Get Rid of Carpenter Ants
Get Rid of Carpenter Ants is the fourth and final article that I will be doing on the subject of getting rid of ants. They are indeed one of the most interesting, complicated, and mor common ant problems in the continental U.S. They are also most commonly mistaken for termites. Of course, winged termites don’t look like ants at all because they don’t have the “restricted waist” the segmented body that ants possess. If you see something that’s black and looks like an ant with wings, chances are you’re dealing with carpenter ants, not termites. If you see something that’s black, and has four wings that are all the same length, then you’re probably dealing with termites.
Carpenter ants are not easy to get rid of. A well established infestation will require drilling holes, and spraying aerosol ant killer into the nest, while treating the areas around the nest with residual insecticides like boric acid and Diazinon, and spraying the perimeter of the house with another residual ant treatment to prevent reinfestation. It’s a big fat mess, that’s what carpenter ants are, perhaps proof that god hates the people who are unlucky enough to find a large colony in their home.
March 12th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Hi Jonathan,
Came across your informative blog while researching my carpenter ant problem. I stay in a suburb of Dallas,TX. I have had a carpenter ant problem for a year now.
Last year I just got in touch with the folks at epestsupply.com a Dallas business and got started with a liquid bait (Uncle Alberts ant bait) and placed it outside in the flowerbed near the window of the room where we had the problem. I had noticed frass in the room but did not know then what to make of it.
This year and now with spring season, the ants invaded the room and got even into the kitchen. Talked to the folks at epestsupply and they recommended perimeter control (I sprayed Phantom along baseboards) and void control (I got Termidor dust, yet to spray it). I also used Raid Fumigator (not the fogger) the same time/day I did the Phantom treatment. This was last week and we had about 200-400 ants died when we came back to the house. Since then we average about 10-20 dead or dying ants everyday.
Today I finally noticed the source of the ants coming into the room. They are coming from the decorative wooden window border/sill above the baseboard. After I finally got over my inertia of putting face on the carpet, I could clearly see the ant damage/line/opening in the wood.
So given this background what would you recommend with your expertise. I am thinking of putting the Termidor dust with the “crusader” duster in the existing openings. Not sure if and how many more holes I should drill and dust. Also would like to know if liquid formulation of Termidor will be more effective. Any other products (not tried Aerosol etc) you recommend?
Also give me some ideas about controling the moisture/water/rain accumulation for the window area which is probably a big factor in the ants nesting in the first place.
March 12th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Okay ZZ,
This is what I would do. Get the courage to put your ear (or a stethascope) on the wall and see if you can hear where the ants are. Carpenter ants often make a crackling/crunching noise. You may want to mark the places where you’re hearing the noises with a pencil, because that’s where you’ll want to drill.
After that I would stick with the Termidor dust (blow that dust into the holes), but would supplement that treatment with an aerosol as well. That should take care of your carpenter ant problem. Of course, if you can’t get it done yourself, I’m certain a pest control professional would be willing to do the job for you. In fact, a lot of Carpenter Ant problems require professional help because pest control professionals know what to look for (common nesting places) and what to look out for (electricals, etc,).
As for the window area and moisture, I’m not certain I can help. That sounds like a carpenter’s job.
- Jonathan
April 12th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
HELP!! We purchased and moved into this one level house last year. Upon arrival we noticed many large black carpenter ants and quickly sprayed around the outside of the house. We also removed many rotten wooden planters that were attached below each window outside. They seemed to have disappeared or so we thought. It has been 9 months later and recently I have been seeing more of them around the outside of the house. Two nights ago I was awakened by very loud crunching and chewing noises above my head in the wall of my bedroom. Each night the same thing. We listened with a stethascope and sure enough each night roughly in the same location you can here them chewing away. One wall of our bedroom, the side where we hear this chewing is cedar siding( pretty common for an 80’s style home which we are gradually renovating.) Is there a nest in our wall? and do we have to rip the wall apart to get at them. P.S we have pets i.e puppy and kitten so is there a safe way to non-chemically get rid of the ant problem? Does this also mean an infestation?
April 12th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
This is what I would do:
Drill some holes just deep enough to get through the cedar, then blow some Borax dust into the holes and plug them with something that you can easily remove if you have to. Do this a few days in a row. If that doesn’t kill the ants, then try an aerosol insect killer (Raid makes a few good ones). Make sure you don’t spray it all over your bedding. That stuff is nasty. This should take care of the ants if that boric acid didn’t do the trick. Once you’re certain the ants are dead, go ahead and putty those holes up.
Better yet, remove the cedar paneling, kill the ants and check for structural damage (you don’t know how much time they’ve had to burrow through some important beams), and replace that awful wood paneling with some good dry wall.
Those are my suggestions for getting rid of this particular carpenter ant problem.
- Jonathan
P.S. Before you do any drilling, check the walls for electricity/wiring so you don’t electrocute myself. If you don’t know how to do that, then you should probably bring in a professional.