do something, but guess maybe we just have to hire someone. The apartment owners here pretty much fired I'd say at least 90% of their workforce, and most units are just empty, so I imagine they are hurting bad. But this is just dumb.

 

And on the chance we can do something about our huge issue with our unit and all our plants being eaten from the inside by pheidole...any good pest control in orange county? We looked online, but there is a lot and we dunno which ones are good or not.

Edited by Vendayn, January 15 2021 - 5:58 PM.

[JasonD]

Do you rent? If so, there are laws about this. Your landlord HAS to make your apartment livable. If it's overrun with vermin, your landlord is required to resolve the problem

[Jakerobs]

I'm a bit confused about what you are asking here... 

 

It seems like you are asking what your own apt management policies are. You are going to have to talk to your apartment management yourself. If they won't do anything about it, I would not go and hire a pest control company. That opens up a can of worms you don't want to get into, as well as being fairly expensive for it to maybe work.

 

If you can document proof that the ants are causing sub-par living conditions, I would do that. There must be some city committee that handles complaints of that nature, but you'd have to do some research. Otherwise, if the apt won't take care of it, I'd say it's time to move.

[Vendayn]

We've already gone to management over and over, they did stuff before covid (it was such a pain to deal with them though lol, its even worse now), thoughwe  never bothered with the ants since they hadn't been an issue. Sadly, with covid they don't do anything around here and so many units are just falling apart. Like literally, with how no maintenance is being done at all, stuff must be in pretty bad shape in a lot of these units. In any case. So we are looking to hire an actual pest control company, but doesn't sound like a viable solution.

 

Plus with the damage done, we'd probably be forced to move (as often enough damage they make the tenent find another place to temporarily stay) and then we are homeless as we don't have a place to move to and dad's business is reliant on working in the garage. Our neighbors had a black mold problem a couple years back, she and her husband couldn't live in their apartment for 2 weeks as they repaired stuff (though I saw mold appearing all over her bathroom again when I went to make sure they were pheidole). So even if they did do something instead of going "We are very backlogged, we'll put your unit on the list"...we'd still be homeless and have zero income at all, as they see the damage done. Plus we have signs of black mold as well, its in the cabinets and our bathroom areas, like our neighbor's place where it started.

 

If not hiring a pest control company, we'll just ignore it. My parents don't want to bother with documenting anything (someone suggested that on formiculture chat some time back) or making trouble with the complex or dealing with them at all. We plan to move anyway. So when we move out, then they'll fix the place up lol...or maybe not I dunno, they'll at least patch stuff and make it look nice.

 

Mostly they just wanted the ants gone. Especially since my mom lost her very expensive plumeria tree cause the ants just hollowed the entire thing out. But I guess we'll just put a ton more ant baits out, we bought a dozen liquid terro bait packs the other week, but guess just need to buy a lot more.

 

(edit: Though we are on a waiting list for them to send someone out. Maybe one day in the next few months we'll be next. Our neighbor has waited 3 months and still waiting lol. They fired so many people here, and the apartment complex must be hemorrhaging money. We'll probably be moved when they get to us on the list, but dad doesn't want trouble because he wants us to look good when renting a house. He doesnt want anything negative that could be found that might scare away rentals. And my dad cares less about the apartments and the ants, than having a nice record to move with. Mostly he was upset about all the plants being destroyed, but still more focused on moving.

 

We don't want to do all this stuff when we are moving soon, and pest control sounded like the quick easy option. But I guess maybe not so easy.

 

Though also not easy that my wife got tested for covid, and so did I. She got it first. She got it when she went to the hospital a month ago, but then a couple days ago she was getting sick, tested, and was positive. So literally NO ONE is coming inside for 14 days anyway.

Edited by Vendayn, January 15 2021 - 8:48 PM.

[OhNoNotAgain]

Oh my goodness, that is all crazy. So sorry to hear about the COVID. Hope you guys come out of it okay.

