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

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

My first suggestion is that you read our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL ARTICLE. This in depth reading will cover all you need to know if you want to get rid of these destructive ants. In the article you'll find links to the products that can be used to solve the problem but I can tell right away that your situation will require a combination of bait and spray. And not just any bait or spray but two that are unique in that they take a long time to work. This insures they'll get "worked" into all the local nests so once the active ingredient starts to work, the colonies will be destroyed because they won't know what hit them.

As our article explains, carpenter ants chew through wood for making nests. One of the results of this chewing will be sawdust and it sounds like you're seeing enough of that to substantiate a large nest. But are you seeing any ants trailing? Any place you see ants active you need to leave be and do not disturb them. I also suggest you remove the dust and "poison" you've set out as both will do nothing more than spook these guys which will effectively make it harder to control them. Knowing where they're active and leaving them alone will insure you can use the workers to "bring back the poison" you're about to set out.

Now once the old products you applied have been removed, you should set out some CARPENTER ANT GEL anywhere inside where you see them active. This slow acting bait will be readily accepted and shared with other colony members which ultimately means the death of these nests. It uses "honey dew" as the main attractant and this is something these guys need to feed their young so they'll greedily consume any you place out.

Next you should treat the outside with PHANTOM CONCENTRATE. Spray the foundation, under the trailer and basically anyplace you either see activity or suspect they might be active. Like the Gel, this active is slow acting and won't spook or affect any of them for several days. But by walking over the treated surfaces they'll unknowingly be bringing some back to their nests which in turn will mean their demise.

Lastly, be sure to spray periodically around the trailer to insure they don't come back. Carpenter ants are persistent and strong. And as our article explains, they'll commonly have several nests all interconnected so it's important that you keep a regular maintenance program in place to prevent re-infestations. And FYI, our article explains that finding the nest is usually quite important but in some cases that's hard to do. I suspect you have one of these situation so the products I recommended are ideal for when you can't locate the colony and made for the job.

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

At this point you should monitor the situation and see if there are ants out and about foraging around the porch or other areas of the home. As our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL article explains, these guys will generally create satellite nests which will be located around one main nest. It sounds like you encountered a local colony trying to set up a satellite nest. It's also normal for most species of ants to "up and move" when their nest is in danger. This could result from a disturbed nest site; a foraging animal could have torn into an old log or space where this colony was living. Afterwards, the survivors decided to move the nest. But nests will relocate when faced with too much water. Heavy rainfall can cause them to relocate an established nest. In fact, if their nest is too hot for the eggs or pupae they'll get up and relocate too so the list is long as to why this could happen. The bottom line is when they do so and end up inside or on a structure, it will usually result in more ants and ultimately damage of some kind.

Now is it possible they accepted your bait offering and are all dead? Yes. But it's not likely. In most cases the members of the mobile nest will be reluctant to feed much when on the move. Only when they've set up their new nest and have depleted any food they brought with them will be on the prowl again and ready to risk accepting something new to eat. So you're probably right; they might be out of sight but there is a good chance they have set up a new nest somewhere in or around the porch and it's just that you haven't seen them just yet.

So what should you do? Take a pro active approach and get rid of them once and for all. Since getting these ants to eat a bait can be tough when they're either moving or recently made a move, spraying a slow acting product will prove much more effective. Inside the home apply some PHANTOM AEROSOL. This odorless spray goes on dry and won't leave any visible residue when used properly. Use it throughout the porch and living area where you see activity or suspect they may be hiding.

Outside the home spray the foundation with some PHANTOM or TERMIDOR. Be thorough with your treatment to insure you get any place they may be active and remember to inspect the local turf, trees, mulch, etc. attempting to locate nests that may be on your property. Any suspect area should be treated as well. Since carpenter ants are likely to have 2-4 nests all linked, there is a good chance another nest is located somewhere close to your home and in the end, getting all of them is the only way you can insure the problem is resolved.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Knowing where the carpenter ant nest is located usually helps a lot when treating a local carpenter ant infestation. At this point I can't say that you have a nest inside the home or not. But if you are seeing as many as you state, chances are high that you do have a nest on the premises. I suggest two things.

First, apply some of the Carpenter Ant Gel we have listed in our Carpenter Ant article. Any ants foraging into the home will surely find the offering, feed and die. If some make it back to the nest, you'll probably kill the nest too. This would be ideal.

Second, to make sure you don't keep getting new ants foraging on the home, apply some Suspend to the outside perimeter of the building. Apply the product with a good Pump Sprayer to insure you get a barrier in place to stop foraging ants. Use this material every 2-3 months during the spring, summer and fall and you should be able to keep the ants outside and out of your house.

Carpenter ants will readily forage up a tree for food. Some of these trees will many times be prime locations for a nest. There is no doubt that over time an active carpenter ant nest will kill a tree faster than normal. To stop this from happening, there are two ways you can treat that are easy.

The simplest approach is to get some Carpenter Ant Gel and apply it to the trunk where they are traveling. Carpenter Ants will find it as they ascend the tree, feed and share it with their nest. This will ultimately kill all the ants. The second option is to treat the tree with some Termidor. Spray the trunk down so that any ants walking up the tree will have to cross the treated surface. This will shut the nest down as explained in our Carpenter Ant Control article.

The use of baits for any insect is about the safest method one can use regarding house pets and other occupants. Basically these products only impact insects and when consumed by mammals are simply processed as food. Of course we don't recommend "feeding" these products to your pet – that would be unwise. But an accidental ingestion of a small amount normally used and applied would have no impact. Their digestive system is so strong the bait would be processed like food. And since the active is designed to work on insects and not mammals, it wouldn't be enough to have any impact. That being said, it would be wise to make placements where your cats don't go. This would not only insure they don't eat any but it would also allow the bait to do it's job and get the ants you're trying to control.