Question:
I’ve got carpenter ants all over the house. They’re mostly in the kitchen but I’m finding some upstairs. The house was built in 1941 and an addition was built in 1997 – part of it included extending the kitchen. How do I get rid of these giant ants besides calling the exterminator? Should I worry about damage to my house? Thanks
Response:
}I’ve got carpenter ants all over the house. }They’re mostly in the kitchen but I’m finding some }upstairs. The house was built in 1941 and an }addition was built in 1997 – part of it included }extending the kitchen. How do I get rid of these }giant ants besides calling the exterminator? }Should I worry about damage to my house? }Thanks
Set em on fire…
Response:
Carpenter ants are just as destructive as termites…get an exterminator over there as soon as possible. They can cause *serious* structural damage if left alone. Also carpenter ants tend to congregate around wet areas (e.g. faucets, leaky drains, bathrooms etc.), and only venture out when "scouting"…the ants you see is just the tip of the iceberg, the "scouts".. .thousands more are probably happily munching away on your house… If you have faucet leaks or drainage problems in your home, get them repaired..we had a drain pan leak in our MB shower. The leak wasn’t huge but was probably going on for some time. When the floorboards were pulled (we decided to completely remodel), the contractor found *thousands* of carpenter ants living under the shower drain pan. We probably only saw one or two "scouts" in the two years we lived in the house. We had the leak repaired and had a plumber inspect all all drains in the house and he tightened down some faucets for us. Then we had an exterminator come over (a two step process btw), and treat the house. We now have it inspected annually and have been termite/ant free…luckilly the damage the ants caused under the shower was repairable and not substantial enough to cause any structural damage, however the sawdust they left would of half filled a grocery bag! Get a professional out *right now*…and no, ant bait and Raid won’t help. -aki bellowed: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->I’ve got carpenter ants all over the house. >They’re mostly in the kitchen but I’m finding some >upstairs. The house was built in 1941 and an >addition was built in 1997 – part of it included >extending the kitchen. How do I get rid of these >giant ants besides calling the exterminator? >Should I worry about damage to my house? >Thanks
Response:
>}I’ve got carpenter ants all over the house. >}They’re mostly in the kitchen but I’m finding some >}upstairs. The house was built in 1941 and an >}addition was built in 1997 – part of it included >}extending the kitchen. How do I get rid of these >}giant ants besides calling the exterminator? >}Should I worry about damage to my house? >}Thanks
If I were you, I would call an exterminator immediately. If they’re outside and coming in the house, you can usually set traps and spray the nest and that will take care of them until they start foraging and come out again the next year. However, if they are living in your house, you must call an exterminator. He/she will have to drill holes in every wall of your house (to ensure total coverage) and spray within the walls to kill the ants. I don’t know any other way to take care of it. If you have an infestation (which it sounds like you do) they will do major damage to your house as they chew up the wood. I would take care of it ASAP if I were you.
Response:
>I’ve got carpenter ants all over the house. >They’re mostly in the kitchen but I’m finding some >upstairs. The house was built in 1941 and an >addition was built in 1997 – part of it included >extending the kitchen. How do I get rid of these >giant ants besides calling the exterminator? >Should I worry about damage to my house?
Exterminator is about it. However, carpenter ants usually are only interested in damp wood. You need to determine *where* the nests are, and fix the leak that is getting the wood wet. No point in killing the ants if your house is going to rot out from under you anyway.
Response:
what the exterminator did for us was a two step process… we had to vacate the house (including pets) and the house walls were injected with a fog type device. This "fog" forced the ants out of the walls into the room. It was gross seeing ants where one never saw them before but it gave an exact location behind the walls where the ants were actually living. Just because you see an ant in the kitchen doesn’t mean that’s where they’re coming from. The second step was, once the ant farms were located, to spray a special type of insecticide that kills the ants in the rooms where the ants were driven out. Also the outside of the house was treated and the attic was treated for good measure. It was recommended that a reinspection be done about 4 weeks later to ensure that all the ants were removed and no new infestation was discovered. Which we did, however there wasn’t any further ant problem. It’s still highly recommended for an annual inspection and perimeter spraying to be done to prevent reinfestation (which we do). cheers, -aki – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->}I’ve got carpenter ants all over the house. >}They’re mostly in the kitchen but I’m finding some >}upstairs. The house was built in 1941 and an >}addition was built in 1997 – part of it included >}extending the kitchen. How do I get rid of these >}giant ants besides calling the exterminator? >}Should I worry about damage to my house? >}Thanks >If I were you, I would call an exterminator immediately. If they’re >outside and coming in the house, you can usually set traps and spray the >nest and that will take care of them until they start foraging and come >out again the next year. However, if they are living in your house, you >must call an exterminator. He/she will have to drill holes in every wall >of your house (to ensure total coverage) and spray within the walls to >kill the ants. I don’t know any other way to take care of it. If you >have an infestation (which it sounds like you do) they will do major >damage to your house as they chew up the wood. I would take care of it >ASAP if I were you.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->I’ve got carpenter ants all over the house. >They’re mostly in the kitchen but I’m finding some >upstairs. The house was built in 1941 and an >addition was built in 1997 – part of it included >extending the kitchen. How do I get rid of these >giant ants besides calling the exterminator? >Should I worry about damage to my house? > Exterminator is about it. However, carpenter ants usually are only interested > in damp wood. You need to determine *where* the nests are, and fix the leak > that is getting the wood wet. No point in killing the ants if your house is > going to rot out from under you anyway.
