Hi, we recently found sawdust in our closet. So after researching we put and "puffed" boric acid around. Now they are running all over the house. What did we do? And how can we stop it now?
I wished you had read our article before you treated. When you know where these ants are centered, the only dust that should be used on them is something like PYGANIC. It's fast acting and won't allow them to relocate like it sounds like might be happening now. Boric acid is a stomach poison and won't do a good job on this ant unless they ingest it so for now, I expect you'll be seeing ants for some time. Your dusting most likely disturbed them but it doesn't sound like it was enough of a direct hit to knock them out. If you are lucky, enough of the dust will have made it's way to the heart of the original nest and may at least cause them to suffer severe losses. This could lead to their ultimate demise. If not, they will at least attempt to relocate and if they have enough supplies and members left in their colony, they could very well establish a new nest. Only time will tell.
For now, the only thing I'd suggest to do is set out some CARPENTER ANT GEL. Foraging ants will need food so make small placements in any room where you see activity. Chances are high some will accept the offering. Once they feed and return to the old or new nest (if either exists), the ant which fed will in time contaminate other members of the colony and eventually kill it. Other than the bait, there really isn't anything you can do. (And don't kill any ants you see; if you place out the bait the more ants foraging the faster the nest will be shut down…)
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Hello,
We have discovered an infestation of carpenter ants in our decking outside (which we plan to remove). I would like to order Termidor, but would like some instructions on use. Can we use a regular sprayer? How should it be applied?
Carpenter ants will readily forage onto anything that has wood including homes, garages, trees and most certainly decks. Since they can travel far as explained in our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL article, the nest may not even be located on your property. Still, allowing these ants to forage on the deck would be a mistake. Our advice is always the same when it comes to this ant.
First, do a good inspection of the premises to see if there is a nest anywhere close. The video we have featured in the article that explains how to track their trails to a nest should prove to be very helpful in accomplishing this task. If any nests are found, treat them with the PYGANIC or DRIONE dust for quick and immediate control.
Second, whether you find a nest or not, the turf around the home should be treated with the CARPENTER ANT GRANULES. This bait will be found and fed upon by any foraging onto your property and can do a great job of reducing this activity. Remember, ants foraging on your property is essential for them to create a new nest. Interrupt this behavior and you interrupt their ability to establish nests.
Third, spray the house with something like the TERMIDOR using a good PUMP SPRAYER. This material can be applied to the foundation as well as the decking and once the ants walk over it, the nest will be shut down within a few days regardless of where it might be located. All it takes is one ant coming in contact with the Termidor and impact will be devastating to the colony.
In summary, you could attempt to use just the Termidor to solve this problem but many times there are more than just one colony active in any one area. That means foraging ants in your turf could start new colonies if you don't apply the granules so don't neglect this important step.
Filed under infestation by
I started building a tree house in a walnut tree this weekend and noticed large black and red ants all over the tree…what do you recommend? I have some ant gel I bought from last time I was in town, although it was for use in the kitchen.
The CARPENTER ANT GEL wouldn't be the best option for this kind of problem. It doesn't do well outside since it's vulnerable to both the heat of summer as well as non-target insects. Honey dew based baits don't do well in extreme heat and they tend to attract many types of insects. Additionally, there is most likely several ant nests involved here so you need something that will handle multiple nests without you having to know where any of them reside.
For this type of problem, clearly the TERMIDOR listed in our CARPENTER ANT ARTICLE is best suited. I have used it successfully on several trees around my property and in each case it did the job nicely. Because of it's slow action, you will be able to affect all the nests which have ants active on the surfaces you treat – even ant species other than carpenter ants. I recommend treating the tree trunk, tree limbs and as much of the tree house that is practical to treat. I might also consider treating around your house if this tree is in close proximity of it or any other important structure since carpenter ants typically forage great distances. Failure to have a good protective barrier in place will allow them to set up shop elsewhere if other active areas are ignored.
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I've been seeing carpenter ants around my house and I'm pretty sure I have some kind of infestation. I just have no idea where this might be. Is there anything I should do? I see 5-10 walking around all the time but they don't seem to be going any place. Where is there nest? What can I do?
