Archives for 2009

carpenter ants running around house

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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…)

carpenter ants on decking

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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.

carpenter ants on walnut tree

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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.

carpenter ant infestation

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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. And in most cases, knowing where their nest is located can be a big help in getting a quick resolution to the problem. 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. Lastly, if you start seeing any inside the home, use the PHANTOM AEROSOL. It works like the Termidor and can solve problems even when you don’t know where the nest is located.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Carpenter Ant Control:  http://www.carpenterants.com/carpenter-ant-control

Maxforce Granules:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/bait/granule/maxforce-gran

Termidor:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/termidor-sc-20-oz

Phantom:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/aerosol/pt-phantom-17-5oz