Andy is absolutely correct. Almost all wood infestation insects propogate in wet or rotting wood, and that problem must be solved before any permanent cure can be made. You may have to do a bit of "deconstructing" to find the area and source of the wet wood, but it will be worth your while. If the wood is soft and decomposed then treat it (see our website for details) and then get in the extermination people if the ant problem persists. Often the ants will leave when their environment is changed to one they don’t find hospitable. The Rot Doctor http://www.rotdoctor.com Phone: 206 783 0307 Fax: 206 783 0582 —Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.—
Response:
> I’ve got carpenter ants all over the house. > They’re mostly in the kitchen but I’m finding some > upstairs. The house was built in 1941 and an > addition was built in 1997 – part of it included > extending the kitchen. How do I get rid of these > giant ants besides calling the exterminator? > Should I worry about damage to my house? > Thanks
Don’t play it cheap — call the exterminator ASAP. A co-worker found out the hard way what they do…he has major structural damage to the tune of several thousand dollars due to carpenter ants. Also, find & fix the source of why the ants are there…from what my colleague told me, they seek wet wood, so do what you need to keep them from coming back. Good luck, and don’t wait!!!
Response:
I don’t think I have carpenter ants but then I don’t know. I have big black ants coming around. They are not congregating around the sinks, they are congregating around the sweets (chocolate, dried fruit, etc.). I know that I don’t have any rotted or wet wood as it is a brand new house and furthermore, it is a post and beam house so all the wood is inside. The thing that has been worrying me though is that the walls are stress skin panel (OSB-polystyrene-sheetrock combo) and somewhere (can’t remember where) someone (can’t remember who) told me that some ants (can’t remember which) like to live in the styrene….. unless it has been pretreated with Borax. Does any of this ring to anyone? Are big black ants just big black ants or something worse? I’ve also seen some ants with whitish wings. I even found once a clump of them, about 20-30 (didn’t count, just smashed quick). What are they? Thanks AV
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >I don’t think I have carpenter ants but then I don’t know. I have big black >ants coming around. They are not congregating around the sinks, they are >congregating around the sweets (chocolate, dried fruit, etc.). I know that I >don’t have any rotted or wet wood as it is a brand new house and >furthermore, it is a post and beam house so all the wood is inside. >The thing that has been worrying me though is that the walls are stress skin >panel (OSB-polystyrene-sheetrock combo) and somewhere (can’t remember where) >someone (can’t remember who) told me that some ants (can’t remember which) >like to live in the styrene….. unless it has been pretreated with Borax. >Does any of this ring to anyone? >Are big black ants just big black ants or something worse? >I’ve also seen some ants with whitish wings. I even found once a clump of >them, about 20-30 (didn’t count, just smashed quick). What are they? >Thanks >AV
Those sound like carpenter ants. There are grease and sweet eating ants that are black, but they are usually very small. Carpenter ants are quite large and have larger heads than most other ants. For a thumbnail image of one, you can check out the following… http://www.unexco.com/carpants.html The site also offers the option to see a more detailed rendering so you can positively ID what you have. But it sounds to me like you have carpenter ants. The winged ants you are finding are the queens. If you are finding large groups of them, that is a pretty strong indication of a major infestion. Just because it’s a new house doesn’t mean you can’t have wood rot/damage. Call an exterminator ASAP. A good exterminator generally does a structural check to see what’s going on before he starts killing things.