[Vendayn]

thanks. The scary part is we've been carrying it for over a month...and we didn't start getting symptoms till the past few days (I actually got the cough first and its just nonstop). But it actually originated in my wife first, since she probably got it in the ER or some other place in the hospital. The good news is its not nearly as bad when we first got it (though first time was before all the tests came out, like the nose swabs we had to do). Then again, who knows these days, but nurse thought most likely she got it at the hospital. And sadly it can be transmitted for long before symptoms show up.

 

Also scary is we are positive we got covid in 2019 (December), though for us it was way worse then, but maybe just luck of the draw. 

 

Also scary is my parents have zero symptoms at all (in 2019 they had obvious symptoms of it), its just me and my wife who have them. We all even lost our taste buds temporarily in 2019 and our smell was weird. This time around it isn't like that. And they have been going to peoples homes to do their business and going out places, they always wear masks and sanitize their hands, but the masks people use arent always very effective.

[smares]

I'd recommend reporting your apartment to HUD.gov (department of housing and urban development). This situation sounds awful! And it's a health hazard! Please report them!

[Vendayn]

Well, I guess the complex is coming today and going to do pest control. my parents asked them if we could hire our own pest control, or if not, they'd have to contact someone higher up about the infestation. So, it looks like they are finally going to act. Though, we are worried they'll just kick us out for a week or two, so hopefully that doesn't happen. When they do that, we still got to pay bills and pay rent and dad would have no income or money to do that. I think that might only happen if they tent the place, since he didn't say anything about the damage and cleaned up the mounds the ants made inside (even if they aren't coming in). So, hopefully they don't notice anything on the outer areas that needs repairs lol.

 

They won't come inside though because of covid and us having it, but they'll go onto the porch and around the outside area. Which is fine, we can deal with the ones inside just fine anyway.

Edited by Vendayn, January 16 2021 - 8:41 AM.

[Vendayn]

Looks like they are washing the whole porch with some soap and water right now, and they are washing out front as well. Dunno what else they'll do, though they are talking with our neighbor, but since her unit is way worse than ours she might have to stay with family or something. She has more problems than ants anyway, her bathroom floor felt pretty rotted when I looked at what ant it may be in her shower. Her unit has had problems for years, the neighbors before her had black mold twice in their whole unit from first floor to second floor from a water leak (that don't think was ever fixed), and second time they just had to move cause of it.

 

Either way, at least my dad finally forced them to do something. I was sleeping when he called, but guess the Pheidole megacephala had alates in the kitchen and my mom hates ants inside the kitchen and has never been fond of ants to begin with. They vacuumed them up, but it was becoming an emergency. Dunno what dad exactly told them besides the bit he told me, but maybe he was going to make it a lawsuit or contact the health department or something since I recommended that yesterday. Since it is a health hazard.

 

Just hope we don't get forced to leave, but likely our neighbor will but for far more reasons than just ants.

[Vendayn]

Well, they found structural damage. Apparently there is a water leak that is beneath our unit, our neighbors unit to the right and then both units to the left is how far the leak has spread. So in the morning we are going to stay with my grandparents out in the desert, so maybe I'll find ants or termites or something. We have to be gone for a week (hopefully they are done by then), starting monday morning we have to be gone. Luckily they aren't tenting or anything, cause we have way too much stuff that would need to be moved out for that.

Our neighbor to the right has to find a new unit though, her place has too much damage and guess she said she'd be living outside the unit for over a month. Her entire second floor is almost rotted from a leaking pipe somewhere. So at least our place isn't that bad, and guess when the previous people had mold problems they never fixed the actual problem.

 

Pretty much worst case scenario. Now dad is out of work and completely out of income for a week, maybe more if it takes longer.