As explained in our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL article, these ants do nothing but forage around all day looking for food and working on their nests. I suggest you read the article which will provide a lot of insight to this ant as well as some practical things you can do to minimize this activity. I do suspect there is a nest either on the home or close by based on how much activity you said you see. But I have seen where they could be this active and still be living off the property.
As you'll learn in our article, there is usually a few things needed to control most infestations. That being said, your activity can best be controlled by baiting and spraying. Apply some MAXFORCE GRANULES to the yard which should cut down on the foraging. Next, spray the foundation with the TERMIDOR CONCENTRATE. This will provide much needed protection in case they are currently accessing the home in some location you cannot see. The way Termidor works, you'll be able to effectively control any nest on or in the home whether you know where it exists or not.
Filed under carpenter ant by
I bought some Cypermethrin from you guys about a month ago to handle carpenter ants. That in conjunction with some Drione that I had (thanks for your videos) took care of three nests and all was quiet. The past few days, I am starting to see some adults walking around aimlessly searching near where the nests were. There is no activity in the nests or their entrances. Would these be scouting parties from other nests looking to establish new colonies?
As explained in our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL ARTICLE, most all carpenter ant nests are networked to the surrounding environment. This insures their survival and why it's imperative that all the "satellite" nests in any one network are either directly treated or baited to insure quick and complete control when treating for carpenter ants around your property.
Based on the limited information you provided, it sounds as though there are either stragglers or scout workers coming from missed nests that were part of the original network. If the activity is from stragglers, chances are high they'll die off in a few days and disappear. And though you mention the CYPERMETHRIN and DRIONE DUST being applied, I don't see any mention of bait like our MAXFORCE GRANULES or CARPENTER ANT GRANULES. Either of these should be used around the property to insure complete eradication so that if there is a local network nest in the area, it won't be able to survive. Ants from that nest would undoubtedly forage toward the house as they have been doing in the past except that this time they would find the bait you have applied and die after some was ingested. That's not to say the Cypermethrin won't help control these foraging ants because many times it will. However, networked nests are slow to give up old habits and many times will keep trying and trying to find their old nests till they find their way back through an area where maybe the spray isn't strong enough anymore. Once inside the barrier, they'll attempt to start a new nest.
So in summary, I would say a Bait application outside the spray you've applied would be wise to do. If not, you'll need to keep a close watch on the area to make sure the few ants you're seeing don't start a new nest or worse yet, that they are part of a nest you've missed. Leaving an active nest close to the home is a sure receipe for reinfestation.
Filed under carpenter ant by
I have a dog and a cat. the cat is mostly inside and the dog goes out in the yard quite a bit. We have been seeing carpenter ants both inside and outside and I'm wondering if you have something organic we can use which won't be a danger to them.
All of the products we have listed in our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL article would be fine to use around any of the pets as well as any people if used properly. Our PRODUCT SAFETY VIDEOS explain most everything you need to do to insure safe treatments are made. That being said, there are some Organic Alternatives you can use in place of the products we have listed that might help feel more at ease.
As you'll learn in the article, there are three main ways to deal with Carpenter Ants. The most direct way is to treat the nest with DRIONE DUST. The organic alternative dust would be DIATOMACEOUS EARTH which will work just about as well. It should be applied with one of the HAND DUSTERS we have listed to get the product uniformly distributed.
The second important part of carpenter ant control is spraying the foundation. Instead of one of the products listed in our article, you can use the organic alternative known as MULTI PURPOSE INSECT KILLER. This product won't last as long as the actives we have listed in our article but it will kill carpenter ants and help keep them out.
Lastly, if you wanted to use some bait, the NIBAN FG would be a good choice which is listed in the Carpenter Ant article. It's on the ORMI LIST which means it's considered safe enough for organic processors so you should be able to
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I have been seeing large carpenter ants around my back deck and want to know how to get rid of them. They are quite strong and hard to kill compared to other ants I've had over the years. It looks like they're living in the yard somewhere because I keep seeing them walking out into the grass but I don't see any mounds or nests. How do I get rid of them?
