Archives for June 2012

carpenter ant granules for yard

Posted on Written by Leave a Comment

I’ve treated around the house for termites and in the garage for Carpenter ants now I want to know what granules that I can use all over my yard. My yard is bad with ants, don’t know what kind they are. Can you help?

If you read through our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL article, you’ll see all the products we recommend for controlling this pest. In this article you’ll read about ADVANCE CARPENTER ANT BAIT. This is a fine granule that all ants love and is highly effective at controlling any ant that might be foraging in your yard. So for now, I recommend getting some of this and applying it to any area you’re seeing any activity. Keep in mind it won’t take much to handle any nest so no need to over apply.

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

Carpenter Ants:  https://www.carpenterants.com/carpenter-ant-control

treat tree for carpenter ants

Posted on Written by Leave a Comment

Is there a carpenter ant insecticide available that can be applied to the roots of a tree in order to kill the infestation? I have a 60ft high Ash tree infested with carpenter ants. It’s not practical to treat the tree with a sprayer. Please let me know. Thanks!

What I think you’re asking for is something that will work as a systemic? These type of products are applied to the soil where they get absorbed by the roots of the treated plant which then enables the active ingredient to get distributed throughout the plants foliage. Is this what you mean?

Well, there are systemic products like Dominion and Merit which are used to control pests when used this way. But they only work on pests that “eat” the treated plant. And since carpenter ants aren’t eating the ash, systemic’s won’t help.

Dominion 2L:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/dominion-2l-termiticide-insecticide

Merit WP: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/wettable-powder/merit-75-wp-2-oz

But will be very effective is PHANTOM even if you can’t reach up all that high, you’ll only need to get a few ants to walk over treated areas to take care of the problem. And here’s why.

Phantom works slowly. It typically takes 3-5 days for it to start working. And it’s non repelling so ants will walk over treated surfaces without a care.

Now after they walk over it, they’ll pick up trace amounts which are then brought back to the nest where the active will be shared with other members of the colony. In fact it will only take a few ants walking over the treatment and bringing it back to the nest to knock it out.

So for this situation, if you spray as much of the tree trunk, lower branches and any ant trails you see with a mixture of Phantom, you’ll be able to kill nests which are far away and not “reachable”. And since Phantom works the same when used around the home for other pests, it’s a great way to treat most any pest problem.

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

live and dead ants in home

Posted on Written by Leave a Comment

We are daily finding 12-15 dead ants on our living room rug, directly below two ceiling spotlight fixtures 12 feet above. We also find live and active ants in our kitchen area…bur never near food storage areas. We suspect a colony located in an unusable attic area behind the spotlights. I can spray the spotlight fixtures…any suggestions ? Thank you for your interest.

If you read our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL ARTICLE, you’ll learn there are two ways of treating problems like this. The easier way is with the use of bait and a spray they cannot detect. This involves using CARPENTER ANT GEL where you see them foraging. Carpenter ants love this stuff and will readily feed where it’s applied. The gel takes awhile to work but the by the time it starts, the gel will have infiltrated so much of the colony you’ll be able to kill all of them at one time.

In all areas surrounding where the bait was applied, you should spray PHANTOM AEROSOL. This product goes on dry, does not have an odor and unlike most sprays, won’t be detectable by the ants. And like the gel, the Phantom won’t start working for several days after it’s been applied. This way when it does kick in, it will impact many more ants and not just the ones that walked over the treated areas.

We also suggest spraying the outside foundation with PHANTOM CONCENTRATE because most carpenter ants keep multiple nests with some surely located outside. By treating the foundation, you’ll put in place a treatment that will insure no nest is missed.

The second way of treating carpenter ants is more direct. So if you are correct in where you think the nest is located, you can dust it with some DRIONE DUST which will kill the nest on contact. In many cases this is a viable option and highly effective. But you must be 100% sure the nest is where you think it’s located. Because if you miss it or allow any other nests to survive, the problem will not go away.

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

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

Drione:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/drione-dust

Carpenter Ants:  https://www.carpenterants.com/carpenter-ant-control