carpenter ants in trailer

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We have a 23′ trailer that is parked in a camp on the edge of a forest. We have had it for two years. Last year we started noticing the large black ants inside the trailer, on the floor, the odd one in the cupboards, maybe a dozen or so would be there when we got there on the weekend. I have put out ant dust and ant poison but there are still more the following weekend. There are none in the attached Florida room. This summer we are seeing fine white powder/tiny granules coming from the ceiling vents and when my husband turned on the air conditioner this past weekend it was like a snowstorm. Do you have any suggestions for us? Carpenter ants are known to be prevalent in the park. Thank you.

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

large ants in dishwasher

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I have large black ants all of a sudden in my house. In my daughter upstairs room and even in kitchen dishwasher. Do you think they are possibly carpenter ants? There were about 50 in the dishwasher yesterday. Not sure what approach to  take since i only see inside. Thank you..

First and foremost – DO NOT SPRAY ANYTHING INSIDE THE DISHWASTER! Some people will do this which can make the dishwasher smell for extended periods of time. Running the dishwasher through a cleaning cycle will get rid of the pesticide but the smell can linger. This alone can make the unit unusable so DO NOT SPRAY INSIDE. We recently had someone contact us after they did so using a smelly “off the shelf” spray they bought at their local home center store. In most all cases, ants in the dishwasher are there for one of two reasons. Either they’re seeking water due to local dry, hot weather or they’re seeking food. Many people commonly store dirty plates, pans, silverware, etc. in their dishwasher for more than one day. If you tend to accumulate dirty dishes for several days before running them through a wash cycle, you’re asking for trouble. No doubt there will be some kind of insect lured to the smell and one of the most common insects that will sniff out these dirty dishes are ants.

Now that you know what “not” to do, just what can be done for an ant problem like this? The first thing you should do is read through our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL article. One thing we explain in our article is how this ant will generally forage great distances to harvest food or water. It’s not uncommon for carpenter ants to forage from one property to another. In your case, the ants you’re seeing aren’t necessarily living on your home or even on your property. But regardless, you should attempt to locate the nest as our article explains. By finding and treating the nest directly, you’ll surely get the fastest and most complete control of the problem. Our article provides a video and lots of great information on how to locate a nest and it’s best to try this at first.

Now if you’re not able to track the ants back to any one nest location and after a day or two of watching them you find you are still confused as to where they might be coming from, you still have treatment options. The simplest thing to do would be to set out some CARPENTER ANT GEL. This slow working bait has proven to be very effective on carpenter ants as explained on our product page. Make placements anywhere you see the ants and they’ll readily forage to it within a few days.

Alternatively you can spray some PHANTOM LIQUID around the outside of the building on the foundation and other routes of entry. This treatment will effectively be putting a barrier in place that will affect any ants coming in from outside. You can spray inside as well focusing in on baseboards but since the liquid can be a little hard to use inside, we recommend the PHANTOM AEROSOL over the liquid. It goes on dry and invisible making it ideally suited for inside applications.

Phantom is slow acting and lasts at least a month when applied. It’s unique active won’t kick in for several days after the ants have picked up a lethal dose. By the time they realize what’s happened it will be too late and in most cases all the nests will be shut down and destroyed. This will take 1-2 weeks to complete but it’s highly effective and a good choice.

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.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page560.html

Phantom:  http://www.bugspray.com/item/phantom_insecticide.html

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

wood ants in door frame

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I have large black wood ants nesting in my door frame. The back door of my house started to have saw dust fall from the frame and when I took a closer look, I spotted several large black ants run into the crack between the molding and the wall of my house. I know they’re living in there and want them gone as quickly as possible. I haven’t done anything yet but figure there should be a good spray to use. What would you suggest?

Wood ants are what we call carpenter ants. Though they don’t eat wood, they can chew through it and commonly will do so when making a nest. I suggest you read our on line article on WOOD ANT CONTROL to better understand this pest and what you should be on the lookout for to make sure they don’t make nests in other parts of the home.

As you’ll learn from our on line article, this ant loves to nest in small voids or spaces like the location you’re seeing them at now. To treat such locations thoroughly, the use of some DRIONE DUST is most appropriate. It will do a great job of penetrating all the spaces where they might be and will quickly kill them all. I suggest you also spray the outside of the building with some SUSPEND to make sure there aren’t other nests close by that can continue to thrive.

carpenter ants in the home

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I have large black ants in my home and I’m pretty sure they’re carpenter ants. I see them on the counter, around my dishwasher and in my pantry. The problem is I have 2 cats, a dog and some kids I don’t want to poison. Is there something I can do that won’t hurt my pets or kids but still get rid of the ants? I really don’t want to spray inside but I’ve heard these ants can cause a lot of damage so I guess I have to do something.

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.