how to treat carpenter ants in the winter

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Is winter a good time for ant fumagation? Can it be done by homeowner?

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

carpenter ants dying around furnace

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Over the last two weeks My laundry room has been infested with carpenter ants, they are very slow moving and sometimes just going around in circles and then they die, they have been centered around the furnace and water heater. The dead ones just stay there (not collected by live ones as I have seen in the past) but then more live ones appear following the same pattern. We have always had them in our house to differing degrees and have treated them with barrier sprays etc, but we have found them mainly in the kitchen and bathrooms and have never had this problem of them dying “enmass” in previous years. Please advise.

It would appear that one of  your satellite carpenter ant nests has fallen victim to either a previous treatment or social disease. This commonly happens and is one of the reasons carpenter ants will have a main nest surrounded by 2-4 satellites. This way a component nest can die and the community will survive and resurrect itself through the effort of it’s surviving satellites.

I’m not sure what you’ve been applying but based on what you’re finding, it’s obvious you need to do more. For starters I suggest you get some PHANTOM AEROSOL and treat as much of the area around the furnace as possible. I also suggest you start using some PHANTOM EC outside. As explained on it’s product page, this unique active will slowly “kick in” and when it does, all the ants that have come in contact with it will die. This is very different from how many concentrates work and in fact, why most fail as a general way to control carpenter ants. Our article covers many options but based on your situation, I believe the Phantom is the way to go for now. Because of it’s mode of action, any ants that forage over it will die and in you situation, this will surely happen. Ultimately you’ll stand a much better chance at winning the war against this pest.

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

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

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

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

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:  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

maple tree infested with ants

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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