Archives for 2011

does wood mulch attract carpenter ants?

Posted on Written by Leave a Comment

Would wood mulch next to building be a factor in attracting carpenter ants?

Wood mulch will most definitely attract carpenter ants. They’re quite good at detecting certain smells and decaying wood (aka: wood mulch) is number one on their list of “10 best places to live”.

Does this mean you shouldn’t have wood mulch on your property? No. If you want to keep wood mulch but not attract carpenter ants, treat with either the CARPENTER ANT BAIT or the SUSPEND mentioned in our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL ARTICLE. Baiting the mulch will be the most cost effective. As foraging ants come around, they’ll no doubt encounter some of the bait, eat it or bring it back to the nest and eventually consume some. This will have a deadly consequence and once a few ants die, the colony will recognize the source of the problem and avoid the area.

Liquid spraying with Suspend isn’t as easy to do but you will have the added benefit derived from using a residual meaning that liquid treatments will cover any invading pest. Use about 1 gallon of finished product for every 800 sq/ft of mulch and treat every 2-3 months to keep them in check. Since wood mulch tends to attract everything from termites to scorpions to roaches to springtails, treating it with a liquid would be the better of the two preventive treatments for carpenter ants.

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

Carpenter Ant Bait: http://www.bugspraycart.com/bait/granule/pt-advance-carpenter-ant-granules

Suspend:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/suspend-sc

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

 

how to treat carpenter ants in the winter

Posted on Written by Leave a Comment

Is winter a good time for ant fumagation? Can it be done by homeowner?

In general, most carpenter ants will shut down as winter sets in and outside temperatures drop. But if there is a nest located on or in your home, it could very well keep warm enough to enable the ants to keep active. And if this happens, treating is strongly suggested. But what’s the best treatment for these winter time ants?

In general, most winter time activity will be members of the ant colony foraging for food. So it only stands to reason the best approach to get them where they nest is to use a bait. The best bait for inside the home is our CARPENTER ANT GEL. Place small dabs out where you see activity and once they find it, they’ll no doubt take some back to their nest where it will be shared with others. In the days following the sharing of the bait, the nest will shut down and die.

Now if you see a lot of ants in one area and have an idea of where they may be nesting, you might consider treating the rooms with PHANTOM AEROSOL. This aerosol contains a slow acting ingredient and like the gel, won’t spook or alarm the colony. But after just a few days, ants that walk over treated areas will in turn contaminate the nest. This will usually kill it in 1 to 2 weeks and your problem will be solved.

No doubt carpenter ants can be a problem even in the winter. And whether you do the work yourself or hire a service company to treat, it’s strongly advised that something be done. Leaving them to chew and gnaw away at your home could amount to costly repairs that can easily be prevented with one of the two treatments listed above.

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

Carpenter Ant Gel: http://www.bugspraycart.com/bait/gel/maxforce-carpenter-ant-gel-1-oz

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

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

carpenter ants dying around furnace

Posted on Written by Leave a Comment

Over the last two weeks My laundry room has been infested with carpenter ants, they are very slow moving and sometimes just going around in circles and then they die, they have been centered around the furnace and water heater. The dead ones just stay there (not collected by live ones as I have seen in the past) but then more live ones appear following the same pattern. We have always had them in our house to differing degrees and have treated them with barrier sprays etc, but we have found them mainly in the kitchen and bathrooms and have never had this problem of them dying “enmass” in previous years. Please advise.

It would appear that one of  your satellite carpenter ant nests has fallen victim to either a previous treatment or social disease. This commonly happens and is one of the reasons carpenter ants will have a main nest surrounded by 2-4 satellites. This way a component nest can die and the community will survive and resurrect itself through the effort of it’s surviving satellites.

I’m not sure what you’ve been applying but based on what you’re finding, it’s obvious you need to do more. For starters I suggest you get some PHANTOM AEROSOL and treat as much of the area around the furnace as possible. I also suggest you start using some PHANTOM EC outside. As explained on it’s product page, this unique active will slowly “kick in” and when it does, all the ants that have come in contact with it will die. This is very different from how many concentrates work and in fact, why most fail as a general way to control carpenter ants. Our article covers many options but based on your situation, I believe the Phantom is the way to go for now. Because of it’s mode of action, any ants that forage over it will die and in you situation, this will surely happen. Ultimately you’ll stand a much better chance at winning the war against this pest.

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

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

Phantom Concentrate:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/phantom-21-oz

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

carpenter ants in shed

Posted on Written by Leave a Comment

Hi, I’m going good with the chippy trap that I bought.  Now I see Carpenter ants in my shed and small ants all around my yard.  No ants in the house.  Can I use one combination of products to apply outside to start to control these pests?  Like a spray and a gel?  Also, the temp is nearing 40 degrees at night, is this too cold and I should wait until Spring?  Thanks so much.

If you read through our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL ARTICLE, you’ll see there are plenty of options available that can handle this pest. Some of these are for treating nests that are active in specific locations. Based on your message, it would seem likely there is a nest in the shed and maybe 1-2 others around the yard. And if you leave them untreated now, no doubt they’ll be back next year and at that time, will be looking to expand their size and territory. My advise is that you knock them out now.

To accomplish this, you could use 2-3 products. The simplest approach would be to bait the shed with some CARPENTER ANT GEL. This will no doubt infiltrate and kill any nests that contains ants that eat some.

Next I’d spray the exterior of the home with some PHANTOM. Lastly, I’d bait the yard with some MAXFORCE GRANULES. This will no doubt take care of most all pests you might have in and around the home and since it’s still early fall, you have plenty of time for these products to take effect and knock them out now.

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

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

Carpenter Ant Gel:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/bait/gel/maxforce-carpenter-ant-gel-1-oz

Phantom:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/phantom-21-oz

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