Carpenter ants can be a real problem once they nest on or in your home. I'm not sure you have a nest in your house just yet and hopefully you don't. Since carpenter ants can cause a lot of damage, they're the one type of ant you never want nesting inside your house.
For starters, I suggest you read through our on line article about CARPENTER ANT CONTROL. There you'll find most of your questions answered about the biology and recommended treatments for this ant. Based on the information you listed above, I think a good foundation spraying with TERMIDOR will keep them out. For the ants that are foraging around in the grass, apply some CARPENTER ANT GRANULES. This food based bait they seem to love and will quickly accept your placements. Once they feed, any nests close by will die and this should insure you don't get new nests on your house.
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I have a lot of big black ants walking up and down a fence post attached to my house. It looks like they're crawling into a joint where two boards meet and there is a lot of sawdust coming out of this joint. I think these ants have done damage to the wood there but before I do anything I'm wondering if I should be prepared to spray something. This joint is only 5 ft from my house and if I don't do anything, I'm sure the ants will get into my house.
Carpenter ant signs include leaving a sawdust or frass which is essentially a by product of all their chewing. As explained in our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL article, they do a good job of chewing through wood but don't in fact eat any of it. Based on your description, it sounds like you have them in this fence and probably at this joint too.
I suggest you get some DRIONE DUST and CYPERMETHRIN. Fill one of our HAND DUSTERS with the Drione and have it alongside you when you take the fence apart so it's ready to use. I'm pretty sure you'll uncover a nest and the Drione will be ideal to use for the treatment. Once you complete the work at that joint, I suggest you dust each of all the other joints you have to insure there aren't any other satellite nests on the fence. The Drione will do a much better job than a liquid spray treatment.
Once the fence has been treated, finish the work by doing a foundation spraying using the Cypermethrin. This will insure straggler ants won't find their way into your home.
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I have large black wood ants nesting in my door frame. The back door of my house started to have saw dust fall from the frame and when I took a closer look, I spotted several large black ants run into the crack between the molding and the wall of my house. I know they're living in there and want them gone as quickly as possible. I haven't done anything yet but figure there should be a good spray to use. What would you suggest?
Wood ants are what we call carpenter ants. Though they don't eat wood, they can chew through it and commonly will do so when making a nest. I suggest you read our on line article on WOOD ANT CONTROL to better understand this pest and what you should be on the lookout for to make sure they don't make nests in other parts of the home.
As you'll learn from our on line article, this ant loves to nest in small voids or spaces like the location you're seeing them at now. To treat such locations thoroughly, the use of some DRIONE DUST is most appropriate. It will do a great job of penetrating all the spaces where they might be and will quickly kill them all. I suggest you also spray the outside of the building with some SUSPEND to make sure there aren't other nests close by that can continue to thrive.
Filed under living by
I want to get rid of carpenter ants that I'm seeing on my back deck. I'm afraid they're going to move inside the house and I know they can cause a lot of damage so I want them gone as quickly as possible. I don't know where they're nesting but I can see 2-3 on my deck most all the time just walking around. What should I do?
To get rid of carpenter ants foraging around the house, the best approach is to spray the foundation and bait the turf where they are active. As explained in our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL ARTICLE, these ants have a large range and many times will come to one yard to feed even though their nest is in another yard. At first this activity may seem innocent but eventually these ants will either establish a nest inside or on the home outside (which is bad) so don't let them have access to your deck.
To stop this activity, there are two things you should do. First, bait the perimeter of the home with CARPENTER ANT GRANULES. Carpenter ants love this stuff and will quickly find your placement. Do this application first and don't do anything else for 3 days. After three days go ahead and spray the foundation with some TERMIDOR or SUSPEND. This residual will provide a much needed barrier on the home so any straglers which are still active will be affected so the local colony will know to stay away for good.
Filed under get rid by
I have large black ants in my home and I'm pretty sure they're carpenter ants. I see them on the counter, around my dishwasher and in my pantry. The problem is I have 2 cats, a dog and some kids I don't want to poison. Is there something I can do that won't hurt my pets or kids but still get rid of the ants? I really don't want to spray inside but I've heard these ants can cause a lot of damage so I guess I have to do something.