 

Good news is, actually the pheidole didn't do any damage on their own. The damage was already there to begin with, and explains why we often find our floorboards randomly cracking apart and splitting open. Though second floor has some drywood termite damage, so that is another thing they have to look at and fix. But the pheidole were just taking advantage of the leaking water, guess gave them places to colonize.

 

At least I'll have internet out there, and out where my grandparents are has both amazing ants and amazing termites.

[Vendayn]

On the other hand, our unit (and definitely in our neighbors unit) probably wasn't safe to live in to begin with. And turns out, the ants had nothing to do with it at all. But our income will only last a week, so if it goes much longer than a week, then we'll have nothing.

[Devi]

So sorry to hear about all of this.  Hoping everything works out.  

[OhNoNotAgain]

Whoa wait a sec, you're COVID-positive and you're going to live with semi-elderly people? That sounds really scary bad.

What your dad needs is the garage? He can't access just the garage or something?

Oh my gosh praying you guys get some breakthroughs here.

[Vendayn]

Whoa wait a sec, you're COVID-positive and you're going to live with semi-elderly people? That sounds really scary bad.

What your dad needs is the garage? He can't access just the garage or something?

Oh my gosh praying you guys get some breakthroughs here.

Oh lol. No no not at all. That be really dumb, and the retirement park wouldn't allow that what so ever. They'd almost certainly call the cops and we'd be in jail rofl. Then dad really would be out of work. We aren't actually going to be with them. Sorry if that is how it was implied, I did say "stay with them", but I just meant stay at the park they are it is actually worded better. We are just going to be in the retirement park they are at in their quarantine building they have. Any visitors, covid positive or not, have to stay there for 14 days before visiting anyone. Or they can leave early is an option, as long as there is no contact with anyone. And they have this glass thing where we can still talk and stuff they built on one of the walls. Though, exploring outside actually may not be very possible for ants and termites. The building does have access to the outdoors, but I dunno what their rules are for people who actually have covid. Actually, it might be super boring. We just don't have anywhere else to go and they have an actual proper quarantine area and at least we'd be able to talk to family.

 

Though we can't stay so dad won't have his workshop in the garage. The apartment complex has to pretty much re-do the entire building, though I don't think to the extent of our neighbor's place. I think mostly whatever was leaking was more at the end where our neighbor is.

 

But tbh...it sounds like something that will last more than a week of work, and I dunno what we'll do if so. Hopefully its as long as they say they think it is.

Edited by Vendayn, January 16 2021 - 7:45 PM.

[nurbs]

I'm a bit confused about what you are asking here... 

 

 

 

Welcome to Vendayn's posts.

[Vendayn]

 

I'm a bit confused about what you are asking here... 

 

 

 

Welcome to Vendayn's posts.

 

I see a nice passive aggressive post. But at least I'm not a creep who loves lots of children worshipping them as they enter a chat room and joining them on anting trips. Better to have confusing posts than be a creepy adult who is often around children, when one isn't even a teacher or someone supposed to work with them in their profession.

Edited by Vendayn, January 16 2021 - 8:29 PM.

[FSTP]

I'm a bit confused about what you are asking here...

 
 
Welcome to Vendayn's posts.

I see a nice passive aggressive post. But at least I'm not a creep who loves lots of children worshipping them as they enter a chat room and joining them on anting trips. Better to have confusing posts than be a creepy adult who is often around children, when one isn't even a teacher or someone supposed to work with them in their profession.

Was that really called for?

[Vendayn]

Yup, if someone insults someone, they are free target to be insulted back

[Vendayn]

but it is really weird how he is always around kids and likes kids worshipping him so much. Not saying anything is going on, its just really weird and creepy. most adults wouldn't enjoy kids so much, unless its their profession or family members or if their friend(s) have children and what not. 

[nurbs]

but it is really weird how he is always around kids and likes kids worshipping him so much. Not saying anything is going on, its just really weird and creepy. most adults wouldn't enjoy kids so much, unless its their profession or family members or if their friend(s) have children and what not. 

 

Jealous?