Response:
> I’ve got carpenter ants all over the house. > They’re mostly in the kitchen but I’m finding some > upstairs. The house was built in 1941 and an > addition was built in 1997 – part of it included > extending the kitchen. How do I get rid of these > giant ants besides calling the exterminator? > Should I worry about damage to my house? > Thanks
I also had carpenter ants in my house. They would always be crawling around here and there. I was thinking the nest was outside but when I went in the attic to inspect some water damage on the ceiling (find the leak), I found the nest of carpenter ants under the wet insulation. I carfully put back the insulation as to not disturb the nest. Then I went and got several bombs and cans of Raid and attacked….haven’t seen anymore ants in the house since. I was lucky, but you may want to check your attic for any leaks Todd
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Those sound like carpenter ants. There are grease and sweet eating ants >that are black, but they are usually very small. Carpenter ants are quite >large and have larger heads than most other ants. For a thumbnail image >of one, you can check out the following… >http://www.unexco.com/carpants.html >The site also offers the option to see a more detailed rendering so you >can positively ID what you have. But it sounds to me like you have >carpenter ants. The winged ants you are finding are the queens. If you >are finding large groups of them, that is a pretty strong indication of a >major infestion. Just because it’s a new house doesn’t mean you can’t >have wood rot/damage. Call an exterminator ASAP. A good exterminator >generally does a structural check to see what’s going on before he starts >killing things.
Well, the site does much more than simply illustrate the ant. It also makes it very clear that what I have going on is more normal than an infestation. I did find one large group of winged ants, but that was once. The rest have been one here, one there…. and even over the past few days…. none. I’m not one who wants to live around a sprayed home if I can avoid it. And besides, like I said, my walls are solid. An exterminator would have a hard time trying to figure out how to spray into stress skin panels. Where they would instead have to spray are all over the beams which are in the inside. I need a very good reason before I do that. av
Response:
I also have a timber frame home with stress skin panels. It was built around 1983/4. I saw a fairly recent episode of This Old House where Norm stated that carpenter ants found great homes for themselves in the "older" stress skin panels. The newer panels are now "treated" to eliminate this problem. So my defense against these creatures is to try to draw them out early in the season with a Terro treatment inside along with ant traps inside and out. I also do a periodic treatment of borax/sugar mixture outside to try to minimize the population. I don’t have grass, so I don’t worry about the borax killing it. This preventative treatment *early* keeps them at bay. I start in March. Jackie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Those sound like carpenter ants. There are grease and sweet eating ants >that are black, but they are usually very small. Carpenter ants are quite >large and have larger heads than most other ants. For a thumbnail image >of one, you can check out the following… >http://www.unexco.com/carpants.html >The site also offers the option to see a more detailed rendering so you >can positively ID what you have. But it sounds to me like you have >carpenter ants. The winged ants you are finding are the queens. If you >are finding large groups of them, that is a pretty strong indication of a >major infestion. Just because it’s a new house doesn’t mean you can’t >have wood rot/damage. Call an exterminator ASAP. A good exterminator >generally does a structural check to see what’s going on before he starts >killing things. >Well, the site does much more than simply illustrate the ant. It also makes >it very clear that what I have going on is more normal than an infestation. >I did find one large group of winged ants, but that was once. The rest have >been one here, one there…. and even over the past few days…. none. >I’m not one who wants to live around a sprayed home if I can avoid it. And >besides, like I said, my walls are solid. An exterminator would have a hard >time trying to figure out how to spray into stress skin panels. Where they >would instead have to spray are all over the beams which are in the inside. >I need a very good reason before I do that. >av
Response:
If you see teeny-weeny beer cans near the house, especially on Fridays, they’re carpenter ants… ~~~~~~ Jeff G ~~~~~~ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I don’t think I have carpenter ants but then I don’t know. I have big black > ants coming around. They are not congregating around the sinks, they are > congregating around the sweets (chocolate, dried fruit, etc.). I know that I > don’t have any rotted or wet wood as it is a brand new house and > furthermore, it is a post and beam house so all the wood is inside. > The thing that has been worrying me though is that the walls are stress skin > panel (OSB-polystyrene-sheetrock combo) and somewhere (can’t remember where) > someone (can’t remember who) told me that some ants (can’t remember which) > like to live in the styrene….. unless it has been pretreated with Borax. > Does any of this ring to anyone? > Are big black ants just big black ants or something worse? > I’ve also seen some ants with whitish wings. I even found once a clump of > them, about 20-30 (didn’t count, just smashed quick). What are they? > Thanks > AV
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >I don’t think I have carpenter ants but then I don’t know. I have big black >ants coming around. They are not congregating around the sinks, they are >congregating around the sweets (chocolate, dried fruit, etc.). I know that I >don’t have any rotted or wet wood as it is a brand new house and >furthermore, it is a post and beam house so all the wood is inside. >The thing that has been worrying me though is that the walls are stress skin >panel (OSB-polystyrene-sheetrock combo) and somewhere (can’t remember where) >someone (can’t remember who) told me that some ants (can’t remember which) >like to live in the styrene….. unless it has been pretreated with Borax. >Does any of this ring to anyone? >Are big black ants just big black ants or something worse? >I’ve also seen some ants with whitish wings. I even found once a clump of >them, about 20-30 (didn’t count, just smashed quick). What are they?