The good news is that you should be able to treat this problem without putting your family at any real risk. We have a bunch of information about Carpenter Ants and I suggest you take some time to read through it if you haven't already. It's important to understand that carpenter ants can cause a lot of damage and of all the ants that can nest inside, they're probably the only one that can do any significant damage to a structure if given the chance.
Fortunately there are several products available these days which are both good at controlling carpenter ants and safe to use. Inside, you'll need to set out some Carpenter Ant Gel where the ants are active. This can be up in cabinets, out of sight and where only the ants can find it. Foraging ants are looking for food and the Gel is something the love to eat. Once they find it and start taking it back to their nest, you'll notice a big reduction on how many you're seeing.
Outside requires some liquid treatments to the foundation. These treatments will insure more don't come inside and should be done every 2-3 months once the problem is resolved; more frequently when you're seeing activity. Choose one of the liquid materials we have listed in our Carpenter Ant Article or the ECO IC Non Toxic alternative. The ECO IC won't last as long but is safe for us in sensitive areas and would be a good choice if you're hesitant about spraying but really do want to get rid of these ants.
Filed under home by
I have large black wood ants living up the side of my house somewhere, I can't tell exactly where but I see them marching up and down all day long so I'm pretty sure they must have a nest somewhere. What do you recommend?
Wood ants, also known as carpenter ants, like to live in wood voids and spaces. Houses make excellent nest sites and commonly get infested if left untreated. Since wood ants can cause substantial damage, you need to treat the problem as described in our Wood Ant control article. Since you are unsure of the nest location, I recommend a good perimeter application of the Termidor. This should get the colony as long as they are moving over the treated surfaces. If you see any inside the home, set out some of the Carpenter Ant Gel. It should take 1-2 weeks for the treatment to take effect.
Filed under carpenterants by
I can hear what sounds like a chewing sound in one of my wall voids. At first I thought it was a mouse or rat but the sound seems to stay in the same area all the time. When I go outside and look around the only thing I see are large black ants going up under the siding. Could they be doing something in there I might be hearing?
The ant you're describing is probably a carpenter ant. These are large, black ants that nest in wood. They have strong chewing mouth parts and will readily gnaw through wood. This gnawing can get quite loud and I'm pretty sure it's what you're hearing.
Since carpenter ants can cause a lot of damage, I suggest you either treat the home as described in our Carpenter Ant article or get a service company to do the treatment for you. The gnawing is usually the sound of a new infestation and though it will probably subside in a few weeks, the ants will still be present which will only lead to further problems.
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I've had large black boring ants that seem to be drilling holes in my cedar siding. I watch them go into several different cracks between the siding shakes and all day long you can see little wood shavings fall out if you watch long enough. They must be boring in the wood and I'm afraid they're causing damage. What can I treat with here?
The best product for treating boring ants in wood siding is the Drione Dust. Use a Hand Duster to apply it and you'll get a quick kill because the dust penetrates like no liquid can. Boring ants will move up into siding because it provides an excellent location for them to build a nest as our on line Boring Ant Article explains. This video shows boring ants in siding being treated so you can understand why Drione is ideal for ant problems located in the siding of a home.
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I've been seeing a lot of wood ants around my firewood pile. I see saw dust like something is grinding up the wood and I'm pretty sure it's the wood ants. Is there anything I can spray on the wood that won't be toxic to burn?
Wood ants, also known as carpenter ants, like to nest in wood as explained in our carpenter ant article. They don't eat the wood but rather bore through it creating voids in which they nest. Firewood piles are common places for such activity and will almost always attract wood ants if left untreated.
First, locate the wood pile as far away from your home as you can. This will help to decrease the likelihood that they'll create a nest on the house. Next, treat the wood with Diatomaceous Earth using a Hand Duster. This will both kill them on contact and keep them away. Apply as needed throughout the season. This should keep them controlled but if you find the dust isn't working well enough, get some of the Termidor and spray it around the base of the pile. This way any ants coming to or leaving the wood pile will be affected and this will keep the area wood ant nest free.
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