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

It's not likely carpenter ants can kill a tree by themselves. In fact most trees will develop weak spots where pests like ants love to nest. But even after a nest is started, most won't harm a tree. However, there are a few that can and no doubt carpenter ants are one of these "bad" species.

That being said, in my experience it's more likely they'll use spaces, cracks and crevices already present on the tree to make their nests. Such areas will develop under the bark or where limbs sustain normal damage due to weather or wind. So if you're seeing a healthy tree full of leaves and void of any evident sickness, it's more likely the ants have an active nest but that the tree is still very much alive. Such trees should be able to live indefinitely and are designed to overcome mild insect activity. But should you allow the ants to continue nesting even if the tree is healthy? No way!

If you'd like to ensure the tree's long term health, get it treated with some TERMIDOR. This unique formulation is slow acting and as ants travel over the treated bark, they'll be picking up a dose of active that will eventually spread throughout their nest. Within 4-8 days, it will effectively shut down any nests it's carried to making it both effective yet easy to use without knowing where the nests are located. But if you can see where the nest is located, a direct treatment with the DRIONE will be fast and immediate. Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

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

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

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

If you have damage you should be seeing ants. And if you're seeing ants, trailing them to the nest would be easy and suggested. In all cases like this the first thing you need to do is dust with DRIONE. You'll see this listed in our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL ARTICLE. It will provide quick control since it penetrates all spaces and voids effectively. I suggest you watch the video as this demonstrates why it's so effective to use for spaces.

I also recommend spraying the foundation with some TERMIDOR to make sure you have a barrier in place that will get any stragglers or other nests you may have missed.

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

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

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

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

Based on the small amount of activity you're seeing, I'm not sure you can track the ants like we explain you should do in our CARPENTER ANT ARTICLE. But as you can see, they'll remain active throughout the winter if the nest is located somewhere on the home. At this point I would suggest setting out some CARPENTER ANT GEL. Any that feed on it will be affected and with any luck, some will bring it back to the nest and kill it before spring arrives.

If the nest is still active this spring, I'm sure you'll see a surge in the activity. At that point you should be able to locate the nest and treat it with the DRIONE DUST discussed in our article. This would be your best option if you know where the nest is located. If not, using the TERMIDOR would probably knock them out if you do a thorough treatment.

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

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

Carpenter Ant Gel:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page560.html

Drione Dust:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page91.html

Termidor:  http://www.bugspray.com/item/termidor_sc.html

Most likely carpenter ants. As explained in our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL ARTICLE, they don't eat wood like termites or powderpost beetles but instead will bore through it while making nest voids. Other insects will do the same thing like Acrobat Ants and some borers. But in most cases when you find sawdust in the home, it's some kind of ant and usually the carpenter ants.

Here is a link to the information listed above:

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

If the ants are large it would be a good guess they are in fact carpenter ants. But before you were to do anything extensive pest control wise, you really need to know for sure since treatments for carpenter ants will cost more compared to treating any common ant. And as our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL ARTICLE explains, these guys don't "go away" during the winter. They merely get dormant or in a state of hibernation so it's entirely possible there is a nest somewhere on the camper or close by.

At this point I'd say to focus your attention on solving the moisture problem in the camper. If you work on it now you should end up ripping up some of the flooring and gaining access to areas you can't see into right now. At that time you'll no doubt find some ant nests in the damaged area if you do in fact having some nesting inside the camper. And if any nests are found, you can treat them as explained in our article.

But if no activity is found, I'd wait till next spring and summer to see if they return. And if they do, at that point you could take a more pro active approach using the baits and sprays if needed. But applying any now would be waste because all these products require the ants to be active in order for the treatments to be affective.  Since it's winter, as long as the camper is kept inactive and cold, the ants will be dormant and inactive as well.

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

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

I suggest you first review our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL ARTICLE which details all you need to know about this destructive pest. As you'll learn in the article, activity in the home means there is a nest close by. You'll also learn they tend to have several nests all working within a "network". These satellite nests can be located on the home, in the yard or even on someone else's home. Treatment will vary depending on whether you know where any nests are located and in general, it's always best to directly nests when possible. This will insure a quick kill. Alternatively, using the bait gel and longer acting sprays will work but these products take some time to work.

I also suggest you review our video's. The one about "how to locate the nest" is especially helpful if you don't have a clue where it might be located. Again, if you are fortunate enough to see where you think they might be nesting, a direct treatment with the DRIONE will yield fast results. But if you aren't able to find any nests but do see them active in several locations, you can opt to use the slower working CARPENTER ANT GEL combined with the PHANTOM AEROSOL (for inside the home) and the TERMIDOR (for outside on the home). This trio of products will no doubt get any type of ant which chooses to remain active on treated surfaces and is definitely a viable option.

Here are direct links for the information and products mentioned above:

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

Drione:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page91.html

Carpenter Ant Gel:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page560.html

Phantom Aerosol:  http://www.bugspray.com/item/phantom_aerosol.html

Termidor:  http://www.bugspray.com/item/termidor_sc.html

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