You know, I just realized something else. The insects you are seeing may not be ants at all, but may be termites. Like ants, reproductive termites have wings and will swarm in the manner you described. You might want to check out the following site: http://www.orkin.com/termites/termitefacts.html It has a thumbnail image comparing a winged ant and a winged termite. That may help you distinguish what you’ve got. For info on other insects, visit the main website at: http://www.orkin.com Hope this helps.
Response:
>I also have a timber frame home with stress skin panels. It was built around >1983/4. I saw a fairly recent episode of This Old House where Norm stated >that carpenter ants found great homes for themselves in the "older" stress >skin panels. The newer panels are now "treated" to eliminate this problem. >So my defense against these creatures is to try to draw them out early in >the season with a Terro treatment inside along with ant traps inside and >out. I also do a periodic treatment of borax/sugar mixture outside to try to >minimize the population. I don’t have grass, so I don’t worry about the >borax killing it. This preventative treatment *early* keeps them at bay. I >start in March. >Jackie
Well, I’m hoping that my panels were treated. So much went wrong in their installation of them that I have since wondered about the company. How are you spreading these things, the Terro and the borax? AV
Response:
>You know, I just realized something else. The insects you are seeing may >not be ants at all, but may be termites. Like ants, reproductive termites >have wings and will swarm in the manner you described. You might want to >check out the following site: >http://www.orkin.com/termites/termitefacts.html
Yeah, of course I was wondering that too. That comparison was help to confirm. They are definitely ants. But, they have disappeared over the past few days. Maybe word got out that there are orders to "pinch to kill" for any ant seen in the house. What is amazing is that if I happen to leave a dead ant laying on the floor (okay, my housekeeping isn’t like Martha’s) invariably there will come another ant to pick it up and carry it away. AV
Response:
> They are definitely ants. >But, they have disappeared over the past few days. Maybe word got out that >there are orders to "pinch to kill" for any ant seen in the house. >What is amazing is that if I happen to leave a dead ant laying on the floor >(okay, my housekeeping isn’t like Martha’s) invariably there will come >another ant to pick it up and carry it away.
Yes, and remember, they’re keeping score. Robert M. Lewis Curiouser and curiouser!
Response:
>Well, I’m hoping that my panels were treated. So much went wrong in their >installation of them that I have since wondered about the company. >How are you spreading these things, the Terro and the borax? >AV
Terro is a boric acid/sugar liquid mixture I buy at my local hardware store. I just put a drop on cardboard pieces around the sink area in the kitchen and watch the parade of ants begin. I have watched the ants come in from the highest beam in the kitchen, down the post, across the next beam etc. They eat this stuff, bring it back to the nest for the others to enjoy, they die. I buy 20 Mule Team Borax from the market, mix it with some granular sugar in an old bucket and just spread it by hand around the perimeter of the house. I seem to have done a good job getting rid of the large black ants inside this year, but last night the teeny ants have started their invasion. Out came the Terro, they went right for it. Hopefully they will be gone in a couple of days. During the Spring – Fall months, I periodically put out the Terro just to keep the population in check. Seems to work. Jackie
Response:
>> They are definitely ants. >But, they have disappeared over the past few days. Maybe word got out that >there are orders to "pinch to kill" for any ant seen in the house.
Sounds like they were just foraging. In the place I was living, each summer carpenter ants would swarm the house. The actual nest was outside but when they started foraging, some would end up in my house. The first year was bad, but after spraying the nest and putting out bait, I only had about 3 the next year.
Response:
> Hi everyone, > I was told by my pest control tech that carpenter ants know how many ants left > the nest & when the same number don’t come back they panic & move the nest. Is > thaat true?
I wish it was that easy then at least we might be able to chase problem nests out of the house if nothing else. > We have a slight problem w/ants – the congregate near the kitchen > sink. One night we had about 10 running around the sink.
