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Carpenter ant problems? See them foraging in the yard? Worse yet, have them in the home? Carpenter ants can cause a lot of damage and if you’re finding them close to or on your home, it’s time to take action because once they establish their scent trails, they won’t go away without a fight.
As their name suggests, carpenter ants like to chew on wood… READ MORE ON HOW TO CONTROL CARPENTER ANTS
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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: https://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
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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: https://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
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WE HAVE AN OLD MAPLE THAT IS LOADED WITH CARPENTER ANTS. IS IT TOO LATE TO SAVE THE TREE?
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: https://www.carpenterants.com/carpenter-ant-control