Make sure they are carpenter ants..they will be a large ant. Try to find where the nest might be by following one and see where it disappears, or look for a debris pile. It will look like a pile of wood chippings, but it usually is just their shed cocoons that they have kicked out of the nest. Depending on what you find may determine how you might want to treat. If it is a medium sized ant look for an ant bed or nest under organic matter on the outside next to the wall where you are seeing them. Addressing the nest itself should take care of your inside problem And if the ants are small to tiny, you might try different ant baits that are on the market. It might take a few tries before you find what they are feeding on. Lar – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hubby sprayed with > bug spray. Lasst night there were a few in a glass. Gave me the creeps, & I > can pretty much handle it. Advice? The more the better. Thanks!!! > Karen
Response:
Hi everyone, I was told by my pest control tech that carpenter ants know how many ants left the nest & when the same number don’t come back they panic & move the nest. Is thaat true? We have a slight problem w/ants – the congregate near the kitchen sink. One night we had about 10 running around the sink. Hubby sprayed with bug spray. Lasst night there were a few in a glass. Gave me the creeps, & I can pretty much handle it. Advice? The more the better. Thanks!!! Karen
Response:
says… >I was told by my pest control tech that carpenter ants know how many ants left >the nest & when the same number don’t come back they panic & move the nest. Is >thaat true?
If I were you I wouldn’t really give a rats flip about whether they’re doing a headcount. Your goal is to protect your house and eradicate the pests. > We have a slight problem w/ants – the congregate near the kitchen >sink. One night we had about 10 running around the sink. Hubby sprayed with >bug spray. Lasst night there were a few in a glass. Gave me the creeps, & I >can pretty much handle it. Advice? The more the better. Thanks!!!
For starters, don’t spray bug spray in your sink. Remember your dishes that you eat out of are going in there, and bug spray is a nerve agent. I doubt it would do any serious harm, but it may cause ill health. As for the ants, are you sure there carpenter ants? Whatever the case, if they’re already in your house, now would be a good time to stock up on ant bait traps. Get various kinds for different types of ants. They’re cheap, and you can make sure and cover all the bases. Lastly, put granular Diazinon around your foundation. This won’t do much for the infestation you currently have, but it’ll go a long way to keep it from happening again. Expect it to take about 2 weeks for them to completely disappear. Bluedog
Response:
> Hi everyone, > I was told by my pest control tech that carpenter ants know how many ants left > the nest & when the same number don’t come back they panic & move the nest. Is > thaat true?
I wish it was that easy then at least we might be able to chase problem nests out of the house if nothing else. > We have a slight problem w/ants – the congregate near the kitchen > sink. One night we had about 10 running around the sink.
Make sure they are carpenter ants..they will be a large ant. Try to find where the nest might be by following one and see where it disappears, or look for a debris pile. It will look like a pile of wood chippings, but it usually is just their shed cocoons that they have kicked out of the nest. Depending on what you find may determine how you might want to treat. If it is a medium sized ant look for an ant bed or nest under organic matter on the outside next to the wall where you are seeing them. Addressing the nest itself should take care of your inside problem And if the ants are small to tiny, you might try different ant baits that are on the market. It might take a few tries before you find what they are feeding on. Lar – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hubby sprayed with > bug spray. Lasst night there were a few in a glass. Gave me the creeps, & I > can pretty much handle it. Advice? The more the better. Thanks!!! > Karen
Response:
Hi everyone, I was told by my pest control tech that carpenter ants know how many ants left the nest & when the same number don’t come back they panic & move the nest. Is thaat true? We have a slight problem w/ants – the congregate near the kitchen sink. One night we had about 10 running around the sink. Hubby sprayed with bug spray. Lasst night there were a few in a glass. Gave me the creeps, & I can pretty much handle it. Advice? The more the better. Thanks!!! Karen
Response:
says… >I was told by my pest control tech that carpenter ants know how many ants left >the nest & when the same number don’t come back they panic & move the nest. Is >thaat true?
If I were you I wouldn’t really give a rats flip about whether they’re doing a headcount. Your goal is to protect your house and eradicate the pests. > We have a slight problem w/ants – the congregate near the kitchen >sink. One night we had about 10 running around the sink. Hubby sprayed with >bug spray. Lasst night there were a few in a glass. Gave me the creeps, & I >can pretty much handle it. Advice? The more the better. Thanks!!!
For starters, don’t spray bug spray in your sink. Remember your dishes that you eat out of are going in there, and bug spray is a nerve agent. I doubt it would do any serious harm, but it may cause ill health. As for the ants, are you sure there carpenter ants? Whatever the case, if they’re already in your house, now would be a good time to stock up on ant bait traps. Get various kinds for different types of ants. They’re cheap, and you can make sure and cover all the bases. Lastly, put granular Diazinon around your foundation. This won’t do much for the infestation you currently have, but it’ll go a long way to keep it from happening again. Expect it to take about 2 weeks for them to completely disappear. Bluedog
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